Plague Doctor

I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker! Perhaps the Plague Doctor is both. Plague Doctor is really funky if you couldn't tell by the Support DPS role. Two things that are seemingly incongruous meeting together in a weird pastiche is kind of what this class is all about. Science and High Fantasy with literal magic and having your abilities healing people one minute and melting off their face with your very touch the next. You gain the powers from rigorous study and going so in depth with your field of study that it physically changes you and allows you to generate poison and begin to melt others. This class plays like a Rogue Healer which isn't really an archetype present otherwise.

Role: Support DPS

Characteristics: Limited Casting. Healer focused on science with a toxic touch

Source: Homebrew

Game Rule Information

The Plague Doctor has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Intelligence fuels your abilities, Dexterity and Constitution help you survive with your light armor and d6 hit die,

Alignment: Any Non Chaotic

Hit Die: d6

Starting Gold: 4d4 x 10 gp

Class Skills

The Plague Doctor's class skills are Alchemy (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Forgery (Int), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (any)(Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spot (Wis)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Plague Doctor.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Plague Doctor is proficient with All simple weapons and light armor but not shields

Spells: Beginning at 1th level, a plague doctor gains the ability to cast a number of arcane spells using alchemy. To cast a spell, a plague doctor must have an Intelligence score of at least 12 + the spell’s level, so a plague doctor with an Intelligence of 12 or lower cannot cast these spells. Plague doctor bonus spells are based on Intelligence, and saving throws against these spells have a DC of 12 + spell level + the plague doctor's Intelligence bonus. When the plague doctor gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence score for that spell level.

Unlike a Wizard or Cleric, a plague doctor doesn't need to learn or prepare spells, he automatically knows all spells on his spell list and can cast them spontaneously. Additionally, he does not gain the typical arcane spell failure chance from casting in light armor, but heavier armor and shields still incur spell failure chance. If your campaign is using the spell point variant rule, a plague doctor receives spell points as a bard.

Vitriolic Touch Su: Whenever the target of a melee attack would be denied their dexterity bonus to AC, similar to the sneak attack class feature of a rogue, the Plague Doctor can add an additional 1d6 acid damage to the attack from their vitriolic touch. This damage is also applied on a critical hit regardless of whether or not the target has been denied their Dexterity bonus to AC. The damage increases with his plague doctor level as shown in the table. At higher levels, the plague doctor may also add effects to the touch. A fortitude (DC = 10 + 1/2 level + Int) halves the damage and negates any sickening or nauseating effect. Succeeding the save also renders the target immune to being sickened or nauseated by a vitriolic touch for one minute.

Sickening Touch (Su): At 7th level, creatures damaged by the plague doctor's vitriolic touch who fail their save are sickened for one round.

Nauseating Touch (Su): At 13th level, creatures damaged by the plague doctor's vitriolic touch who fail their save are nauseated for one round.

Medical Study Ex: At 1st level, plague doctors may use their Intelligence modifier instead of their Wisdom modifier when making Heal and Survival checks.

Professionalism Ex: At level two, plague doctors add 1/2 their class level to all Heal, Craft (Poisonmaking), Craft (Alchemy), and Profession checks involving medical knowledge. Additionally plague doctors are trained in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison to a blade.

Detect Malady Su: At 2nd level a plague doctor often knows what ails the afflicted by sight. He may make a level check versus the save DC of a poison or disease in order to recognize it in other individuals.

Combat Medic Su: A 3rd level plague doctor can heal allies up to Level×Int worth of hit points per day. A plague doctor may choose to divide his healing among multiple recipients, and he doesn’t have to use it all at once. Performing combat medicine is a standard action. This healing does not deal damage to undead like a Paladin's Lay on Hands would.

Professional Grade Ex: At 4th level, a plague doctor gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases.

Poison Touch Su: At 5th level, the plague doctor has worked with poisons and other noxious chemicals for so long that he can spontaneously generate a single dose of poison from their body. By concentrating for 3 rounds and then making a successful touch attack or attack with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, the attack has the additional effect of exposing the victim to poison. While concentrating, the plague doctor can undertake other actions so long as his attention stays focused. He must choose what type of poison he is creating when he starts and his poison loses potency after three rounds of non-use. The effects of the poisons are shown below. A poison touch may be used at the same time as a Vitriolic touch and its variants. The DC of a poison generated this way is 10 + 1/2 Plague Doctor level + Int.

Composure Ex: Beginning at 6th level, a plague doctor can keep his composure regardless of external conditions and is immune to fear and other emotional effects (such as rage). Additionally, a plague doctor's will has been strengthened by their strenuous experiences, she gains the feat Iron Will as a bonus feat.

Placebo Ex: The mind is a powerful thing and can trick the body into recovering. By 7th level, if a plague doctor fails a heal check, he may attempt another at a -5 penalty. If he succeeds the second heal check, the victim is affected as if the first check had succeeded.

Venom Immunity Ex: At level nine, a plague doctor becomes immune to nonmagical poisons.

Spiritual Healing Su: Many intellectuals don't understand the nature of the soul, or spirit or ki or whatever the patients decide to call it, but the best plague doctors know that there is some supernatural something that keeps the body alive. A 10th level plague doctor may make a Heal check to remove negative levels from an afflicted creature (including herself). The DC of the heal check is the same as the DC of the effect that caused the negative level. The number of negative levels that a plague doctor may remove per day is equal to their class level + Int. A plague doctor makes one check per negative level and may not retry if she fails the check. She can however, attempt to remove other negative levels affecting the subject assuming they have more than one negative level afflicting them. This ability takes one minute for each attempt.

