seasong
First Post
This was originally put together for the Rat Bastard's IronDM tournament, and I'm hoping to tune and balance it a bit. I've editted out the world-specific stuff and replaced them with items that people can place more easily in their own settings.
This is a FINAL DRAFT. let me know if you see any problems with it, but this is pretty much what I'm planning to leave it at.
The Black Healer
Special Thanks: For help in balancing, refining flavor, taste testing and general critique and commentary, alphabetically, Capellan, Frostmarrow, incognito, las, Mike Sullivan, Shadow64, Technik4. If any of you would prefer I put your real name here (well, I guess Mike's using his real name already
), let me know.
Origins
The Rushwater Fen is a partially hilled, boggy muck riddled with hidden patches of deepwater and underwater caverns (some fogged or filled with liquious silt). It's called rushwater for the tendency to fall into these holes, and like quicksand, it doesn't actually move much. It's a dangerous place to the unwary for purely mundane reasons, but local legend indicates that there might be more to it...
Somewhere in the swampy morass, swimming through the hidden depths, is an ancient creature. She is said to resemble a tasselled black spear shooting through the water, when She is seen at all, and that She is as large as an elephant. It is also said that She can take the form of a swampmay, a woodsy young girl of innocent demeanor but jet black eyes. She is the terror of the Rushwater Fen, a capricious force of nature that devours those who encounter Her and leaves their bones as a warning to others.
Regardless of what She is, however, She possesses vast and deep knowledge of the fen, and of the arts of herbalism and healing. And some few have deliberately sought Her out and convinced Her to teach them. These people are known as the black healers, for her teaching causes their eyes to become as inky black as her own. Unlike their monstrous teacher, however, black healers are skilled and passionate bringers of succor.
Nature of the Creature
Above is what is known. The GM is encouraged to make as much or as little true as desired. Below are some possibilities:
Awakened Giant Squid: Centuries ago, a druid Awakened a giant squid. After a long and full life in the more dangerous ocean, it discovered a hidden family of water-filled caverns leading through the Underdark into the swamps. She has lived there since, continuously expanding her knowledge of many things. Neither good nor evil, She walks a balance between eating those who disturb Her home and teaching those who seek Her knowledge.
Aboleth: That's no squid! Spurned by its species for its sympathy to the lesser races, this aboleth retreated surfaceward into the swamps. It's still an aboleth, of course, and the lesser races are still lesser... but occasionally it takes pity on a particularly brave specimen and shares some small amount of the knowledge that allows aboleth to manipulate their biology.
Prime-bound Demigoddess: A local godling, literally a part of the spiritual structure of the swamps. Black healers are a type of priest, in some ways, except that the demigoddess, rather than grant spells, prefers to pass on the knowledge and innate abilities necessary for Her priests to operate on their own. She views the humanoid races kindly, although She is a force of nature, and kills as casually as a hurricane.
Aspect of a Greater God: A god with healing as a portfolio provides a kind of "underground" healing for those he can not officially be seen dealing with, by means of the black healers. This is particularly appropriate if you have black healers always heal some certain class of individual (such as the poor) in a world where that is politically incorrect (perhaps the church only favors the aristocracy).
Impressing Her
Impressing Her enough to not be eaten is difficult. The individual must be truly devoted to helping others (it can be a narrow class of others, such as "innocents oppressed" or "the poor" or "those wounded in war", but not a narrow class like "me and my friends"), be strong of character, and must be able to stand in Her terrifying presence without fleeing. Those who have become black healers in the past were typically courageous, devoted healers before they met Her, and worked their way through miles of dangerous swamp just in the hopes that She might teach them something more.
Optional: There are numerous ways you can modify the flavor and 'quest' aspect of this to suit your setting. For example, instead of a fear check, She might require that the character drown themselves in the swamp... either to prove their faith, or maybe She only favors those who are so depressed that they will welcome Her guidance.
