Action Botany is the art of imbuing seeds with strange abilities through alchemy. They are also known as Seed Wizards or Horticultural Alchemists. They don’t cast spells, instead planting specifically created seeds that grow into useful and magical plants. They are more utility and support focused than most casters, and rarely have damaging abilities.
Seed Dice (SD) represent available seeds, and are consumed on a roll of 5 or 6. SD are d6, and their [sum] or number of [die] used are the main ways of determining a seed’s power and effect. Gain all lost SD back at dawn. Rolling doubles triggers Mishaps (roll d6 on Mishaps), rolling triple triggers Dooms (start at the first and move up).
The plants are permanent though immobile unless stated otherwise.
Plants die after one month unless fertilized with Alchemical Fertiliser, and will grow on any solid surface given their magical nature. Alchemical Fertiliser can be stockpiled, but degrades after 3 months.
Unless otherwise stated, Range is Touch, Target is Point, and Duration is Permanent. Squares are 5 feet on each side.
Seeds take effect on the round after they are planted, as they require time to grow.
Level 1: +1SD. Roll 1d6 twice, and get the 2 seeds listed. Can reroll once.
Level 2: +1SD. Roll 1d8 and get the 1 seed listed. Gain Harvest.
Level 3: +1SD. Roll 1d10 and get the 1 seed listed. Gain Germinate.
Level 4: +1SD. Roll Choose up to 6 seeds from the list. Gain Graft.
Harvest allows the Action Botanist to collect a part of the plant for later use. This destroys or weakens the plant, and the Harvested part will lose its power at the next dawn.
Germinate can be used instead of Harvest to attempt to force the plant to produce another seed, replenishing one lost SD and destroying the plant. Has a [template] in 6 chance of succeeding.
Graft attaches a Harvested item to another plant, imbuing it with that plant’s properties as well. Must be Harvested again to collect, and consumes 1SD to do. Examples: shield leaf that produces light, boat that sticks to objects, concealing cloak that stitches itself to wounds, edible sword.
Perks:
Simple sturdy robes, a good hat and boots, and a solid spade that counts as a 1d6 blunt weapon. Can always wake up at dawn, regardless of circumstance. Immune to the effects of own plants.
Drawbacks:
Must spend one hour every day in direct sunlight, or immersed in running water. Lose 1 SD for each day you can’t.
Cantrips:
- Turn one ration into one use of Alchemical Fertilizer. Unappetizing, pungent, and mildly toxic (nausea, no damage) to most non-magical and non-plant life. Probably like catnip for treants.
- Can ask a plant a question. Plants only understand questions (and only answer) in terms they understand (water, sunlight, soil quality), and each plant will only ever give one answer before going mute. Also, they are very stupid and slow.
- Can identify plant-based substances after ingesting. No immunity to poison.
Light Bulb.
A tulip-like plant that grows a single luminous flower. Sheds light out to [sum] squares. Harvest creates a preserved flower torch, but lowers luminosity to [die]x2 squares.
Touch-Me-Not. A fine and delicate fern-like plant that reacts to any touch by screaming loudly. Also has tremorsense and sonar in [sum] square radius. Can be told to ignore certain entities. Harvest wraps the fern leaves around the caster’s arm, and will alarm once in the presence of a creature the caster is not aware of within [die] squares.
Climbing Vine. When planted near a vertical surface, or vertical drop, grows up to [die]x50ft. No climb checks for creatures using it. Harvest converts its length into rope.
Bridge Lily. Grows a lily-like platform on water, covers 1 square but can bud [die] additional lilies in direction of choice. Lilies must be touching each other. Harvest creates a raft capable of carrying caster plus [die] people, but cannot bud as well.
Shield Bush. Grows [sum] thick flat leaves that orient towards movement. Armoured as chainmail, has [die] hit points per leaf. Prevents movement and acts as cover in a 5-foot square, losses effect when all leaves gone. Harvest plucks a leaf for a light-weight shield. Regrows one leaf per month.
Sword Palm. A short palm with long metallic leaves. Does [die] piercing damage to any creature that enters or passes its square. Harvest grants a 1d6 leaf rapier, can be Harvested [sum] times. Regrows one leaf per month.
Ragweed Shrub. When disturbed by a creature passing within melee range, covers [sum] squares with a cloud of pollen. All creatures within are blinded, and suffer [die] poison damage per round, which persists one round after leaving the cloud. Harvest creates a pollen bomb, which covers only a single square but can be thrown at will.
Pitcher Trap Plant. When planted, it grows into the ground, creating a pit trap capable of holding 1HD per [die] creatures. A large leaf functions as a trapdoor, and is camouflaged. Creatures inside are not damaged, but the sides are too slippery to climb and too rubbery to cut. Trapdoor leaf can be Harvested for a cloak that grants concealment.
Drill Root. Grows through a wall or floor at a rate of one square a round for up to [die] rounds. Creates a narrow but traversable root-wreathed passage. After [sum] rounds, roots lose their supporting ability and the tunnel becomes unstable and easily collapsed. Harvest taproots for [sum] spikes, causing instant collapse.
Thorn Stitch. A symbiotic plant that grows when the seed is placed in an open wound. Roughly mends flesh together, granting [sum] temporary hit points, but dealing [die] damage. If Harvested, removes temporary hit points and deals that much damage. If not, falls out after one hour, removing the temporary hit points.
Tree House. A delicate plant that grows into a tree after one hour of care. The tree’s branches form a room-sized shelter in its center, and can even have a small fire in a hardwood depression. Smoke and light hidden from outside observation. Grows 10x[die] feet high, and can fit caster+[die] people. Harvest forces the tree to produce [sum] fruit , each of which counts as a ration. Tree dies as a result, but the fruit remains edible after the next dawn.
Place of Flower Power. This plant quickly sends out runners across all nearby surfaces, including up walls, across ceilings, underground, and into water. Covers [sum]x2 squares of the caster’s choice. Squares must be contiguous, and branch from the planting point. Plant will act as treacherous ground for all hostile entities within its area, and advantageous terrain for all allies. For [sum] rounds, the plant will attempt to ensare creatures that enter or begin their turn within its effect, rooting them to the spot with a DEX save to escape (10 + [die]x4). On failed roll, will attempt to immobilise them, stopping them for moving or performing actions, STR save to escape (10 + [die]x4). Treacherous terrain effect is permanent. No Harvest ability.
Mishaps:
- SD only return to your pool on a 1-2 until next dawn.
- Take 1d6 damage.
- Random botanical mutation (roll for mutation, then add flavour) for 1d6 rounds, then make a save. Permanent if you fail.
- Lose 1 SD until next dawn.
- Seed mutates into a different variety. Roll d10 on the Seed List.
- Cannot plant seeds for 1d6 rounds.
Dooms:
- Lose immunity to own plant effects until next dawn.
- All plants you have already planted wither and die.
- Plants consume you, and you become a tree. Still maintain intelligence, but cannot move and can only talk in Plant.
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