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    Garlic

    Common · Allium sativum

    Healing · Alchemical · Magical · Defensive

    Terrain Grassland, Hills, Urban

    Description

    Garlic is a perennial herbaceous plant with long, flat green leaves and an underground bulb consisting of individual cloves.

    Location and Habitat

    Cultivated almost worldwide, garlic prefers sunny areas with loose, fertile soil. It is found in the wild in Central Asia.

    Rarity and Availability

    It is widely available and not a rare plant. It is easy to cultivate.

    Effects and Uses

    Used as a culinary spice, garlic also possesses antiseptic and antiviral properties. In folk medicine, it is used to strengthen the immune system and protect against illnesses. In myths, it is known as a means of protection against evil spirits.

    Items & Effects

    • Vampiric Ward Garland. A braided necklace or wreath of fresh garlic bulbs, believed to ward off vampires and lesser undead.
      • Creation. Requires 1 hour, a DC 12 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check, and 2d4 bulbs of garlic.
      • Use (Worn).
        • Undead Aversion. Undead within 5 feet of you, such as vampires or wights, have disadvantage on bite attacks and life-draining touch attacks against you.
        • Turn the Lesser. The wearer gains a +1 bonus to saving throws against effects that deal necrotic damage or cause life drain.
      • Fragility. The garland maintains its potency for 7 days. After that, the garlic withers and can no longer repel undead unless replaced or refreshed with new bulbs.
    • Builder’s Brew. A hearty concoction that blends garlic, grain mash, and warming spices, recalling its use to strengthen laborers.
      • Creation. Requires 2 hours, a DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana) check or Wisdom (Survival) check. One successful batch yields 1d4 servings.
      • Use (Ingested).
        • Laborer’s Vigor. For the next 8 hours, you gain a +1 bonus to Strength ability checks and Strength saving throws.
        • Stamina Surge. You can lift/carry as if you are one size larger for the duration.
    • Devil’s Footprint Powder. A finely ground mixture of garlic and holy salts, rumored to be especially effective against fiends.
      • Creation. Requires 4 hours, a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check, and the blessing of a cleric or paladin. Creates 2 uses of powder.
      • Use (Thrown or Sprinkled).
        • Devil’s Banishment. When the powder is thrown or sprinkled in a 5-foot-radius area, fiends within that area must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened (PHB, p. 290) of you for 1 minute. While frightened in this way, a fiend must spend its movement to move as far away from you as possible.
        • Purify the Ground. The targeted area is considered consecrated (as if by the hallow spell (PHB, p. 249), though weaker in scope) for 1 hour, granting advantage on saving throws against possession or charm effects caused by fiends and undead to creatures within it.
      • Drawback.
        • Temporary Effect. This consecration only applies to fiendish or undead influences. More powerful fiends or undead may shrug off the lesser ward. Repeated uses on the same location within 24 hours provide diminishing returns (the DC is reduced by 2 each time).

    Lore

    Garlic is an herbaceous plant with a strong, distinctive odor, consisting of a bulb divided into small cloves. It has long been known as a spice, medicine, and a symbol of protection against evil.

    In ancient chronicles, it is recorded that the homeland of garlic is Central Asia. It was from there that it began to spread to other countries. The first people to start consuming garlic were Chinese monks.

    Garlic was known to the ancient Egyptians as well, as evidenced by clay tablets found in the tomb at El Mahasna. Garlic bulbs were also discovered in sarcophagi and in the tomb of Tutankhamun himself. Egyptians believed in the magical properties of garlic: it was thought to grant a person additional strength and endurance. Because of this, garlic was freely given to workers who were building the pyramids. The Egyptians' love for garlic was so strong that when it was not provided to the workers on one occasion, they staged an actual revolt, claiming they would not have the strength to build without it.

    From Witch’s Herbs 5E, p. 48 · Fern Flower Press