Surgeon

Skilled experts in the mystic arts of medicine. They blend healing magic with science to mend and protect at any cost.

Now, look! I’m not just some hack with a scalpel and rum for pain. Healing’s an art. I dance with Death itself, and I’ve not stepped on his toes yet! So, if I say I can sew that back on, it gets sewn on! Just don’t get it cut off again!

- Dr. Lina “Bones” Yaktine, ship’s Surgeon of the HMS Relentless

The world is a symphony of chaos and change. It’s accompanied by the roaring of cannons, clash of swords, and the screams of blood-thirsty sirens. Adventure could be a day’s sail away, or just around the next dark corner. Every step along that trip carries the risk of injury, sometimes fatal.

Surgeons are the calm in that storm. A beacon of hope in this dangerous song. Warriors who wield scalpel and spell to mend broken bodies, minds, and spirits. They are healers, but also scholars, always in search of new or ancient medical techniques. Remedies that push the boundaries of what’s known for their craft. You are a Surgeon, a member of this ancient fellowship.

But, like any Surgeon, you’re not a shy or retiring type. When your patient, allies, or crew is threatened, you’re the most dangerous threat of all. Your allies have strength, guile, sharp-eyed accuracy and more, but you have something else. You know how a body works. How it functions and moves. So you know exactly where to hit for the deadliest results.

As a Surgeon, you gain XP when you handle a challenge with your medical skills and abilities. Even if that’s protecting and preventing harm to your crew, friends, or allies.

No matter the conflict, place, or time, your skills are always in demand. Your operating table might be a finely crafted piece of wood, a makeshift board on a ship, or a ragged blanket on a beach. But no matter the wound, even if to a patient’s mind or spirit, your dedication to the craft is iron strong and unwavering.

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Surgeon Starting Actions

Remedy 2

Study 1

Surgeon Starting Ability

Combat Surgeon

Starting Builds

Instead of the typical Surgeon, feel free to use one of the following templates.

Field Apothecary

Most Surgeons you know practice their craft in the safety of an office or a ship’s cabin. That wasn’t for you. No, you take the fight for life into the field, where the chaos of battle is your operating room. With a field apothecary kit in hand and a sharp eye for injuries, you stand in the heat of battle.

It’s your quick wit and nimble hands that help make sure your allies stay healthy through the skirmish. Also, anyone who thinks you’re ‘just a healer’ will be in for an ugly surprise when you fight back with the best of them. You’re more than a Surgeon; you’re a guardian saint who brandishes gunpowder and steel as easily as herbs and medicine.

Alchemist

Potions, elixirs, and even poisons are the tools of your trade. Liquid magic and medicine woven and distilled from herbs, water, and the Etherwave Arcana itself. There is a delicate art to this mystical science and you know every drop. For you, healing goes beyond the physical and instead embraces the alchemy of primal elements.

Your creations can mend flesh, repair bone, or fortify the mind. But also, when the need arises, render opponents unconscious or kill them with vapors of acidic venom. This is the dual nature of your trade. You’re both protector and predator, shielding your friends and allies from Death on one hand, or tipping the scales of combat with a liquid curse on the other.

Suggested Actions

Remedy 2

Maneuver 1

Starting Ability

Swift Aid

Starting Gear

Field Apothecary Kit

Boots with Reinforced Toes

Pistol

Suggested Actions

Craft 1

Channel 1

Study 1

Starting Ability

Master Mixer

Starting Gear

Alchemist Kit

Alchemist’s Bracers

Alchemy Recipe Book. Did you find the book or perhaps stole it? If so, is someone looking for it?

Arcane Healer

Surgeons work to mend flesh and bone, mind and spirit. Unsung heroes that stitch life back together. You’re one of that dedicated order, only you don’t limit yourself to potions, bandages, or medicine. Through your skill with the Etherwave Arcana, you prefer a more precise approach, targeting the heart of an ailment directly.

You weave spells to blend herb and medicine with flesh and bone to repair wounds, cure diseases, and lift curses from a soul. But this work comes with a price. The Arcana demands balance, and the cost comes from your mind and body. It’s a price most aren’t willing to pay, but you are. A sacrifice to ensure your friends and allies can face another dawn.

