Medicine Man
by Cab DavidsonVarious of the tribal peoples of Mystara that do not have organised churches that produce clerics instead have another class, the medicine man. They have various names in different cultures, with phanatons knowing them as mpisorona, shaydaan calling them saaxira, etc.. Each variant has its own unique abilities in addition to a capacity to cast a diverse range of spells.
Prime Requisite: Constitution.
Hit Dice: 1d6 per level, plus or minus any constitution modifier, up to level 9. +1hp per level thereafter. The hit dice of medicine man characters are modified according to race in the same way as for other character classes.
Experience and Level: Medicine man characters progress according to the table below. Note that racial penalties still apply to this progression.
Attacks, Combat, Saving Throws: Medicine men may use any melee or missile weapon permissible to their race. They cannot wear armour, but if their racial characteristics permit they may use a shield. Medicine men attack as a magic users of the same level, and gain weapon mastery slots at the same rate.
Special Abilities: Medicine men can cast spells, memorised in a trance like a cleric, being able to reverse memorised spells at will in the same way once they attain 4th level. They are unable to turn undead, but they gain the special-order abilities as a cleric, paladin, or avenger of the same faith. Medicine men gain the skill honour immortal, specific to their patron, in addition other skills. Spells are gained once per day, in a ritual that may involve fire, a tribal dance, or various other cultural practices depending on the medicine man’s race.
Types of Medicine Man: Each race that produces medicine man characters has a different name for the class, based on their own culture and customs, as shown in the table below. Each has a number of specific abilities, that are described in the footnotes beneath the medicine man experience table.
| Level | XP | Abilities | Title | Spell Casting Progression |
| 1 | 0 | Hex | 1 | |
| 2 | 2500 | Foreseer | 2 | |
| 3 | 5000 | (a) | Mundunugu | 2 1 |
| 4 | 10,000 | Charmer | 2 2 | |
| 5 | 20,000 | Soothsayer | 2 2 1 | |
| 6 | 40,000 | (b) (g) | Isangoma | 2 2 2 |
| 7 | 80,000 | Witcher | 3 2 2 1 | |
| 8 | 150,000 | Pawang | 3 3 2 1 | |
| 9 | 300,000 | (c) (h) | Obeah Master | 4 3 3 2 |
| 10 | 450,000 | 4 4 3 2 1 | ||
| 11 | 600,000 | 4 4 3 3 2 | ||
| 12 | 750,000 | (d) (i) | 4 4 4 3 2 1 | |
| 13 | 900,000 | 5 5 4 3 2 2 | ||
| 14 | 1,050,000 | 5 5 5 3 3 2 | ||
| 15 | 1,200,000 | (e) (j) | 6 5 5 3 3 3 | |
| 16 | 1,350,000 | 6 5 5 4 4 3 | ||
| 17 | 1,500,000 | 6 6 5 4 4 3 1 | ||
| 18 | 1,650,000 | (f) (k) | 6 6 5 4 4 3 2 | |
| 19 | 1,800,000 | 7 6 5 4 4 4 2 | ||
| 20 | 1,950,000 | 7 6 5 4 4 4 3 | ||
| 21 | 2,100,000 | 7 6 5 5 5 4 3 | ||
| 22 | 2,250,000 | 7 6 5 5 5 4 4 | ||
| 23 | 2,400,000 | 7 7 6 6 5 4 4 | ||
| 24 | 2,550,000 | 8 7 6 6 5 5 4 | ||
| 25 | 2,700,000 | 8 7 6 6 5 5 5 | ||
| 26 | 2,850,000 | 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 | ||
| 27 | 3,000,000 | 8 8 7 6 6 6 5 | ||
| 28 | 3,150,000 | 8 8 7 7 7 6 5 | ||
| 29 | 3,300,000 | 8 8 7 7 7 6 6 | ||
| 30 | 3,450,000 | 8 8 8 7 7 7 6 | ||
| 31 | 3,600,000 | 8 8 8 8 8 7 6 | ||
| 32 | 3,750,000 | 9 8 8 8 8 7 7 | ||
| 33 | 3,900,000 | 9 9 8 8 8 8 7 | ||
| 34 | 4,050,000 | 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 | ||
| 35 | 4,200,000 | 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 | ||
| 36 | 4,350,000 | 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 |
(a) At third level phanaton (mpisorona), neathar (lithomancer), or shaydaan (saaxira) medicine man or can identify any plant or plant like monster, with a 50% +3% per level of experience chance, up to a maximum of 95%
(b) From 6th level, a mpisorona can hide in shadows and move silently as a thief of equal level
(c) At name level a mpisorona can, in addition to other spells, cast levitate upon themselves once per day.
