Apothecary (5e Background)

Apothecary

The world you live in remains anchored in certain practices that have yet to approach that of modern medicine. But illness does not wait for progress. People are dying and ailing from a litany of diseases and poxes that plague your days. As an apothecary, you are one of the few recourses for the people. With your knowledge of tinctures and cures, you travel the land to find new cures and uses for nature's bounty. With rather primitive tools, you play the role of pharmacologist, doctor, and pharmacist. In addition to learning of ailments, you also know of their cures, causes, and how to construct their cures. Some apothecaries even know the opposite: they can recreate the poison. While apothecaries are not solely limited to what they can do with herbs, plants and natural minerals are their most trusted sources of medicine. Some even know the art of extracting vital material from animals.

When making an apothecary character, think about their motivation for going down this route of work, which can be harsh and grating, as one has to witness death. Are you perhaps a stalwart believer in healing anyone, no matter their finances? Perhaps you are more of a scientist type, interested in the crafting aspect of apothecaries rather than the social doctor side of things. Being skilled with nonmagical means, apothecaries can often be called conmen who sell snake oils due to the inadequacy of their cures compared to magic. However, in a world where magic may not be ample, people are not picky. Apothecaries can often find themselves the judge of someone's life, holding the key to whether they live or die. Such a power can corrupt a healing man, making them depraved and arrogant. It is not impossible nor unheard of for apothecaries to be greedy, turning a blind eye to the poor in need. There are still yet even those who devote themselves solely to the concoctions of deadly poisons to kill, and sell them to assassins and figures of the underworld for the highest of prices.

Skill Proficiencies: Medicine and Nature.

Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism Kit.

Languages: One of your choice.

Equipment: Herbalism kit, a merchant’s scale, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp.

Specialization: Practice

d4	Specialization
1	Poisoner. You specialize in the concoctions of lethal and deadly substances, including hallucinogens and other drugs.
2	Doctor. You spend your time mostly treating the sick.
3	Researcher. You focus on the procurement of materials and studying their uses for others to practice.
4	Con Man. You peddle false cures for money, though you might know a thing or two about actual medicine.

Feature: Purveyor of Cures

You have a reputation as a healer of the sick, and are often called upon by those who are diseased or injured. You can usually gain an audience with anyone who needs treatment — even if protocol would normally prevent you from doing so — simply by agreeing to offer your assistance.

Alternate Feature: Poison or Cure?

By spending a few minutes examining a chemical — a vial of liquid, a packet of ground powder, or the like — you can determine whether the substance is intended to harm or heal (or neither). This examination does not reveal any specific information about the substance(such as that a powder is actually an inhaled poison, or that it paralyzes its victim), only that it is either harmful or helpful to those that it is used on.

Suggested Characteristics

Apothecaries are defined by their attention to detail. Because so many of the illnesses they treat often have similar symptoms, they are careful about the things they say and the questions they ask, always looking to gather precise and accurate information. They tend towards cleanliness and organization, as they need to keep their tools sterile and their supplies ready at all times.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I distance myself from everyone, even those I care about.
2	I keep all of my possessions meticulously clean, and I hate any kind of filth.
3	I am honest to a fault; knowing all of the information is the only way to make an accurate diagnosis.
4	I make incredibly poor jokes in an attempt to put others at ease.
5	I talk down to others when speaking on a field I believe myself to be knowledgeable in.
6	I present everything I say as a guess or estimate so that I don’t look bad if it turns out to be wrong.
7	It seems like I always try to strike up a conversation at the worst possible moment.
8	I set very high standards for myself, and expect others to follow my example.

d6	Ideal
1	Aid. Every sick or wounded person deserves my help, regardless of the life they lead. (Good)
2	Control. By deciding who lives and who dies, I can shape the world to my liking. (Evil)
3	Loyalty. It is my duty to treat those to whom I have sworn allegiance. (Lawful)
4	Efficiency. I am not emotionally invested in those I aid; to act otherwise would compromise my work. (Neutral)
5	Prevention. Stopping the spread of sickness is better than treating it. (Any)
6	Research. In order to treat patients effectively, we must understand the maladies afflicting them. (Any)

d6	Bond
1	I share my discoveries with my fellow apothecaries, to further the goals of our trade.
2	I give my aid to those who protect my country and my ruler.
3	Many medicinal reagents are rare or hard to find; those who secure them deserve respect.
4	I seek a cure to a mysterious disease that afflicts one of my loved ones.
5	I wish to prove that “mundane” healing is just as viable as magic.
6	I work closely with a group that aims to eliminate a particular disease from existence.

d6	Flaw
1	I use unproven treatments on my patients without their knowledge.
2	I refuse to give aid to those of a certain species or nationality, no matter how desperately they need it.
3	If a disease is particularly deadly, I refuse to treat it out of fear for my own health.
4	Memories of a horrible plague that I failed to cure still haunt me to this day.
5	The sight of blood makes me queasy, and I can only treat those who have no external wounds
6	I am only interested in the ailments my patients suffer from, not the people themselves.

5.00

(one vote)

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