Operatives of the Herbalism sphere are able to utilize their knowledge of herbal lore and remedies to bolster their allies, as well as restore them from many of the afflictions that befall adventurers in the field.
Associated Skill: Heal or Profession (herbalist) (depending on your chosen package).
You gain 5 ranks in your package's associated skills, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Herbalism sphere (maximum ranks equal to your Hit Dice). If you already have ranks in the associated skill you may immediately retrain them.
Skill Leverage: You unlock skill leverage with your chosen package’s associated skill and Knowledge (nature).
Package: When you gain the Herbalism sphere, choose one of the following packages: (herbal) or (remedy). You can take the Expanded Herbalist talent to gain an additional package.
Herbalism Packages
Herbal Package
Associated Skill: Profession (herbalist).
You gain the herbal lore and naturalist’s eye abilities.
Herbal Lore (Ex)
Choose three of the following herb types. You learn the practical applications of these herbs, and where they can be found in the wild. Gathering a batch of herbs requires 1 hour, and may be done during the same period of time required to prepare spells or other daily abilities. You may gather an additional batch of herbs at any time by spending 1 hour gathering herbs. Herbs may be gathered anywhere that plants or fungi grow, including caves or densely packed cities but not a lifeless demiplane.
A single batch of herbs contains a number of herbs equal to your ranks in the associated skill + your operative ability modifier, and contains any combination of herbs you can gather. A gathered herb loses its potency after 24 hours. You may only gather a number of batches per day equal to your operative ability modifier.
Unless otherwise specified, consuming a herb is a standard action, and grants its benefits for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your ranks in the associated skill + your operative ability modifier, or until the user benefits from the herb, whichever comes first, unless otherwise indicated.
- Bitter Herbs: Known for their restorative properties, a bitter herb can be consumed to heal 1 point of ability damage after 10 minutes has elapsed.
- Bland Herbs: Used to slow or hasten natural bodily processes, a bland herb can be consumed to reduce the next instance of weapon damage received by an amount equal to your operative ability modifier. Alternatively you may reduce the value of the next instance of bleed damage you would suffer by an equal amount.
- Cool Herbs: Used to boost cognitive functions, a cool herb can be consumed to gain a +2 competence bonus to the next Intelligence-, Wisdom-, or Charisma-based ability check or skill check the user attempts within the herb’s duration.
- Dry Herbs: Utilized to protect the body and mind, a dry herb can be consumed to allow the user to reroll one saving throw they attempt within a number of rounds equal to your operative modifier. The user decides whether to reroll the saving throw after the results are revealed and must take the second result even if it is worse.
- Intense Herbs: Used to elicit a short-term benefit or one that alters the user’s energy, an intense herb can be consumed to gain a +5-foot alchemical bonus to all of the user’s speeds for the herb’s duration. Special: If you possess the Double Dose talent, the numerical increase instead applies to the herb’s duration.
- Savory Herbs [DRS]: Known for its salty and earthy taste, a savory herb can be consumed to gain temporary hit points equal to 2 + your operative modifier (minimum 1) for the herb’s duration. A savory herb can be added to a concoction as a twist, granting the imbiber (or the creature it is applied to in the case of an aroma) a number of temporary hit points equal to twice the number of herbs spent on the concoction. These temporary hit points last for the duration of the concoction. If a tainted herb is added to such a concoction, it loses all benefits granted by the savory herb.
- Sour Herbs: Used to rapidly ferment or sour a concoction to enhance its effects–although typically with unfortunate side effects–a sour herb can be consumed to gain a +2 competence bonus to saving throws against disease and poison effects. At any point during the herb’s duration, the user can spend a swift action to retch, making them sickened for 1 round and granting them a new saving throw against any poisons they are suffering from (a failed attempt does not further the poisons effects).
- Spicy Herbs: Used to enhance and alter physical abilities, a spicy herb can be consumed to gain a +2 competence bonus to the next Strength-, Dexterity-, or Constitution-based ability check or skill check the user attempts within the herb’s duration.
- Sweet Herbs: Known to encourage natural healing processes, a sweet herb can be consumed to gain fast healing 1 for the herb’s duration.
- Tainted Herbs [DRS]: Used to harm as opposed to heal, a tainted herb can be used as a contact or ingested poison that deals 1 Constitution damage (immediate onset, Fortitude negates). A tainted herb can be added to a concoction as a twist, making it tainted. A tainted concoction changes any bonuses that it grants to an equivalent penalty, as well as reversing any other effects of the concoction. Some twists may not be able to be cleanly ‘reversed’ (such as the Energizer bitter herb twist), and may be incompatible. In these instances, the twist instead increases the saving throw DC of the tainted concoction by 1. A tainted concoction is considered an injury or ingested poison (chosen upon creation) for abilities that rely on it, and when exposed to it, grants a Fortitude save to negate its effects.
Naturalist’s Eye [approach] (Ex)
You may adopt this approach as a swift action. While you maintain this approach, you gain a +2 insight bonus to this package’s associated skill checks, Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks, increasing by 1 per 4 ranks in the associated skill you possess. You can also identify a poison or potion as a swift or immediate action with a successful associated skill check against the save DC of the poison (if a poison) or 15 + the potion’s spell level (if a potion)–to identify a poison or potion, you must either be handling it or witness it affecting a creature within close range.
Additionally, you can use this package’s associated skill instead of any Dexterity-, Intelligence-, Wisdom-, or Charisma-based skill check made against a plant creature or any such check made in regards to plants. Whenever you attempt such a check, you can spend 1 use of skill leverage to treat the check as though you had rolled a 15 on the die–this is treated as if you had taken 10 on the check.
Finally, you regain 1 skill leverage when you successfully identify a plant or plant type creature that you have never encountered before.
Remedy Package
Associated Skill: Heal.
You gain the medical expertise and physician’s efficacy abilities.
Medical Expertise
When you treat deadly wounds on a creature, you only need 10 minutes to do so, can do so an additional time per day, and if you exceed the DC by 5 or more, you can add your operative modifier (minimum 1) instead of your Wisdom modifier to the amount healed. You can spend 1 use of skill leverage to ignore the daily limit on a creature when treating deadly wounds on them.
For every 5 ranks in this package’s associated skill you possess, you reduce the time taken to treat deadly wounds this way by 1 step (10 minutes > 1 minute > full-round > standard > move > swift); attempting to do so as a full-round action or shorter provokes attacks of opportunity.
Physician’s Efficacy [approach]
You can adopt this approach as a swift action. While adopting this approach, you gain a +2 insight bonus to Heal checks, +1 per 4 associated ranks. You can also treat deadly wounds as a full-round action (which provokes attacks of opportunity); or one step faster if you can already do so as a full-round action.
You can spend 1 use of skill leverage when adopting this approach to allow you to treat any roll of a 4 or lower on a Heal check as if you had rolled a 5 instead, as well as allowing you to add twice your operative modifier (minimum 1) instead of your Wisdom modifier if you exceed the DC to treat deadly wounds by 5 or more.