Physician Class v0.2

The Physician

I

n the silent forest a young halfling concentrates, holding his hands up to a wounded calf, mending it with gentle words and the weave of his magic. White motes of light fall from his expert hands, dancing along the body of the infant creature in front of him and returning to it its mobility.

Standing nobly upon the battlefield, an experienced human clad in blood-stained robes raises a bell-carrying staff into the air, its sharp peals returning health and vigor to the broken knights that surround her. In contrast, her sahuagin opponents are stained with a debilitating sickly pallor; their strength fails them and their grip grows weak.

With book in hand and a glowing creature at his side, a bespectacled elf combs through the ruins of a desolated town, searching for survivors. His light-bearing partner searches too, crawling into places its master could not otherwise reach to find someone who needs aid.

Physicians are magic-users of a different sort than most. Whereas others may cast their spells for their own utility or to harm, the physician focuses their magic on healing and improving the lives of those around them. Their work lies independent of service to any deity; instead, they draw their healing power from the very earth and soil they walk upon, tapping into the life-force that swirls around all living creatures in order to repair and to mend.

The Art of Physick

The magic of a physician is not divine in origin by any means. This form of magic is known as "Physick". Though its source can be attributed to any deity of the earth or of fertility, it actually draws its power from the very life that created the physician in the first place. Theirs is not an order of combat, but one of healing and mending. While a physician may be seen on the battlefield, their role is simply to support those with the strength to fight. This is not to say that the physician is incapable of self-defense, but that their central focus is a nigh-absolute dedication to provide aid wherever it is needed.

A Sacred Oath of Humanity

The act of becoming a physician is a hallowed and respected choice. However, it is not a simple one. While there exists those that are born with an inherent "talent" for physick, the vast majority of physicians come from colleges and schools dedicated to the practice.

There, a fledgling physician must swear an oath that has been passed down through generations upon generations of physicians before him. This oath calls for respect for those that came before him, it calls for a promise to do all that is necessary for the sick and those that need care, and it calls sympathy for his fellow man, whether sick or healthy. This oath must be sworn by all those who wish to become

physicians recognized by the Grand Academies and thus gain access to the knowledge they keep, as well as the ability to lawfully make coin by physick.

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Level Proficiency Bonus Features Cantrips Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th

1st +2 Spellcasting, Succor 3 2 — — — — — — — —

2nd +2 Healer's Art 3 3 — — — — — — — —

3rd +2 — 3 4 2 — — — — — — —

4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 4 4 3 — — — — — — —

5th +3 — 4 4 3 2 — — — — — —

6th +3 Healer's Art Feature 4 4 3 3 — — — — — —

7th +3 — 4 4 3 3 1 — — — — —

8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 4 4 3 3 2 — — — — —

9th +4 — 4 4 3 3 3 1 — — — —

10th +4 Healer's Art Feature 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 — — —

11th +4 — 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 — — —

12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 — —

13th +5 — 5 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 — —

14th +5 Healer's Art Feature 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 — —

15th +5 Benediction 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 —

16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 —

17th +6 — 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1

18th +6 — 5 4 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1

19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 5 4 3 3 3 3 2 1 1 1

20th +6 Preceptor of Physick 5 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 1

The Physician

Creating a Physician

While creating a physician, it is important to decide upon just how they came across the art of physick. Since physick is not a very common magical source, your physician needs to have some way of discovering or connecting to it. Were you born with a connection to a strange source of magic you have yet to find in anyone else? Or are you a student in one of the Grand Academies of Physick that exist in the Realms? Perhaps you are the child of some former physician who now passes their legacy upon their child?

Once you have chosen how your character has come in contact with physick, how do you use it? Are you a benevolent doctor that wanders throughout the land, helping people wherever you find them? Or are you a lone scholar working long into the night in an attempt to improve your craft? Perhaps you take a less selfless view of their skills, and instead offer your services to the rich and the nobility of major cities? Do you do your work in quiet? Do you seek the limelight for your skills or your work? What is your end goal?

Medical Foci

Physicians have their own foci, though there is some overlap between their foci and those of other magical disciplines. Medical Foci are as follows:

Item Cost Weight

Staff 5 gp 4 lbs

Brass Bell 10 gp 2 lbs

Yew Wand 10 gp 1 lbs

Blooming Mistletoe Sprig 1 gp —

Quick Build

You can make a physician quickly by following these instructions. First, Wisdom should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity or Constitution. Then take the Sage background. Third, choose the Soothe, Guidance, and Spare the Dying cantrips, along with the 1st level spells Healing Word and Cure Wounds.