Anatomical Study Ex: A good doctor learns that everything has its weak points, at 11th level, a plague doctor gain the ability to score critical hits on creatures typically immune to them if he succeeds a heal check (DC=10+Creatures's HD). He may affect constructs, plants and undead, but not oozes. Additionally, on a success, a plague doctor may ignore the effect of light fortification on foes.

Lecture Ex: At 14th level, a plague doctor who has succeeds his heal check to allow critical hits via his Anatomical Study ability may take fifteen minutes to inform his allies of this anatomical breakthrough to convey this benefit to a total number of people equal to one fifth his plague doctor level for one day. Rogues and Scouts given this bonus may use their sneak attack and skirmish abilities on creatures typically immune.

Dissolving Touch Su: At 16th level, a plague doctor has learned poisons so vile that they can damage creatures typically immune to poison. Constructs can be corroded, undead flesh can be dissolved, and plants can be made to wither. If he succeeds a Anatomical Study check, he may use his poison touch to cause physical ability damage constructs, undead, and other creatures immune to poison. Since the poison literally dissolves their bodies, natural immunity to poison does not apply. However, the damage done by the poison is half of what would normally occur on a non-immune target (minimum of 1). The exception to this rule is plants who take full physical damage and can take mental ability damage as well.

Table 1-1: Plague Doctor Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Vitriolic Touch	Spells per Day
							1	2	3	4
1st	+0	+0	+2	+0	Vitriolic touch, medical study	1d6	0	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+0	Professionalism, detect malady	1d6	1	—	—	—
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+1	Combat medic	1d6	1	—	—	—
4th	+3	+1	+4	+1	Professional grade	2d6	2	—	—	—
5th	+3	+1	+4	+1	Poison touch	2d6	2	0	—	—
6th	+4	+2	+5	+2	Composure	2d6	3	1	—	—
7th	+5	+2	+5	+2	Placebo	Sickens, 3d6	3	1	—	—
8th	+6/+1	+2	+6	+2	—	3d6	4	2	—	—
9th	+6/+1	+3	+6	+3	Venom immunity	3d6	4	2	0	—
10th	+7/+2	+3	+7	+3	Spiritual healing	4d6	5	3	1	—
11th	+8/+3	+3	+7	+3	Anatomical study	4d6	5	3	1	—
12th	+9/+4	+4	+8	+4	—	4d6	5	4	2	—
13th	+9/+4	+4	+8	+4	—	Nauseates, 5d6	6	4	2	0
14th	+10/+5	+4	+9	+4	Lecture	5d6	6	5	3	1
15th	+11/+6/+1	+5	+9	+5	—	5d6	6	5	3	1
16th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+5	Dissolving touch	6d6	6	5	4	2
17th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+5	—	6d6	6	5	4	2
18th	+13/+8/+3	+6	+11	+6	—	6d6	6	5	5	3
19th	+14/+9/+4	+6	+11	+6	—	7d6	6	5	5	3
20th	+15/+10/+5	+6	+12	+6	—	7d6	6	5	5	4

Table 1-2: Poison Touch Effect

Plague Doctor Level	Str/Dex Damage	Con Damage	Wis/Int/Cha Damage
5th-7th	1d2	—	1
8th-9th	1d3	1	1d2
10th-11th	1d4	1d2	1d3
12th-13th	1d6	1d3	1d4
14th-20th	2d4	1d4	1d6

Plague Doctor Spell List

1st Level: Barkskin, Cause Fear, Cure Light Wounds, Delay Poison, Daze, Diminish Plants, Disguise Self, Feather Fall, Gentle Repose, Ghost Sound, Ghoul Touch, Inflict Light Wounds, Deathwatch, Doom, Pass Without Trace, Remove Fear, Remove Paralysis, Resist Energy.

2nd Level: Alter Self, Bear's Endurance, Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Contagion, Cure Moderate Wounds, Eagle's Splendor, Fox's Cunning, Lesser Restoration, Neutralize Poison, Owl's Wisdom, Poison, Plant Growth, Remove Disease.

3rd Level: Animate Dead, Blight, Blindness/Deafness, Break Curse, Cure Serious Wounds, Death Knell, Death Ward, Detect Thoughts, Dispel Magic, False Life, Giant Vermin, Inflict Serious Wounds, Nondetection, Mind Fog, Remove Blindness/Deafness, Repel Vermin, Restoration, Rusting Grasp, Stone to Flesh.

4th Level: Animal Growth, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Commune With Nature, Cure Critical Wounds, Eyebite, Inflict Critical Wounds, Mass Inflict Light Wounds, Mass Cure Light Wounds, Raise Dead, Panacea

Bonus Spells

In 3.6e, spellcasters who have a limited number of spells per day are granted additional spell slots based on their casting stat modifier according to the table below. In order to receive the bonus spell slots, they must already be able to cast spells of that level.

Table 1-3: Bonus Spells Per Day

Skill Bonus	Level 0	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
1	1	1	1	0	0
2	2	2	1	1	1
3	3	3	2	2	1
4	4	4	2	2	1
5	5	5	3	2	1
6	6	6	3	2	2
7	7	7	4	2	2
8	8	8	4	3	2
9	9	9	5	3	2
10	10	10	5	3	3
11	11	11	6	4	3

Ex-Plague Doctors

A plague doctor who becomes chaotic cannot progress further as a plague doctor. Additionally, a plague doctor who multiclasses as a divine spellcaster has violated the necessary scientific mindset of a doctor and loses access to Detect Malady, Combat Medic, Spells, Poison Touch, Spells, immunities, and Placebo.