Arcane Healing: A Mage’s Approach to Medicine
Arcane Healing is a non-traditional ability that allows magic-users to apply healing and tend wounds. Though disdained by conventional wizards as “hedge-wizardry,” it is a vital skill where divine magic is unavailable.
Penny Rank (Basic Skill) #
At this rank, the practitioner learns the physical skills of Healing or Veterinary Healing.
- Requirements: A Healing Codex is mandatory for all healing prowess, and a Healer’s Kit is required. The basic kit costs 500sp and must be replenished every 10 uses (250sp cost).
- Bonus: Using a Healer’s Kit grants a +1 bonus to the skill level and adds 1 HP to the healing roll.
- Progression: This rank can be taken multiple times to increase skill or knowledge.
Baccara Rank (Non-Magical Concoctions) #
The healer learns Alchemy (calculated as 3x Int + 2 per XP level), creating non-magical compounds that imitate magical effects.
- Concoctions: Powders, balms, or liquids that mimic Neutralize Poison, Cure Disease, Cure Light Wounds (1d6 hp/day), and Purify Food and Water. Other specialized concoctions are possible (Burn Salves, Bleeding Powder, etc.) acting as a second dose of Cure Light Wounds for specific ailments.
- Laboratory Required: Experiments take 1d6 hours and must be uninterrupted.
- Full Lab: Costs 5,000sp per rank (up to 25,000sp for Crown Rank). Component replacement is 500sp monthly + 1,000sp per experiment.
- Field Lab: Costs 3,000sp, usable up to Sovereign Rank. It’s portable (one man can carry) but has limited uses (10 uses; 500sp to replenish). Chance of success is halved.
- Formulae: Must be researched and written in the Healer’s Codex.
- Potency: Concoctions last 1d4 days before decomposing. The healer can produce 3 concoctions per day.
Sovereign Rank (Magical Concoctions) #
Concoctions at this rank become magical.
- New Concoctions: Cure Serious Wounds, Remove Blindness, and Sate Hunger.
- Potency: Lasts 1d4 days per XP level of the healer. Creation costs are halved, and the limitation on uses per day is removed.
- Bonuses: +1 bonus to Healing/Veterinary Healing skill checks, rolling 1d6 instead of 1d3 for base healing (plus the Healer’s Kit bonuses).
- Rate: Can produce 2 concoctions per day of this rank.
Ducat Rank (Permanent Magic Items) #
Concoctions are now true magic items without expiration.
- Healer’s Kit Bonus: The kit now adds 1d6 to each healing attempt and allows the healer to attempt to neutralize poison or cure disease.
Crown Rank (Preventative Concoctions) #
Concoctions can now be preventative or give temporary HP (e.g., a Burn Salve applied before a fight ignores the first 1d6 fire damage taken).
- Skill Bonus: When using Healing or Veterinary Healing, they gain a bonus equal to the difference for success (e.g., Skill 17, roll 5 = 12 HP bonus).
Synergy #
If the Arcane Healer is also a Master of Alchemy (Secret Craft), costs are reduced to one-third, and they choose the best chance of success from the available options (Circle Rank, Alchemy Skill, or Magical Item Creation rules).
