AcolyteThis is an idea I randomly had for my D&D 5e campaign world.
These berries look, smell, and taste divine, but after you eat them, you become sick. Symptoms include nausea, dizziness, and the hallucination of a certain shape (pictured below).
This is a spell matrix, the necessary component to work magic in my universe. To cast a spell, one must have the appropriate matrix's image firmly in their mind, usually either by visualizing it from memory or by directly looking at a picture of it. Hallucinating a matrix is also a valid way to cast a spell, though. Specifically, the matrix for the Druidcraft spell. This is significant for two reasons:
1. Druidcraft is a cantrip, which means it can be cast by anyone at will, not just spellcasters.
2. Druidcraft can "instantly make a flower blossom, a seed pod open, or a leaf bud bloom".
The multipurples force the host creature to cast Druidcraft on their seeds to create more berries. The nausea then causes the host to vomit up these new berries, where they can be planted (the seeds grow into berries themselves if they sense magic being cast on them, but become bushes if planted nonmagically). Being eaten vastly accelerates their life cycle.
Cultural ramifications:
In one ancient city-state in what is now the country of Flaiye, it was believed that the act of being born involved stealing life-force from the gods. The gods would be angry at the child for stealing this life-force, so as a coming of age ritual for every boy's thirteenth birthday, and girl's twelfth, they were forced to ingest a multipurple. It was believed that the act of hosting these berries and giving them life was sufficient payment to atone for the stolen life-force.
These berries look, smell, and taste divine, but after you eat them, you become sick. Symptoms include nausea, dizziness, and the hallucination of a certain shape (pictured below).
This is a spell matrix, the necessary component to work magic in my universe. To cast a spell, one must have the appropriate matrix's image firmly in their mind, usually either by visualizing it from memory or by directly looking at a picture of it. Hallucinating a matrix is also a valid way to cast a spell, though. Specifically, the matrix for the Druidcraft spell. This is significant for two reasons:
1. Druidcraft is a cantrip, which means it can be cast by anyone at will, not just spellcasters.
2. Druidcraft can "instantly make a flower blossom, a seed pod open, or a leaf bud bloom".
The multipurples force the host creature to cast Druidcraft on their seeds to create more berries. The nausea then causes the host to vomit up these new berries, where they can be planted (the seeds grow into berries themselves if they sense magic being cast on them, but become bushes if planted nonmagically). Being eaten vastly accelerates their life cycle.
Cultural ramifications:
In one ancient city-state in what is now the country of Flaiye, it was believed that the act of being born involved stealing life-force from the gods. The gods would be angry at the child for stealing this life-force, so as a coming of age ritual for every boy's thirteenth birthday, and girl's twelfth, they were forced to ingest a multipurple. It was believed that the act of hosting these berries and giving them life was sufficient payment to atone for the stolen life-force.
Auror