Just curious. I have a character "Priest" (Cleric6/Trader5) whose Heal +9 could use some spice.
I thought leeches primarily were found in freshwater lakes, ponds and rivers? :P
Umm..athasian silt leeches? :D
Strange, but in a world as savage as Athas one would think that survival skills and healing skills would be paramount. Or detailed, from a game/game design point of view.
Oh well.
every culture finds some use for the plants in the environment. best bet would be to do it 'the old fashioned way' and make it up
me personally the gulg ritual for headache: chewing on agafari bark. you don't find many people complaining about headaches after trying this remedy :P
every culture finds some use for the plants in the environment. best bet would be to do it 'the old fashioned way' and make it up
Since posting my last message I've sat down and started to think of the basic survival skills and first aid that I've picked up over the years. Applying the survival skills is kind of challenging, as I've yet to visit a desert, and I had to downplay my first aid to "bush" (when linking Athas), but that's where common sense, basic geography, and imagination comes into play, right?
And aside from refreshing my mind for the real world, and in fact to help in the process, I have started to jot down some notes that I can easily tie into Dark Sun. Right now I'm taking the approach of an in-game traveller's guide. If anybody is actually interested in this petty project, then I can post what I got when I get it and get some feedback/pointers.
Yes, I've been bored lately. :D
On Athas you use a torch :P
So far I have two topics that the guide will detail: Desert Survival and Mountain Survival.
It is a guide written by “Priest”, a cleric of Water and traveled trader. Basically it is one man's experiences coupled with insight from a few of his companions, put to print to help the unknown and perhaps novice wanderers of Athas.
Subtopics will detail (in no particular order, and please keep in mind that the list is not yet complete):
· "Desert Madness" (heat stroke, agoraphobia, treatment, etc)
· "The Chill" (hypothermia, treatment, etc)
· Shelter improvisation
· Finding water
· Wound treatment improvisation
· Identifying edible flora and fauna (and preparation for consumption)
· Land marking (conquering displacement due to “strong eye”, heat waves, etc)
· Natural inclination to walk in circles (and how to compensate)
· Rock climbing
· Essential gear
· Identifying markers as left by certain humanoids/tribes
Out of these topics alone, does anybody have any input? Did I miss anything that you feel is essential when considering a guide of this sort, written by a man of his sort? I have (non professional) ideas when it comes to all of the topics above, but help is always wanted, needed, and appreciated.
This method is currently making a big comeback in modernday medicine BTW
In ancient medicine Larvae (sp.) from flies where used to eat away dead cells and in this way prevent infections. Maybe this can be used for one or another athasian insect.
This method is currently making a big comeback in modernday medicine BTW
Yeah, maggots.
Definitely useful; probable on Athas.
Herbal Healer
A Herbal Healer is knowledgeable in the various ancient healing traditions of the tari people. Passed down from generation to generation, the Herbal Healer is educated in the curative arts and wise as to what plants aid in the body’s natural healing process.
Herbal Healers are found mainly among wilderness dwelling tari but is not unheard to find one in the circles of their urban brethren. Most serve as advisors to tari leaders, and in rare instances the leaders themselves.
Druids commonly make the best candidates for this prestige class. However, it is not uncommon to find tari rangers cultured in the customs of the Herbal Healer as well.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Herbal Healer, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Race: Tari
Skills: Heal 6 ranks, Knowledge (herbalism) 6 ranks, Survival 4 ranks.
Feats: Skill Focus (Heal)
Class Information
The following information pertains to the Herbal Healer.
Hit Die: 1d6
Class SkillsThe Herbal Healer class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Concentration (Con), Craft (herbal) (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (herbalism) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis)
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
[HTML]Table: The Herbal Healer
Lvl BAB FortRef Will Special
1st +0 +2 +0 +2 Healing touch +1, Nurture
2nd +1 +3 +0 +3 Herbal Curative
3rd +1 +3 +1 +3 Restore Damage, Healing touch +2
4th +2 +4 +1 +4 Remove Disease 1/week
5th +2 +4 +1 +4 Healing Miracle,Healing touch +3[/HTML]
Class Features
The following features pertain to the herbal healer.
Healing Touch (Ex): The Herbal Healer receives a competence bonus on Heal checks. At 1st level, the bonus is +1. It increases to +2 at 3rd level, and to +3 at 5th level.
Nurture (Ex): When making a Heal check for Long-Term Care a successful skill check instead allows for the recipient of the treatment to recover lost wounds and ability points at 3 times the normal rate. This ability does not function without access to herbal ingredients.
