Creature Harvesting
When a creature is defeated, its body may contain useful materials. Some of these materials are mundane: hide, meat, bone, teeth, claws, shell, chitin, feathers, and similar physical remains. Other materials contain lingering magical properties that can be rendered into alchemical essence and used in crafting.
This system is designed to answer four questions quickly:
- Can the creature be harvested?
- How difficult is it to harvest?
- How much material does it provide?
- What magical essence, if any, can be distilled from it?
This page covers appraising a defeated creature, removing useful parts, assigning magical yield, and deciding what raw materials are recovered. Rules for rendering those materials into stable essence are found in Alchemical Distillation.
The Harvesting Process¶
Harvesting a creature has three steps:
- Appraise the creature
- Harvest useful material
- Use the material raw or distill it into essence
A character does not need to distill material immediately, but raw materials must be properly preserved if they are to remain useful. Once successfully distilled and sealed, essence lasts indefinitely.
Appraising a Creature¶
Before harvesting a creature, a character may spend 1 minute examining the corpse.
The character makes an Intelligence check using the skill associated with the creature’s type.
| Creature Type | Appraisal 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 |
The DC is:
8 + the creature’s CR
Treat creatures with a CR below 1 as CR 0.
On a success, the character learns:
- what parts of the creature are worth harvesting;
- whether the creature has any magical essence tags;
- whether special tools or containers are required;
- any obvious risks involved in harvesting the creature.
At the DM’s discretion, a successful appraisal may grant advantage on the harvesting check.
Harvesting a Creature¶
Harvesting is performed one material at a time using dexterity and the same skill used to appraise the creature.
A character chooses one part or material they are attempting to recover, then makes a harvesting check against that material’s DC. Different materials from the same creature may have different DCs.
For example, harvesting meat or hide is easier than extracting a venom gland, breath organ, heart, eye, core, or delicate magical tissue.
A character does not need proficiency with a tool to attempt a harvest, but they must have access to appropriate tools. In most cases, this means a sharp knife, saw, hook, jar, pouch, vial, or other basic harvesting equipment. The party may share tools.
At the DM’s discretion, specialized materials may require specialized containers, such as enchanted vials, spirit paper, insulated jars, sealed vessels, sanctified containers, or alchemical glassware.
Spirit Paper¶
Some incorporeal creatures and supernatural phenomena leave behind no physical corpse. When such a creature can be harvested at all, the harvest may require Spirit Paper.
Spirit Paper is a prepared ritual sheet used to capture a spiritual echo, incorporeal remnant, emotional residue, death impression, or fading supernatural trace.
Spirit Paper may be required for:
- incorporeal Undead;
- ghosts, wraiths, specters, shadows, or similar creatures;
- spirit residue;
- death echoes;
- emotional remnants;
- fading supernatural impressions;
- or any harvest entry that specifically requires it.
If Spirit Paper is required, the harvester must have an unused sheet available when the harvest begins. On a successful harvest, the sheet captures the remnant and is consumed.
Spirit Paper does not capture a true soul unless a specific rule says otherwise. It captures an echo, impression, residue, or magical trace.
A captured remnant is treated as a raw magical component. It retains its identity and may be used in a recipe that calls for that specific spirit, echo, undead remnant, or incorporeal residue. It may also be distilled into essence if the DM rules that the remnant contains a valid essence tag.
Multiple Harvest Attempts¶
A creature may be harvested multiple times, but each attempt damages, disturbs, or contaminates the carcass.
After each harvesting attempt, increase the DC of all further harvesting checks on that creature.
| Result | Effect on Later Harvests |
|---|---|
| Successful harvest | All later harvest DCs increase by +1 |
| Failed harvest | All later harvest DCs increase by +2 |
| Failed by 5 or more | The carcass is ruined; no further useful harvesting is possible |
The DM may waive or reduce these penalties for especially large creatures, careful field dressing, excellent preparation, or controlled workshop conditions.
Harvest DC¶
Each harvested material has a DC based on the creature’s potency and the difficulty of removing that specific material.
