
				HERBS
				-----

Herbs are ingested plants found in the wilderness, and most often eaten
directly, giving a certain effect - most often very weak. However, during
the centuries, the herbalism was developed as there are certain herbs that
can be used for interesting purposes, like healing, enhancing and curing.
When you make a herb, keep in mind that most herbs are ineffective, and
good, effective herbs are hard to find, and thus expensive. 


		FUNCTIONS IN THE STANDARD HERB
		------------------------------

   Do set_ingest_verb to choose the appropriate verb - default is "eat". 
   In the create_herb(), the code will require that you either
   set the standard effect the herb will do (explained in the paragraph
   Effects of Herbs), OR do set_effect(HERB_SPECIAL); and
   define the function special_effect() to handle what happens when 
   the player ingests the herb - this is for effects that are not handled
   by the standard herb.

Other setup-functions to be called within the create_herb() are:

  set_name, add_name and set_adj. NB! Be sure not to add the real
	herb name through these functions, as this would spoil the effect
	of unidentified herbs. Instead use

  set_herb_name - which will set the real name of the herb, 
                        (for example strawberry or athelas)

  add_prop - to set weight and volume properties if you want something
	else than the default (25 grams and 25 milli-liters),

  set_id_long and set_unid_long - the same for the long_desc.
        Remember to describe what effect it has in the set_id_long, so 
	that the player truly identifies it.

  set_herb_value - the value of the herb when selling to herb-shops.
	(The herbs should not be sold to normal shops).

  set_disappear_time - The number of seconds before the herb rots away.

  set_find_diff - An int from 1 to 10 describing the difficulty of
	finding the herb. 1 indicates routine, 10 is absurd.

  set_id_diff   - An int from 1 to 100 describing the difficulty of
	identifying the herb, like above.

  set_effect - Described further below in this file. 

What you should not do is to call set_long at all,
as this will mess up the id and unid descriptions.

Ideas on how to improve this generic herb are extremely welcome, so mail ideas
for new functions or other improvements to Elessar. It would also be nice if
we share the herbs we make, and put descriptions like names, effects, 
difficulty of finding and filenames in a common file somewhere, so that we 
might avoid having many herbs with just the same effects in the game.


			THE EFFECTS OF HERBS
			--------------------

The effects of a herb is set by in the create_herb() doing:
  set_effect(int Herb-type, string affect-type, int strength);
More effects can be added with add_effect.

Herb-types:
  HERB_HEALING  - restores hit points, mana or fatigue. Can also decrease
		  these values.
	Affect-types: hp, mana, fatigue.
	Strength-values: Any. Can even be negative for decrease.
  HERB_ENHANCING- enhances stats in a player, or gives the player a magic
		  resistance of some sort.
	Affect-types: 
		Stats: str, dex, con, int, wis, dis.
		Resistance: acid, cold, electr, fire, magic, poison.
	Strength-values: 
		Stats: decides how long the stat-change will last, but is
			multiplied by 10 first - NB!
			The stat-change is random, with a max of 4 either way,
			increase or decrease is decided by giving strength
			a positive or negative value.
		Resistance: Only positive numbers - max is 40.
  HERB_POISONING- poisons the player - either by your own coded poison_effect,
		  (set this with set_poison_file), or a standard poison
		  where you set type and strength with the affect_type and
		  strength vars in set_effect.
	Affect-types: the type of poison this is. (herb, spider etc.)
			You can leave this empty if you have defined type
			in your own poison-file.
	Strength-values: Positive numbers only. If you don't set this value,
			the number in the poison-file will be used.
  HERB_CURING   - cures a type of poison that the player is affected of.
	Affect-types: the type of poison this herb cures. In extreme cases,
			with strong herbs, the type can be "all", curing all
			types of poisons.
	Strength-values: between 1 and 100 - 100 means poison will be cured
			for certain.
  HERB_SPECIAL  - code your own herb-effect by making the function 
                  special_effect().
		You should not add other effects when doing this.
	Affect-types: for you to decide.
	Strength-values: for you to decide.


				HERB PRICES
				-----------

Herb-prices depend on effect mostly, and to a lesser degree the availability
  or difficulty of finding. Herbs should not be allowed sold in normal shops,
  but maybe to herbalists (who will pay poor prices, but sell them expensive.)

  Suggested price on hp-healing herbs: cc = 5*hp + (hp*hp) / 4
          That means a herb healing 10 hp will cost 75 cc as a base,
	  and then an additional cost for the availability or difficulty of
          finding.
  Suggested price on mana-restoring herbs: Double the price of hp-healing.
          This means a herb restoring 10 mana will cost 150 cc as a base,
	  also modified by availability or difficulty of finding.
  Suggested price on fatigue-restoring herbs: About the same as hp-healing.
  Suggested price on stat-enhancing herbs: To be announced.
  Suggested price on resistance-enhancing herbs: To be announced.
  Suggested price on poison-curing herbs: To be announced.
  Ill-effect herbs should of course not be valuable - herbalists won't deal
	with them if they have no real use, so be sensible.
  It is of course possible to make herbs that can be used for brewing, but
  would be poisonous to eat, and these should have a price depending on the
  effect of the potion brewed from them. As there is no standard way of
  brewing potions yet, the herb are not prepared for brewing.

      // Elessar of Gondor/Genesis, July 1992.
