Usually when you see a frog, toad, newt, or whatnot in fiction it's either of the "really generally poisonous" or the "gets you high" varieties. That's fairly realistic (because dosages are king in pharmacology), but I wanted more, so here's a suite of tables to generate medicinally useful amphibians of your very own! They're pretty self-explanatory, though you may need to look up some terms if you're not familiar with biology, ecology, and pharmacology. (Go wiki-walking! Learn! It's good for you!)
While you're researching, here are some topics of interest when it comes to real-world amphibians (that can also be adapted for use in games):
- Aposematism: Honest warning coloration on animals. It's often bright colors, but applies to any distinctive coloration or pattern that makes the creature conspicuous and says "go away" when you really should leave it alone.
- Ecological indicators: Indicator species are plants and animals that are highly sensitive to changes in their habitat. When they're thriving, it's a good sign for the whole area. When they're declining, it's a sign that something's wrong and you need to sit up and take notice. Amphibians are often important indicator species because their highly permeable skin and water-reliant lifecycle makes them very vulnerable to pollution and disruption in their habitats.
- The real-life toxins produced by amphibians in nature. They tend to fall into a similar band of nerve-disrupting chemicals and are absolutely fascinating.
- Poison dart frogs (Phyllobates): Batrachotoxin, among other chemicals
- European fire salamanders: Samandarin
- North American newts in the family Taricha: Tetrodotoxin (The same chemical that makes fugu potentially lethal, yes)
- Toads (a bunch, but not all species): Bufotoxins
What's cool about these is that usually the amphibian doesn't produce the toxin itself. It gets it from its diet of other poisonous things (usually insects), either by sequestering the chemicals in their tissues or transforming them from a precursor chemical found in their prey to something even more toxic. If these amphibians are caught and kept, they'll gradually lose their toxicity because their diet in captivity doesn't contain the right chemicals. If they're raised in captivity and never eat a wild diet, they're not poisonous at all!
This is why you have to adventure/quest for your medicinally valuable amphibians, they can't be farmed and still retain their potency. (Unless you create a free-range amphibian ranch, which sounds adorable.)
Once you've finished reading about the delightful, mildly morbid world of poisonous amphibian toxicology, roll some dice!
For some of the tables I've only given guidelines, it's up to you to fill in the details and make it work. Like the coloration table. If you roll "brilliant" it could be brilliant blue, red, orange, whatever so long as it's retina-searing and screams "do not eat!" Follow your heart and make something cool.
(Remember! If you'd like to own these tables in a PDF or print format, along with all the excellent work from other contributors, go grab yourself a copy of Penicillin Vol.3.)
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Type (d6)
1) Frog
2) Toad
3) Newt
4) Salamander
5) Axolotl
6) Caecilian
Size (d6)
1) Tiny - Fits on fingertip
2) Small - Fits on finger
3) Medium - Fits on palm
4) Large - Fits on whole hand
5) Huge - Need two hands to lift
6) Massive - Larger than a cat
Skin Texture (d8)
1) Smooth
2) Smooth
3) Smooth
4) Rough
5) Bumpy/warty
6) Wrinkly
7) Spiked/horned
8) Dendritic/lacy
Coloration (d10)
1) Dull/earth tones
2) Subtle
3) Bright
4) Brilliant
5) Iridescent
6) Metallic
7) Translucent
8) Achromatic/grayscale