Suggested Actions

Channel 2

Remedy 1

Starting Ability

Mystic Mending

Starting Gear

Runecrest Gloves. Where did you get yours? Were they made especially for you?

Book of Healing Runes

Lightbender Crystal Amulet

Contents

- Surgeon Starting Actions and Ability

- Starting Builds

- Profession Questions

- Friends and Rivals

- Surgeon Special Abilities

- Typical Surgeon Items

Alternative Names

• Lifeweaver
• Sawbones (or “Bones”)
• Herbwarden
• Cut-and-Sew (derogatory)
• Potion Peddler (derogatory)
• Spell-Quack (derogatory)

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Profession Questions

What inspired you to take up this profession? Or was it someone?

Have you ever had to make the tough choice of saving one life over another?

Do you have any habits, good or bad, that help you cope with emergencies where lives hang in the balance and depend on you?

Did you take an oath or creed when you took up this profession? Such as the Surgeon’s Oath, Apothecary’s Code, or Alchemist’s Creed? Does it help you stay true to your profession, or is it something else that helps you?

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Friends and Rivals

Here are some suggestions for trusted friends and bitter rivals.

Friends

Clara McGuiness

Clara is your former mentor and fellow Surgeon. She’s a Silvashar thayan with deep knowledge about medicine who has consulted with you on a few difficult patients.

Brevin Lark

A herbalist know for his gift with plants and nature, often suspected of being a Wavebinder. He’s been a long-time friend and supplier for rare herbal ingredients.

Leia Drevis

A scout and Navigator, who saved your life in a deadly situation once. Since then, you’ve both been on countless jobs and adventures. You would drop anything to help her if she asked.

Torrin Teague

A short and stocky Wavebinder you’ve known for years. Torrin’s a magnet for trouble, and you’ve had to patch him up more than once from magical duels or other misadventures. It led to an unexpected friendship. You both have lost count of the number of favors you owe each other.

Rivals

Dr. Elion Volgin

This renowned Surgeon has been a long-time rival of yours. He’s an elite snob who considers your methods and techniques reckless. More than once, he has gone out of his way to try to ruin your reputation.

Mira Telos

This unpleasant and stern woman is a Wavebinder who holds a firm belief that the Etherwave Arcana is for ‘pure’ pursuits. Not base things like mixing with medicines or crafting cheap potions. She’s sabotaged your work more than once in pursuit of her lunatic philosophy. You nicknamed her “Hexbane” a long time back, and it stuck. She’s hated you and that nickname ever since.

Gavin Hart

This murderous thief is a pirate who once left you for dead in an alleyway of Port Royal. He had stolen your supplies and kidnapped your patient, a cousin of the Governor. You never saw the patient or your supplies ever again. You’ve never forgotten or forgiven Gavin for this.

Lyria Osto

A morasu Assassin who specializes in poisons. Ones so well crafted that she can time her victim’s death down to the second. You’ve had to treat her victims more than once, which is always a constant race against time to save their life and protect yours from Lyria’s wrath.

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Surgeon Special Abilities

Arcane Anatomy

You’ve always been sensitive to the Etherwave Arcana. Not enough to become a skilled Wavebinder, but you can still tap into it. The Arcana whispers to you, allowing you to ‘see’ magical maladies in victims that other healers miss. Using that and other whispers from the Arcana as your guide, you can select the right enchantments, herbs and potions to cure these magical ailments others cannot see.

Combat Surgeon

Just because you’re a healer doesn’t mean you can’t defend yourself. In fact, in a fight, you’re likely more dangerous than the rest of your allies. After all, you know where to hit that will make it hurt the most. You’re able to defend yourself while treating injured patients or assisting an ally, granting you, your patient, and nearby allies a special armor for that scene that will reduce harm from an attack in combat.

Field Triage

Like any healer, you’re skilled at treating the injured. But you’re at your best in chaotic situations such as the heat of combat or inside a fast moving carriage. During those moments, you excel at medical treatments so that they are twice as effective.

