Magic, Science, and Religion Magic, science, and religion are three distinct but interconnected aspects of human belief and knowledge. While they may seem separate, they all aim to explain and understand the world in different ways. Magic can be seen as a form of belief in supernatural forces and the ability to manipulate them. It often involves rituals, spells, and incantations to bring about desired outcomes. Although magic is often associated with superstition and irrationality, it has played a significant role in human history. It has been used for healing, divination, and spiritual connection.
I was a little iffy on whether to have battlefield medicine just restore hit points or give temporary hit points. Them being temporary hit points felt more thematically appropriate and also allowed me to set a cap on how often it could be used.
I didn t want it to just be flat healing, like a low-level heal spell, and I wanted it to feel like something you could reasonably do with bandages and basic medical gear. No one has to pick a healing class, but if someone wants to do more than is normally available with the heal kill then they need a feat and to have invested some skill points.
It has been used for healing, divination, and spiritual connection. In some cultures, magic is still practiced today, even alongside the advancements of science. Science, on the other hand, is a systematic process of studying the natural world through observation, experimentation, and analysis.
Turning the Gears: Non-magical Healing in Pathfinder
In many d20 systems, including 3.x D&D and the Pathfinder RPG, healing is almost entirely the realm of the magically gifted. Sure, there’s the Heal skill, but that can only heal a creature of 1 hit point per hit die of the target once per day, so you still need a holy person around if you’re going to be wandering into battle. So I’ve decided to put together a rule for non-magical primary hit point recovery.
Every party needs a healer, but not every gaming group has someone who wants to play a cleric (or an oracle, or even a bard, which can do some off-healing if absolutely necessary). Alternatively, maybe you want to play in a low-magic game where spell casters aren’t on every street-corner, but healing needs to still be available. If no one wants to play the healer there’s still the option to just fill your haversack with potions, but that gets cumbersome and is a huge wealth hit. In lower magic games, though, this may not be an option.
Now, with that said, non-magical healing is weak in Pathfinder for a reason. There’s only so much you can do with bandages and salves and such. Positive energy can literally repair your body, with the heal skill it takes time. This is important, because it means that my rules are still going to have to step outside of the realm of the totally realistic.
So, the first step is making sure that being able to provide consistent, reliable healing requires some level of character investment while being available at level one and not restricting a character to only healing. I also want the ability to scale with levels, so I provide you with a new feat to start things off.
Feat: Chirurgeon
You know how to create healing salves and can mend even severe wounds.
Prerequisites: Heal 1 Rank
Benefit: You can use the Heal skill to provide Battlefield Medicine and Chirurgery.
Normal: Neither of these options are available to characters without this feat.
So this feat provides the basic investment required for someone to be the party healer. No one has to pick a healing class, but if someone wants to do more than is normally available with the heal kill then they need a feat and to have invested some skill points.
Next I’m going to introduce two new items, one is alchemical and one is a kit.
Item: Alchemical Healing Salve
Price: 60 Gold Weight: –
When applied to a wound, this salve gives an injured creature fast healing 1 for 1d4 rounds plus 1 round for every rank in the Heal skill possessed by the creature applying the salve. A creature may benefit from a healing salve a number of times per day equal to half of their hit dice, rounded up.
Special: A character with the feat Self Sufficient is treated as having two extra ranks in the heal skill when using this item.
Alchemy Craft DC: 25
The Alchemical Healing Salve provides an alternative to the standard potion of cure light wounds. It’s less effective in combat because its effect is not immediate, but in the hands of a skilled healer it can be more effective in the long term.
Chirurgeon’s Kit
Price: 50 GP Weight: 2lbs.
This collection of bandages, knives, and other tools allows a character to perform surgical operations represented through the chirurgery use of the heal skill. It is interchangeable with the healer’s kit for purposes of the Battlefield Medicine action, but for all other heal checks expends 2 charges instead of one. A healer’s kit may be used in place of a chirurgeon’s kit for the chirurgery action, but doing so exhausts all ten of the healer’s kit’s charges. A chirurgeon’s kit is exhausted after 10 uses.
Special: Because the tools are specialized, attempting chirurgery without a chirurgeon’s kit (or a full healer’s kit) imposes a -4 circumstance penalty. This can be reduce to -2 with five charges from a healer’s kit.
Alright, so, the chirurgeon’s kit serves to put a resource cost on the more powerful part of this healing mechanic. Clerics have spells per day, and I do not want this feat/skill combination to actually be comparable in terms of power to magical healing. Next this brings us to the new uses for the heal skill.
New Use for the Heal Skill: Battlefield Medicine
Action: Full
Effect: By expending a charge from a healer’s or chirurgeon’s kit, the character patches up the injuries of an ally and grants 1d4 temporary hit points to the target +1 for each rank of the heal skill that the healer possesses and stops any bleed effects the target was suffering from. These hit points convert to normal hit points at a rate of 1 point every hour, and any healing effect converts an equal number of these temporary hit points to actual hit points as well.
A creature’s current hit point total plus temporary hit points from this effect can never total more than the creature’s maximum hit points. If this would happen, the excess temporary hit points are lost.
If a creature has temporary hit points from this effect equal to or greater than half of their maximum hit points, they cannot benefit from this effect.
Special: If the healer has a healing salve in hand, they may apply it as a free action while performing battlefield medicine.
*Ok, there was no elegant way to word this. The intent of the rule is that once someone gets a number of hit points back equal to half their total, you can’t use the ability on that person anymore, but healing from a use doesn’t cut off there. So if someone has two current hit points and eight maximum hit points, and you manage to heal them for six hit points with battlefield medicine, they get all six hit points back. If you only healed them for four, though, they would not be able to benefit from this ability again.
