The Wandering Crystal Sphere [Dark Sun]

Ok, I've talked about this before, but I have this idea that the Athasian Crystal Sphere travels through the Prime Material Plane on an inclined orbit; at times it is close to Water and the Positive plane, descending close to Earth and relatively equidistant between Positive and Negative, then down to Fire and Negative, before heading up through Air.

The Blue Age ended in the 8th Worlds (King's) Age; the Red Age began when Rajaat used the Dark Lens in the 144th King's Age. At 77 years per age, that means that each Age is roughly 10,500 years long (I'm fudging a bit for roundness sake).

That means that (In KA 191) FY 1 is about 3,600 years into the Red Age. This means there's about 7000 more years of the Red Age, followed by what I will declare the Yellow Age, just because it is an easy color to use. The Yellow Age will see a reduction of undead (as we move away from the Negative Material Plane), but other than that? Who knows? A resurgence of life shaping? In its 42,000 year cycle (assuming their hypothesis is true), do things repeat? Does the next Blue Age see halfling life-shapers? Maybe humans rise to the top? Might thri-kreen be survivors of a previous Green or Red Age, who suffered through the Blue Age?

This is all speculative, of course. Just a neat cosmological idea.

To Your Health! (Hackmaster)

 

To Your Health!

Health and Medicine of Tellene

 

Medicine is an odd art, in a world that has magic in it. The Player’s Handbook includes Honey Brew and Liver Squeezins’, two brews which the Gamemaster’s Guide informs us will heal even grevious wounds; even near death, someone whose silver and liver hold out can be repaired by sipping herbed lager all day and, if you don’t mind a bit of recreational blindness, a dose of fermented owlbeast bile can get you back on your feet in no time… what’s about 3-12 days of blindness if you were going to spend months recuperating from fighting that owlbeast? Though these will not be available from every village brewer, they are common enough that they may be available in the next town over. Other brews will increase your strength or speed, or even let you speak to the dead. The line between “magic” and “medicine” is a thin one.

However, two sizable priesthoods do have a focus on medicine and health. Both the Caregiver and the Powermaster advocate for health, and have extensive knowledge of wound care and treating the symptoms of disease. The Merciful Fates are far more likely to turn to magical healing, while the Seekers of the Three Strengths will emphasize physical health as a means to avoid disease, but both study medicine and physiology; spells run out, and sometimes someone gets ill regardless of their health.

The main skills of non-magical health care on Tellene are First Aid, Craft: Apothecary, and Medicine. First Aid covers the treatment of wounds and physical damage; it covers things like binding wounds, child birth, and even surgery; its practitioners are commonly called chirurgeons. Craft: Apothecary deals with the creation of medicines, and its practitioners are known as apothecaries, or sometimes herbalists or alchemists. Medicine deals with disease and poison, and its practitioners are physickers. These are not exclusive subjects; someone skilled in First Aid knows the basics of poultices and avoiding infection. An apothecary can stitch wounds and understands the medicines needed to bring down a fever, and a physicker makes use of simple medicines and surgery in their treatment of disease. But while an apothecary can brew a medicine that will cure a few hit points of damage, they cannot set a broken leg with their arts. A chirurgeon may clean and sew up a wound, but they can do little for Black Rash. A physicker can bring someone back from near-death by poison, but cannot make a wide array of medicines.

There are a few common ancillary skills, especially for physickers and apothecaries. First, of course, is Literacy. More practically, however, there are Botany, Geology, and Monster Lore. These three skills cover knowledge of the medicinal uses of plants, minerals, and various animals, and so are required for physickers and apothecaries. Apothecaries are also skilled with Cooking/Baking, as they have to prepare their mixtures. Not a few will bake bread as they reduce a tincture.

 

Medicine (New Skill)

Relevant Ability: Intelligence

Cost: 6 BP (3 BP for Merciful Fates)

Universal: No

Prerequisite: Botany 26+, Geology 26+, Literacy 26+

Materials/Tools: Yes for most treatments, No to diagnose problems.

