The DMs  Guide

toForaging

The DMs Guide to Foraging

 The DMs  Guide
toForaging
Credits
Writers: Anja Svare & Zeke Gonzalez
Table of Contents
Layout: Anja Svare
Introduction 3
Tips for the DM 4
Cover Art: MAGICSPLASH by Ede Laszlo
Interior Art provided by the DMs Guild Creator
Resources DMs Guide to Foraging 4
Magical Flora sidebar 4

2 Foraging Mechanics & Storytelling 5

Cover
Even the most barren of landscapes can offer up
Appendix A: Flora Tables
General Flora Table
Foraging Proficiency sidebar
6
6
7
a bounty of useful flora to the adept.
Terrain-Specific Flora Tables 7
Arctic 7
Cave/Underground 7

Sign up for my mailing list Pulse of the Land

Coast/Ocean
7
8
Get a FREE Desert 8
Adventure Dungeon/Ruins/Urban 9
& Bestiary Forest 10
Grassland 10
Click Here! Hills/Mountains 10
Swamp 11

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by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.

The DMs Guide to Foraging

 bl ad es of gr as s be nd in ou r w ak e. Only the
Every day, tc h ou r at te nt io n, w hile
brightest of fruits an d be rr ie s ca
on a bo un ti fu l ha rv es t of ro ot s an d tubers
we tread up ve ry fl ow er , m us hr oo m ,
in the earth beneath ou r fe et . E
or y an d a pr ac ti ca l us e. W h et he r
moss, and weed has a st ing
s fr om be in g in fe ct ed , ke ep s bu zz
it protects our wound ng e be as t we’ve been
flies at bay, lu re s cl os e th at st ra
fo r, or si m pl y pr ov id es su st en an ce , the plants
searching ac ti ca l us es. In this
around us ha ve a m ul ti tu de of pr
iz e yo u w it h fl or a of al l ki nd s an d
chapter, I will familiar
how they can improve your travels. Alchemy
-A.Z.Z. Konezegel’s Guide to

The DMs Guide to Foraging is a rules supplement containing foraging mechanics and an abundance of unique flora
to use in your games. Among these flora are real flowers, mushrooms, herbs, mosses, and other plants reimagined for
D&D 5th Edition and new, completely original fantasy plants. This supplement uses rules, spells, and concepts from
Wizards of the Coast’s D&D 5th Edition and are intended to supplement your campaigns.
3

Tips for the DM
As with any supplement, The DMs Guide to Foraging
should be adapted to work for your group. If you don’t
like the way a mechanic works, please feel free to change
it. Adjust the descriptions, lore, details, and effects to suit
your games and your players. For example, if you want
to include foraging in your games but don’t like some of
the flora in the Appendix, replace them with other plants
appropriate to your world or setting! If you want to make
foraging a crunchier mechanical system, use these rules
as a foundation to create a new system of your own. Use
these rules however they can best be utilized at your
table and in your games. We hope you have as much fun
with these rules as we have!

The DMs Guide to Foraging

 The DMs Guide to Foraging
In this supplement, you will find a set of simple and
easy-to-use mechanics for foraging as well as tables
describing some of the flora (both mundane and magical)
that can be found and harvested. The rules described
herein allow players to enjoy the leisurely or purposeful
act of surviving on the land itself. Whether it's a
downtime activity between adventures or integrated into
an adventure, foraging has the potential to enrich any
setting and create wonderful roleplaying moments for
the entire table!

Equipment
All that players require when setting out to forage is a
good eye, sturdy footwear, and an herbalism kit if they
so desire.

