Dark Sun products feature several components and ingredients – usually harvested from some horrible monster or other – which characters can imbibe in order to gain various advantages. Today we’re giving you a list of these, compiled from and inspired by various sources, for you to use in your game. In my own Dark Sun game I use the term metempiric components for these, but call them whatever you like – they’re substances that augment or alter the use of magical or psionic powers when incorporated into the casting of a spell, manifestation of a power, or similar effect. Handle with care.

Metempiric Components

Metempiric components augment or alter the use of magical or psionic powers when incorporated into the casting of a spell, manifestation of a power, or similar effect.

Blood, Beasthead Giant: When beasthead blood is used as a component in any alteration spell, saves against that spell suffer a –1 penalty. Inexplicably, only druids and preservers may use beasthead blood this way; it provides no benefit for other types of spellcasters.
Blood, Drake: When imbibed during the casting of a spell, drake blood adds a +5 bonus to the caster level of the spell for the purpose of resisting dispel attempts. All other aspects of the spell remain unchanged.
Blood, Id Fiend: Dried id fiend blood is used in creating a potion concocted by psionic researchers; when consumed in the round prior to manifesting a telepathy power, it increases the power’s effective level by +2.
Crystal, Dagorran: When used as a component in a potion or spell that affects the mind, the dagorran’s crystal imposes a –1 penalty on saves against that spell.
Esperweed: When the esperweed root is eaten, psionicists (single and multi-/dual-classed) have their psionic powers boosted the equivalent of five experience levels, gaining additional PSPs and powers. The player should calculate the additional PSPs the character gains and determine which new powers are gained (roll on the Wild Talent Tables on pages 384–386 if needed). The character does not gain any additional disciplines. Eating esperweed also gives a psionicist character more control of his powers. All power checks are increased by +3 for the same duration as the psionic power boost (1 turn).
Wild talents who eat esperweed also gain a boost in their psionic power. Their power checks are increased by +2, and the character receives an additional 20 PSPs.
Repeated use can be detrimental. Creatures can eat esperweed and enjoy its psionic boosting capabilities a number of times equal to their Hit Dice (or current experience level) without any ill effects. For each use beyond that, the creature’s or character’s psionic ability rapidly fades. Each excess use reduces the creature’s psionic ability by the equivalent of two experience levels. This reduction is permanent, but each reduction can be reversed by use of a restoration spell. Once a creature’s psionic ability is reduced to 0-level, the creature permanently loses its psionics.
Esperweed only retains its psionic boosting properties for a limited time. A root will retain its effectiveness for one week after being picked, after which time its potency fades quickly into nothingness.
Eyeball, Hej-kin: The withered eyeball of a hej-kin is prized by clerics of elemental earth. When used as a material component in a spell from the Sphere of Earth, it increases the effective caster level by +1.
Eyeball, Rhaumbusun: When used as a material component in a hold person spell, the glittering eyeball of the rhaumbusun doubles the duration of the spell.
Feather, Beasthead Giant: The feathers of an eagle-head giant can be used in feather fall and other flight-oriented spells, doubling the spell’s duration.
Feather, Roc: Roc feathers are a key ingredient in the manufacture of wings and brooms of flying. Using roc feathers in a fly spell will add 1d20 rounds to the duration of the spell. Not as well-known is the fact that if a mage is scribing a fly spell on a scroll, using a perfect roc feather will allow him to double the number of spells that may be scribed with the same amount of ink. (A roc slain in combat usually has no more than 1d20 perfect feathers left, for they must be undamaged and perfectly clean to serve this purpose.)
Grave Dust: Gathered from burial sites, this dust is blessed by the elements. When scattered as part of an attempt to turn or command undead, it adds +3 to the priest’s turn or command roll.
Horn, Nightmare Beast: The horns of a nightmare beast, although extremely hard to obtain, are much sought after. The horn can be ground and mixed with water to create a paste. When consumed, it grants the consumer 30 additional PSPs and two wild talents. Its effect lasts for 5 rounds.
Muzarich Root: When ingested, this rare herb allows a character to cast a more convincing illusion. Anyone seeking to disbelieve the illusion suffers a –2 penalty to their saving throw.
Remorhaz Thrym: The heat secretion of the remorhaz, known to alchemists and wizards as thrym, can be used as a material component in any spell that deals fire damage. When added to the spell in this fashion, a single dose of the thrym adds +1 point of damage per die rolled.
Tomb Frost: A fungus that grows only on the bones of the dead, when tomb frost is smeared on an individual as part of a healing spell, it ensures that any die rolls for restoring hit points with that spell yield the maximum possible result. So a cure light wounds automatically heals 8 hit points, for example.
Warp Crystal: A crystal infused with psychic energy, when crushed while manifesting a psionic power, it adds 50% to that power’s range.
White Lotus: When burned as part of a conjuration/summoning spell, any creature summoned with that spell gains +1 hit point per Hit Die.
Yathax Sap: The sap of the very rare yathax bush can be refined into an elixir which, when imbibed as part of casting an enchantment/charm spell, doubles the duration of that spell.