Being A Black Healer
Ethos & Society
Black healers are devoted healers, but are also dangerous individuals. They are not pacifists, nor are they necessarily gentle or kind - they are marked by devotion and duty, often to a narrow group, rather than sweetness and light. For example, a black healer devoted to the poor might heal a serf... and stab the aristocrat who tries to stop him. When playing a black healer, maintain your duties, but don't be afraid to get a bit dirty in the process.
They are rare enough (perhaps one or two every generation or so) that they are not well known, but one can often be found in the margins of heroic tales. By nature, the black healer avoids immense fame and fortune, and seeks results instead. They accept pay for their work, but work without pay when there is need, and will not withhold healing for greed.
Medical Secrets
The black healer is inducted into many medical secrets in the Fen, encompassing a broad spectrum of herbalism, physiology and personal life force. He enhances the properties of herbs and drugs, channels life energies, and manipulates the paths of energy in the bodies of others.
To the black healer, each location of the body is a complex pattern of life energy which can be controlled and enhanced with herbs, small nudges of raw life energy, and even just physical positioning. By learning to see and manipulate these paths, the black healer can bring healing or pain in equal measure.
Finally, She puts a bit of Her own life essence into the black healer, to draw from, and it is this which changes the healer's eyes.
Class Interpretations
Barbarian: The barbarian will be giving up an extra hit point per level, a slight BAB advantage, increased rage abilities, increased DR, and bonuses against traps. In return, he will gain increased capability in watery areas, incredible healing capacity, and a better Will save. While not a perfect fit for msot barbarian character concepts, it might make a good vision quest for a barbarian whose people are undergoing a plague or are otherwise afflicted.
Bard: The bard will be giving up a host of class skills, Reflex save, and increased spell casting abiities, in return for capability in watery areas, incredible healing capacity, and an improved Fortitude save. In general, a bard does not gain much by pursuing this class, and is probably better off remaining a minor healer with the host of other bardic abilities.
Cleric: The cleric is already a good healer, and would be giving up powerful spell casting abilities for little gain. Clerics might also have some difficulties explaining to their god why they are foregoing advancement in the god's cause in return for Her gifts of life force. Still, a cleric truly devoted to healing might find the black healer tempting for its greatly improved healing capabilities.
Druid: As per the druid.
Fighter: A fighter gives up a slight BAB edge and bonus feats, in return for increased capability in watery areas, incredible healing capacity, and a better Will save. This is probably the best route for a combat-capable black healer, better at both fighting and healing than a cleric, but lacking the spell casting abilities. A strong concept might be a low-magic soldier who learned basic healing to help his comrades, and gradually developed a sense of duty that led to hunting Her down to learn. Another possibility might be an aristocratic fighter who, touched by the plight of peasants, devotes his life to improving their lot.
Monk: A monastic individual, devoting his life to healing the common person, fits very well. He will be giving up many special monk abilities gained at higher levels and a good Reflex save, in return for increased capability in watery areas, incredible healing capacity, and 1 HP per level. The Lay on Inflict ability mixes nicely with the monk's unarmed attacks, however. This would be a difficult decision.
Paladin: This functions much like the fighter, except that the paladin is giving up paladin abilities and spell casting rather than extra feats. In general, a paladin is probably a poor choice - they can already heal a little bit, and the spell casting is tough to give up.
Ranger: As per the paladin. A wilderness guide with ancient knowledge of herbal healing might fit a good concept.
Rogue: The rogue gives up good Ref for good Fort/Will, and trades off excellent skills, improved sneak attack and a few special abilities for the black healer's watery areas and incredible healing. Still, a rogue could easily be an underground healer in a world where magic is only for the wealthy ("We're saved, it's the Black Pimpernel!") or the exclusive surgeon for a criminal syndicate.
Sorcerer/Wizard: The early levels of sorcerer or wizard mix poorly with the abilities of the black healer - it is as extreme a change as a sorcerer/wizard becoming a fighter. A character who wanted to expand and weaken their repertoire could take black healer, but in general it's probably a poor choice.