Class Features

As a physician, you gain the following class features

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d6 per physician level

Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution

modifier per physician level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: None

Weapons: Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs Tools: Herbalism Kit

Saving Throws: Wisdom, Intelligence

Skills: Choose two from Medicine, Arcana, Survival, Persuasion, and Perception

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

A quarterstaff

(a) a component pouch or (b) a medical focus (a) a scholar's pack or (b) an explorer's pack An herbalism kit

Spellcasting

As an artisan of physick, you have access to a spellbook that contains the knowledge of a relatively unknown font of magic. Your connection to this source has given you access to the first hints of life-bringing power to which you will soon grow accustomed. See the end of this document for the physician spell list.

Cantrips

At 1st level, you know three spells of your choice from the physician spell list. You learn additional physician cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Physician table.

Your Spellbook

The spells that you add to your spellbook as you gain levels reflect the experience you will undoubtedly gain in the medical field. You might find other spells during your adventures. You could discover a spell scrawled on a scroll in the annals of a sanatorium, for example, or in an ancient tome from a long-dead scholar.

Copying a Spell into the Book

. When you find a physician spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a level for which you have spell slots and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it.

Copying a spell into your spellbook involves reproducing the basic form of the spell, then allowing the general form of the spell to enter your mind. You must practice the spell until you are able to call upon the physick within you using that spell. Then, you must copy the spell down into your spellbook using your own personal notation.

For each level of the spell, the process takes 3 hours and costs 20 gp. The cost represents material

components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the materials needed to record the spell into your spellbook.

Replacing the Book

. You can copy a spell from your own spellbook into another book—for example, if you want to make a backup copy of your spellbook. This is just like copying a new spell into your spellbook, but faster and easier, since you understand your own notation and already know how to cast the spell. You need spend only 1 hour and 5 gp for each level of the copied spell.

If you lose your spellbook, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you have prepared into a new spellbook. Filling out the remainder of your spellbook requires you to find new spells to do so, as normal. For this reason, many physicians keep backup spellbooks in a safe place. Their office, for example.

The Book’s Appearance

. Your spellbook is a unique compilation of spells, with its own decorative flourishes and margin notes. It might be a standard-issue spellbook given to you by your Grand Academy, plain and unremarkable. It might be a large antiquated textbook your mother possessed that she was unable to use. It might even be a loose connection of notes after your previous spellbook was ruined in a rather messy operation.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The physician table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of physician spells that are available for you to cast. To do so. choose a number of physician spells from your spellbook equal to your Wisdom modifier + your physician level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be o f a level for which you have spell slots. When you do so, choose a number of physician spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + your physician level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you are a 3rd-level physician, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 16, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of physician spells requires time studying the spells and re-attuning to the Source of Physick: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your Physician spells since you learn them through practice and an internal attunement to healing magic. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a physician spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Ritual Casting

You can cast a physician spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your spellbook. You don't need to have the spell prepared.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use a medical focus (as seen in the table below) as a spellcasting focus for your physician spells. See the Medical Foci note on page 2.

Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher

Each time you gain a physician level, you can add two physician spells of your choice to your spellbook. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, as show on the Physician table. On your adventure, you may find other spells that you can add to your spellbook. See the "Your Spellbook" note to the left.

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Succor

You possess within you the ability to increase the potency of your healing magic. At 1st level, you gain the ability to increase the amount of hit points a single spell can restore. By expending one use of succor, you can treat a healing spell as though you cast it a single level above normal. This effect can increase up to a number equal to your wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). For example, if you use 2 uses of Succor when casting a 1st level spell, you can cast it as though it were 3rd level.

You have 2 uses of Succor before a long rest. The number of uses you have before a long rest increases to 3 at 5th level, 4 at 11th level, and 5 at 17th level.

Healer's Art

When you reach 2nd level, you choose a method of refining your medical skill . There are three main arts: Restoration, Creation, and Purification. These are all detailed at the end of the class description.

Your choice grants you features at 2nd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. For example, instead of healing 2d6 hit points to a creature, you restore 12.