Herbal Curative (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, the Herbal Healer may treat wounds with a salve made from an admixture of natural ingredients. The Herbal Healer must make a Heal skill check DC 15. Those successfully treated with this salve are restored 1d6 hits points of damage +1 for every class level the character has achieved. A being can benefit from this healing once within a 24 hour period. This ability does not function without access to herbal ingredients.
Restore Damage (Ex): At 3th level a Herbal Healer can restore some of ability damage. If the Herbal Healer is able to administer aid within 1 minute round of a character taking ability damage that is not in melee, he can make a Heal check DC 25. The Herbal Healer may not take 10 or 20 on this check. If the check succeeds, the character regains half the amount that was drained to the drained ability score. This ability functions once per ability score drained and may not be reattempted on a failed check. This ability does not function without access to herbal ingredients
Remove Disease (Ex): At 4th level, a Herbal Healer can produce a remove disease effect, as the spell, once per week through the use of herbs. The Herbal Healer must actively treat the diseased character for seven consecutive days in order for this ability to work. This ability does not function without access to herbal ingredients.
Healing Miracle (Ex): At 5th level, a Herbal Healer can save a character reduced to –10 hit points or lower. If the Herbal Healer is able to administer aid within 3 rounds of the character’s death, he can make a Heal check. The DC for this check is 30, and the Herbal Healer can’t take 10 or take 20. If the check succeeds, the dead character can make a Fortitude save (DC 15) to stabilize and be restored to 0 hit points.
If the Herbal Healer fails the skill check or the treated being fails the save, the dead character can’t be saved.
Do you have any descriptions of the herbs that they use?
Also, I have to be honest. I'm not at all familiar with the Tari. I'm Dark Sun original here and even then I'm limited to the boxed set and the books, which I haven't read in a while now. Been meanin', but it ain't happenin'. I do have a bit of the third edition stuff printed off, and am slowly getting back into the swing of things (just updated my old character the other week) but I'm not half as hardcore as some of you on these boards. :P
The Heppa Plant grows by the infrequent oases of the desert. The distinctive thinga bout them is that they only grow by tainted water. This is because the Heppa Plant filters out organic poisons in the water and concentrates it in the leaves. Thus, when it grows near a tainted water source, animals are unable to eat it, and it can flourish.
The uses of the Heppa Plant include the obvious one of spotting dangerous water supplies, but the leaves can also be pounded out to create fiber mats that filter out organic toxins, making water safe to drink.
For medical use, the seed pods of the heppa plant are used - in order to spread out across as wide an area as possible, the seeds of the Heppa Plant are carried by sticky, wispy fibers - the seeds are bourne on the winds, and also stick to the sides of animals, dropping off when the air is humid enough to indicate a nearby oasis. These sticky seed fibers are used by nomad tribes to close wounds and facilitate healing.
A few questions:
As one of this plant's natural abilities is to filter out organic toxins, is it effective as a remedy for poisoned humanoids?
If so, how does the healer administer the pounded fibres to their casualty? Ingestion? Application? By application I think: the fibre mats (hand cloths?), over time, sponge the poison from the casualty's body by way of their sweat...
On the flip-side, can this plant be used as a poison by less than scrupulous individuals?
And one more:
Assuming the above assumptions are correct, does the potency of the leaf (and or fibres) lower when cropped and carried for a time?
If the above assumptions are out there, then I apologise. I do have a tendency to trip out into thought.
Thanks. Sounds to me like my character should be quite familiar with the heppa plant, given its location and dual nature.
A few questions:
As one of this plant's natural abilities is to filter out organic toxins, is it effective as a remedy for poisoned humanoids?
My original conception was no; it acted more as a way of preventing being poisoned in the first place...
If so, how does the healer administer the pounded fibres to their casualty? Ingestion? Application? By application I think: the fibre mats (hand cloths?), over time, sponge the poison from the casualty's body by way of their sweat...
..but this is kind of a cool idea!
On the flip-side, can this plant be used as a poison by less than scrupulous individuals?
Certainly as a way of concentrating a diluted poison, or extracting a usable posion from a tainted water source
And one more:
Assuming the above assumptions are correct, does the potency of the leaf (and or fibres) lower when cropped and carried for a time?
If properly prepared, I'd say they'd last for a while.
If the above assumptions are out there, then I apologise. I do have a tendency to trip out into thought.
Anything that adds more details is okay