(d) From 12th level, in addition to any other spells, a mpisorona may once per day cast fly, upon themselves.
(e) From 15th level a mpisorona can travel by dimension door, once per day, in addition to other spells
(f) From level 18 a mpisorona may cast teleport any object upon themselves or any inanimate object held, once per day.
(g) At 6th level a saaxira can, once per day, cast animate pet (see below) in addition to other spells.
(h) From name level a saaxira can cast animate dead animals (see below) once per day, in addition to any other spells
(i) From 12th level a saaxira can dominate lesser undead (see below) once per day
(j) At 15th level a saaxira gains the ability to cast animate dead, once per day, in addition to other spells known.
(k) From 18th level a saaxira can cast dominate greater undead (see below) once per day, in addition to other spells known.
Level 1
Charm Person (RC 44)
Detect Magic (RC45)
Detect Danger (RC 41)
Faerie Fire (RC 41)
Light* (RC 45))
Locate (RC 41)
Magical Stone
Purify Food and Water (RC 35)
Predict Weather (RC 41)
Remove Fear* (RC35)
Resist Cold (RC 35)
Shield (RC 46)
Sleep (RC 45)
Ventriloquism (RC 46)
Level 2
Bless* (RC 35)
Cure Light Wounds*
Find Traps (RC 35)
Heat Metal (RC 41)
Mirror Image (RC 47)
Obscure (RC 41)
Phantasmal Force (RC 47)
Resist Fire (RC 35)
Produce Fire (RC 41)
Silence 15’ Radius (RC 35)
Snake Charm (RC 35)
Speak With Animal (RC, 35)
Warp Wood (RC 41)
Web (RC 47)
Level 3
Call Lightning (RC 41)
Continual Light* (RC 46)
Cure Blindness (RC 36)
Cure Disease* (RC 36)
Dispel Magic (RC 48)
Growth of Animal (RC 36)
Hold Person* (RC. 48)
Prot. From Poison (RC 42)
Remove Curse* (RC 36)
Speak With Plants (RC 37)
Stoneshape
Striking (RC 36)
Water Breathing (RC 49)
Level 4
Charm Monster (RC 49)
Control Temperature 10’ (RC 42)
Create Water (RC 36)
Cure Serious Wounds*
Growth of Plants (RC 49)
Hallucinatory Terrain (RC 50)
Insect Plague (RC 37)
Neutralise Poison* (RC 37)
Polymorph Other (RC 50)
Polymorph Self (RC 50)
Prot. from Lightning(RC 42)
Sticks to Snakes (RC 37)
Summon Animals (RC 42)
Wall of Fire (RC 51)
Level 5
Anti Plant Shell (RC 42)
Commune (RC 37)
Create Food (RC 37)
Create Normal Animals (RC 38)
Control Winds (RC 42)
Hold Monster* (RC 52)
Insect Plague (RC 37)
Languages*
Pass Plant (RC 42)
Quest* (RC 38)
Raise Dead* (RC 38)
Speak With Monsters (RC 39)
Truesight (RC 38)
Woodform (RC 52)
Level 6
Aerial Servant (RC 38)
Animate Objects (RC 38)
Anti Animal Shell (RC 43)
Anti Magic Shell (RC 53)
Barrier* (RC 38)
Charm Plant (RC 54)
Cure Critical Wounds*
Find the Path (RC 39)
Lower Water (RC 53)
Mass Charm (RC 57)
Speak With Monsters (RC 39)
Summon Weather (RC 43)
Transport Through Plants (RC 43)
Turn Wood (RC 43)
Level 7
Create Any Monsters (RC 59)
Creeping Doom (RC 43)
Cureall (RC 38)
Earthquake (RC 38)
Gate (RC 59)
Immunity (RC 59)
Metal to Wood (RC 43)
Shapechange (RC 60)
Survival (RC 39)
Regenerate*
Restore* (RC 39)
Summon Elemental (RC 43)
Weather Control (RC 43)
Wish (RC 40)
New Spells
Level 1
Animate Pet
Range: Touch
Duration: Permanent
Effect: Raises one small animal from the dead
This frankly disturbing spell animates one small animal that is dead. Any normal animal up to the size of a large dog can be raised, and all are treated as 1HD creatures, with a movement rate of 90’ (30’), whether walking as a dog or cat, flying as a parrot, swimming as a fish, etc. They will obey the caster to the best of their (limited) abilities but having no greater intelligence than other zombies they are barely more than mindless automata. They can fight (inflicting half of the damage they could have in life), fetch, carry, etc. Any caster may have up to 3 dead pets controlled thus.