Benediction

Starting at 15th level, when you would normally roll one or more dice to restore hit points with a spell, you can instead use the highest number possible for each die. This can be done after a use of Succor. For example, instead of rolling 2d8 to restore hit points, you simply use 16.

Preceptor of Physick

Starting at 20th level, your internal connection to Physick has become an unconscious fixture of your very spirit. Whenever you cast a spell that restores hit points, you treat it as though it had a single use of Succor already applied to it. This works with any Healer's Art features that use Succor as a trigger.

In addition, whenever you enter an encounter with no Succor in your reserve, you gain one use of it that disappears at the end of the encounter if not used.

Healer's Arts

Since the first discovery of Physick, physicians have been making great strides in the development and application of this medical thaumaturgy. In the numerous Grand

Academies that dot the Realms, Physick is studied rigorously and thoroughly. Physicians always seek to improve their craft.

The applications of Physick are split up into three main studies, known as the "Healer's Arts" collectively. Countless physicians have devoted the entirety of their lives to the refinement of these arts. As such, there are numerous tomes dedicated to the subject. In certain areas, one Art may

dominate the entire medical field, with a stigma in place towards the others. Elsewhere, the three Arts may coexist in harmony, thus bettering the lives of their neighbors. Even in solitude, a would-be physician may find some tome that belongs to the art and thus instruct himself in the practice. Since each Art requires a different manner of attuning oneself to the Source of Physick, it is entirely possible to begin to learn an Art completely by accident. Though, of course, it is generally only legal to practice these Arts with a license issued by one of the Grand Academies.

Art of Restoration

The Art of Restoration is the most straightforward of the Healer's Arts. Even though it lacks in versatility in certain aspects, it makes up for it its honest dedication to healing the injured. When the common folk think of physicians, they generally think of those that follow the Art of Restoration.

Called Menders, these Physicians enhance their application of Physick with energy from the Positive plane. Wherever there might be some terrible catastrophe, and thus an influx of wounded, it is good to hope that there is a Mender nearby.

Positive Connection

Beginning when you select this art at 2nd level, your internal stores of Physic have Positive energy mixed into them. As a result, you gain resistance to necrotic damage and attacks that lower your maximum hit points.

Convalescence

Starting at 2nd level, your healing spells linger around after you cast them. When you restore hit points to a creature, that creature continues to gain additional hit points equal to 2 + your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1) + the spell's level for a number of turns equal to your proficiency bonus. This does not work on cantrips.

Respected Practice

Starting at 6th level, whenever a sentient creature has seen you restore hit points to another, you gain advantage on Persuasion checks as long as they are not hostile to you. This advantage can only be "used" twice per long rest.

Blooming Health

Starting at 10th level, your learn to improve someone's well-being even after they are as healthy as possible. Whenever you restore hit points to another creature and the amount healed exceeds their maximum hit points, the remaining hit points are given to that creature as temporary hit points. This can be done to yourself as well. These temporary hit points last for ten minutes or until replaced or exhausted.

Solicitude

Starting at 14th level, you share in the health you give to your allies. Whenever you would restore hit points to a creature with a spell that has Succor applied to it, half of that amount is restored to you. If you are restoring health to multiple allies, you gain half of the health given to a single ally, not the cumulative amount given to all. These hit points function with the Blooming Health Art feature.

Art of Creation

Those that follow the Art of Creation see Physick differently than students of other Arts. While others see it as a life-improving force to be used for healing others, students of the Art of Creation see it as a source of life that can be used to summon creatures that could aid a physician in her noble practice. After all, are not two physicians generally better than one?

Called Channelers, these Physicians enhance their application of physick with the creation of familiars that are capable of healing alongside their masters. In hospices, it is a good idea to have at least one Channeler in employ, as they provide a simple way for checking on multiple patients at once.

Therapeutic Familiar

Beginning when you select this art at 2nd level, you learn the Find Familiar spell and can cast it as a ritual.

When you cast the spell, you can choose one of the following forms for your familiar: non-poisonous snake, psuedodragon, sprite, bat, cat, hawk, lizard, fish, rat, raven, sea horse, weasel, or fox. Your familiar has the statistics of the chosen form, though it is fey instead of a beast.

Additionally, when you take the Attack action, you can forego one of your own attacks to allow your familiar to make one attack of its own.

