| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
Author's notes
Alchemist Alternate class: The Physician (formerly The Doctor) Version 3.0
I changed the Alternate class's name because of the obvious Doctor Who reference so as not to confuse people as this is not a Dr. Who in pathfinder build.
First some thank yous are in order:
So here is The Physician version 3.0
A few notable changes from last time:
The Acknowledgments: As stated earlier the Physician came about due to my attempt to fuse several different archetypes together into one whole. Parts of this class are of my own design but other parts were clearly taken from other Paizo/third party sources.
Ultimate Magic: The Chirurgeon
Ultimate Magic: The Vivisectionist
Paizo Fans United: The Herbalist
And Finally a big thanks to Paizo Publishing in general for creating the Alchemist. I really like all of their work but I feel as though with the Alchemist they really hit a home run. It was a class everyone wanted to see done, but no one had built. The fact that it can be re-skinned in so many different ways shows that at its core its a base class, much like the fighter, rogue, or cleric.
As stated last time the primary goal here was to create an alternate class to the Alchemist. One that focused more on Healing, Support, Buffing, and Debuffing. I feel as though the Physician is clearly an awesome healer and support character. Her buffing skills are comparable to that of the Alchemist if not being slightly better. Where as the Alchemist is the better mass debuffer the physician can excel at one on one debuffs through the use of her surgical strike ability.
At this point I feel as though I'm almost done with this class. Still feel free to review it. If you see any glaring issues, please comment and point them out. If you have any criticisms please try to offer them in a constructive manner. I'm interested in the communities feedback with regards to this project.
Once again thanks for your time and continued support: Anthony.
Alignment: Any
Base Attack Bonus: (unchanged) Medium.
Hit die: D8
Saving throws: Fortitude (good), Reflex (good), Will Power (Poor)
Skills: 6+Int Modifier per level Same Skill set as standard Alchemist.
The physician’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Craft (any)
(Int), Disable Device (Dex), Fly (Dex), Heal (Wis), Knowledge
(arcana) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Perception (Wis),
Profession (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int),
Survival (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Medicinal Medicinal Extract Level: 6th Same as Alchemist
Medicinal Extracts per day: Same as Alchemist
Physician/Alchemist Formula: Same as Alchemist
The following are class features of the Physician.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Physicians are proficient with all simple weapons. They are also proficient with light armor, but not with shields.
Brew Potion (Ex): The Physician receives Brew Potion as a bonus feat at first level just like an Alchemist at first level. A physician can brew potions of any formula she knows (up to 3rd level), using her physician level as her caster level. The spell must be one that can made into a potion. The physician does not need to meet the prerequisites for this feat.
Infusion replaces Throw Anything (Ex)
As the physician does not throw bombs like the standard alchemist the Throw Anything bonus feat has been replaced by the infusion discovery at 1st level. This allows the physician to administer her medicinal extracts to the rest of the party.
Medicinal Alchemy (Su) Replaces Alchemy
Physician's are skilled doctors who have not only studied the body's anatomy but also how different natural herbs and ingredients can be distilled and concentrated into powerful magical potion-like medicinal extracts in which they can store spell effects. In effect the physician prepares her spells by mixing ingredients into a number of medicinal extracts, and then either “casts” her spells on herself by drinking the medicinal extract, or “casts” her spell on someone else by having them drink the medicinal extract. When the physician creates a medicinal extract, she infuses the medicine with a tiny fraction of her own magical power making the mixture far more potent than it would otherwise be.
When using the Heal skill the Physician gains a competence bonus equal to her class level on the Heal check. She may also craft the following nonmagical special substances and items: Antiplague, Antitoxin, Bloodblock, Smelling Salts and Soothe Syrup using her Heal check in place of the standard Craft (Alchemy) check. In addition the Physician can use the Heal skill to identify potions from the Conjuration (Healing) sub-school as if using detect magic. She must hold the potion for 1 round to make the check.
The Physician can create two special types of magical items-Medicinal Extracts and Tonics. Tonics are special performance enhancing elixirs that the physician or her companions can drink to enhance their own physical abilities, while Medicinal Extracts are more varied and behave like spells in potion form. Both of these are detailed in their own sections below.
Medicinal Extracts have the greatest variation in terms of their effects. In many ways, they behave like spells in potion form, and as such their effects can be dispelled by effects like dispel magic using the Physician's level as the caster level. Unlike potions though, medicinal extracts can have powerful effects and duplicate spells that a potion could not.