Herbalism Kits
Herbalism kits contain a variety of instruments such as
clippers, mortar and pestle, leather gloves, as well as a
selection of pouches and vials for collecting samples and
Magical Flora
While the majority of fo
raged flora
creating a variety of cures such as poultices and salves, pellent, and
are useful as food, bug re
4
and even food supplies. aracters
Variant Rule: Some DMs may find it unrealistic that
medicine, sometimes the ch
rare or
so many different plants can be identified and collected discover something truly
ts are a
in a specific biome. In magical. Such magical plan
e and it is fun
such cases, DMs may staple in the fantasy genr
mes! Several
dictate that players to include them in our ga
can only find, identify, luded in this
and collect the most
such magical flora are inc
y to forage,
simple of flora supplement for your part
up with
specific to that but you may wish to come
g up with
biome, leaving others. Rather than comin
ur campaign,
the magical all-new magic items for yo
items for greater of prep
storytelling
you can save a great deal
a useful or
opportunities. time by simply reskinning
ged flora.
Once players
interesting potion as fora
owfrost
have organized Perhaps the legendary gl
s of a potion
their herbalism flower has the propertie
eweed acts
kit (which can of cold resistance or chok
thing. These
be purchased like a potion of water brea
or the specific al of flavor
materials
reskins can add a great de
requiring
gathered for a to your game world while
total of 5 gp), very little prep time!
all they need to
do is venture
out and start
foraging!

The DMs Guide to Foraging

Foraging Mechanics 
& Storytelling
First, describe the biome and terrain that the character
is exploring. After the character has started looking for
viable flora, ask them questions about their demeanor
and foraging style. Are they in a hurry? What time of day
is it? How much light is available for identifying plants?
How far are they venturing out in their search? Describe
the length of time which passes before the character
finds anything useful. At this point, have the player roll a
d100 on the General Foraging Table or the appropriate
Regional Foraging Table (Appendix A) to determine what
plants they find.
Once the plant is found, describe the visual appearance
of the plant and where it is, allowing the character to
glean some information as to its identity and usefulness.
Now the player rolls a skill check to determine their
knowledge of what they have found. The majority of
these skill checks start at a base DC of 12, with the
difficulty being adjusted as the DM sees fit, depending
on any number of factors that the DM may determine are
appropriate for the situation.
• An Intelligence (Arcana) check can be used to
determine their knowledge of the nature and uses of
various herbs that adds insight to their magical studies
that deal with plants and any attempts to identify
potions.
• An Intelligence (Investigation) check can be used when
5
the character inspects an area overgrown with plants,
allowing them to pick out details and clues that others
might miss.
• A Wisdom (Medicine) check may be used to improve the
character's ability to identify and use medicinal plants
to treat illnesses and wounds.
• An Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom (Survival) check
can be used to make it easier to identify plants and spot
potential sources of food that others might overlook.
Any skill check that is successful by 5 or more should
prompt the DM to impart more specific information to
the player, or allow the player to harvest twice as much
of the plant. Once the check is made, a character can
spend 30 minutes to gather one harvest of the flora they
have found. At the DMs discretion, this may exhaust the
resource provided by the particular plant or an additional
30 minutes may be spent to gather a second harvest.
In order to determine how much of the flora can be
successfully gathered in that time, see the “one harvest
yields…” column for that flora in the relevant Flora Table
(Appendix A).

The DMs Guide to Foraging

 Appendix A: Flora Tables
General Flora Table
d100 Description One Harvest Yields... Name
1-20 Roll on Appropriate Terrain-Specific Table below!
Blackberry
21-35 These tangled, barbed bushes bear large, dark red berries. (The berries can be eaten.) Six Meals
Bush
This green-and-grey fungus-algae symbiosis can be found on rocks and the bark of dead
36-40 One Dose Lichen
trees. (Can be ingested as a bonus action to cure the poisoned condition.)
A tall grass with broad stems and inconspicuous flowers. Four Meals or a
41-47 Sedge
(Can be ground into flour to cook meals or twisted and woven into rope.) 10 Foot Long Rope
Small clusters of white, yellow, or purple flowers that grow in direct sunlight. Yarrow or
48-52 Four Doses
(The leaves can be chewed to reduce appetite, stretching one meal into two.) Rationflower
A dark tree with thin bark and spindly branches which bear small, hard nuts.
53-58 Two Meals Beech Tree
(The nuts can be harvested and eaten.)
Thickly leaved, verdant ferns with prominent yellow venation. (These large leaves can be
Hart’s Tongue
59-63 used as bandages to treat fatal wounds. As an action, you can stabilize a creature that Two Applications
Fern
has 0 hit points without needing to make a Wisdom (Medicine) check.)
This scraggly-looking tree bears long, thin leaves and brown pods hang from its boughs.
Mesquite Tree
64-66 (The pods can be cracked open to reveal large, round, chewy seeds that provide a tasty Two Meals
or Bulgefruit
meal.)
These bushes of light green grasses bear horizontal groupings of seed clusters that
67-63 blow away in strong winds. One Meal Blue Grama

