Daemon grass

Herba daimonera
Daemon grassL'herba daimonera is a plant that grows in the American continent, natural from South America but traditionally cultivated in North America as well. It has heart-shaped blades and bright rainbow-colored flowers. Described as "the catnip for daemons", it's known for its special ability to drastically change the behavior of daemons to the point of sometimes making their personalities unrecognizable.  

Morphology

Daemon grass is about 15 cm tall and grows naturally in patches. It can be found in humid and temperate biomes, often between the roots of bigger trees, as if the grass itself was the tree's daemon. Most of the year, daemon grass grows like regular grass with heart-shaped blades, but during spring it blooms to reveal a multitude of colors. It's said that every single flower has a different combination and pattern of colors, and seeing a cultivated field of daemon grass is one of the most chaotic and beautiful sights there are.  

Properties

In its natural form, daemon grass has hypnotic properties for daemons. Whenever a daemon of any size comes into contact with it, they will start displaying unusual behavior, such as rolling on the floor, seeing things that aren't there, talking in a language they never learned, or having deep philosophical ramblings about mundane topics.  
Sure, you might think that a cat daemon rolling on the floor is funny and cute, but what about an elephant daemon? And what if you happen to be next to them when it happens?
— From Min-aniara Laita's travel journal
  Since daemons are an inextricable part of a person, the daemon's human is usually affected by the effects of the grass too, but not with the same intensity.  

Other applications

With specialized equipment, daemon grass can be used for purposes beyond recreation. It's a potent daemon bond strengthener, so it's often used for training or medicinal purposes. For example, it's a very common tool used for separate training, i.e. training to separate yourself from your daemon.   Daemon grass is surprisingly a legal ingredient used in traditional cuisine. Some of the recipes imported into Europe include salads, soups, and even pasta. In the small amounts used in these recipes, its effects are very minor.  

Mechanical effects

If your daemon eats daemon grass, use this table to know how it will affect them.   roll 2d6
For a certain duration, your daemon will...
2: Only speak in a language neither of you know.
3: Sing anything they say instead of speaking normally, or speak in rhymes.
4: Start floating, as if they weren't affected by gravity. They will struggle to move around, but the bond will keep them close to you if you don't have separation training.
5: Temporarily forget their own name and memories, and get a name and memories that are not theirs.
6: Feel an uncontrollable urge of rolling around on grass patches. If there's no grass nearby, other surfaces may be enough.
7: Believe they are a different animal and act as such without shapeshifting.
8: Suddenly get a compulsive interest or obsession for something they've never been interested in.
9: Become intangible and unaffected by any physical objects or barriers.
10: Temporarily gain a daemon ability.
11: Split into two physical manifestations. Each manifestation can take on a different shape (if you have the shapeshifting daemon ability), but otherwise count and act as a single daemon.
12: Roll twice on this table: both effects activate. This result is not recursive (i.e. if you get a 12 again, don't roll again).
  During this time, regardless of the result, the daemon may be too distracted to perform any ability checks, or perform them with a negative modifier. The duration of the effect is up to the Guide and will depend on the amount of daemon grass your daemon ate. Eating too much may result in the daemon (and yourself) falling asleep.

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Comments

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Jul 15, 2023 14:07 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

Oooo it sounds so beautiful and chaotic. I wish to fill my garden with it!

Emy x
Explore Etrea
Jul 15, 2023 15:11

I see you like uncontrollable chaos, nice xD

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Jul 17, 2023 20:02 by Marjorie Ariel

I've been looking forward to this article since you mentioned it on stream. I really like how you brought in the process of separating oneself from one's daemon, as in HDM.

Jul 18, 2023 08:28

Yes! I think it's a great part of daemons in HDM, it's a limitation of the system and something that you can use to surprise the reader too (like with witches).

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Aug 14, 2023 20:03 by Deleyna Marr

This is fascinating and shows an interesting side of your world that this is available in routine dishes!

Deleyna
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