There's an artifact to halve herb balance for 300 credits. There's no difference between picking to sell the herbs and picking to replant either so that wouldn't make any sense. You just have to be faster. 
Ah, replanting time, not harvesting time. Yeah, lower replanting time. 
I've had a few ideas/variants-on-ideas regarding ways to make replanting easier. Any one or combinations could be a possibility.
Reasons why replanting could use some love include things such as: at the moment, if I miss Guarding the few spots of swamp in the Serenwilde during one of their hibernations, I can only replant by sporing back from Balach. Not everyone has access to spores, nor can mushroom circles be summoned everywhere easily to help people tend to replanting. Also, sometimes I find environments almost entirely wiped out, so there's nothing that can be done at that point but to wait until mechanics kick in and start sprouting new growth eventually, while meanwhile that type of herb can't be harvested by anyone for awhile (again with the swamp example, once after hibernation there was a single spot of 1 myrtle growing in all of Serenwilde/Balach ... reportedly Glom has some swamps too, but I've never gone into Glom to know details of how wide that area is. Another example ... merbloom. 'Nuff said).
Option 1 -- Seed Trays
Summary: Arts/Woodcraft gains ability to craft trays. An herb can be harvested from wherever and planted in the tray (not during the herb's hibernation month), taken to a distant area and harvested from the tray (ideally, if there's not spice-failure) and planted there. Herbs in trays would not grow (might even wither/disappear if left there at the turn of the next day), trays would hold 5-10 herbs.
Justification: Makes logical sense.
Benefits: Easier to transplant ... RP of having an object to play with
Disadvantage: I imagine it'd need quite a bit of coding done, compared to the next option ... perhaps more time coding needed than the results would justify when there's so much else needing time and work. Herbs would have to be currently growing somewhere in the Basin to harvest for planting.
Option 2 -- Lengthen viable planting time
Summary: Let recently-harvested herbs remain plantable for much longer than they are currently (as it is now, herbs harvested are only capable of being planted again for a fairly short time).
Justification: Herbs have grown sturdier? Not that big a change, to need much explanation.
Benefits: Easier to transplant, as there'd be more time to travel between distant locations. Also, could harvest more in a group at once and move/plant/move/plant/etc. greater numbers at once (harvest 20 and plant them all around the nearby area rather than harvest 5-6, plant around, return to the original spot to harvest another 5-6, move to plant around more, return to...).
Disadvantage: Not much. Still would require available herbs growing in the Basin to harvest before being able to plant.
Option 3 -- Quickening
Summary: Herbalists would be able to enliven the roots of too-long-out-of-the-ground herbs, making them able to be planted again. It would be an additional ability in Herbs, first in the skillset
Justification: Magic!
Have a mana cost to doing so, too. Possibly also an eq/bal requirement and slight delay.
Benefits: Much, much easier to plant, as you could outrift herbs, quicken them, and plant. No worries about whether there are any currently growing elsewhere in the Basin to harvest from and try to get to the new location. Herbs had to have been initially harvested at some point anyway, not just appearing out of thin air.
Disadvantage: Hmm ... coding? Not that I know anything of how the mechanics work, but the ability could perhaps tinker with resetting when the herb thinks it was harvested? Doesn't perhaps make as much "sense" to be able to coax growth out of dried up old leaves and whatnot ... hence the "magic" justification.
If it wouldn't be too much of a nightmare (coding-wise) to work in, it'd also be nifty to have a strong failure possibility (50-75% (or even 100%) chance of destroying the herb) if someone tries to use it during the herb's hibernation month. Teach people to pay attention!
Example
-AB HERBS
You have gained the following abilities in Herbs:
Quickening Restore the dormant potential of harvested herbs.
Flax Farmers hate this weed, but useful to alchemists.
Arnica A hardy mountain shrub that alchemists find use for.
-AB HERBS QUICKENING
Syntax: QUICKEN
By drawing upon the energies of the environment around you, imbue a dormant herb with the potential for growth once again. Due to adverse conditions during an herb's hibernation, attempting to do so at that time will have a strong chance to backfire.
In use:
-quicken galingale
Attempting to restore its vitality, you focus on a stem of galingale.
A stem of galingale brightens, appearing freshly-picked once again.
Or, during hibernation ...
A stem of galingale crumbles to dust in your hands.