6
(This grass makes an excellent meal for any herbivorous pack animal.)
A tree with long branches covered in groupings of long, thin leaves and clusters of thick
74-79 brown seed pods. Two Meals Tamarind Tree
(The pulp within the seed pod “fruit” is slightly bitter and makes for a good meal.)
Tall, conically shaped trees with dense, knobby branches and an abundance of evergreen
80-81 Four Firestarters Pine Needles
needles in place of leaves. (Needles can be used as a firestarter in the absence of tinder.)
These small, inconspicuous clusters of plants bear tiny red berries covered in seeds. Wild
82-84 One Meal
(The fruit makes a sweet meal). Strawberry
A large plant with broad leaves and purple, thistle-like flowers.
85-87 Four Meals Burdock
(This plant can be eaten raw or boiled, even the roots.)
A small plant with smooth plump leaves. (The plant has a sour taste until boiled, after
88-89 Two Meals Purslane
which it is almost sweet and very refreshing.)
Appearing as a variety of stinging nettle, this plant has little grains along the underside
90-92 Two Meals Good-King
of the leaves. (Once removed, the leaves make a fine salad.)
A thready, vibrant green and yellow moss that grows low on trees and beneath woody Sphagnum
93-96 One Application
bushes. (Can be used to dress wounds as an action, restoring 1d4 + 1 hit points.) Moss
A short, fat mushroom with a pale stalk, brilliant yellow cap, and iridescent gills. (If the Fraud’s
gills are ground into a paste and smeared onto a painter’s canvas, it moves itself to
97-98 One Application Thumb or
create a hypnotic and eerily beautiful portrait that can be sold for 1000 gp to the right
seller.) Canvashead

A short, scrubby brush that creeps around on two legs of knarled roots, planting
itself wherever it likes. (It is slow and can easily be captured. The roots can be dried
Preacher Root
99 and steeped in hot water to create a refreshing tea. Anyone who drinks this tea must One Dose
or Liarsbane
succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or be affected as if by the zone of truth
spell.)
This tree is riddled with twisted knots like hollow eyes and its long branches sweep
the ground. Leaves in a miraculous array of color sweep and dance in the air around
100 Six Leaves Flyleaf
it, unattached to its bare limbs. (These leaves can be chewed as an action, having the
effect of the astral projection spell [self only] on the chewer).

The DMs Guide to Foraging

 Foraging Proficiency
Characters with proficienc
y with an herbalism kit may add
any ability checks they make their proficiency bonus to
to identify and apply flora th
If the forager is a Ranger in ey may find and procure.
their Favored Terrain, they
Herbalism Kit skill checks wit can make the required
h advantage.

Terrain-Specific Foraging Tables
Arctic
d100 Description One Harvest Yields... Name
A slow-growing moss that covers rocks and is hard to distinguish from snow.
(If gathered and made into a paste when combined with water, can be applied to the
1-25 Four Applications Snow Lichen
bottom of any footwear in 1 minute, allowing one to ignore difficult terrain imposed by
snow and ice for one day.)
A slightly fuzzy pale fruit that grows on low scrubby bushes in the lee of windswept
26-50 rocks. (Eating the fruit provides enough sustenance for a person for 2 days, but causes Six Meals Bearberry
mild lethargy: each creature who eats bearberries gains 2 levels of exhaustion.)
This plant has groupings of tightly clustered flower heads atop long, reddish stalks.
51-75 (The entire plant is edible if care is taken to remove the tough outer layer during Two Meals Curled Dock
boiling.)
A small tree with white bark and crimson leaves that pushes up from the earth in
One Pair of Dwarf Arctic
76-100 snowy hills. (The bark can be stripped to make snowshoes (taking 1 hour) which allows
Snowshoes Willow
the wearer to ignore difficult terrain imposed by snow and ice.)

