Well, after cleaning up some of the taint on Astral (you poor herbalists ), I was thinking how it might be interesting to have a herb that actually grows well in taint, but not outside it.

Witheroot would be plantable in any tainted environment, or any location with a tainted demesne. If there is a different demesne in a naturally tainted location, the herb can be planted but will die very quickly. It would have no peak month, simply growing at a medium rate throughout the year (representing not following the usual cycles of growth). Obviously only herbalists could pick it. Maybe it could grow in Wyrd environments too, but I'm not sure how that is being handled now.

When ingested, this herb would have the effect of increasing a person's affinity to taint. It would increase health, mana and ego regeneration in taint by 1 level each for exactly 1 day, but decreases all regeneration outside it by 1 level to possibly a negative amount. It would change the player movement message to 'Elryn leaves to the $dir, his footprints marked by corrosive burns.' (Maybe only outside taint?)

It has no effect if the person is bonded to Snake totem, and is cured by Sweetfount (unless anyone can think of an appropriate Celest defence that would block it).

What do you think?

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Perhaps as an additional effect, if a person with the witheroot defence enters natural forest (demesne/environmental), there is a recurring attack that hits them on an 8 second timer provided they don't have an active protection aura. This represents the forest reacting to the tainted aura which surrounds the player.

The first attack would simply coat them in a layer of fetid leaves, which creates a worn item on them, which they can REMOVE like any other clothes, and the item disappears if not on a body. (So, pretty damn easy to avoid, just annoying)

If they don't remove the leaves, the next stage of the attack binds them in vines, requiring them to writhe to escape.

If they are bound and wearing the leaves, the final stage of attack will 'kill' them (the foliage will consume their body, pulling it underground, but there will be no loss of experience, only all defences) and they will become phased. 20 seconds later, they will reform wherever their phased body is. It will also leave an item in the room, 'a blackened mound of twisted foliage'.

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Just some thoughts I'm sounding out... trying to add more RP depth to the 'meaning' of tainted environment (and perhaps forest environment).

Any opinions?

I think it is an interesting idea. I would use it just for the whole footprint thing

there IS an herb that only grows in Taint - wormwood.

A herb is a plant.

While it migh make sense in a Blacktalon demesne or a Wyrden forest, it makes absolutely no sense to grow in taint anywhere.

You also have to consider that "taint" isn't an environment type. There are vast differences from tainted indoor urban to tainted sea to tainted ruins.

Well, it grows in wasteland, doesn't it?

Which is "naturally" tainted. Geomancers can meld it without tainting.

Ah, but that is why it is interesting. It would represent an unnatural form of life that can only be sustained by the power left in Taint. Meaning it would be incredibly resisted by Serenwilde/Celest as an abomination.

I would actually make its growth and death messages quite different to regular organic plants, perhaps more like a developing crystal. Or something.

Is there wasteland and tainted wasteland, or just the latter?

Edit: Also, to explain some of my motivation... this would mean magnagoran Viscanti would gain a tiny boost to influencing in the form of ego regeneration. Not much, but something.

Only "wasteland" but its naturally tainted without having to say it, as all wasteland is tainted.

Damn, so there's already living herbs that like to grow in pure taint and still act like healthy plants? That's not good.

Even Glomdoring is clearly distinct from regular plantlife.

Edit: Question, does a melded geomancer demesne in wasteland make the herbs grow slower?

Dude I was sold on this idea just by reading that part.

Great stuff! Maximo supporti!

(wtf? is that latin? where the #$#% I come up with this &^%$?)


P.S. Think up s'more!

Nope, Geomeld does not hinder wormwood.

And all the same plants that grow in Serenwilde grow in Glomdoring.

I meant the trees and so on.

Oh well, guess I could go on a crusade to ban the use of wormwood, but I think that is necessary for some cures, right?

Dude by your definition tainted means dead, or at least a negative. I don't think this is your basic good dudes vs undead dudes based on undead element thingies aka GOOD/EVIL like Aetolia and whatnot. Where there are some evidences to support your hizz-hazz...such as walking corpses, I see alot of the taint in Glomdoring more as -mutation- than like..unliving dead stuff. Avaer's got a good point here. Taint -is- an element.

As an alternative, what if the same effects could be derived from an alchemical potion created from wormwood?

I don't think that is as interesting, or as useful, however. Although I suppose it could be addictive, which would be fun for magnagora. Not so much fun for the rest of the playerbase though.

I think your idea was really good dude, you should stick by it. I mean it dosn't even need to have statistics or anything, it could be something semi-useless, like weed. Purely cosmetic effects, such as the footprints you talked about.

Actually, I believe wormwood is already used in Alchemy. To make Antidote and Absinthe.

I use wormwood in kamikaze death whiskey. if you tried to ban it I'd probably ignore you

Well, any reason why there can't be more?

Well...if your idea was that wormwood would contribute to the Tainted nature of the potion or whatever in some way then yes, because wormwood clearly isn't like that.

It'd have to have a gargoyle foot or something in there. Which kind of defeats the purpose.