A Physician uses the same table as an Alchemist to determine the number of Medicinal Extracts of each level that she can create per day. In addition, she receives bonus medicinal extracts per day if she has a high wisdom score, in the same way that a cleric receives bonus spells per day.
When the physician creates a medicinal extract, she infuses the herbs and chemicals in the extract with magic siphoned from her own magical aura. Unlike the Alchemist's Extracts, the Physician's Medicinal Extracts do not become inert if they leave her possession. This difference is due to the fact that at 1st Level the Physician receives the Infusion discovery which replaces the feat Throw Anything normally gained by Alchemist's at 1st Level. Also this means that Medicinal extracts may also be consumed by non-physician's to gain their effects. Mixing a Medicinal Extract takes the same amount of time as mixing a standard Extract, 1 minute per extract created. The Extracts remain potent and continues to occupy one of the Physician's daily medicinal extract slots until it is either used or she prepares another one to take its place in which case the previous medicinal extract becomes a plain inert liquid. Most Physicians prepare many medicinal extracts at the start of the day or just before going on a long adventure, but it is not uncommon for an physician to keep some (or even all) of her daily medicinal extract slots open so that she can prepare extracts in the field as needed.
Although the Physician doesn't actually cast spells, she does have a formula list that determines what medicinal extracts she can create. A physician can utilize spell trigger items if the spell appears on the formula list, but not spell-completion items (unless she uses Use Magical Device to do so). A medicinal extract is “cast” by drinking it, as if imbibing a potion – the effects of the medicinal extract exactly duplicate the spell upon which its formula is based, save that the spell always affects only the subject that drinks the medicinal extract. A physician can draw and drink a medicinal extract, or administer a medicinal extract to an adjacent ally, as a standard action. The physician uses her class level as the caster level to determine any effect based on caster level. .
Creating medicinal extracts consumes raw materials, but the cost of these materials is insignificant – comparable to the valueless material components of most spells. If a spell normally has a costly material component, that component is expended during the of that particular medicinal extract. Medicinal Extracts cannot be made from spells that have focus requirements (physician medicinal extracts that duplicate divine spells never have a focus requirement).
A physician can prepare an extract of any formula she knows. To learn to use a medicinal extract the physician must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the medicinal extract level. The difficulty class for a saving throw against a physician's medicinal extract is 10 + the medicinal extract level + the physician's wisdom modifier.
A physician may know any number of formulas. She stores her formulas in a special tome called a Medicinal Textbook. The Medicinal Text book functions in all ways, including cost, as a wizards spell book or alchemist's formula book. She must refer to the medical text book whenever she prepares and extract but not when she consumes it. A Physician begins play with two 1st level formulas of her choice as well as the cure light wounds formula. She also receives a number of additional formulas equal to her wisdom modifier (if any). At each new physician level she gains one new formula of any level she can create. Whenever she gains access to a new formula level, if that level has any formulas of the conjuration [healing] school, such as a cure formula, she automatically learns that formula and adds it to her Medicinal Text book. A physician can also add formulas to her medicinal text book just like a wizard adds spells to her spell book, using the same cost, pages, and time requirements. A medicinal text book costs as must as a spell book. A physician can study a wizards spell book to learn any formula that is equivalent to a spell the spell book contains. A wizard, however, cannot learn spells from a medicinal text book. A physician does not need to decipher arcane writings before copying them.
Surgical Strike (Ex): Replaces Bombs
The many years spent studying cadavers and researching the workings of physical anatomy have not only taught the physician how to surgically treat wounds but also how to inflict grievous bodily harm with a simple flick of her knife. This means that at any time the physician is in melee combat with an adjacent opponent she has the potential of turning her melee attack into a surgical strike.
To execute a surgical strike a physician must be in melee combat and her target must be adjacent to her. A surgical strike cannot be performed with a ranged or thrown weapon, or even a thrown melee weapon. Executing a surgical strike this way requires a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The physician then declares that she is going to execute a surgical strike before the attack roll is made, meaning that a failed roll to hit still expends a use of her surgical strike ability (see below). If the attack hits the physician applies 1D6 points of extra damage to her melee attack. This damage is precision based and is not multiplied on a critical hit. This extra damage increases by 1D6 for every two physician levels thereafter. A physician can only attempt a surgical strike a number of times per day equal to her physician class level + her wisdom modifier.