Nurse Pracitioner

Starting at 2nd level, you imbue your familiar with a small hint of your connection to Physick. Your familiar is able to learn one of the following cantrips: Soothe, Spare the Dying, or Guidance. It is capable of using this cantrip on its own turn. You choose this cantrip the moment the familiar is located.

You can change this cantrip, but only by completely changing your Familiar by recasting the Find Familiar spell as described by the Medical Familiar feature.

Physician's Assistant

Starting at 6th level, your familiar begins unconsciously learning your mannerisms and habits as a physician. When you perform any non-standard actions to heal someone, say by performing a surgery or by dressing infected wounds, your familiar will automatically use the Aid action to give you advantage on your Medicine checks. This advantage can only be "used" twice per long rest.

Disciple of Vitality

Starting at 10th level, your familiar forms a direct connection of its own to the Source of Physick. You are able to teach it some of the spells you yourself know, which it will be able to cast exactly as you would. Teaching your familiar spells can be done during a long rest.

Whenever you take a short rest, you can teach your familiar a number of spells equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of one). These spells cannot be greater than 3rd level and you must know the spell yourself to be able to teach it.

You are allowed to change these spells every time you take a long rest. Whenever you gain a new familiar, you must teach it spells once more. While the number of spells you can teach does not normally change by level, the amount of spell slots your familiar has does change.

Your familiar cannot use your stores of Succor unless you cast a spell through it as stated by the Find Familiar spell.

Familiar Spell Slots

Physician Level 1st 2nd 3rd

10 2 1 0

14 2 2 1

18 3 2 2

Dissipation

Starting at 14th level, your familiar becomes more sympathetic to your work as a physician, and actually becomes willing to sacrifice itself for your cause. As an action, you can temporarily sever your connection with your familiar, causing them to instantly disappear. When this happens, you gain two uses of Succor and any number of spell slots whose total equals 3rd level.

The next time you cast Find Familiar you will be able to call back your previous familiar instead of creating a new one. You can still locate a new familiar if you wish.

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Art of Purification

Students of the Art of Purification are often seen as the more "eccentric" of physicians. They can often be heard talking of "humors" or "imbalances" and other such babble that sounds like absolute nonsense. They are not afraid of delving into the disgusting world of diseases and malady for the purpose of self-improvement. Yet, because of their experience with malady that spreads and pervades areas at a time, they have also become experienced with spreading their healing among multiple individuals. Regardless of an individuals personal opinion over the Art, it is still clear that it does what it says it will: it purifies the body of sickness and ills.

Called Cleansers, these Physicians use Physick to manipulate the internal energies of foe and ally alike. They can use their spells to heal just as well as they can use them to inflict diseases on their foes. In areas infected with nigh-incurable plague, Cleansers stride in confidently with heads held high and staff at the ready.

Chain Heal

Beginning when you select this art at 2nd level, your healing is not limited to the individual you are actually treating. When you cast a spell that restores health points to a creature, any friendly creatures within 5 feet of them gain the spell level + your Wisdom modifier in HP as well. This also works with spells that restore hit points to multiple creatures at once. This feature only works if the hit points restored is greater than the spell level + your Wisdom modifier.

A creature can only benefit from repeat application of this feature twice. This means that if you cast a spell that restores hit points to multiple creatures and the creature in question is in range of more than 2 of them, they only gain the aforementioned amount twice instead of however many they would get normally.

Cambium Tincture

Starting at 2nd level, you learn of the ways Physicians brew their medicines. The time it takes you to craft antitoxin and Potions of Healing using your herbalism kit is halved, as is the cost of making them.

Inoculation

Starting at 6th level, your medical experience enhances your body somewhat. Whenever you are exposed to diseases, or poisons that cause the "Sleep" or "Poisoned" status effects, you gain advantage on the Constitution saving throw to avoid it. This advantage can only be "used" twice per long rest.

Vaccination

Starting at 10th level, your healing no longer simply affects the body, but it also affects all other aspects of an individual. Whenever you apply a use of Succor to a spell that restores hit points to a creature, if that creature is Paralyzed, Deafened, Poisoned, Diseased, or Blinded, it can reroll its Saving Throw. If it succeeds on the saving throw, it becomes immune to any of the above conditions for a minute. If the creature is not afflicted with any of the above status effects, it gains advantage on Constitution Saving Throws to resist those status effects instead, also for a minute.

