So I get Herblore via mail. It's a 38-page looseleaf pack for any three-ring binder and it's in color, which is great. Always kudos for a full-color product, especially one that's dealing in descriptions of plants.

The first page is a quick description that is more focused on the relation to Hârn, but I can already see that this product could be used for other games. It has quick paragraphs on The Guild of Apothecaries, gathering, buying & selling, and Herblore skill, and how to use this knowledge to turn a profit. The second page has a list of all the herbs with their habitats, rarity, and season (for foraging).

Then it goes into a format of alphabetically listing one herb per page, with an illustration, a basic description, and an adventure seed (always cool). Each page also has a chart that lists the type of plant (shrub, fungus, annual, etc), habitat, rarity, light (shade, sun, etc.), season, forage (a dice roll plus a number to determine how much plant material is foraged at a time), and the price (how much a forager can make per bit of plant material).

Some entries have extra bits, such as "famous" drinks or potions that are known in Hârn from various plants. In another, a poison mushroom has its antidote listed. I noted that the selection consists mainly of healing plants and intoxicants, with several poisonous or dangerous plants mixed in. Several can be used as aphrodisiacs, with one fertility drug and the required contraceptive. There are a few plants that are really interesting. One mushroom, although merely tasty, has an life cycle where it swells and explodes, requiring picking at just the right time. The False Onion makes disappearing ink. The rare Zahuruk mushroom illuminates the area when disturbed by vibrations.

I should note that although the plants' effects are discussed, actual game system numbers are not often applied (one poison had numbers associated to what an antidote will have to overcome), therefore it is up to the reader to determine the effects. Reading that something is a "love potion" does not help the reader determine how strong to make it. One plant, called Tasparth, is mentioned as making boars aggressive and being used to make an ordeal drug used by a specific tribe, but doesn't actually describe any effects. I would have liked to know more as to its effects.

All in all, I thought the set-up of the supplement was excellent and intriguing. As an editor, the copy is incredibly clean, I noticed no mistakes on my first read-through. I can see how this book can be incredibly useful regardless of what system you use it with. Also, there are several places online where fans have continued to add to this herbal, creating a much larger manuscript.

Which brings me to the stickler: This 38-page product is $29.99. While I understand that a full-color book is going to be higher, I think a lot of people are going to skip this one because of its price. Which is really too bad; it's an awesome product in terms of layout and creativity. I do wish there was more in-game effects and that there was less vagueness in how these drugs and medicines can be measured against player characters.

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