The Third Component

The Third Component

An introduction to the secrets of herbalism, the labyrinth of alchemy, 

and the whispering wisdom of nature.

A 185-page system-agnostic herbalism and alchemy supplement for fantasy 

tabletop RPGs. Born from a three-year campaign played at my own table, 

every herb, every recipe, and every alchemical principle was first 

tested by my players before reaching this page.

IMPORTANT — Please Read Before Buying

This is not a rule book. It's an alchemist's compendium a source of ideas for what effects a potion, salve, or remedy could have, designed for you to adapt to your own world and system. Our examples and mechanical notes were written using D&D 5e the system we played at our table for three years (many homebrew rules) so when you see references like "+5 to a check" or "1d4 hit points," those are simply how things worked in our game. Translate them freely to whatever system you run: a Pathfinder GM might read +5 as "advantage on the roll," an OSR GM as "make this check at +1," and a narrative-system GM might just say "the brew works beautifully tonight." 

The plants, the recipes, the philosophy, the worldbuilding all of that is yours, however your table works.

What's inside:

- 75 fully detailed plants, herbs, and ingredients each with   appearance, habitat, harvesting conditions, usable parts, effects,   side effects, and processing methods

- 41 complete potion, salve, and elixir recipes with ingredients,   preparation, storage, effects, and Game Master notes Chapters on gathering, preparation, alchemical extraction, crystals   and tinctures, and the philosophy of the herbalist's path

- Original watercolor-style illustrations throughout

This release includes FOUR PDF VERSIONS:

- Full Game Master Edition (185 pages) illustrated, with all GM   notes and mechanical effects

- Full Player Edition (180 pages) illustrated, with GM-only content removed (safe to share with your party)

- TextOnly GM Edition accessibility-friendly, printer-friendly,   perfect for the table

- TextOnly Player Edition — same, for your players 

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Pay what you can — even nothing. If you find value in this work and 

can support an indie creator, the suggested price is $14.99. Every 

contribution helps me keep making things like this.

Try the Free Starter Kit first to see the layout and quality:

https://steelstag.itch.io/the-third-component-free-starter-kit

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A note on translation: this book was originally written in Hungarian, 

based on a 3-year campaign played at my own table. The English version 

was translated with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by the 

author. If you spot any awkward phrasing, please consider it the charm 

of a story that crossed languages on its way to your table.

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