Apothecaries and Herbalists

At first glance, these may seem to be two completely different occupations, but they share similar roles in the community. Both apothecaries and herbalists provide medicines for people suffering from a variety of ailments, and a great portion of these remedies are derived from various plants, herbs, and roots. Townspeople go to apothecaries or herbalists for pain relievers, poultices, purgatives and laxatives, and all other kinds of medicines.

Adventurers find that apothecaries and herbalists are excellent sources of spell components, especially from the common, herb, and animal specimen lists. In addition, apothecaries sometimes serve as dealers in odds-and-ends in smaller towns, and a magical item such as a potion or ring may occasionally turn up in their possession. This is an unusual occurrence, so player characters might have the opportunity to examine or purchase an item only once or twice in a campaign year from any given apothecary. Refer to the list of the most common magical items , at the end of this chapter.

In addition to their trade in spell components and the rare magical item, apothecaries and herbalists can create medicinal mixtures with the following properties:

Healing salve: This ointment contains herbs that help to stop bleeding and close a wound, as well as infection-fighting properties. Applying the salve to a character with open cuts or bleeding wounds (not crushing or bludgeoning injuries) restores 1 hit point per separate wound or injury. For example, if a character was struck three times in the course of a melee, three applications of salve could restore 3 lost hit points. Healing salve costs 5 to 20 gold pieces per application.

Healing poultice: This compress helps to reduce swelling and bruising. It has the same effect as healing salve when applied to impact injuries and costs 10 to 30 gold pieces per poultice.

Poison antidote: A herbalist or apothecary can prepare an antidote to one specific natural toxin, such as a rattlesnake bite or the sting of a giant wasp. The apothecary must have some idea of what will help the victim, so rare or unusual venoms (such as the giant wasp mentioned above) may be completely unknown. If the character knows an antidote, the herbalist or apothecary can prepare a dose that will remain good for 1 to 4 days at a cost of 20 to 80 gp. The poison antidote allows the victim to reroll his saving throw vs. poison with a +2 bonus, if it is administered within five rounds of the poisoning. Naturally, it is only effective against the specific toxin it was prepared for.

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