Expanding Healing Options

[jjordan]

Self-scrubbing for reasons.

[Maelynn]

I really like this project. I've been wanting to see if I can come up with a very skilled herbalist/alchemist healer NPC that has found a way around arcane/divine magic to heal people, much like in the Medieval times. An old lady in a small village who's been treating the villagers for years, from indigestion to broken bones and from flesh wounds to poisoning. The section on non-magical potions and salves, as well as naturally occuring drugs, is exactly what I eventually hoped to find. Only would've liked to see that list alphabetised, but that's something I can do myself.

The contents of the AHK are extensive and allow for creative use, should a PC carry a healer's kit and then wonder "what's in it and how can I use it outside of the boring 'you heal for x and/or stabilise target' purpose?". It also gives me an idea of what is needed to allow a PC its use, should they be in an environment where they are without their kit and have to MacGyver their way around it.


Flaming Skin - A salve that numbs the skin, after it inflicts 1d4-1 points of radiant damage (leaving the skin brightly flushed) and conveys 1d8 temporary hit-points and resistance to fire, cold, and bludgeoning attacks.

The way this sentence is written, it implies that application causes the following order:

1: person applies salve
2: person takes 1d4-1 radiant damage
3: person gains(?) (to convey means to transport, to bring, to move from one place to another - so unsure from what to what the temp hp are conveyed) 1d8 temp hp as well as resistances mentioned
4: person's skin is numbed

Could you please clarify this a bit?

[Maelynn]

You've got it right. This is based mostly on the action of capsaicin and modern pain relief creams, the mechanism is just dialed up to 11. The cream/salve is smeared on the body. The patient takes 1d4-1 points of damage due to the pain caused by the salve which is similar to a sunburn. After that their skin is much less sensitive to pain (numbed) which means they are resistant to the pain in general (the temp HP they get) and some types of pain in particular.

Ah okay, that isn't what I understood from the way it's worded. More like, first 1 happens, then 2, then 3, and lastly 4, all in succession. Which makes it look strange, because 'numb skin' then lacks a description and looks weird coming after 3. Thanks for clearing it up, now it makes sense. :)