Medician

The Medician seeks to treat the sick, alleviate suffering, and save lives. Much of her training has been devoted to medical arts. This Templar is a reluctant soldier - she sees the necessity of war on the evil forces on the world but seeks to do so only to bring healing and comfort to the dutiful followers of Palanos. Often seen as cowardly by other Templar, the Medician seeks friendship and kin more with Hospitilars than they do with their own Order. On the battlefield, she is as likely to be found comforting a wounded comrade as engaging an enemy in swordplay. Though as much an enemy of evil as any Templar, the Medician has decided that she can best uphold her principles by fighting injury and disease.

Ministration

Church

Role

A Medician candidate undergoes rigorous training in a variety of demanding courses, including herbalism, anatomy, and diagnostics. After completing her academic studies, she must spend at least a year as an apprentice to an experienced Hospitaler. Because of the length of her training, a candidate rarely becomes a 1st-level Medician before she reaches her early-to-mid twenties.

A Medician assumes the role of healer whether at home or in the field with an adventuring party. She brews antidotes for poisons, sets broken bones, applies poultices to festering wounds, and stays up all night with ailing mounts. In her free time, the Medician experiments with new treatments, develops new diagnostic techniques, and compiles notes of past cases to share with other healers.

A Medician will never abandon or neglect wounded, diseased, or suffering lawful good characters (or creatures). Should no lawful good patients require attention, most Medicians will apply their skills to neutral characters and creatures. However, only in extraordinary circumstances will a Medician knowingly treat an evil character or creature.

Distinctive Appearance

Symbol: Symbol of Palanos with three drops of blood.

Special Benefits

A Medician has all of the following proficiency bonuses:

• A +1 bonus to all Diagnostics proficiency checks. (If the Medician acquires the Herbalism proficiency, she has an additional +3 bonus; this brings the total Diagnostics bonus to +4.)
• A +1 bonus for all Healing proficiency checks. A successful check enables her to restore d4 points of damage if applied within three rounds of wounding (instead of 1-3 points within one round).
• If under the care of a Medician, a patient recovers 1 additional hit point per day (2 points per day if the patient travels, and 4 points per day if the patient rests).
• If a Medician spends five consecutive rounds caring for a poisoned patient, the patient receives a +4 bonus to his saving throw (made at the end of five rounds). If the care is interrupted, the patient saves normally.

Special Hindrances

Once per year, a Medician must suspend all normal activities and spend 1d4+1 consecutive weeks at a university, hospital, monastery, or any other lawful good institution that offers both religious and medical training. During this period, the Medician refreshes her skills through prayer and study. Failure to comply results in the loss of all proficiency bonuses listed in the Special Benefits section. As a punishment from her deity, the Medician also loses her disease immunity and the ability to heal by laying on hands. She regains all benefits and special abilities as soon as she completes a 2-5 week stay.

Class

Templar

Attribute Requirements

Intelligence of 10

Barred Beliefs

None

Race Requirement

None

Bonus Weapon Proficiencies

None

Required Weapon Proficiencies

The Medician spends so much time with academic studies that her combat skills invariably suffer. Therefore, the Medician has only one weapon proficiency at 1st level; this slot must be spent on either lance (any), Axe, or sword (any). She receives a second weapon proficiency at 3rd level and a third at 6th level; she receives a total of three weapon proficiencies for her entire career. She may chose any weapon to fill her second and third slots.

Recommended Weapon Proficiencies

None

Barred Weapon Proficiencies

None

Bonus Non-Weapon Proficiencies

Diagnostics, Healing

Recommended Non-Weapon Proficiencies

History (Ancient), Animal Handling, Animal Lore, Animal Training, Heraldry, Herbalism, Language (Ancient), Language (Modern), Reading/Writing, Religion, Riding (Land-Based), Riding (Airborne)

Barred Non-Weapon Proficiencies

Blind-fighting, Bowyer/Fletcher, Jousting, Weaponsmithing.

Limit: Because her mastery of the healing arts comes at the expense of other skills, a Medician may acquire no more than three proficiencies beyond her bonuses. She has only a single proficiency slot to spend at 1st level, another at 3rd level, and a final slot at 6th level.

Equipment

In addition to her standard equipment, the Medician must purchase and maintain a set of healing equipment. A typical set includes needles for stitching wounds, cloth bandages, tourniquets, splints, sterilizing ointments, and a selection of non-magical potions and herbs (for soothing headaches, settling stomachs, and reducing fevers; these items don't heal damage). The initial cost of a kit is 50 gp. At least once a month, the Medician must replenish her kit either by buying new supplies (1-4 gp) or scavenging them (which takes 1-4 days). Until the Medician replenishes her kit, she can't take advantage of any of the proficiency bonuses listed in the Special Benefits section. The kit weighs 1 lb.

Wealth Options

None

Homeland Terrain

None

Economic System

None