 

While First Aid deals with wounds and critical care, Medicine is the skill of diagnosing and treating disease, poison, and other whole-system threats to health. This often requires poultices made of plants or minerals, but can also involve such treatments as cold or hot baths, cleaning with salt, or even placing maggots around a wound that has turned septic in order to clean dead flesh from a wound.

Dealing with poisons involves cleaning, care, and purification, as well as bloodletting. Note that, with many poisons, this is not enough to cure a poison as it ravages the body; this is palliative care after the fact. Some poisons with longer durations (q.v. basilisk poisons), the physicker can provide an additional saving throw, if they are able to treat them in time.

Tellene’s medical knowledge does not extend to germ theory, and this limits their practice of medicine somewhat. They are not able to directly cure a disease, save by happenstance; rather, those who study medicine (be they physicians or apothecaries) seek to treat the symptoms of disease, lessening its effects. There is some knowledge that purification can help, and so clean water, salt, and alcohol are part of a physicker’s toolbox, but so are milk, tea, and clarified urine.

As a necessary note; knowledge of Medicine does not prevent one from catching disease. While physickers who survive may build up a resistance to a variety of diseases, the key thing to note is “those who survive”. Their only solace is that they’ve a doctor nearby to help with their treatment, unless they get so ill that they are unable to heal themselves.

Medicine can also help ameliorate chronic conditions, such as Allergies, Epilepsy, and Migraines, as well as asthma, arthritis, and the on-going effects of diseases.

 

 

Mastery Level:	The Character Can:
Novice	Treat Disease sufficiently to give a +1 to the Severity check if at least 1 hour of treatment is provided before onset of symptoms (this bonus is applied retroactively; if the character rolled a 2 against a Severity 12 disease, it will do little; an 11 against a severity 12 disease would see the disease reduced to Minor status). Palliative care of disease reduces total penalties by 1, or 5% (cumulative penalties will still accrue), and requires 1 hour per day.   Treating Poison requires 10 minutes per wound. May treat damage from poison as if they possessed Novice mastery of First Aid, reducing time to recover from poison damage by 1 day per point (so, 4 points of poison wound would require 7 days instead of 10 to recover, as with first aid). Poisons with significant durations may be reduced by 1 increment per die (so, devil poison would be reduced from 2d12p hours to 2d12p-2 hours).
Average	Treat Disease sufficiently to give a new Communicability check at -5, and a +2 to the Severity check if at least 1 hour of treatment is provided before onset of symptoms. Palliative care of disease reduces total penalties by 1, or 5% (cumulative penalties will still accrue), and requires 1 hour per day.   Treating Poison requires 6 minutes per wound. May treat damage from poison as if they possessed Novice mastery of First Aid, reducing time to recover from poison damage by 1 day per point (so, 4 points of poison wound would require 7 days instead of 10 to recover, as with first aid). Poisons with significant durations may be reduced by 1.5 increments per die (so, devil poison would be reduced from 2d12p hours to 2d12p-3 hours).
Advanced	Treat Disease sufficiently to give a new Communicability check at -2, and a +3 to the Severity check if at least 1 hour of treatment is provided before onset of symptoms. Palliative care of disease reduces total penalties by 2, or 10% (cumulative penalties will still accrue), and requires 1 hour per day.   Treating Poison requires 4 minutes per wound. May treat damage from poison as if they possessed Novice mastery of First Aid, reducing time to recover from poison damage by 1 day per point (so, 4 points of poison wound would require 7 days instead of 10 to recover, as with first aid). Poisons with significant durations may be reduced by 2 increments per die (so, devil poison would be reduced from 2d12p hours to 2d12p-3 hours). May prevent death by poison if with a Difficult skill check, if treatment is completed before 5 minutes after death.
Expert	Treat Disease sufficiently to give a new Communicability check, and +4 to the Severity check if at least 1 hour of treatment is provided before onset of symptoms. Palliative care of disease reduces total penalties by 3, or 15% (cumulative penalties will still accrue), and requires 1 hour per day.   Treating Poison requires 3 minutes per wound. May treat damage from poison as if they possessed Novice mastery of First Aid, reducing time to recover from poison damage by 1 day per point (so, 4 points of poison wound would require 7 days instead of 10 to recover, as with first aid). Poisons with significant durations may be reduced by 2 increments per die (so, devil poison would be reduced from 2d12p hours to 2d12p-3 hours). May prevent death by poison if with an Average skill check, if treatment is completed before 10 minutes after death.
Master	Treat Disease sufficiently to give a new Communicability check, and +4 to the Severity check if at least 30 minutes of treatment is provided before onset of symptoms. Palliative care of disease reduces total penalties by 3, or 15% (cumulative penalties will still accrue), and requires 30 minutes per day.   Treating Poison requires 2 minutes per wound. May treat damage from poison as if they possessed Master mastery of First Aid, reducing time to recover from poison damage by 2 days per point (so, 4 points of poison wound would require 3 and 3/4 days instead of 10 to recover, as with first aid). Poisons with significant durations may be reduced by 2 increments per die (so, devil poison would be reduced from 2d12p hours to 2d12p-3 hours). May prevent death by poison if with an Average skill check, if treatment is completed before 15 minutes after death.

