Foraging
2024 DMG Rules
Characters [and animals!] without water and Rations can stave off dehydration and malnutrition by gathering food and water as they travel. A foraging character makes a Survival check once per journey stage (or once per day if a stage is shorter than a day). The DC is determined by the abundance of food and water in the region, as shown in the Foraging DC column of the Travel Terrain table. If multiple characters forage, each character makes a separate check.
A foraging character finds nothing on a failed check. On a successful check, roll 1d6 and add the character's Wisdom modifier to determine how much food (in pounds) the character finds per day of the journey stage, then repeat the roll for water (in gallons).
Travel Terrain
| Terrain | Maximum Pace | Encounter Distance | Foraging DC | Navigation DC | Search DC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arctic | Fast* | 6d6 × 10 feet | 20 | 10 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coastal | Normal | 2d10 × 10 feet | 10 | 5 | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Desert | Normal | 6d6 × 10 feet | 20 | 10 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Forest | Normal | 2d8 × 10 feet | 10 | 15 | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grassland | Fast | 6d6 × 10 feet | 15 | 5 | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hill | Normal | 2d10 × 10 feet | 15 | 10 | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mountain | Slow | 4d10 × 10 feet | 20 | 15 | 20 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Swamp | Slow | 2d8 × 10 feet | 10 | 15 | 20 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Underdark | Normal | 2d6 × 10 feet | 20 | 10 | 20 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Urban | Normal | 2d6 × 10 feet | 20 | 15 | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Waterborne | Special† | 6d6 × 10 feet | 15 | 10 | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Appropriate equipment (such as skis) is necessary to keep up a Fast pace in Arctic terrain. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Characters' rate of travel while waterborne depends on the vehicle carrying them; see "Vehicles." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dehydration
A creature requires an amount of water per day based on its size, as shown in the Water Needs per Day table. [Water needs are doubled if the weather is hot.] A creature that drinks less than half the required water for a day gains 1 Exhaustion level at the day's end. Exhaustion caused by dehydration can't be removed until the creature drinks the full amount of water required for a day.
Malnutrition
A creature needs an amount of food per day based on its size, as shown in the Food Needs per Day table. A creature that eats but consumes less than half the required food for a day must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or gain 1 Exhaustion level at the day's end. A creature that eats nothing for 5 days automatically gains 1 Exhaustion level at the end of the fifth day as well as an additional level at the end of each subsequent day without food. Exhaustion caused by malnutrition can't be removed until the creature eats the full amount of food required for a day.
| Size | Water | Food |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny | 1/4 gallon | 1/4 pound |
| Small | 1 gallon | 1 pound |
| Medium | 1 gallon | 1 pound |
| Large | 4 gallons | 4 pounds |
| Huge | 16 gallons | 16 pounds |
| Gargantuan | 64 gallons | 64 pounds |
Ingredients & Herbs
Ingredients
At the heart of potion brewing are ingredients. Some ingredients are plentiful and easy to find, while others are seldom seen and might require a dangerous quest to obtain. Ingredients come in various types including plants, minerals, and more. Potions always need at least three ingredients.
Herbs
Any magical plant (and even some plant adjacent organisms like mushrooms and lichen) that can be directly used or turned into are considered herbs. Herbs can be found in virtually every environment, even using their magical nature to survive in places that would be inhospitable to more mundane plants. Their effects vary widely and some are much rarer and more useful than others, but all have their own value in their own ways.
Finding Ingredients and Herbs
Any character who forages for 8 hours can make a Survival check. The DC of the check is determined by the table below. Not all ingredients show up in each region with the same frequency. Trying to find multiple ingredients at the same time increases the DC by 2 per extra ingredient.
| Ingredients Foraged | Suggested DC |
|---|---|
| Common ingredients native to area | 10-15 |
| Uncommon ingredients native to area & common ingredients not native to area | 16-20 |
| Uncommon ingredients not native to area & common herbs | 21-25 |
| Rare ingredients & rare herbs | 25+ or quest |
Identifying Ingredients and Herbs
To make sure you actually found the right ingredient you must make a Nature check against the same DC, on a failure it turned out it wasn't what you were looking for after all. The DC can be lowered by having a detailed description of the ingredient, such as from a book. Past experience gathering an ingredient will also lower the check until eventually you will succeed automatically.