This ability is kind of clunky, but it effectively allows you to grant effective healing with the heal skill and no need for spellcasting. It’s a full round action and even at the highest of levels it can only patch up 24 hit points in a go, but it’ll keep your guys up. Maybe you’re not looking for a quick patch-up, though. Maybe you want to do some REAL healing. So I give you…
New Use for the Heal Skill: Chirurgery
Action: 30 minutes of continuous action.
DC: Target’s total damage up to 30*
This action requires a charge from a chirurgeon’s kit, or ten charges from a healer’s kit, and an amount of clear space equal to the size of the target creature. If the action is interrupted, any effect is lost.
Chirurgery restores 1d8 hit points to the target for every rank in the heal skill possessed by the healer, or a number of hit points equal to the total heal check made for chirurgery, whichever is higher.
A target can benefit from Chirurgery once per day.
Special: If the target is missing less than thirty hit points, then the DC for the heal check becomes equal to the damage that they have taken. In this case, a successful roll restores the target to full hit points.
So this rule isn’t entirely elegant, but it’s functional. It allows you to have a non-magic based healer that’s functional in either a party with no cleric or a game without readily available healing magic.
I was a little iffy on whether to have battlefield medicine just restore hit points or give temporary hit points. Them being temporary hit points felt more thematically appropriate and also allowed me to set a cap on how often it could be used.
The chirurgery action was actually rather easy to put together without too much clunk in the works, but battlefield medicine took me the better part of a week to figure out. I didn’t want it to just be flat healing, like a low-level heal spell, and I wanted it to feel like something you could reasonably do with bandages and basic medical gear.
The healing salve was meant to be a low-magic alchemical answer to the healing potion. While its effects are outside the realm of what any actual medicine can do, I feel it was necessary to break slightly from low-magic for the sake of making the item effective.
If you enjoyed this article, follow the Game Detective on Twitter, Tumblr, or Facebook.
The Alchemical Healing Salve provides an alternative to the standard potion of cure light wounds. It’s less effective in combat because its effect is not immediate, but in the hands of a skilled healer it can be more effective in the long term.
It focuses on empirical evidence and relies on logic and critical thinking to explain phenomena. Science seeks to understand the underlying principles and laws that govern the universe. It has made tremendous advancements in various fields, such as physics, biology, and chemistry, leading to technological progress and innovation. Religion encompasses a set of beliefs, practices, and values centered around the worship of a higher power or divine beings. It often involves shared rituals, moral codes, and a sense of community. Religions provide answers to existential questions and offer comfort, purpose, and guidance to their followers. They often involve faith, as they rely on belief in the divine rather than tangible evidence. Despite their differences, magic, science, and religion are intertwined throughout history. In ancient times, magic and religion were often closely linked, as religious ceremonies involved supernatural rituals and beliefs. Early science was also influenced by religious beliefs and sought to understand natural phenomena in a way that was compatible with religious doctrine. As science progressed, it began challenging certain religious beliefs and superstitions. The scientific method provided a more reliable and evidence-based approach to understanding the natural world. This led to conflicts between scientific discoveries and religious dogma. However, many people have found ways to reconcile their religious beliefs with scientific knowledge, leading to a more nuanced understanding of the world. In modern times, there has been a growing interest in exploring the connections between magic, science, and religion. Some researchers have delved into the study of parapsychology, which examines phenomena beyond the scope of traditional scientific inquiry, such as telepathy or extrasensory perception. Others have explored the intersection of spirituality and scientific disciplines, such as quantum physics. Ultimately, magic, science, and religion all reflect humanity's innate curiosity and desire for meaning and understanding. Each of these realms offers unique perspectives and approaches to explaining the world, and individuals often find value in embracing elements of all three. Whether through belief in a higher power, conducting scientific experiments, or engaging in magical practices, humans continue to explore the mysteries of the universe in their search for truth..
Reviews for "Uncovering the Secrets of Magical Artifacts: A Scientific Analysis"
1. John - 1/5 stars - "Magic Science and Relidon was a complete disappointment for me. The plot was confusing and all over the place, making it hard to follow and engage with the story. The characters were shallow and lacked depth, which made it difficult to connect with them on any level. Additionally, the writing style was clunky and amateurish, filled with clichés and uninspired descriptions. Overall, I found this book to be a waste of time and definitely not worth the hype."
2. Sarah - 2/5 stars - "I was really looking forward to reading Magic Science and Relidon, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The concept seemed intriguing, but the execution was lackluster. The pacing was erratic, with the story dragging in some parts and rushing through important moments in others. The world-building was also inconsistent and confusing, leaving me with more questions than answers. While the book had some potential, it ultimately failed to deliver a compelling and satisfying read for me."
3. Michael - 1/5 stars - "Magic Science and Relidon was a book I couldn't wait to finish, but for all the wrong reasons. The writing was dull and uninspired, lacking any spark or originality. The characters felt flat and one-dimensional, with no depth or development throughout the story. The plot itself was predictable and uninteresting, offering nothing new or exciting. I wouldn't recommend wasting your time on this book if you're looking for a captivating and immersive reading experience."
4. Emily - 2/5 stars - "I had high hopes for Magic Science and Relidon, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype. The story lacked a cohesive structure, making it difficult to stay engaged. The dialogue often felt forced and unnatural, hindering the development of the characters and their relationships. Additionally, the pacing was inconsistent, with some parts dragging on while others felt rushed. While there were glimpses of potential, the overall execution left much to be desired."