How to Harvest

The act of removing useful body parts from a creature is referred to as harvesting. Anything that can be harvested from a creature is referred to as a harvesting material or simply material. In general, only creatures that have died may be harvested, but there may be some exceptions based on context. This guide details the steps associated with actually performing a harvest, and any factors that may influence it.

Appraising

Before a player begins hacking and butchering their hunt, they may instead choose to take a moment first and appraise the creature to be harvested. To do this, they must spend 1 minute examining the creature to be harvested and then roll an Intelligence check, adding their proficiency bonus if they are proficient in the skill corresponding to that creature (see table below). For example, appraising a Beholder (which is an aberrant), the check would be an Intelligence (Arcana) check, while appraising an Ogre (which is a giant) would require an Intelligence (Medicine) check.
The DC of the check is equal to 8 + the Harvested Creature’s CR (treating any CR less than 1 as 0). Success on this check grants the player full knowledge of any useful harvesting materials on the creature, the DC requirement to harvest those materials, any special requirements to harvest them, and any potential risks in doing so. In addition, any harvesting check made on that creature by that player is rolled at advantage. A character may only attempt one appraisal check per creature.

Monster Type/Skill Check

Creature Type	Skill
Aberration	Arcana
Beast	Nature
Celestial	Arcana
Construct	Investigation
Dragon	Nature
Elemental	Arcana
Fey	Arcana
Fiend	Arcana
Giant	Medicine
Humanoid	Medicine
Monstrosity	Nature
Ooze	Investigation
Plant	Nature
Undead	Arcana

Splitting Up The Responsibilities

Some party members may prefer to let one character handle the appraisal of materials, while another more dexterous character handles the actual harvesting. In this scenario, all benefits of appraising a creature are conferred to the player doing the harvesting, so long as the player that performed the appraising assists the harvesting player through the whole duration of the harvest.

Harvesting

In order to harvest a creature, a character must make a Dexterity ability check using the same skill proficiency as listed in the above appraising table. For example, a character attempting a harvest check on an Aberrant would receive a bonus equal to their Dexterity modifier and their proficiency in Arcana (if they have any). This check reflects a character’s ability to not only properly remove the intended item without damaging it, it also involves any ancillary requirements of the harvest such as proper preservation and storage techniques.
Each individual item in a creature’s harvesting table is listed with a DC next to it. Any roll that a player makes that equals or exceeds this DC grants that player that item. Rewards are cumulative, and a player receives every item with a DC equal to or below their ability check result. For example, rolling a total of 15 on a check to harvest an azer will reward the player with both “azer ash’, and “azer bronze skin”, but not a “spark of creation”. If they so wish, players may opt to not harvest a material even if they have met the DC threshold to harvest it.
Only one harvesting attempt may be made on a creature. Failure to meet a certain item’s DC threshold assumes that the item was made unsalvageable due to the harvester’s incompetence.
For most creatures, the time it takes to harvest a material is counted in minutes and is equal to the DC of that material divided by 5. For huge creatures however, it is equal in DC of that material, while for gargantuan creatures, it is equal to the DC of that material multiplied by 2.

Using other proficiencies

If a player is harvesting a certain creature, or harvesting a creature of a certain type of material, the DM may allow them to use a relevant tool proficiency rather than a skill proficiency. For example, the DM may allow a player to add their proficiency with Tinker’s Tools to their attempt to harvest a mechanical golem or use their proficiency with leatherworking tools when attempting to harvest a creature for its hide. Alternatively, all creature type proficiencies may be replaced by proficiency with the harvesting kit.

Harvesting Dangerous Materials

CAUTION!
Harvesting some creatures are more dangerous than others. While most creatures are harmless once killed, others possess poisons, acids, and breath sacks that remain active even after the creature’s death. Even worse is that a simple misplaced knife stroke or errant twitch of the hand can lead to these materials accidentally harming the harvester.
Whenever a harvester rolls below the DC of a harvestable material that belongs to a particularly deadly foe, the material is not just lost, it also expends its ability on the harvester. For example, a character that fails to properly harvest a poison would suffer the effect of that poison on themselves, or a character that fails to harvest a breath sack would release the effect of that breath sack in their direction. The exact adjudication of the failure result may change depending on the DM.