 

A simple physicians kit will include a variety of tools for testing, cleaning, and examining the patient. Common are dried herbs, scraps of cloth for bandages, and a bowl for mixing. Most will also include a small, sharp knife and a variety of needles (for bloodletting). The contents of such a kit will vary widely, but a basic physicker’s kit will run 10-20 silver pieces, and weigh about 3 pounds..

 

Craft: Apothecary

Relevant Ability: Wisdom and Dexterity.

Cost: 1 BP

Universal: No

Prerequisite: Botany 26+, Geology 26+, Literacy: 26+; Botany and Geology mastery level must equal or exceed that of Craft: Apothecary. Cooking/Baking 26+. Sample Preservation Proficiency

Craft: Apothecary is the skill of making medicines from plant, animal, and mineral sources. Many of these medicines are simple remedies, treating the symptoms of various diseases; a tonic for congested lungs, a poultice for fever, a potion that helps a cough. Others will help alleviate the long-term effects of illnesses, or encourage healing and discourage infection. Many will deal in other herbal treatments, from varieties of pipeweed, teas, or more exotic narcotics and hallucinogen.

Unsurprisingly, apothecaries are very popular with adventurers, though their skills are ill-suited to adventuring, themselves. Their concoctions and tinctures take time and care to create, and many lose potency if they are left too long, or treated too harshly. The tools of an apothecary are heavy and fragile, requiring multiple pans for cooking, glassware for distillation, and braziers for even heating. An apothecary in the field may be able to improvise, but seldom well.

Apothecaries, it should be noted, are not alchemists; their preparations are purely medicinal. However, Average or greater mastery of Craft: Alchemy adds +5% to Craft: Apothecary rolls, and vice versa. Master-level mastery of either adds +10% to the rolls of the other.

 

 

Mastery Level:	The Character Can:
Novice	Suggest a type of preparation that may help, prepare Easy or Average preparations under supervision of an Apothecary of at least Advanced mastery. Preparations take 4 hours (with proper supervision, ingredients, and tools)1. Preparations last 1d3 days2.
Average	Prepare any preparation at one greater difficulty than normal (so, Difficult preparations are Very Difficult). Preparations take 3 hours (with proper ingredients and tools). Preparations last 1d6 days.
Advanced	Attempt any preparation at listed difficulty; may increase difficulty by one level to create 1d4p-1 doses in a single batch. Preparations take 2 hours (with proper ingredients and tools). Preparations last 2d6 days
Expert	Attempt any preparation at listed difficulty; may increase difficulty by one level to create 1d4p doses in a single batch. Preparations take 2 hours (with proper ingredients and tools). Preparations last 1d3 weeks.
Master	Attempt any preparation at listed difficulty; 1d4p doses are made each time; increasing the difficulty raises this to 2d4p-1. Preparations take 2 hours (with proper ingredients and tools). Preparations last 1d6 weeks.

 

1 Proper ingredients and tools must be on-hand. A well-stocked Apothecary will often have these things on hand; a traveling apothecary may have only limited supplies or materials, according to their own preparations. A penalty of -5% to -30% is suggested, depending on the level of preparation.

