Herbalist

A slender dragonborn bends over the stone table supporting a farmers still form, her clothing spattered with blood as she struggles to save the leg that was crushed beneath his cart.

His hands moving in a blur bandage and salve the halfling crouches amid the din of battle, leathers muddied and his supplies running low. The soldiers' breath evens out as the gash in his throat closes up, and watches his halfling healer dart across the battlefield to the next casualty.

Crumbling the final herbs into a tincture bubbling over her campfire, an elf woman prepares for the night ahead. Savior or saboteur, the distinction depends only on the application of her knowledge, and to whom.

Not every community is blessed with a divine healer, but Herbalists can be found wherever there is a need. These men and women are revered in their communities as healers and masters of natural lore. With a deepened understanding of the body an herbalist can quickly save a life, but they can just as easily take one.

Revered Healers

Masters of natural lore, Herbalists are healers combining the bounty of the earth with years of intensive study and experimentation. Equally at home in the wilds as in an infirmary, Herbalists can be found among many walks of life, and with widely varied callings.

It is common for journeyman healers to take up adventuring upon completion of their apprenticeships, and are often found practicing their craft on the citizenry of the towns and cities they pass through. When plague and strife threaten the common folk, Herbalists can easily be found in its midst, searching for a cure with steel and salve.

Seekers of Unknown Lore

All Herbalists are trained in the Herb Lore of their profession, a powerful set of skills developed over centuries of experimentation and the study of Druidic magic. This understanding allows a Herbalist to combine mundane ingredients into powerful potions and poultices, resulting in miraculous effects on the world around them.

It is the drive for new and novel lore that sends many adventuring Herbalists to the edge of the civilized world. Undiscovered plant life, ancient surgical techniques, and long-lost medical journals would all tempt a journeyman away from the safety of the city. Even monsters are a trove of ingredients and information for those willing and able to bring them down.

Creating a Herbalist

As you create your Herbalist, consider where and how your character obtained their training. Did you apprentice to the old sage on the outskirts of the village? Did you leave your apprenticeship, or did your master die of disease--one you've vowed to find a cure for? Or perhaps you learned your skills at the University, trained in anatomy and potion making with a class of your peers. You may have even been affiliated with a druidic circle, training in the natural arts and wilderness lore.

Why did your character take up adventuring? Were there too many Herbalists in the city already? Are you in search of a cure for a mysterious disease ravaging the countryside? Maybe you're hunting for the heart of some exotic monster to use in a new concoction. Are you out to make your fortune with the Guild, practicing your craft on accident prone adventurers?

Quick Build

You can make an Herbalist quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Wisdom, followed by Constitution or Dexterity. Second, choose from the Guild Artisan, Hermit, or Sage backgrounds.

Class Features

As an Herbalist, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Die: 1d8 per Herbalist level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per physiker level after 1st

• Any two simple weapons
• A hand crossbow and 20 bolts
• (a) Alchemist's Supplies or (b) Herbalism kit
• (a) Leather armor or (b) Chain Shirt
• (a) scholar's pack or (b) explorer's pack

If you forgo this starting equipment, as well as the items provided by your background, you start with 4d4 x 10 gp to buy your equipment.

Tools Required

You produce your Herbalist spell effects through your tools. You must have a spellcasting focus---specifically alchemist's supplies or an herbalism kit---in hand when you cast any spell with this spellcasting feature. You must be proficient with the tool to use it in this way. See chapter 5, "Equipment," in the Player's Handbook for descriptions of these tools.

After you gain the Topical Treatments feature at 2nd level, you can also use any one of your treatments as a spellcasting focus.

The Recipe Uses column show how many times an Herbalist can use their mixtures between every long rest. For example: a 7th level Herbalist can use their mixtures 6 times per long rest, in any combination of the 3 recipes they know.

Creating a Recipe

Over the course of a long rest you perform all the activities necessary to create your potent mixtures. Such activities may include grinding and simmering herbs, sourcing additional alchemicals, and exploring the surrounding area for ingredients.

Your mixture remains potent indefinitely, but when you die, the potency fades after a number of days have passed equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1 day). The potency also fades if you give up your knowledge of the recipe for another one.

You can create more than one mixture over the course of a long rest, the maximum number of mixtures appears in the Recipes Known column of the Herbalist Table. If you try to exceed the maximum number of recipes, your oldest mixture immediately loses its potency, and then the new mixture becomes magically potent.