Supplementary Idea -- Additional documentation for planting in Herbs
Summary: At Inept Herbs, first ability of the skillset, add Planting, similar to how Healing has Cure. If Option 1 or Option 3 would be implemented, perhaps combine information to indicate as much. (I don't know how/if other tradeskills explain themselves better, but I like how Healing has initial overview bits ... compared to a newbie herbalist not realizing they should read HELP HERBS 1 to learn about planting.)
Examples:
Basic Example
-AB HERBS
You have gained the following abilities in Herbs:
Planting Replant herbs harvested to encourage areas of growth.
Flax Farmers hate this weed, but useful to alchemists.
Arnica A hardy mountain shrub that alchemists find use for.
-AB HERBS PLANTING
Syntax: PLANT
Freshly-picked herbs may be planted in a suitable environment to establish
or expand growth there. If an herb has been too long out of the ground or
is within its hibernation month, you will not be able to plant it.
Expanded Example (my personal favourite wish/hope
)
-AB HERBS
You have gained the following abilities in Herbs:
Planting Replant herbs harvested to encourage areas of growth.
Quickening Restore the dormant potential of harvested herbs.
Flax Farmers hate this weed, but useful to alchemists.
Arnica A hardy mountain shrub that alchemists find use for.
-AB HERBS PLANTING
Syntax: PLANT
Freshly-picked herbs may be planted in a suitable environment to establish
or expand growth there. If an herb has been too long out of the ground or
is within its hibernation month, you may not be able to plant it without further effort.
-AB HERBS QUICKENING
Syntax: QUICKEN
By drawing upon the energies of the environment around you, imbue a dormant herb with the potential for growth once again. Due to adverse conditions during an herb's hibernation, attempting to do so at that time will have a strong chance to backfire.
Reasons why replanting could use some love include things such as: at the moment, if I miss Guarding the few spots of swamp in the Serenwilde during one of their hibernations, I can only replant by sporing back from Balach. Not everyone has access to spores, nor can mushroom circles be summoned everywhere easily to help people tend to replanting. Also, sometimes I find environments almost entirely wiped out, so there's nothing that can be done at that point but to wait until mechanics kick in and start sprouting new growth eventually, while meanwhile that type of herb can't be harvested by anyone for awhile (again with the swamp example, once after hibernation there was a single spot of 1 myrtle growing in all of Serenwilde/Balach ... reportedly Glom has some swamps too, but I've never gone into Glom to know details of how wide that area is. Another example ... merbloom. 'Nuff said).
Option 1 -- Seed Trays
Summary: Arts/Woodcraft gains ability to craft trays. An herb can be harvested from wherever and planted in the tray (not during the herb's hibernation month), taken to a distant area and harvested from the tray (ideally, if there's not spice-failure) and planted there. Herbs in trays would not grow (might even wither/disappear if left there at the turn of the next day), trays would hold 5-10 herbs.
Justification: Makes logical sense.
Benefits: Easier to transplant ... RP of having an object to play with
Disadvantage: I imagine it'd need quite a bit of coding done, compared to the next option ... perhaps more time coding needed than the results would justify when there's so much else needing time and work. Herbs would have to be currently growing somewhere in the Basin to harvest for planting.
Option 2 -- Lengthen viable planting time
Summary: Let recently-harvested herbs remain plantable for much longer than they are currently (as it is now, herbs harvested are only capable of being planted again for a fairly short time).
Justification: Herbs have grown sturdier? Not that big a change, to need much explanation.
Benefits: Easier to transplant, as there'd be more time to travel between distant locations. Also, could harvest more in a group at once and move/plant/move/plant/etc. greater numbers at once (harvest 20 and plant them all around the nearby area rather than harvest 5-6, plant around, return to the original spot to harvest another 5-6, move to plant around more, return to...).
Disadvantage: Not much. Still would require available herbs growing in the Basin to harvest before being able to plant.
Option 3 -- Quickening
Summary: Herbalists would be able to enliven the roots of too-long-out-of-the-ground herbs, making them able to be planted again. It would be an additional ability in Herbs, first in the skillset
Justification: Magic!
Have a mana cost to doing so, too. Possibly also an eq/bal requirement and slight delay.Benefits: Much, much easier to plant, as you could outrift herbs, quicken them, and plant. No worries about whether there are any currently growing elsewhere in the Basin to harvest from and try to get to the new location. Herbs had to have been initially harvested at some point anyway, not just appearing out of thin air.
Disadvantage: Hmm ... coding? Not that I know anything of how the mechanics work, but the ability could perhaps tinker with resetting when the herb thinks it was harvested? Doesn't perhaps make as much "sense" to be able to coax growth out of dried up old leaves and whatnot ... hence the "magic" justification.