Cave/Underground
d100

1-25
Description
This squat black mushroom grows in sporadic clumps in the darkest caves.
(If the spores are separated from the rest of the plant, they can be brewed into tea that
One Harvest Yields... Name

Two Doses Dark Fungus

7
confers darkvision for 24 hours.)
A creeping vine with small purple leaves that resemble ivy that grows in even the
smallest cracks in rocks and stone. (A small snipping of this plant can be adhered to
any surface with its natural sap using an action. Once attached, the vine will grow at
26-50 astonishing speed, splitting open almost any natural material. Within 10 minutes, any One Application Rocksplitter
natural surface such as a door will be split open enough for a Small creature to crawl
through, and the split will grow to create enough space for a Medium creature after
1 hour.)
A cluster of flowers in a dazzling array of colors, all emerging from a single, thick stem.
Four Doses and
(The flowers can be eaten for a mild euphoric effect; the stems and roots can be pulled
51-75 One Meal OR Aurora Root
up and eaten. If mixed with a potion of healing, it changes the potion into a beautiful,
One Potion
colorful potion that can be drunk as an action to bestow the Pulse of the Land boon.)
A lumpy, low-lying green plant has broad, wavy leaves. (The leaves can be dried and
added to water in order to promote relaxation. When drunk during a short rest, a
76-100 Four Doses Liverwort
creature may add its Consitution modifier twice to any hit dice rolled. When drunk
during a long rest, a creature regains all of its hit dice instead of half.)

Pulse of the Land
You may use your action to
ca st th e Lo ca te An im als or Plants spell, which gr
de while
ants

lli ge nc e (N atu re ) or W isdom (Survival) check ma

advantage on an Inte is manner three times, its po
wer is lost.
th e bo on is us ed in th
foraging. Once l), which
th e Sp ea k wit h Pl an ts spell (if appropriate leve
st
Alternatively, you can ca nc e (N ature) or Wisdom (Surviv
al) checks made
th re e In te lli ge
grants advantage on ho urs, after which its powe
r is lost.
g du rin g th e ne xt 24
while foragin
The DMs Guide to Foraging
 Coast/Ocean
d100 Description One Harvest Yields... Name
These tangled plants are spongy to the touch and contain bubbles of air.
1-25 Four Meals Kelp
(Can be dried and eaten).
This tall, wide hollow reed with a feathery top can easily be pulled from the loose
sandy soil along many temperate coasts. (Trimming and cutting a reed down to a foot
26-50 One Spyglass Tidal Reed
long length allows one to use the hollow reed as a spyglass, albeit one that magnifies
objects to 4 times their size. The hollow reed dries out and turns to dust after 8 hours.)
Alister’s Sea
A bush of long, thin orange grasses that rustles in the breeze and grows from sand or
51-75 Six Meals Potato or
loose soil. (Their roots and bulbs can be dug up and eaten raw or cooked.)
Sandchew
A seaweed-like plant with floating bulbs. (When the bulbs are cut open, they dispense
a bitter liquid that can be consumed using an action. The eater then spits out a jet of
seawater in a 60-foot long line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make
76-100 Four Bulbs Triton’s Tea
a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, a target takes 21 (6d6) bludgeoning
damage and, if it is Large or smaller, is pushed 20 feet away and knocked prone.
On a success, a target takes half the bludgeoning damage.)