Harvest DC = Base Harvest DC + Material Modifier + Corpse Condition Modifier + Previous Harvest Modifiers
Base Harvest DC & Potency¶
| CR | Potency | Base Harvest DC | Typical Crafting Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-2 | Minor | 10 | Common Magic Items |
| 3-6 | Lesser | 13 | Uncommon Magic Items |
| 7-12 | Potent | 16 | Rare Magic Items |
| 13-18 | Greater | 19 | Very Rare Magic Items |
| 19+ | Mythic | 22 | Legendary Magic Items |
Material Modifier¶
| Material Being Harvested | DC Modifier |
|---|---|
| Meat, fur, common hide | -2 |
| Bone, teeth, claws, horns | +0 |
| Scales, shell, chitin, thick hide | +1 |
| Blood, sap, ichor | +1 |
| Venom, bile, acid, spores | +2 |
| Eye, brain, nerve tissue | +3 |
| Magical gland, breath organ, unusual organ | +4 |
| Heart, core, animating rune | +5 |
| Spirit residue, fading essence, incorporeal remains | +5 and special tools |
Corpse Condition Modifier¶
| Corpse Condition | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Clean kill, carefully preserved | -2 |
| Normal combat death | +0 |
| Burned, crushed, dissolved, badly mutilated | +5 |
| Dead more than 1 hour | Soft tissues may be damaged |
| Dead more than 1 day | Blood, eyes, and delicate organs may be unusable |
| Dead more than 3 days | Most organs are unusable |
| Dead more than 7 days | Usually only hard materials remain |
Example: Young Blue Dragon¶
A young blue dragon is a Large CR 9 Dragon.
Its potency is Potent, so its base harvest DC is 16.
The party wants to harvest several parts.
| Harvest | DC |
|---|---|
| Scales | 17 |
| Blood | 17 |
| Teeth / bone | 16 |
| Breath organ | 20 |
| Heart | 21 |
They decide to harvest the teeth first.
The harvester succeeds. All later harvest DCs increase by +1.
Now they try the breath organ. Its DC is normally 20, but now it is 21.
They fail. All later harvest DCs increase by another +2.
Now the heart, normally DC 21, is DC 24.
If they fail that heart harvest by 5 or more, the remaining useful carcass is ruined.
Size and Harvest Yield¶
A creature’s size determines how much useful material or essence it can provide.
| Creature Size | Maximum Yield |
|---|---|
| Tiny | Trace only |
| Small | 1 unit |
| Medium | 2 units |
| Large | 4 units |
| Huge | 8 units |
| Gargantuan | 16 units |
A unit is an abstract crafting quantity. It may represent a vial, pouch, bundle, organ, section of hide, cluster of scales, amount of powdered bone, or sufficient alchemical material for one step in a crafting recipe.
Size determines the maximum amount of magical essence a creature can produce, not the total amount of mundane raw material on its body. A Large creature may have far more than 4 pounds of meat or hide, and a Huge creature may have far more than 8 pounds of usable flesh, bone, scale, or shell. The unit limit applies to magically significant crafting material and distilled essence.
A creature cannot normally be distilled for its full yield from every part. If a Huge creature provides 8 units of essence, that is the creature’s total magical yield, not 8 units per organ or body part. The DM decides which harvested parts can contribute to that yield.
The DM may reduce yield if the corpse is damaged, incomplete, rotten, partially consumed, or harvested in poor conditions.
Swarm Harvest Rule: A swarm uses its stat block size for encounter space, but uses the size and nature of its individual creatures for harvestable body parts. For magical yield, the swarm can be treated as a single creature only if the swarm’s collective behavior concentrates the relevant property.
Dragons and Magical Yield¶
Dragons are exceptionally magical creatures. Their bodies contain far more concentrated magical essence than most creatures of similar size.
When determining the maximum magical yield of a true dragon, double the normal yield for its size.
| Dragon Size | Normal Yield | Dragon Yield |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny | Trace only | 1 unit |
| Small | 1 unit | 2 units |
| Medium | 2 units | 4 units |
| Large | 4 units | 8 units |
| Huge | 8 units | 16 units |
| Gargantuan | 16 units | 32 units |
This increased yield applies only to dragons and dragonlike creatures the DM considers truly draconic. It does not automatically apply to every reptilian, scaled, or dragon-adjacent creature.
In Andórëan metaphysics, dragons are sometimes described as knots in the great tapestry of magic. If the Aether of magic stretches across the multiverse like a vast fabric, a dragon is what happens when part of that fabric is gathered, tied, and laid back into the world as living flesh. This is why nearly every part of a dragon can carry magical significance.
Celestial and Fiendish Relic Exception¶
Celestials and Fiends normally follow the standard harvesting rules: CR determines potency, size determines total magical yield, and the DM assigns that yield among the creature’s magically significant parts.
However, exceptionally powerful Celestials and Fiends may leave behind a relic-quality remnant when destroyed.
This exception applies only to Celestials and Fiends of Greater or Mythic potency.
| CR | Potency | Relic Exception |
|---|---|---|
| 0–2 | Minor | No |
| 3–6 | Lesser | No |
| 7–12 | Potent | No |
| 13–18 | Greater | Yes |
| 19+ | Mythic | Yes |
When a qualifying Celestial or Fiend is destroyed, the DM may allow one additional planar relic to be recovered from the creature’s remains.