Systemese
Hit Die: 1d10.
Requirements: Base Will save +5 OR Base Fort save +5, at least 8 skill points put in the Heal skill, Skill Focus: Heal, Iron Will. In addition, the character must fit the flavor text (see special below).
Special: Standing ground against Her (fear effect at DC 20. The DM may waive this check if the character has truly demonstrated the traits She looks for in a black healer - instead, roleplay out the fact that she's about to eat them and see if they wait it out). Paladins are immune to fear... but also fit the flavor text pretty well; if the paladin has not been playing the part, they should have already lost their paladin status. Upon acceptance into apprenticeship, the character will spend a year (or dramatically appropriate amount of time for your campaign) in the depths with Her; when they emerge, they will gain 1 level of black healer.
Class Skills: Craft, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Intuit Direction, Listen, Move Silently, Profession (Herbalist), Search, Sense Motive, Swim, Wilderness Lore. (Partially based on connection to swamps).
Skill Points Per Level: 4 + INT modifier.
Arms/Armor: None gained, but no restrictions either. A fighter/black healer, for example, will be able to wear full plate armor without losing healing abilities.
Profession (Herbalist) (INT, Trained Only): This skill allows the character to identify plants on sight, smell or taste, and be familiar with their special properties. For black healers, it also represents detailed knowledge of anatomy, biological processse, and similar things. A skill of 5+ gives a synergy bonus of +2 to Heal.
Herbal Healing
The character has a deep and thorough understanding of the use of herbs in healing. Aspects of this ability improve with the character's black healer level, as marked in the text below. See the section below on herbal healing for all effects of this ability.
Poultice: The black healer can treat wounds with life-force activated herbs. This allows a Heal check for each minute of care, and success restores 1 HP; this counts as an extended standard action for the black healer. The black healer can treat himself. At 4th level, this restores 2 HP per minute; at 8th level, this restores 3 HP per minute.
Optional: In general, poultices cost a negligible amount, but if there is a great deal of healing going on, the DM can assume that 1 GP buys 100 HP worth of the necessary herbs. An eight hour day spent in a swamp can produce 1000 HP worth of herbs.
Herbal Remedies: At 4th level, the black healer can cure practically any disease, even magical ones, with the right herbs and knowledge. This takes 10 minutes and requires a Heal check, at DC equal to the DC +5 for a save against the disease, +10 if magical. On a success, the disease ceases to affect the victim, although prior ability damage remains until healed naturally (note that long-term care can assist in this).
At 8th level, the black healer is immune to diseases, including magical ones, due to his immense knowledge of their function and his growing mastery of his own life force.
Brew Herbal Potion: The black healer mixes herbal essences together and activates them with a bit of life force (XP cost). The result is a tea bag which, when steeped for one minute and drunk, affects the imbiber. The black healer can make up to 3 herbal tea bag per day. An herbal tea bag can keep for years, and usually resembles a minty tea. Once steeped, the potion retains its usefulness for one day before losing its potency.
See below for a list of potions. All potions affect the imbiber only (the sleep potion puts the imbiber to sleep, for example). Area effects are all changed to "one subject".
The black healer can brew poisons and curses as well as curatives. Although a black healer would never do such a thing to those they protect and provide succor to, the enemies of same are fair game.
<i>Note: Once brewed into a tea, the potion can be put in a flask normally.</i>
Swamp Adaptation
As the black healer continues to develop his mastery over Her bits of life essence, he adapts somewhat to Her native environment (and Her). At 1st level, the character can breathe water (it takes a standard action to switch from water to air and vice versa) and develops a resistance to terror (+4 bonus on saves vs fear effects).
At 3rd level, the character becomes able to swim at his normal movement rate through water, half that through thin muck, and the normal swimming rate for his race through quicksand and similar mucks.