9) Roll again x2
10) Roll again x3
Pattern (d12)
1) Solid
2) Countershaded
3) Zones/patches of color
4) Spots
5) Flecks of color
6) Mottled/camouflaged
7) Stripes
8) Single stripe
9) Characteristic symbol/shape (like a black widow's hourglass)
10) Mobile/changing (chromatophores)
11) Roll again x2
12) Roll again x3
Body Shape (d6)
1) Average proportions
2) Slender/skeletal
3) Beefy/solid
4) Round/chunky
5) Stubby limbs
6) Flabby
Potency (1d8)
1) Weak - Need 10 to affect 1 adult human
2) Moderate - Need 1 to affect 1 adult human
3) Strong - Need 1 to affect 5 adult humans
4) Dangerous - Need 1 to affect 10 adult humans
5) Lethal - Need 1 to affect 100 adult humans
6) Increases with exposure - Starts weak and gets 1 degree stronger each time it's used after until it's lethal
7) Decreases with exposure - Starts lethal and gets 1 degree weaker each time it's used after until it's weak
8) Placebo
Habitat (d12)
1) River
2) Pond
3) Marsh/wetland
4) Bog
5) Vernal ponds
6) Stagnant water
7) Forest floor/understory
8) Trees
9) Jungle/rainforest
10) Epiphytes
11) Prairie/grassland
12) Desert
Administered By (d20)
(H is harmless to the creature, NL is not lethal but stressful, and F is fatal to it)
1) Skin contact (H)
2) Hold to an open wound (H)
3) Press to eyeball (H)
4) Lick it (H)
5) Soak it in oil and mix the oil into food (H)
6) Sit in a sweat lodge/sauna with them and breathe the steam (H)
7) Run on gums/under tongue (NL)
8) Just hold it in our mouth for a while, then spit it out (NL)
9) Wash it in alcohol and drink the tincture (NL)
10) Blotting paper (NL)
11) Eat it (1 whole, 2 raw, 3 dried, 4 powdered) (F)
12) Pills (F)
13) Mixed into tea or broth (F)
14) Snort it (F)
15) Smoke it (1 dried whole, 2 powdered, 3 mixed with resin, 4 shredded) (F)
16) Cut out the parotoid glands and squeeze into eyes (F)
17) Render down the skin, put drops of the liquid in boiling water and breathe the steam (F)
18) Render down the skin, apply liquid to a skewer/needle and stab the patient (F)
19) Roll again x2, the second method is less effective (1 lower potency)
20) Roll again x3, the second method is more effective (1 higher potency), the third method is lethal
Toxin Effect (d60)
1) Analgesic/numbing
2) Anesthetic
3) Sedative
4) Soporific/hypnotic
5) Serenic (decreased aggression)
6) Choleric (induces aggression)
7) Oneirogen (dream producing)
8) Narcotic
9) Hallucinogenic - Psychedelic
10) Hallucinogenic - Dissociative
11) Hallucinogenic - Deliriant
12) Stimulant
13) Depressant
14) Orexigenic (appetite stimulant)
15) Anoretic (appetite depressant)
16) Emetic
17) Laxative
18) Vasodilator
19) Vasoconstrictor
20) Hemorrhagic
21) Anticoagulant
22) Coagulant
23) Antipyretic (fever reducer)
24) Anti-inflammatory
25) Antihistamine
26) Diuretic
27) Contraceptive
28) Conceptive
29) Aphrodisiac
30) Anaphrodisiac (decreases libido)
31) Immunosuppressant
32) Vertigo (balance disruptor)
33) Irritant/inflammatory
34) Capsaicin analog (just pain/burning)
35) Menthol analog (chemical frostbite)
36) Blistering/caustic
37) Necrotic
38) Neurotoxic
39) Antibacterial
40) Antifungal
41) Antiviral
42) Antiparasitic
43) Antimiotic (disrupts cell division)
44) Paralytic
45) Hyperactive nerve conduction (seizure, paralysis, heart attack)
46) Hypoactive nerve conduction (peripheral nerve signaling blocked, paralysis, suffocate)
47) Antispasmodic
48) Muscle relaxant
49) Anxiogenic (increases anxiety)
50) Increased suggestibility
51) Induces insomnia
52) Eugeroic (promotes wakefulness)
53) Nootropic (enhances memory/thought)
54) Euphoriant
55) Entheogen (induces spiritual experiences)
56) Roll again x2
57) Roll again x3
58) Roll again x4
59) Roll again x5
60) Placebo