Desert
d100 Description One Harvest Yields... Name
Growing from dehydrated earth, these round plants are covered with spines and grow Two Days of
in bulb-like protrusions. The large arms of the plant bear beautiful red-and-yellow
1-25 Drinking Water and Cactus
flowers and hard purple fruits. (The cactus pears can be eaten and water can be
harvested from within the cactus itself.) Two Meals

This dark, scraggly, low-growing shrub contains a sap that burns for hours with a
magical fire. (A fire started with this plant will burn all night long without needing Blazemoan
26-50 One Fire
replenishment. In addition, the burning material lets out a low moan if any creature Bush
who was not present when the fire was lit comes within 60 feet of the fire.)
Stiff, long-stemmed plants with bristle-like purple flowers. (If cut at the base, these One Day of
51-75 Sage
flowers can be sucked on for drinking water). Drinking Water
A prickly cactus that grows in a bulbous formation with small bright yellow flowers, a
careful hand can cut open the plant and gather the sweet liquid from within.
(A successful DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check avoids the needles, otherwise Pilgrim’s
76-100 One Dose
the forager suffers 1d6 piercing damage. If imbibed, the nectar from the plant allows Prickles
one to confirm their direction of travel with total accuracy for 24 hours, with no
chance of getting lost during that period.)

The DMs Guide to Foraging

Dungeon/Ruins/Urban
d100 Description One Harvest Yields... Name
A small plant that tends to grow in disturbed soil. (Both the leaves and the tiny fruit can
1-25 Two Meals Mallow
be eaten raw, or more mature versions can be cooked and used like rice.)
Growing flat on the ground, this plant has red, round succulent stems and paddle-
26-50 shaped leaves. (These leaves make a nice addition to any salad and most cooked Three Meals Purslane
dishes.)
Groups of thick, bubbly-textured green scum that sit on the surface of shallow pools of
water. While in darkness, they emit a faint yellow glow. (The algae can be put inside a Bioluminescent
51-75 One Lantern
transparent container to create a lantern that provides dim light in a 10-foot radius for Algae
4 hours).
Crooked, white-and-yellow mushrooms that resemble the fingers of a corpse pushing
up out of the ground. (These mushrooms can be cooked and ground into a paste that,
Dead Man’s
76-100 if applied as a face mask, results in a particularly restful sleep. While asleep this way, a Four Facemasks
Fingers
creature cannot be targeted by any harmful effect such as the dream spell and removes
two levels of exhaustion instead of one.)

The DMs Guide to Foraging

 Forest
d100 Description One Harvest Yields... Name
This bright green moss grows on old trees. (Ingesting tea made from this plant gives
you the ability to cast the tree stride spell. This spell can be cast up to 4 times within
24 hours without expending a spell slot. During this period, any creature who has Moss of the
1-25 One Dose
ingested this tea has disadvantage on any saving throws against being charmed. Dryad
Creatures that are naturally immune to the charmed condition lose this immunity, but
do not suffer disadvantage on their saving throws.)
These trees have broad, pointed leaves and bear small, hard nuts with round caps.
26-50 Two Meals Oak Tree
(The nuts are acorns, which can be eaten.)
Pale trees with large, dark knots in the bark which faintly resemble staring eyes. (The
One Meal and Two
51-75 outer bark peels away easily to reveal a darker, interior bark which provides a nutritious Aspen Tree
Doses
meal. The leaves can be sucked as an action to remove one level of exhaustion.)
A rarity found mainly deep in the oldest forests, this all-black pine tree seems to glisten
in even the slightest of light. (Careful selection and removal of the black needles yields
one that can be used to draw temporary magic tattoos on a creature's skin. If used by
a spellcaster in this manner, the power of any 2nd-level spell or lower can be magically
76-100 One Needle Aubron’s Pine
transcribed onto the flesh of another creature in 1 hour, allowing that creature to cast
that spell once as an action (using the tattoo artist’s spell attack bonus and saving
throw) within 8 hours before the ink fades away. Transcribing the spell in this manner
does not consume a spell slot.)