At 5th level, the character is unaffected by the entangling and slowing effects of natural impediments such as swamp muck, brambles, quicksand, snow and so on. The character's swimming rates is not improved, however. This does not protect against damage dealing effects, or steep slopes, but for the most part the character can travel overland through swamps, marshes, forests and so on without difficulty or slowing down. Entangle spells that use natural growth (such as plant growth) do not affect the character.
Optional: At 6th level, the character begins to take on aspects of his mentor. His flesh becomes moist and requires at least an hour of immersion in water per day, twice as much food per day. However, he can compress his body to squeeze through holes one size smaller, and can move twice as fast in water (this stacks with other black healer movement bonuses). The GM may decide that the character must take this at 6th level, present it as an option for "hard core" black healers, or ban it.
At 7th level, the character can swim at twice the normal rates, and can switch between breathing water and air as a free action.
At 9th level, the character gains improved vision and can see twice as far in conditions of darkness or haze (fogs, dirty water, etc.).
Optional: At 10th level, the character takes on more aspects of his mentor. This may not be taken if the option was not taken at 6th level. His mind begins to follow Her alien mindset and thought patterns, giving a -4 penalty to all sense motive, bluff, diplomacy, and attitude checks towards NPCs. He also must eat four times as much food as normal per day, and if unable to acquire that much food, flies into a Rage and attacks (with intent to kill and eat) the nearest living creature. He may shapeshift into a Huge Squid once per day; he can maintain this shape indefinitely, but once he changes back, it will be a full 24 hours before he can shapeshift again. The character's swimming movement rate is doubled again. The GM may decide that the character must take this at 6th level, present it as an option for "hard core" black healers, or ban it.
Lay on Hands/Inflict
At 3rd level, by careful study of physiology and his own life force, the black healer learns how to send life energy into others with a touch... either to heal them, or to injure their life patterns.
The character may magically heal a number of HPs equal to his ranks of Heal skill (ranks, not total skill) times her CHR bonus per day. This amount may be divided up into many uses or used all at once, and may be used on himself or others. The character may convert the healing into damage instead, but may not do more than his Heal ranks in damage per round. There is no save against this damage - it is a touch attack.
Fast Healing
As per the fast healing ability in the DMG, p.76.
Special Abilities
The character may select one of these each time this is listed.
Longevity: As per the druid/monk ability?
Sneak Attack +1d6 (stacks)
Natural Armor AC +1 (stacks)
Immunity to Natural Toxins: immune to animal/plant toxins, +4 vs other toxins (cloud kill, etc.)
Enhanced Lay/Smack: Adds +2 to CHR for purposes of max per day
Immune to Fear: What it says.
More as we think of them!
This is a FINAL DRAFT. let me know if you see any problems with it, but this is pretty much what I'm planning to leave it at.
The Black Healer
Special Thanks: For help in balancing, refining flavor, taste testing and general critique and commentary, alphabetically, Capellan, Frostmarrow, incognito, las, Mike Sullivan, Shadow64, Technik4. If any of you would prefer I put your real name here (well, I guess Mike's using his real name already
), let me know.Origins
The Rushwater Fen is a partially hilled, boggy muck riddled with hidden patches of deepwater and underwater caverns (some fogged or filled with liquious silt). It's called rushwater for the tendency to fall into these holes, and like quicksand, it doesn't actually move much. It's a dangerous place to the unwary for purely mundane reasons, but local legend indicates that there might be more to it...
Somewhere in the swampy morass, swimming through the hidden depths, is an ancient creature. She is said to resemble a tasselled black spear shooting through the water, when She is seen at all, and that She is as large as an elephant. It is also said that She can take the form of a swampmay, a woodsy young girl of innocent demeanor but jet black eyes. She is the terror of the Rushwater Fen, a capricious force of nature that devours those who encounter Her and leaves their bones as a warning to others.