If it wouldn't be too much of a nightmare (coding-wise) to work in, it'd also be nifty to have a strong failure possibility (50-75% (or even 100%) chance of destroying the herb) if someone tries to use it during the herb's hibernation month. Teach people to pay attention! Example
-AB HERBS
You have gained the following abilities in Herbs:
Quickening Restore the dormant potential of harvested herbs.
Flax Farmers hate this weed, but useful to alchemists.
Arnica A hardy mountain shrub that alchemists find use for.
-AB HERBS QUICKENING
Syntax: QUICKEN
By drawing upon the energies of the environment around you, imbue a dormant herb with the potential for growth once again. Due to adverse conditions during an herb's hibernation, attempting to do so at that time will have a strong chance to backfire.
In use:
-quicken galingale
Attempting to restore its vitality, you focus on a stem of galingale.
A stem of galingale brightens, appearing freshly-picked once again.
Or, during hibernation ...
A stem of galingale crumbles to dust in your hands.
Supplementary Idea -- Additional documentation for planting in Herbs
Summary: At Inept Herbs, first ability of the skillset, add Planting, similar to how Healing has Cure. If Option 1 or Option 3 would be implemented, perhaps combine information to indicate as much. (I don't know how/if other tradeskills explain themselves better, but I like how Healing has initial overview bits ... compared to a newbie herbalist not realizing they should read HELP HERBS 1 to learn about planting.)
Examples:
Basic Example
-AB HERBS
You have gained the following abilities in Herbs:
Planting Replant herbs harvested to encourage areas of growth.
Flax Farmers hate this weed, but useful to alchemists.
Arnica A hardy mountain shrub that alchemists find use for.
-AB HERBS PLANTING
Syntax: PLANT
Freshly-picked herbs may be planted in a suitable environment to establish
or expand growth there. If an herb has been too long out of the ground or
is within its hibernation month, you will not be able to plant it.
Expanded Example (my personal favourite wish/hope
)-AB HERBS
You have gained the following abilities in Herbs:
Planting Replant herbs harvested to encourage areas of growth.
Quickening Restore the dormant potential of harvested herbs.
Flax Farmers hate this weed, but useful to alchemists.
Arnica A hardy mountain shrub that alchemists find use for.
-AB HERBS PLANTING
Syntax: PLANT
Freshly-picked herbs may be planted in a suitable environment to establish
or expand growth there. If an herb has been too long out of the ground or
is within its hibernation month, you may not be able to plant it without further effort.
-AB HERBS QUICKENING
Syntax: QUICKEN
By drawing upon the energies of the environment around you, imbue a dormant herb with the potential for growth once again. Due to adverse conditions during an herb's hibernation, attempting to do so at that time will have a strong chance to backfire.
When I was an herbalist, I think 8 rooms was the max I could plant before they had been out of the ground too long. Tough to replant an entire area, but not impossible. Herbs is definitely a trade for the patient, hence why I switched to poisons. 
I tend to get nervous after 6 or so, because of course when there's only a tiny bit of the herb I need to transplant growing (thus no extra to risk wasting), that's when I'll get lag or something and not be able to plant them all.
Replanting mistletoe goes only 1-2 at a time, and makes me wish I had a Brooch of the Tempest thing for the lack of wind! Merbloom/kombu/sargassum similarly in small groups only, because of the waves.
Bah! If we get trays, they need to be an artisan skill. Arts has enough useful things. Artisans need some loving!
When I initially thought of the trays, I considered both Artisan and Arts. I don't think there'd be a high enough demand for them that it would significantly help Artisans for them to be the ones to make them, though. Similar to Arts pipes vs Artisan pipes ... but theoretically everyone can have a use for pipes. Only herbalists would have any reason to want seed trays, and even then perhaps not all of them would.
Replanting mistletoe goes only 1-2 at a time, and makes me wish I had a Brooch of the Tempest thing for the lack of wind! Merbloom/kombu/sargassum similarly in small groups only, because of the waves.
QUOTE(Hazar @ Jul 17 2006, 03:18 PM) 308720
Bah! If we get trays, they need to be an artisan skill. Arts has enough useful things. Artisans need some loving!
When I initially thought of the trays, I considered both Artisan and Arts. I don't think there'd be a high enough demand for them that it would significantly help Artisans for them to be the ones to make them, though. Similar to Arts pipes vs Artisan pipes ... but theoretically everyone can have a use for pipes. Only herbalists would have any reason to want seed trays, and even then perhaps not all of them would.