2 Preparation durations assume a closed pot (i.e. closed, but no exceptional sealing). A sealed container (with wax, or a tightly closed metal flask) allows longevity rolls to penetrate. Containers that are unsealed will lose potency after a day (closed, then opened, then reclosed containers will lose 1 day off their total; sealed then resealed containers will not lose any time).

 

Difficulty	Healing	Disease and Poison3
Very Easy	Salve that 1 dose adds 1 day of healing to a single wound; no more than 1 dose per wound. Remove 1 level of Fatigue for 1d3p hours (returns at end)	Ease symptoms of disease by -1 or 5% for 1 day.
Easy	Salve that 1 dose adds 1d3p days of healing to a single wound; no more than 1 dose per wound. Remove 1 level of Fatigue for 2d4p hours (returns at end).	Ease symptoms of disease by -1 or 5% for 1d3p days. Add +1d3p to poison or disease saving throws if taken within 1 minute (poison) of exposure, or before symptoms begin (disease). Disease resistance (+1 save against Communicability) for 1 day. Poison resistance (+1) for 1 hour.
Average	Salve or potion that will heal 1d3-1 points of damage to a single wound; overflow may be applied in days to another wound. Remove 1 level of Fatigue.	Ease symptoms of disease by -2 or 10% for 1d4p days. Add +1d4p to poison or disease saving throws if taken within 1 minute (poison) of exposure, or before symptoms begin (disease). Allow second save against poison; if successful, halve the impact of the poison. Disease resistance (+2 save against Communicability) for 1 day. Poison resistance (+2) for 1 hour.
Difficult	Salve or potion that will heal 1d4 points of damage to a single wound; overflow may be applied in days to another wound. Remove 1 level of Fatigue.	Ease symptoms of disease by -2 or 10% for 1d6p days. Add +1d6p to poison or disease saving throws if taken within 1 minute (poison) of exposure, or before symptoms begin (disease). Allow a second save against Severity if taken before symptoms appear. Disease resistance (+2 save against Communicability) for 1d3 days. Poison resistance (+3) for 1 hour.
Very Difficult	Salve or potion that will heal 1d6 points of damage to a single wound; overflow may be applied in days to another wound. Remove 2 levels of Fatigue.	Ease symptoms of disease by -2 or 10% for 1d6p days. Add +1d6p to poison or disease saving throws if taken within 1 minute (poison) of exposure, or before symptoms begin (disease). Allow a second save against Communicability. Disease resistance (+2 save against Communicability) for 1d4 days. Poison resistance (+4) for 1 hour.

 

2 Disease and poison bonuses and resistances are specific; you do not brew a potion which protects against all disease, but rather a potion that will provide a defense against a single, named, disease (i.e. Goblin Pox). This can make these preparations difficult to acquire; if you do not have an antidote to Giant Scorpion venom, then the Apothecary can do nothing for you.

 

Apothecary preparations have a usual cost of 5cp per mastery level, cumulative, so Average-mastery preparations will cost 15cp (5cp for novice, plus 10cp for Average), then 30cp for Advanced, 50cp for Expert, and 75cp for Master. Difficult preparations often cost twice as much, and Very Difficult preparations cost five times as much.

 

A standard Apothecary shop will be roughly 30-50 silver pieces, and weigh more than 50 pounds (including braziers, glass, mortar and pestles, alcohol for preservation, and a variety of prepared herbs, minerals, and animal samples). A more basic collecting kit (good for gathering herbs and tissue) will be 10-20 silver pieces.

 

New Proficiency: Sample Preservation (3cp)

Requirements: Botany or Monster Lore, 26%+. Cooking (novice or more)

With the Sample Preservation Proficiency, the character is trained in properly gathering samples of plants and animals (mineral samples are usually far easier to gather). Without this proficiency, samples will only be good for 1d3 weeks if botanical, and 1d3 days if zoological. With this proficiency (and a collecting kit, or a suitable equivalent), this time is extended to 1d3 seasons for botanicals, and 1d3 weeks for zoological samples. Most often, botanical samples must be dried, while zoological samples are preserved in alcohol or an air-sealed container.