Regardless of what She is, however, She possesses vast and deep knowledge of the fen, and of the arts of herbalism and healing. And some few have deliberately sought Her out and convinced Her to teach them. These people are known as the black healers, for her teaching causes their eyes to become as inky black as her own. Unlike their monstrous teacher, however, black healers are skilled and passionate bringers of succor.
Nature of the Creature
Above is what is known. The GM is encouraged to make as much or as little true as desired. Below are some possibilities:
Awakened Giant Squid: Centuries ago, a druid Awakened a giant squid. After a long and full life in the more dangerous ocean, it discovered a hidden family of water-filled caverns leading through the Underdark into the swamps. She has lived there since, continuously expanding her knowledge of many things. Neither good nor evil, She walks a balance between eating those who disturb Her home and teaching those who seek Her knowledge.
Aboleth: That's no squid! Spurned by its species for its sympathy to the lesser races, this aboleth retreated surfaceward into the swamps. It's still an aboleth, of course, and the lesser races are still lesser... but occasionally it takes pity on a particularly brave specimen and shares some small amount of the knowledge that allows aboleth to manipulate their biology.
Prime-bound Demigoddess: A local godling, literally a part of the spiritual structure of the swamps. Black healers are a type of priest, in some ways, except that the demigoddess, rather than grant spells, prefers to pass on the knowledge and innate abilities necessary for Her priests to operate on their own. She views the humanoid races kindly, although She is a force of nature, and kills as casually as a hurricane.
Aspect of a Greater God: A god with healing as a portfolio provides a kind of "underground" healing for those he can not officially be seen dealing with, by means of the black healers. This is particularly appropriate if you have black healers always heal some certain class of individual (such as the poor) in a world where that is politically incorrect (perhaps the church only favors the aristocracy).
Impressing Her
Impressing Her enough to not be eaten is difficult. The individual must be truly devoted to helping others (it can be a narrow class of others, such as "innocents oppressed" or "the poor" or "those wounded in war", but not a narrow class like "me and my friends"), be strong of character, and must be able to stand in Her terrifying presence without fleeing. Those who have become black healers in the past were typically courageous, devoted healers before they met Her, and worked their way through miles of dangerous swamp just in the hopes that She might teach them something more.
Optional: There are numerous ways you can modify the flavor and 'quest' aspect of this to suit your setting. For example, instead of a fear check, She might require that the character drown themselves in the swamp... either to prove their faith, or maybe She only favors those who are so depressed that they will welcome Her guidance.
Being A Black Healer
Ethos & Society
Black healers are devoted healers, but are also dangerous individuals. They are not pacifists, nor are they necessarily gentle or kind - they are marked by devotion and duty, often to a narrow group, rather than sweetness and light. For example, a black healer devoted to the poor might heal a serf... and stab the aristocrat who tries to stop him. When playing a black healer, maintain your duties, but don't be afraid to get a bit dirty in the process.
They are rare enough (perhaps one or two every generation or so) that they are not well known, but one can often be found in the margins of heroic tales. By nature, the black healer avoids immense fame and fortune, and seeks results instead. They accept pay for their work, but work without pay when there is need, and will not withhold healing for greed.
Medical Secrets
The black healer is inducted into many medical secrets in the Fen, encompassing a broad spectrum of herbalism, physiology and personal life force. He enhances the properties of herbs and drugs, channels life energies, and manipulates the paths of energy in the bodies of others.
To the black healer, each location of the body is a complex pattern of life energy which can be controlled and enhanced with herbs, small nudges of raw life energy, and even just physical positioning. By learning to see and manipulate these paths, the black healer can bring healing or pain in equal measure.
Finally, She puts a bit of Her own life essence into the black healer, to draw from, and it is this which changes the healer's eyes.
Class Interpretations
Barbarian: The barbarian will be giving up an extra hit point per level, a slight BAB advantage, increased rage abilities, increased DR, and bonuses against traps. In return, he will gain increased capability in watery areas, incredible healing capacity, and a better Will save. While not a perfect fit for msot barbarian character concepts, it might make a good vision quest for a barbarian whose people are undergoing a plague or are otherwise afflicted.