This relic does not increase the creature’s normal magical essence yield. It is not an additional essence-bearing unit and cannot be distilled into generic essence unless the DM assigns part of the creature’s normal magical yield to it.
Instead, the relic is a specific raw component that may be used only in recipes that call for an appropriate planar, holy, profane, celestial, fiendish, consecrated, desecrated, infernal, abyssal, or divine component.
Examples of Celestial relics include:
- halo fragment
- saintly bone
- angelic feather
- crystallized tear
- final breath
- fragment of a divine weapon
- mote of consecrated radiance
Examples of Fiendish relics include:
- horn fragment
- infernal brand
- abyssal ichor clot
- blasphemous bone
- ash-blackened heart shard
- contract-scarred flesh
- ember of profane flame
A planar relic retains its identity. A Solar’s halo fragment is not interchangeable with generic Radiant Essence, and a Pit Fiend’s infernal brand is not interchangeable with generic Fire Essence.
A planar relic cannot be distilled into essence. It is a specific raw component, not a source of generic magical yield. If a recipe cannot use the relic in its specific form, the relic is not a valid substitute for that recipe.
Assigning Magical Yield¶
A creature’s size determines its maximum magical yield, but that yield does not need to come from one part of the body. When a creature has multiple magically significant parts, the DM divides the creature’s total magical yield among those parts.
For example, a Huge creature can provide up to 8 units of magical essence. If that creature’s blood and heart are both magically significant, the DM might assign 4 units to the blood and 4 units to the heart. Those units do not overlap. If the party harvests only the blood, they can only recover the units contained in the blood. If they also want the heart’s essence, they must successfully harvest the heart.
The DM decides which parts contain magical essence and how much each part contains. More accessible parts are usually easier to harvest, while more concentrated or powerful parts are often harder to recover.
Mundane materials such as meat, hide, bone, shell, or scales may still be harvested separately, but they do not count against the creature’s magical essence yield unless the DM decides they are magically significant.
Meat and Food¶
One unit of edible meat can be converted into 10 rations.
A ration feeds one Small or Medium creature for one day. Larger creatures require more rations at the DM’s discretion.
Fresh meat spoils quickly unless cooked, salted, smoked, dried, frozen, magically preserved, or otherwise protected from decay.
Hide, Fur, Scale, and Shell¶
One unit of hide, fur, scale, shell, or chitin is enough raw material for one major crafting use, such as a cloak, suit of light armor, shield covering, large tent panel, saddle, set of straps, or several smaller goods.
Larger projects may require multiple units.
Raw Materials¶
Harvested materials may be used in two ways.
A raw material is a specific physical part taken from a creature.
Examples:
- dragon scales
- basilisk eye
- troll heart
- giant fingernail
- phase spider silk
- ghoul claw
- ankheg chitin
- unicorn horn
- fire elemental core
Raw materials matter when a recipe specifically calls for a physical part.
For example:
- A suit of dragon scale mail requires dragon scales.
- A petrifying lens may require a basilisk eye.
- A potion of giant strength may require a giant’s nail, blood, or similar physical remnant.
- A cloak made from phase spider silk requires actual phase spider silk, not generic essence.
Raw materials retain their identity. A red dragon scale is not the same as a fire elemental mote.
Preservation and Storage¶
Raw harvested materials are perishable unless properly preserved. Blood congeals, tissue rots, organs decay, venom separates, glands rupture, sap dries, and delicate magical structures lose potency over time.
Unless otherwise noted, raw magical blood, organs, glands, and soft tissues remain usable for a number of days equal to the creature’s CR if stored in mundane containers. After that time, the material spoils, congeals, rots, dries, or loses enough potency to become unusable for distillation.
The DM may rule that poorly stored raw materials become unusable, lose yield, or impose a higher distillation DC. Proper preservation, specialized containers, refrigeration, or magic may extend the material’s shelf life at the DM’s discretion.
Once a material has been successfully distilled into essence, it becomes stable. Essence stored in a properly sealed container lasts indefinitely under normal conditions.
Appropriate containers include sealed vials, stoppered bottles, waxed jars, alchemical ampoules, spirit paper, rune-locked canisters, insulated vessels, or other containers suitable to the nature of the essence. An essence does not normally spoil, rot, ferment, or lose potency unless its container is broken, unsealed, dispelled, contaminated, or exposed to extreme magical conditions.
In simple terms:
Raw materials decay. Essences endure.