Healing Dew / Miasma

Starting at 14th level, you discover a use of physick that had not been considered before. You learn the Aura of Life and Aura of Purity spells from the Paladin spell list. These spells count as Physician spells for you and use your spellcasting modifier as a result. If you cast Aura of Purity with a spell slot of 5th level or above and a use of Succor in addition to the 4th level spell slot, you can cast Contagion on any unallied creatures in that radius, expending a use of Succor or another spell slot of 5th level or above for each new target.

Multiclass Physicians

The Multiclassing requirement for a Physician is a 13 in Wisdom. Multiclassing as a Physician grants you proficiency with an Herbalism kit.

Concepts and Design

Physician concept and Photoshop done by Gyrowins D&D Player's Handbook style creation kit courtesy of the Homebrewery at NaturalCrit

Special thanks to WhiteMageTam, ThatOneBard, Mazjerai, and theStray

Art Credit

Artist Credit Unknown (Page 1) Artist Credit Unknown (Page 1)

Josu Hernaiz, Wizards of the Coast, "Healing Hands" (Page 4)

A.B. Foley Artworks, "Original Snake Art Black Snake Painting" (Page 5)

ALRadeck, "Pei Zin Herbalist" (Page 8)

Physick

P

hysician spells use a different source of magic than other spells. While a physician may learn the spells of another discipline, as others may learn the art of Physick, the spells a Physician can learn by default generally do not have much capacity for harming. There are a few

exceptions where Physick can be used for harm, but those are not used often in general practice. In fact, many Grand Academies have creeds or oaths that can be summarized as three words: "Do No Harm." If a physician is reported going against those three words, there is a high likelihood that they will lose their ability to legally practice their art.

Physician Spells

Cantrips (0 Level)

Blade Ward Control Flames Friends Guidance Gust Light Magic Stone Mending Mold Earth Shape Water Soothe * Spare the Dying

1st Level

Animal Friendship Charm Person Cure Wounds Expeditious Retreat Faerie Fire Healing Word Heroism Inflict Wounds Jump Longstrider Mage Armor

Purify Food and Drink Sanctuary

Shield Sleep

Speak with Animals Unseen Servant

2nd Level

Aid Alter Self Barkskin Blindness / Deafness Calm Emotions Enhance Ability Gentle Repose Lesser Restoration Prayer of Healing Protection from Poison Ray of Enfeeblement Silence Suggestion Warding Wind Zone of Truth

3rd Level

Beacon of Hope Counterspell Daylight Dispel Magic Fear Feign Death Haste

Mass Healing Word Plant Growth

Protection from Energy Revivify

Remove Curse Slow

Speak with Dead Vampiric Touch

4th Level

Compulsion Confusion Death Ward Fire Shield Freedom of Movement Locate Creature

Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum Otiluke's Resilient Sphere Stoneskin

Thaumaegis *

5th Level

Animate Objects Contagion

Commune with Nature Dream

Greater Restoration Mass Cure Wounds Modify Memory Raise Dead Reincarnate Teleportation Circle

6th Level

Arcane Gate Circle of Death 7

Drawmij's Instant Summons Globe of Invulnerability Guards and Wards Harm Heal Primordial Ward True Seeing

7th Level

Etherealness Force Cage

Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion Regenerate Resurrection Sequester Simulacrum

8th Level

Antimagic Field Clone Feeblemind Glibness Mind Blank Power Word Stun

9th Level

Mass Heal Power Word Heal True Resurrection Wish

Spell Descriptions

These spells can only be used by Physicians.

Soothe

Evocation cantrip Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch

Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous

You reach out with positive energy and lessen the pain of a recent wound. A creature you touch regains a number of hit points equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs. It also has no effect on creatures with 0 hit points or creatures that are unconscious. This spell can only restore hit points to a creature if they have taken damage during the current round or the previous one.

Thaumaegis

4th level conjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet

Components: V, M, S (a clear mirror worth at least 200 gp. It is not consumed.)

Duration: 1 minute

Select any creature within 30 feet. The target and all allied creatures within 15 feet of it gain temporary hit points equal to one tenth of their maximum hit points, rounded down. Creatures affected by the spell become covered in a

shimmering layer of magical energy that represents this spell.