Bard: The bard will be giving up a host of class skills, Reflex save, and increased spell casting abiities, in return for capability in watery areas, incredible healing capacity, and an improved Fortitude save. In general, a bard does not gain much by pursuing this class, and is probably better off remaining a minor healer with the host of other bardic abilities.
Cleric: The cleric is already a good healer, and would be giving up powerful spell casting abilities for little gain. Clerics might also have some difficulties explaining to their god why they are foregoing advancement in the god's cause in return for Her gifts of life force. Still, a cleric truly devoted to healing might find the black healer tempting for its greatly improved healing capabilities.
Druid: As per the druid.
Fighter: A fighter gives up a slight BAB edge and bonus feats, in return for increased capability in watery areas, incredible healing capacity, and a better Will save. This is probably the best route for a combat-capable black healer, better at both fighting and healing than a cleric, but lacking the spell casting abilities. A strong concept might be a low-magic soldier who learned basic healing to help his comrades, and gradually developed a sense of duty that led to hunting Her down to learn. Another possibility might be an aristocratic fighter who, touched by the plight of peasants, devotes his life to improving their lot.
Monk: A monastic individual, devoting his life to healing the common person, fits very well. He will be giving up many special monk abilities gained at higher levels and a good Reflex save, in return for increased capability in watery areas, incredible healing capacity, and 1 HP per level. The Lay on Inflict ability mixes nicely with the monk's unarmed attacks, however. This would be a difficult decision.
Paladin: This functions much like the fighter, except that the paladin is giving up paladin abilities and spell casting rather than extra feats. In general, a paladin is probably a poor choice - they can already heal a little bit, and the spell casting is tough to give up.
Ranger: As per the paladin. A wilderness guide with ancient knowledge of herbal healing might fit a good concept.
Rogue: The rogue gives up good Ref for good Fort/Will, and trades off excellent skills, improved sneak attack and a few special abilities for the black healer's watery areas and incredible healing. Still, a rogue could easily be an underground healer in a world where magic is only for the wealthy ("We're saved, it's the Black Pimpernel!") or the exclusive surgeon for a criminal syndicate.
Sorcerer/Wizard: The early levels of sorcerer or wizard mix poorly with the abilities of the black healer - it is as extreme a change as a sorcerer/wizard becoming a fighter. A character who wanted to expand and weaken their repertoire could take black healer, but in general it's probably a poor choice.
Systemese
Hit Die: 1d10.
Requirements: Base Will save +5 OR Base Fort save +5, at least 8 skill points put in the Heal skill, Skill Focus: Heal, Iron Will. In addition, the character must fit the flavor text (see special below).
Special: Standing ground against Her (fear effect at DC 20. The DM may waive this check if the character has truly demonstrated the traits She looks for in a black healer - instead, roleplay out the fact that she's about to eat them and see if they wait it out). Paladins are immune to fear... but also fit the flavor text pretty well; if the paladin has not been playing the part, they should have already lost their paladin status. Upon acceptance into apprenticeship, the character will spend a year (or dramatically appropriate amount of time for your campaign) in the depths with Her; when they emerge, they will gain 1 level of black healer.
Class Skills: Craft, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Intuit Direction, Listen, Move Silently, Profession (Herbalist), Search, Sense Motive, Swim, Wilderness Lore. (Partially based on connection to swamps).
Skill Points Per Level: 4 + INT modifier.
Arms/Armor: None gained, but no restrictions either. A fighter/black healer, for example, will be able to wear full plate armor without losing healing abilities.