With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (like a sap, blackjack, whip, or unarmed strike) a physician can attempt to execute a surgical strike that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage with her surgical strike, not even with the usual -4 penalty.
A physician can only execute a surgical strike against living creatures with discernible anatomies. Undead, constructs, oozes, plants and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Creatures that are also immune to critical hits are also immune to the physician's surgical strike. The physician must also be able to see the target well enough be able to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A physician cannot execute a surgical strike against a creature that has any type of concealment.
Alternatively the physician can use her surgical skills to heal. Rather than using her surgical strike to cause additional damage a physician can work amazing feats of surgery on the battlefield to restore hit points to her allies. Using surgical strike to heal still requires a standard action, but it does provoke an attack of opportunity when used this way. The target of the physician's surgical strike is healed for 1D6 points of damage plus and additional 1D6 for every other physician class level. This also consumes a use of the physician's surgical strike ability. Note that this healing is not positive energy based, and that a surgical strike used in this fashion cannot be used to harm undead creatures. A physician cannot target herself when using surgical strike in this fashion.
Finally, as a physician gains levels she learns new discoveries that can change or alter the effects of her surgical strike. These Discoveries will be marked with an asterisk* and are detailed in the discovery section of the class.
Tonics (Su): Replaces Mutagen
At 1st level, a physician knows how to create performance enhancing mixtures that can be ingested by either herself or her companions to heighten their physical prowess, called Tonics. It takes 1 hour to brew a Tonic, and once brewed, it remains potent until used. A physician can only maintain one Tonic mixture at a time, if she brews a second dose, any existing Tonic mixture becomes inert. Unlike the Alchemist's mutagen though a Tonic can be used by anyone, not just the physician.
When a physician's creates a tonic, she selects two physical ability scores – either Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution to be enhanced. Its a standard action to drink a Tonic (just like a mutagen). Upon drinking the Tonic the physician or drinker immediately feels the tonic's effects as they feel the rush of adrenaline, the sky rocketing of their blood pressure, and the tightening of their muscles. This grants the physician or the drinker a +4 alchemical bonus to the 1st selected physical ability score and a +2 alchemical bonus to the 2nd selected physical ability score for 10 minutes per physician level. Unlike a Mutagen a Tonic confers no natural armor bonus and carries no penalty to a mental ability score, but at the end of the Tonic's duration the physician or the drinker is fatigued until they rest or the condition is removed.
The effects of a Tonic do not stack. Whenever anyone drinks a tonic, the effects of any previous tonics end immediately. When this happens the most recently imbued tonic takes affect immediately, and lasts for the tonic's normal duration but the users condition worsens by one step. If the user would be fatigued at the end of the tonic's duration ingesting a 2-nd Tonic would first negate the effects of the previous tonic and replace them with the most recent tonic's effects and once the 2-nd Tonics effects end the subject would now be exhausted.
Detect Poison(Sp) replaces Poison use (Ex):
-At 2nd level, a physician can use the spell detect poison at will as a spell like ability. Doing so only requires a move action, and for the physician to be able to touch the target.
Discovery (Su):
At 2nd level, and then again every 2 levels thereafter, a physician makes an incredible medicinal discovery. Unless otherwise noted an physician cannot select an individual discovery more than once. Some discoveries can only be made if the physician has met certain prerequisites first, such as uncovering other discoveries. Discoveries that modify the physician's surgical strike ability are marked with an asterisk* and do not stack. Only one such discovery can be applied to a surgical strike. The DC for any saving throw called for by a discovery is equal to 10 + ½ the physician level + the physician's wisdom modifier.
A physician may not select from the alchemist's bomb discoveries as they do not have this as a class feature. They may select the alchemist's mutagen discoveries but only if they have selected the Mutagen discovery (see PF: Ultimate Magic). Any discoveries related to Poison Use are likewise closed to them unless they have selected the use poison discovery.
-Fatigued: The physician can remove the fatigued condition or cause the target to become fatigued.
-Shaken: The physician can remove the shaken condition or cause the target to become shaken.
-Sickened: The physician can remove the sickened condition or cause the target to become sickened.
-Dazed: The physician can remove the dazed condition or cause the target to become dazed.
-Diseased: The physician can cure someone infected with a disease as if she had cast Remove Disease on them with her caster level being equal to her physician level. Likewise she may also attempt to afflict the target with a disease as if she had cast Contagion with her caster level being equal to her physician level.