Magical Stone
Range: 0
Duration: Special
Effect: Imbues 1 or more stones with magic
This spell allows the medicine man to enchant up to 1 pebble per 5 level of experience. They can be thrown up to 30’ or can be used as sling stones and can hit creatures immune to attacks of up to +2 magical weapons, but attacks using it confer no bonus to attack or damage. Thrown or used in a sling unskilled, the stones inflict 1d4 damage, or 2d4 if the target is undead. Used with weapon mastery, the stones cause damage appropriate to the attacker’s skill, and inflict double damage to undead creatures. The stones will remain magical until used or until 3 turns have passed.
Level 2
Animate Dead Animals
Range: Touch
Duration: 1 hour per level of the caster
Effect: Up to four zombie animals
After casting this spell a caster can touch up to 4 dead mount or pack animals, and they will be animated as if zombies. While they cannot fight, they also don’t require food or water to sustain them. They move at half the speed they did when alive, but can pull or carry the same loads. Each raised creature has 2 HD, and can be turned by a cleric as a zombie. While such raised animals have little practical worth, they can be the difference between a caravan making it to destination or being lost.
Level 3
Dominate Lesser Undead
Range: 60'
Duration: Special
Effect: Controls skeletons, zombies, ghouls and wights
This spell allows the caster to attempt to control skeletons, zombies, ghouls or wights (or creatures turned at that level). The attempt to do so is as per the Undead Liege and Pawn rules in the Rules Cyclopedia, with the caster being treated as a liege of their own level in hit dice. All normal rules for controlling undead (maximum permitted HD of individual subject being half the level of the caster, total permitted HD being twice the level of the caster, undead are freed at the next full moon, turning releases the undead) are applied to dominated undead.
Stoneshape
Range: Touch
Duration: Permanent
Are of Effect: 1’ cube per level of experience
The caster of this spell can crudely shape any normal, unworked stone (crafting idols, making a crude doorway, etc.). Without any skill in sculpture or engineering the work may be crude, but simple figures, openings and constructions are possible. Any objects made with moving parts will probably (60% chance) not work.
Level 4
Languages
Range: Caster Only
Duration: 1 turn per 3 levels of the caster
Effect: Allows the caster to speak and understand 1 additional language per 5 levels of experience
Upon casting this spell the caster will immediately understand the next spoken language they hear, and can freely converse therein. One extra language can be thus gained per 5 levels of experience of the caster.
The reverse of this spell, gabble, makes a single victim unable to speak coherently or even comprehend any language for the duration of the spell. The target must be touched, and can save vs. spells to avoid the effect. Victims of this spell are still able to cast spells normally.
Level 5
Dominate Greater Undead
Range: 60'
Duration: Special
Effect: Controls skeletons, zombies, ghouls and wights, wraiths and mummies
This spell allows the caster to attempt to control skeletons, zombies, ghouls, wights, wraiths or mummies (or creatures turned at that level). The attempt to do so is as per the Undead Liege and Pawn rules in the Rules Cyclopedia, with the caster being treated as a liege of their own level in hit dice. All normal rules for controlling undead (maximum permitted HD of individual subject being half the level of the caster, total permitted HD being twice the level of the caster, undead are freed at the next full moon, turning releases the undead) are applied to dominated undead.
Level 7
Regenerate*
Range: Touch
Duration: Permanent
Effect: 1 creature
This spell allows a caster to restore lost limbs or organs, although not instantly. If the severed limb (or eye, organ, etc.) is present and held in place, then the spell works in a single round. If the severed material is not present, they will regrow within 2d4 turns. This spell will only work on living creatures, on body parts lost within 1 day per level of the caster.
The reverse of this spell, Wither, causes the touched body part to wither and become useless. The body part must be touched and the target can save vs. spells to avoid the effect. However when Wither is used on a willing undead target it can restore lost parts, and if the correct materials are used (costing 5,000gp per HD + 5,000gp per asterisk of the undead creature) can be used to graft extra parts to physical undead creatures. For example a 9HD** vampire could have wings removed from a red dragon grafted on, the materials necessary costing 55,000gp per wing. The wings would subsequently be functional and useable. Likewise a skeleton (1HD) could have an extra arm attached for 5000gp. While the attached body parts are functional, they can however be dispelled.
Modifying undead creatures in such a way is considered an evil, entropic act. It is not impossible that regenerate may work to modify living creatures in the same way as wither can with undead, but there are no records of any clerics of positive sphere immortals having tried.