Code:
[color=skyblue]Lvl BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1 +0 +2 +0 +2 Swamp Adaptation, Herbal Healing
2 +1 +3 +0 +3 Lay on Hands/Inflict
3 +2 +3 +1 +3 Special Ability
4 +3 +4 +1 +4
5 +3 +4 +1 +4 Fast Healing/1
6 +4 +5 +2 +5 Special Ability
7 +5 +5 +2 +5
8 +6 +6 +2 +6 Special Ability
9 +6 +6 +3 +6
10 +7 +7 +3 +7 Special Ability[/color]Profession (Herbalist) (INT, Trained Only): This skill allows the character to identify plants on sight, smell or taste, and be familiar with their special properties. For black healers, it also represents detailed knowledge of anatomy, biological processse, and similar things. A skill of 5+ gives a synergy bonus of +2 to Heal.
Herbal Healing
The character has a deep and thorough understanding of the use of herbs in healing. Aspects of this ability improve with the character's black healer level, as marked in the text below. See the section below on herbal healing for all effects of this ability.
Poultice: The black healer can treat wounds with life-force activated herbs. This allows a Heal check for each minute of care, and success restores 1 HP; this counts as an extended standard action for the black healer. The black healer can treat himself. At 4th level, this restores 2 HP per minute; at 8th level, this restores 3 HP per minute.
Optional: In general, poultices cost a negligible amount, but if there is a great deal of healing going on, the DM can assume that 1 GP buys 100 HP worth of the necessary herbs. An eight hour day spent in a swamp can produce 1000 HP worth of herbs.
Herbal Remedies: At 4th level, the black healer can cure practically any disease, even magical ones, with the right herbs and knowledge. This takes 10 minutes and requires a Heal check, at DC equal to the DC +5 for a save against the disease, +10 if magical. On a success, the disease ceases to affect the victim, although prior ability damage remains until healed naturally (note that long-term care can assist in this).
At 8th level, the black healer is immune to diseases, including magical ones, due to his immense knowledge of their function and his growing mastery of his own life force.
Brew Herbal Potion: The black healer mixes herbal essences together and activates them with a bit of life force (XP cost). The result is a tea bag which, when steeped for one minute and drunk, affects the imbiber. The black healer can make up to 3 herbal tea bag per day. An herbal tea bag can keep for years, and usually resembles a minty tea. Once steeped, the potion retains its usefulness for one day before losing its potency.
See below for a list of potions. All potions affect the imbiber only (the sleep potion puts the imbiber to sleep, for example). Area effects are all changed to "one subject".
Code:
[color=skyblue][b][u]Cost[/u][/b] [b][u]XP Cost[/u][/b] [b][u]Effect[/u][/b]
25 GP 2 XP heal 1d8 + level HP (minimum level 2)
25 GP 2 XP [i]remove fear[/i] (min lvl 2)
25 GP 2 XP [i]sleep[/i] (min lvl 2)
100 GP 8 XP heal 2d8 + level HP (min lvl 4)
100 GP 8 XP [i]bull's strength[/i] (min lvl 4)
100 GP 8 XP [i]delay poison[/i] (min lvl 4)
100 GP 8 XP [i]endurance[/i] (min lvl 4)
100 GP 8 XP [i]hold person[/i] (min lvl 4)
100 GP 8 XP [i]lesser restoration[/i] (min lvl 4)
100 GP 8 XP [i]remove paralysis[/i] (min lvl 4)
225 GP 18 XP heal 3d8 + level HP (min lvl 6)
225 GP 18 XP [i]blindness[/i] (min lvl 6)
225 GP 18 XP [i]contagion[/i] (min lvl 6)
225 GP 18 XP [i]deafness[/i] (min lvl 6)
225 GP 18 XP [i]remove blindness[/i] (min lvl 6)
225 GP 18 XP [i]remove deafness[/i] (min lvl 6)
225 GP 18 XP [i]remove disease[/i] (min lvl 6)
225 GP 18 XP [i]water breathing[/i] (min lvl 6)
400 GP 32 XP heal 4d8 + level HP (min lvl 8)
400 GP 32 XP [i]neutralize poison[/i] (min lvl 8)
400 GP 32 XP [i]poison[/i] (min lvl 8)
400 GP 32 XP [i]restoration[/i] (min lvl 8)
1250 GP 50 XP [i]heal[/i] (min lvl 10)
1250 GP 50 XP [i]hold monster[/i] (min lvl 10)
1250 GP 50 XP [i]slay living[/i] (min lvl 10)
1250 GP 50 XP [i]true seeing[/i] (min lvl 10)
[i]level in this chart refers to [b]black healer level[/b][/i][/color]The black healer can brew poisons and curses as well as curatives. Although a black healer would never do such a thing to those they protect and provide succor to, the enemies of same are fair game.