-Staggered: The physician can remove the staggered condition, unless the target is at exactly zero hit points or cause the target to become staggered for 1 round per two levels of physician.
-Exhausted: The physician can remove the exhausted condition or cause the target to become exhausted.
-Frightened: The physician can remove the Frightened condition or cause the target to become Frightened for 1 round per two levels of physician.
-Nauseated: The physician can remove the nauseated condition or cause the target to become nauseated for 1 rounder per 3 levels of physician.
-Poisoned: The physician can attempt to remove the poisoned condition as if she had cast Remove Poison or cause the target to become poisoned as if she had cast the spell Poison. In both cases her caster level is equal to her physician level.
-Blinded: The physician can remove the blinded condition or cause the target to become blinded for 1 round per level of physician.
-Deafened: The physician can remove the deafened condition or cause the target to become deafened for 1 round per level of physician.
-Paralyzed: The physician can remove the paralyzed condition or cause the target to become paralyzed for 1 round.
-Stunned: The physician can remove the stunned condition or cause the target to become stunned for 1 round per four levels of physician.
Discoveries that can be taken as they are (listed by book). Please note that for any discovery effect or number of uses per day related to intelligence, that discovery is modified for the physician by having its key ability reassigned to wisdom.
(Advanced Player's guide): Combine Extracts, Concentrate Poison, Dilution, Elixir of life, Enhance Potion, Eternal Potion, Extend Potion, Feral Mutagen, Grand Mutagen, Greater Mutagen, Infuse Mutagen, and Sticky Poison.
(Ultimate Magic): Alchemical Simulacrum, Alchemical Zombie, Cognatogen, Doppleganger Simulacrum, Grand Cognatogen, Greater Cognatogen, Healing Touch, Lingering Spirit, Mummification, Mutagen, Parasitic Twin, Preserve Organs, Spontaneous Healing, Tentacle, Tumor Familiar, Vestigial Arm, and Wings).
(Ultimate Combat): [i]Nauseating Flesh and Poison Conversion.
Disease Resistance (Ex) replaces Poison Resistance (Ex):
At 2nd level, a physician gains a +2 bonus on all saving throws against diseases. This bonus increases to +4 at 5th level and + 6 at 8th level. At 10th level the physician becomes completely immune to diseases both nonmagical and magical.
Swift Healing (Ex) replaces Swift Alchemy (Ex):
At 3rd level a Physician can execute skills of healing with amazing speed. The times required to perform all non combat related actions with the Heal skill (such as treating disease and treating wounds from caltrops...) is reduced by half. Thus where it would normal take 10 minutes to treat disease with the heal skill the Physician can do so in 5 minutes. Where it would take a character 1 hour to treat deadly wounds, the Physician can perform the same amount of healing in half an hour. Long term care only requires 4 hours of full rest or half a day of complete rest. This also means that characters heal twice as fast if they take a full 8 hours of full rest or a full days worth of complete rest.
-Finally providing first aid, treating a wound or treating poison is reduced from a standard action to a move action for the Physician.
Anesthetic (Ex) replaces Swift Poisoning (Ex):
At 6th level, a physician learns how to supplement uses of the Heal skill with pain-killing drugs. She gains Skill Focus (Heal) as a bonus feat. Any use of the Heal skill that has a risk of harming the patient (such as extracting a barb) only deals the minimum damage when performed by a physician.
Enduring Tonic (Su) replaces Persistent Mutagen:
At 14th level the effects of the physician's tonic last for 1hour per physician level.
Instant Healing (Ex) replaces Instant Alchemy:
At 18th level the physician can perform feats of healing with amazing speed. First providing first aid, treating a wound or treating poison using the heal skill is reduced from a move action (due to swift healing) to an immediate action. Second, the time required to perform other uses of the Heal skill such as treating deadly wounds or treating a disease can be done as a full round action. Long Term Care is not affected by this ability. -Finally as long as a physician is next to or adjacent to her companion she can administer any medicinal extracts of the conjuration [healing] school as an immediate action. She may even take a five foot step or a full move action to reach her target but she must end her move next to or adjacent to her target in order to administer the medicinal extract as an immediate action.
Grand Discovery (Su):
At 20th level, the physician makes a grand discovery. She immediately learns two normal discoveries, but also learns a third discovery chosen from the list below, representing a truly astounding medicinal break through of significant importance. For many physicians, the promise of one of these grand discoveries is the primary goal of their study and hard work.