Grassland
d100 Description One Harvest Yields... Name
This long grass bears stripes in the color of a pink sunset.
1-25 (The grass can be woven into bracelets that increase their wearer’s speed by 20 feet. Four Bracelets Gazelle Grass
The bracelets dry up and lose their magical properties after 8 hours.)
Purple
These tall, rustling grass bear tufts of lavender seed pods at their tips.

10
26-50 Four Meals Needlegrass or
(The seed pods can be fed to pack animals.) Tussockgrass
These short, shrubby bushes blend into the rocky hills on which they grow. (The
51-75 Four Meals Prairie Turnip
tuberous root is edible either raw or boiled. It can also be dried and made into flour.)
This small bush with broad bright purple leaves tends to flourish in the shade of any
rocky outcropping in open plains. (Hidden underneath the leaves is a small purple fruit
with green stripes. Although edible, the tasteless flesh of the fruit provides little to no Meadow
76-100 Two Doses
nutrition. The seeds can be ground up into a powder, mixed with water, and made into Melon
a healing poultice. Applied to any wound as an action, this poultice restores 2d4 + 2
hit points and cures the poisoned condition.)

Hills/Mountains
d100 Description One Harvest Yields... Name
These tall plants have thick stems and bear large yellow flowers with a conspicuous
1-25 Two Meals Sunflower
black center. (The seeds of the flower can be gathered and eaten raw or dried.)
A small plant with bright red and purple flowers and covered in thorns.
(Drawing blood from the tongue with one of the thorns confers advantage on Wisdom
Merrick’s
26-50 (Perception) checks that rely on smell for 1 hour. During that time, the affected also One Thistle
Thistle
produces a musk-like scent that grants disadvantage on all Charisma checks) and gains
advantage on all Wisdom (Survival) checks related to tracking.)
This sprawling white-green fungus spreads over the ground in a large area, producing a Traveler’s
low, pleasant humming sound. Room for up to Four
Respite or
51-75 (This mat of mushrooms creates a safe and comforting place to rest. During a short Medium Creatures
Cushion
rest here, a creature regains twice the number of hit points rolled on hit dice. During a to Rest
long rest here, a creature removes two levels of exhaustion instead of one.) Shroom

Growing in alpine meadows, this plant produces a variety of different-colored flowers,

making it hard to distinguish from other flowering plants.
Feyfoot
76-100 (When enough flowers are gathered and fashioned into a garland, the wearer can use an One Garland
Flower
action to cast invisibility. The spell lasts for 1 hour instead of 10 minutes, but creatures
with the fey type can still see creatures made invisible this way.)

The DMs Guide to Foraging

 11
Swamp
d100 Description One Harvest Yields... Name
This gray-green, ropy vine hangs from trees and dips down into the waters of the
swamp, where it gathers the nutrients to survive.(A length of this vine can be cut
1-25 off and used as a whip. This whip can also be used to assist in climbing by providing One Whip Vibrant Vine
advantage on all Strength (Athletics) checks related to climbing. The harvested section
of vine retains these abilities for 8 hours before turning to dust.)
This low-lying succulent is bright green with purple tips at the ends of its stems. Pickleweed or
26-50 Three Meals
(Can be harvested and eaten raw, salted, or dried.) Glasswort
A tall rushlike plant with emerging stalks on which grow a thick cluster of dense seeds. Bulrush or
51-75 Two Meals
(The seeds, pollen, shoots, roots, and inner stem can all be eaten.) Cattail
Proliferating as a bright green scum across areas of stagnant water, this algae exudes
a powerful stench.(Anyone who moves within 10 feet of this algae must make a DC
12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 hour. Those who brave this effect
can gather enough of the algae to dry and then boil into a disgusting tea. Anyone
76-100 Four Doses Ziya’s Algae
drinking this concoction must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution check. On a success,
the imbiber gains the ability to walk on water as though by the water walk spell. On
a failure, the drinker is poisoned for 4 hours but ignores difficult terrain for the same
amount of time.)

The DMs Guide to Foraging