Ingredients and Herb Degradation
Ingredients and herbs only stay fresh for so long. This is different for each but without any (magical) means to keep them fresh they will eventually degrade and no longer be useful.
Brewing Potions
Only those with the right equipment and recipes can brew potions from the ingredients. They need to be proficient with Alchemy Supplies. See Cyphers & Potions for a list of known potions.
Preparing Herbs
Many herbs are quick and simple to apply, usually just using an Action to eat them or spending a bit of time rubbing their juices on one's equipment. However, other herbs require a much longer and more involved process—needing to be smoked, boiled, peeled, burned, etc. before they become usable. Herbs that require a process such as this are said to require preparation.
To prepare a herb, a character must have a Herbalism Kit in their possession and spend an hour during a Short or Long Rest processing the herb appropriately. This is considered a light and non-strenuous activity for the purpose of calculating rest requirements. If done during a Short Rest, that character may still recover hit points by expending Hit Die as usual. Once the rest has been finished, the herb must be used immediately.
Harvesting Creatures
Appraising
A character can spend 1 minute examining the creature to be harvested and then roll an Intelligence check, adding their proficiency bonus if they are proficient in the skill corresponding to that creature (see table below).
The DC of the check is equal to 8 + the Harvested Creature's CR (treating any CR less than 1 as 0). Success on this check grants the player full knowledge of any useful harvesting materials on the creature, the DC requirement to harvest those materials, any special requirements to harvest them, and any potential risks in doing so. In addition, any harvesting check made on that creature by that player is rolled at advantage. A character may only attempt one appraisal check per creature.
Monster Type/Skill Check
| Creature Type | Skill | Creature Type | Skill | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abberration | Arcana | Fiend | Arcana | |
| Beast | Nature | Giant | Medicine | |
| Celestial | Arcana | Humanoid | Medicine | |
| Construct | Investigation | Monstrosity | Nature | |
| Dragon | Nature | Ooze | Investigation | |
| Elemental | Arcana | Plant | Nature | |
| Fey | Arcana | Undead | Arcana |
Splitting up the responsibilities
Some party members may prefer to let one character handle the appraisal of materials, while another more dexterous character handles the actual harvesting. In this scenario, all benefits of appraising a creature are conferred to the player doing the harvesting, so long as the player that performed the appraising assists the harvesting player through the whole duration of the harvest.
Harvesting
In order to harvest a creature, a character must make a Dexterity ability check using the same skill proficiency as listed in the above appraising table. For example, a character attempting a harvest check on an Aberration would receive a bonus equal to their Dexterity Modifier and their Proficiency in Arcana (if they have any).
This check reflects a character's ability to not only remove the intended item without damaging it, it also involves any ancillary requirements of the harvest such as proper preservation and storage techniques.
Using other proficiencies
If a player is harvesting a certain creature, or harvesting a creature of a certain type of material, the DM may allow them to use a relevant tool proficiency rather than a skill proficiency.
For example, the DM may allow a player to add their proficiency with Tinker's Tools to their attempt to harvest a mechanical golem or use their proficiency with Leatherworker's Tools when attempting to harvest a creature for its hide. Alternatively, all creature type proficiencies may be replaced by proficiency with the Harvesting Kit.
Each individual item in a creature's harvesting table is listed with a DC next to it. Any roll that a player makes that equals or exceeds this DC grants that player that item. Rewards are cumulative, and a player receives every item with a DC equal to or below their ability check result.
Only one harvesting attempt may be made on a creature. Failure to meet a certain item's DC threshold assumes that the item was made un-salvageable due to the harvester's incompetence.
For most creatures, the time it takes to harvest a material is counted in minutes and is equal to the DC of that material divided by 5. For huge creatures however, it is equal in DC of that material, while for gargantuan creatures, it is equal to the DC of that material multiplied by 2.