The Physician can select from almost any of the Alchemist's discoveries that are not related to bombs as they are not a class feature. The following are additional Grand Discoveries that the Physician has access to.
-True Wisdom: The Physician constant research of medicinal techniques have given her an almost supernatural understanding of the body and its internal workings. Selecting this discovery permanently increases her wisdom score by 2 points.
-Ultimate Tonic: The Physician's tonic now grants a +8 Alchemical bonus to all three physical ability scores, Strength, Dexterity and Constitution. Also use of the tonic no longer causes the user to become fatigued or exhausted after its duration ends. A physician must must possess the grand tonic discovery before selecting this discovery.
-Healing Touch: The physician gains a healing touch that replicates the effects of a Heal spell. The physician can only use this ability once per day + a number of additional times equal to his Wisdom modifier.
-The Cure: Learning from countless exposures to harmful diseases the physician has finally discovered a common weakness that they all share. From this point forth, a Physician can cure any disease, nonmagical or magical by simply touching a creature. There is no DC to overcome, no skill check that needs to be made. The physician simply touches the target and the disease is removed.
The following Grand Discoveries are appropriate for the Physician to take as well:
(Advanced Player's guide): Awaken Intellect, Eternal Youth, Fast Healing, Philosopher's Stone, Poison Touch, and Grand Mutagen
On a side note: If you want to balance the playing field between the Alchemist and the Physician you can choose to allow the alchemist to take most of the physician's discoveries as well. If you do this here are a few ideas. Make Tonic a discovery just like Mutagen is in Ultimate Magic. DO NOT make Surgical Strike and Bombs into discoveries. This is one area that you should keep separated.Alternatively you could choose to limit what Alchemist discoveries the physician can take. If you really want to draw a line in the sand consider not allowing the physician to take any discovery related to Mutagens or Cognatogens. Also remove all the Grand discoveries except: Eternal Youth, Fast healing, and the Philosopher's Stone. This will create a distinct area of difference between the two classes.
Awesome job!!! I totally am going to play this class! I really like the ultimate discovery "The Cure"! The class in total seems to have a nice flow to it.
Kick for anyone else that wants to have a look or comment
(kicking this thread back to the top of the list) giving folks enough time to view it before it disappears into the forum.
I think combat medic needs to be toned down. It's a tough one though. I'd also be inclined to make surgical strike not limited and remove quick surgery, but that's just because I am enamored with the idea I mentioned last thread. In a sense, the inability to affect multiple enemies with AoE means that unlimited surgical strikes are probably OK.
Also, what's that healing teamwork feat? Maybe something like a discovery to get that and solo tactics with it.
(kick)
The mods generally look down on bumps <_<
My issue with Combat Medic is that it's essentially a free full turn. movement (with no AoOs) and a then a standard action at the end. Maybe just a bonus to AC for AoOs will do fine. But inserting a full turn out of your turn isn't a good idea.
I'm not 100% sold on surgical strikes. It works fairly well, don't get me wrong. But there's something off about it to me.
Overall, I think it's a bit on the weakside, although I suspect that's due to the subject matter, healing, more than anything else.
The mods generally look down on bumps <_<
My issue with Combat Medic is that it's essentially a free full turn. movement (with no AoOs) and a then a standard action at the end. Maybe just a bonus to AC for AoOs will do fine. But inserting a full turn out of your turn isn't a good idea.
I'm not 100% sold on surgical strikes. It works fairly well, don't get me wrong. But there's something off about it to me.
Overall, I think it's a bit on the weakside, although I suspect that's due to the subject matter, healing, more than anything else.
Well here's a question. I understand what you're saying about it being powerful. The question is, does the restriction of only being able to use the ability to reach someone that is at zero hp or dying limit the ability's usefulness to the point that its not as over powering as one might think?
The condition to use the ability is that someone has to be at zero hp or dying. While you can make a full move without provoking AoOs at the end of that move you can only use abilities that would restore hit point damage. So even the action you can take is limited.
To top it off you can only use it a number of times per day equal to your wisdom modifier.
My concern is that its so conditional and specific that if I limit it any further it will become unusable. Thoughts?
Is there a PDF or DOC file of this?
Is there a PDF or DOC file of this?
Unfortunately no there is not. If someone wants to PDF/DOC it online feel free.