Herbalist Specialization

At 3rd level, you choose the type of specialist you are: Field Medic, Potion Master, or Medicine Man, each of which is detailed at the end of the class's description. Your choice grants you features at 5th level and again at 9th and 15th level.

Health Potion Savant

At 3rd level, you have become an expert in the creation of potions of healing. The gold and time you must spend to create a potion of healing is halved.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th,and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature

If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat.

Proficiency Versatility

(enhances Ability Score Improvement)

When you gain the Ability Score Improvement feature from your class, you can also replace one of your skill proficiencies with a skill proficiency offered by your class at 1st level (the proficiency you replace needn't be from the class).

This change represents one of your skills atrophying as you focus on a different skill. You may do this again at levels 8, 12, 16, and 19.

Herbalist Specialization Feature

At 5th level, you gain a feature granted by your Herbalist Specialist choice.

Calamitous Concoction

At 20th level, you have discovered the most volatile mix of magic and herb lore known to your profession. Once per long rest you can cast Storm of Vengeance without expending a spell slot, without preparing the spell, and without material components, provided you use your herbalism kit as the spellcasting focus. Once you cast the spell with this feature, you can't cast it again until you finish a long rest. The spell does not require concentration when used with this feature, but you may not end the spell early.

Herbalist Specializations

Field Medic

Many herbalists can be found plying their trade in war torn regions, or as part of a nations military. These Field Medics are trained to save lives in the chaos of battle by healing the wounded, or laying their attackers low.

Field Medic Spells

Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the table below. These spells count as herbalist spells for you, but they don't count against the number of herbalist spells you prepare.

Herbalist Level	Spell
3	Absorb elements, Heroism
5	Enlarge/Reduce, Warding Wind
9	Aura of Vitality, Feign Death
13	Death Ward, Stoneskin
17	Destructive Wave, Raise Dead

Combat Training

When you choose this specialization at 3rd level, you gain the following features:

• proficiency with martial weapons and shields.
• you have a pool of d6s that you can use to heal wounds. The number of dice in this pool is equal to half your Herbalist level, rounded up. As a bonus action, you can heal one creature within 5 feet of you, spending dice from the pool. The maximum number of dice you can spend at once equals your wisdom modifier (minimum of one die). Roll the dice you spend, add them together, and restore a number of hit points equal to the total. Your pool regains all expended dice when you finish a long rest.

Extra Attack

Starting at 5th level, you can attack twice, rather than once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Witch Doctor Spells

Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the table below. These spells count as herbalist spells for you, but they don't count against the number of herbalist spells you prepare.

Dipped Darts

When you choose this specialization at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the poisoner's kit and blowgun. This blowgun allows you to apply one of your Recipe uses to a blow dart as a Bonus Action on your turn. When you hit a creature with a dipped dart the creature takes 1 damage as normal, and then the mixture applies to it. If you target a willing creature within 25 feet the dart hits automatically. When targeting a creature outside of 25 feet you must roll at disadvantage against their AC.

The Right Dose

At 5th level, you develop preternatural control over your magic and mixtures, enhancing the healing and damage you effect with them. Whenever you cast a spell using your herbalism kit or alchemists supplies as the spellcasting focus, you gain a bonus to one roll of the spell. That roll must restore hit points or deal acid, poison, or necrotic damage, and the bonus equals your Wisdom modifier (minimum of +1). This feature also applies to any of your mixtures that restore hit points or deal poison damage.

Cleansing Herbs

Starting at 9th level, you have discovered cleansing and restorative ingredients to add to your mixtures:

• When you apply a mixture to a friendly creature, that creature regains hit points equal to 1d4 + your Wisdom Modifier (minimum of 1)
• You can cast lesser restoration without expending a spell slot and without preparing the spell, provided you use an herbalism kit or alchemist's supplies as the spellcasting focus. You can do so a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Deathspeaker

By 15th level you have mastered the fine line between life and death, the end holds little fear for you:

• You gain resistance to poison damage, and are immune to the poisoned condition.
• You have advantage on death saving throws.
• You can cast cloudkill and heal without expending a spell slot, without preparing the spell, and without material components, provided you use an herbalism kit or alchemist's supplies as the spellcasting focus. Once you cast either spell with this feature, you can't cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest.

Miracles and Maladies