Mundane Material Shelf Life¶
Mundane harvested materials also decay if they are soft, edible, wet, or organic.
Unless otherwise noted, raw mundane meat, fat, organs, soft flesh, edible tissue, and similar materials remain usable for 3 days if stored in mundane containers or wrapped for travel.
After that time, the material spoils unless it has been cooked, salted, smoked, dried, frozen, magically preserved, or otherwise protected from decay.
Hard mundane materials such as bone, teeth, claws, horns, scales, shells, chitin, feathers, cured hide, and preserved trophies do not normally expire under ordinary travel conditions, though they may still be damaged by fire, rot, insects, moisture, acid, or neglect.
The DM may shorten or extend this time based on climate, storage, butchering quality, magic, refrigeration, contamination, or the nature of the creature.
Mundane Creatures¶
Not every creature produces magical essence.
A normal bear, wolf, horse, deer, shark, or giant boar usually provides only mundane materials.
Examples:
- meat
- hide
- fur
- bone
- teeth
- claws
- sinew
- oil
- trophies
A mundane beast only produces magical essence if it has a supernatural trait, has been magically altered, is unusually ancient or sacred, or has been affected by a magical environment.
Supernatural Creatures¶
A creature generally produces magical essence if it has one or more of the following:
- magical attacks;
- damage types beyond ordinary physical damage;
- condition-causing abilities;
- innate spellcasting;
- magical resistance;
- supernatural movement;
- unnatural anatomy;
- planar origin;
- undeath;
- elemental nature;
- divine, fiendish, fey, aberrant, or construct nature.
The creature’s features determine its possible tags.
Examples¶
Bear¶
Creature: Large Beast, CR 1
Potency: Minor
Yield: 4 units
Tags: None
A bear provides mundane materials: meat, hide, fur, claws, teeth, bone, and sinew.
It does not normally produce magical essence.
Owlbear¶
Creature: Large Monstrosity, CR 3
Potency: Lesser
Yield: 4 units
Possible Tags: Transmutation
An owlbear may provide mundane material such as hide, feathers, claws, beak, meat, and bone.
Because it is an unnatural hybrid monstrosity, its organs may be distilled into Lesser Transmutation Essence.
Example yield:
4 units of Lesser Transmutation Essence
Basilisk¶
Creature: Medium Monstrosity, CR 3
Potency: Lesser
Yield: 2 units
Possible Tags: Petrified, Transmutation
A basilisk’s eyes, bile, and organs may be used raw in recipes involving petrification, stone-softening, or transformation.
They may also be distilled into:
2 units of Lesser Petrification Essence
or
2 units of Lesser Transmutation Essence
Ghoul¶
Creature: Medium Undead, CR 1
Potency: Minor
Yield: 2 units
Possible Tags: Paralyzed, Necromancy, Necrotic
A ghoul’s claws may be used raw in paralysis-related crafting.
Its remains may also be distilled into:
2 units of Minor Paralysis Essence
or
2 units of Minor Necromancy Essence
Young Blue Dragon¶
Creature: Large Dragon, CR 9
Potency: Potent
Yield: 4 units
Possible Tags: Lightning, Evocation, Abjuration
A young blue dragon may provide raw materials such as scales, teeth, bone, blood, a breath organ, wings, and heart.
Those materials may also be distilled into:
4 units of Potent Lightning Essence
or divided among appropriate tags, such as:
2 units of Potent Lightning Essence
1 unit of Potent Evocation Essence
1 unit of Potent Abjuration Essence
Fire Elemental¶
Creature: Large Elemental, CR 5
Potency: Lesser
Yield: 4 units
Possible Tags: Fire, Evocation
A fire elemental has little or no ordinary anatomy. It may require an enchanted vial, warded crucible, or similar container to harvest.
Its remains may be distilled into:
4 units of Lesser Fire Essence
or
4 units of Lesser Evocation Essence
Adult Red Dragon and Fire Elemental Comparison¶
A CR 17 adult red dragon produces Greater Fire Essence.
A CR 17 fire elemental creature also produces Greater Fire Essence.
Once distilled, the essence is mechanically identical.
The difference only matters if a recipe calls for a raw material.
- Greater Fire Essence may come from either source.
- Adult red dragon scales must come from an adult red dragon.
Final Rule¶
CR determines potency. Size determines total magical yield. Features determine tags. The DM assigns that yield among the creature’s magically significant parts. The harvested part determines whether the material is useful raw, can be distilled into essence, or both.
Or, in its shortest form:
Creature + CR + Size + Feature = Essence.
Creature + Part = Raw Material.