Medicus (Character Kit)

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==Medicus==
Description: A Medicus is a priest who specializes in both magical and nonmagical healing. Such specialists are in great demand across the Known Spheres, as magical healing is often hard to come by in the empty regions between the worlds. The Medicus's knowledge of medicine allows him to ply his skills with all the races of space, and the nonmagical component of this skills allows the Medicus to treat injuries and wounds on long trips through the phlogiston, where magical healing is nonrenewable.
The Medicus feels a commitment to the sanctity of life and the avoidance of suffering. This commitment applies even to enemies. While a Medicus will not prevent his comrades from defending themselves or attacking a heinous foe, and may even participate in the battle, he will want to treat all of the survivors regardless of what side they fought on.
Role: In the absence of large temples and the complete stocks of herbs that can be found on planetary surfaces, the Medicus is the mainstay of injury repair in the Known Spheres. Any large vessel, especially those that ferry passengers across the Void, carries its own Medicus.
Clerics do not pursue the life of a Medicus. They are not interested in healing all they encounter and have a specific role as defenders of their faiths. The Medicus's path is restricted to a few faiths: Birth/ Children, Community, Fertility, Good, Guardianship, Healing, Love, and Peace.
To abandon the Medicus kit is horrifyingly easy. The priest need only refuse to treat someone who asks for help. He immediately loses all benefits of the class and suffers a -2 reaction roll from anyone who knows about this refusal.
Secondary Skills: Determine as normal for the campaign.
Weapon Proficiencies: The Medicus is restricted to the weapons allowed to specialty priests of his faith.
Nonweapon Proficiencies:
* Bonus: Healing.
* Recommended: (Priest) Herbalism, Religion.
Equipment: The Medicus must purchase a healing kit (at a cost of 30 gp). This kit includes needles, sutures, various medicines, and other tools that the Medicus uses when working. All other equipment is purchased as normal.
Special Benefits: The Medicus is expert at both magical and nonmagical healing. He can cast any of the cure wounds spells rolls 1d4+4 for each 1d8 to determine the number of points healed. Thus, the actual amount rolled per spell is:
Spell 	Damage Healed
Cure Light Wounds 	1d4 + 4
Cure Serious Wounds 	2d4 + 9
Cure Critical Wounds	3d4 + 15
Slow poison spells have double duration when cast by a Medicus. Neutralize poison and heal spells are unaffected.
When using the healing proficiency as first aid, a Medicus can cure 1d4 points of damage if the proficiency check succeeds within three rounds of wounding (instead of 1d3 points within one round of wounding).
When using the healing proficiency to treat long-term wounds, a Medicus cures one additional hit point of damage per day (two points per day if the subject is traveling, three points per day if the wounded character gets complete rest, and four points per day if the character gets complete rest and the Medicus has the herbalism proficiency.
When the Medicus uses the healing proficiency to treat poisoning or diseases, the subject gets a +3 on his saving throw to resist the effects of the disease or poison.
Finally, Medicus compassion is well known among the spheres. Any wounded opponent who recognizes the PC as a Medicus has an additional -2 penalty to morale checks to avoid surrender (the opponent is more willing to surrender because he is sure his wounds will be treated).
Special Hindrances: First and foremost, a Medicus cannot refuse treatment to anyone. Refusing treatment, regardless of reason, is cause for immediate loss of this kit's benefits.
Second, because the Medicus spends so much time studying healing magic, he loses the ability to ask for spells of certain other spheres. In exchange for the benefits of this kit, the Medicus must abandon access to one major sphere of spells from his deity. This sphere must be selected at 1st level and can never thereafter be changed.
Wealth Options: A Medicus is not well paid for his services (since he may not refuse service even to the poorest patron). Thus, the Medicus receives 2d6 x 10 gp starting money.
Races: Gnomes and halflings makes excellent Medicuses. Elves can also be good Medicuses, but few are interested in the broad commitment they must make. Dwarves in general are too insular to provide services to so many different races.
Among the nonhumans, the grommam, despite their size, make excellent Medicuses. The dracons have few Medicuses, and that species has not had enough contact with other races to make them skilled. There are a few hadozee and lizard-man Medicuses, but their rude personalities are not compatible with the Medicus's lifestyle. The scro are too violent and hostile a people to ever adopt the Medicus's ways, but the xixchil (surprisingly enough) are quite open to this lifestyle. Unfortunately, many xixchil will take advantage of an injured person to provide "improvements" to their physical form. While these improvements are seen as quite practical by the xixchil, most humans or demihumans do not consider them attractive or desirable.
Category:Character Kit
Category:Character Kit CSH