Learned Physician

Much of your life has been dedicated to treating the sick, injured, and dying.  You've learned the best way to splint a broken bone, and the most effective treatments for various coughs, hives, and rashes, and other ailments.  You may have been the shaman of your tribe, the wise woman of your village, an apothecary in a city, or doctor for a great noble.  Maybe you spent your entire career in one place or maybe you traveled a route between locations, promoting the health of an entire countryside.

The way of healing that you follow is not easy.  It's not painless - for you or the patient - and it's not quick.  Some may take the quick and easy path to mastery of the healing arts - tapping into arcane energies, twisting the body to their will, ripping out foreign entities and stitching corpses back to their souls.  Others take the godly route and beseech intervening higher powers to do much the same.  You may never be able to bring back the dead, but where those others can heal no more than a dozen before lapsing into unconsciousness, you can keep right on saving lives so long as you have rags for bandages and a few of the right herbs.

Though they cannot conquer death itself, physicians are adept at treating both illness and injury.  They can increase the chances of a successful pregnancy or lessen the pains of aging.  For many communities, the presence of a good physician is the difference between life and death.

Skill Proficiencies: Medicine, Investigation

Tool Proficiencies: Alchemist’s Supplies

Languages: One non-exotic language of your choice.

Equipment: A satchel bag containing various instruments for performing medical procedures (1 vial of vinegar, a scalpel, a sling, and 10 bandages/wrappings), a well-used blanket, a writing kit (small pouch with a quill, ink, a leather-bound journal, and a small penknife), a set of traveler's clothes, a healer's kit, and a pouch containing 5 gp.

Suggested Characteristics

Physicians are dedicated to the welfare of their patients above all else.  They seek out knowledge of anatomy and disease and use everything they learn to bring those under their care back from the brink or prevent them from succumbing in the first place.  They have seen atrocities of disease, famine, pestilence and war that have left their mark, shaping their ideals, creating strong bonds, and often leaving them scarred and vulnerable.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I save lives. What you do is probably not nearly as important.
2	I will aid anyone who is ailing, but please don't ask me to chat with them.
3	Every symptom must be treated, every stitch must be perfect; I’ll settle for nothing less.
4	I can't quit, I won't give up, and I can never abandon a patient.
5	If I am to treat the disease, I must first seek to understand it.
6	I cannot abide the suffering of others, and I will do anything I can to ease it.
7	I am constantly pointing out the flaws in others and their arguments, as if diagnosing an illness.
8	I have a tendency to become focused on my work to the exclusion of everything else.

d6	Ideal
1	Greater Good. My craft is meant to be shared with all, not used for my own benefit. (Good)
2	Charity. I always try to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost. (Good)
3	Dignity. All people deserve to be treated with respect; even the sickly and the infirm. (Lawful)
4	Creativity. The world is in need of new ideas and bold action. (Chaotic)
5	Aspiration: I work hard to be the best there is at my craft. (Any)
6	Greed. I’m only in it for the money and fame. (Evil)

d6	Bond
1	It is my duty to protect my patients.
2	Everything I do is for the common people.
3	My life’s work is a series of tomes about the diagnosis and treatment of rare ailments.
4	I’ve been searching my whole life for the cure to a certain disease.
5	Someone I loved died because of I mistake I made. That will never happen again.
6	I have a friendly rival. Only one of us can be the best, and I aim to prove it’s me.

d6	Flaw
1	I judge others harshly, and myself even more severely.
2	I overestimate the worth of my skills, and I'm blind to my shortcomings and the risk of failure.
3	I am haunted by the memories of every patient I could not save.
4	I am too enamored of ale, wine, and other intoxicants.
5	I speak without really thinking through my words, invariably insulting others.
6	I am hesitant to injure others, even in self-defense.