<i>Note: Once brewed into a tea, the potion can be put in a flask normally.</i>
Swamp Adaptation
As the black healer continues to develop his mastery over Her bits of life essence, he adapts somewhat to Her native environment (and Her). At 1st level, the character can breathe water (it takes a standard action to switch from water to air and vice versa) and develops a resistance to terror (+4 bonus on saves vs fear effects).
At 3rd level, the character becomes able to swim at his normal movement rate through water, half that through thin muck, and the normal swimming rate for his race through quicksand and similar mucks.
At 5th level, the character is unaffected by the entangling and slowing effects of natural impediments such as swamp muck, brambles, quicksand, snow and so on. The character's swimming rates is not improved, however. This does not protect against damage dealing effects, or steep slopes, but for the most part the character can travel overland through swamps, marshes, forests and so on without difficulty or slowing down. Entangle spells that use natural growth (such as plant growth) do not affect the character.
Optional: At 6th level, the character begins to take on aspects of his mentor. His flesh becomes moist and requires at least an hour of immersion in water per day, twice as much food per day. However, he can compress his body to squeeze through holes one size smaller, and can move twice as fast in water (this stacks with other black healer movement bonuses). The GM may decide that the character must take this at 6th level, present it as an option for "hard core" black healers, or ban it.
At 7th level, the character can swim at twice the normal rates, and can switch between breathing water and air as a free action.
At 9th level, the character gains improved vision and can see twice as far in conditions of darkness or haze (fogs, dirty water, etc.).
Optional: At 10th level, the character takes on more aspects of his mentor. This may not be taken if the option was not taken at 6th level. His mind begins to follow Her alien mindset and thought patterns, giving a -4 penalty to all sense motive, bluff, diplomacy, and attitude checks towards NPCs. He also must eat four times as much food as normal per day, and if unable to acquire that much food, flies into a Rage and attacks (with intent to kill and eat) the nearest living creature. He may shapeshift into a Huge Squid once per day; he can maintain this shape indefinitely, but once he changes back, it will be a full 24 hours before he can shapeshift again. The character's swimming movement rate is doubled again. The GM may decide that the character must take this at 6th level, present it as an option for "hard core" black healers, or ban it.
Lay on Hands/Inflict
At 3rd level, by careful study of physiology and his own life force, the black healer learns how to send life energy into others with a touch... either to heal them, or to injure their life patterns.
The character may magically heal a number of HPs equal to his ranks of Heal skill (ranks, not total skill) times her CHR bonus per day. This amount may be divided up into many uses or used all at once, and may be used on himself or others. The character may convert the healing into damage instead, but may not do more than his Heal ranks in damage per round. There is no save against this damage - it is a touch attack.
Fast Healing
As per the fast healing ability in the DMG, p.76.
Special Abilities
The character may select one of these each time this is listed.
Longevity: As per the druid/monk ability?
Sneak Attack +1d6 (stacks)
Natural Armor AC +1 (stacks)
Immunity to Natural Toxins: immune to animal/plant toxins, +4 vs other toxins (cloud kill, etc.)
Enhanced Lay/Smack: Adds +2 to CHR for purposes of max per day
Immune to Fear: What it says.
More as we think of them!
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. I do think I might provide some general swimming abilities, though.