When you Remedy an ailment or wound for your patients, you can either allow their Harm to heal twice as fast or grant a +1d to healing treatment rolls for one scene. In addition, your treatment causes penalties from Harm to be one level less severe, though level 4 harm is still fatal.

Guardian's Oath

As a healer, you put yourself between your patients and any harm coming their way. A protector and guardian against whatever might try to hurt them from thieves, assassins, or Death itself. When you take a stand to protect a patient, or one of your allies, this grants both you and them +1d to the next resistance roll.

Master Mixer

It’s been said there is a potion for any ailment, and you’re worked hard to learn them. Long hours of practice and study have taught you how to distill, mix, or boil these concoctions down to their most powerful form. When you mix a potion, toxin, or other elixir, that creation will have greater potency or quality for one scene. Afterwards, it is no more effective than any other mixture of that kind.

Mystic Mending

You’ve always been drawn to helping others. It’s at the core of who you are and what drew you to this profession. A passion that fuels you no matter what needs to be fixed, from curse or ailment to deadly wound.

Sometimes that passion shines through in other unexpected ways. When you use the Etherwave Arcana to Remedy a patient’s wound or Harm you can, for one patient in one scene, reduce their Harm by one level. In addition, you convert their remaining Harm to Stress. Half of that Stress is given to the patient, but the other half you take as Stress to yourself.

Surgical Precision

Your path to being a Surgeon led you to an intense study of anatomy. So you resolved to learn all you could about how a body moves, works, and functions. Any species interests you but you confined most of your intense study to human, thayan, grimling, and morasu anatomy.

This has given you remarkable insight when treating a patient, but also a secret edge in a fight. When you engage in a Skirmish, fighting in close quarters, you can attack with deadly precision. You gain potency in close quarter combat, either fighting hand to hand or with any melee weapon.

Swift Aid

When someone is injured, time is of the essence. Otherwise, what starts as a slight cut could become a worse sickness in short order, especially if poison is involved. Training and study has let you develop uncanny speed at stabilizing, and even healing, minor wounds in record time. You’re able to do this even if there is a battle raging around you. When you work to stabilize, or heal, a minor wound in battle, you gain a +1 result level to your roll (a 1-3 becomes a 4/5, etc).

Toxic Knowledge

Many Surgeons have a specialty. Yours so happens to come from an unusual place. Long hours of hard training under an Assassin mentor have given you a unique specialty with poisons and diseases. This gives you an advantage when diagnosing and treating them. When you diagnose a patient to discover what type of disease or poison they’re suffering from, you get +1 effect. After, when you work to Remedy them of this toxin, you gain +1d to your roll to do so.

Typical Surgeon Items

A typical list of suggested items to choose from that a Surgeon might have on them.

Weapons

Blunderbuss

A short-barreled rifle that fires a wide burst of shot and is deadly at close range. (2 load)

Dagger

A short blade, ideal for close combat or as a tool. (0 load)

Fine Pistol

A two shot, flintlock handgun.

Who made the pistol? How else is it different from the usual pistol? (1 load)

Machete

A single-edged short sword, useful for cutting down overgrown trails or for when things get up close and too personal. Excellent to cut something but rather poor for stabbing. Often more durable than a short sword, but also can’t be concealed. (1 load)

Starfire Pistol

This is a clockwork pistol with a mystical charge. It fires brilliant bursts of energy and needs to recharge after three shots. The mystic signature attracts supernatural creatures who attack on sight. (1 load)

Gear

Alchemist’s Bracers

These unique dark leather bracers are a staple among Alchemists, so much so that they are an unofficial symbol of the profession. One bracer has a pocket that conceals a small weatherproof notebook and writing stylus, with both covered by a leather flap secured with a brass lock.

The other bracer has a series of five loops like a bandoleer, only instead of ammunition, those loops are for holding small vials of potions or handy mixtures. They come in all sizes and designs, often with engraved enchantments to protect potions or wearer. For reasons no one understands, only defensive enchantments work on these bracers, nothing more.

Are yours the basic type or did you have them customized? Do they have any enchantments on them? What are they? What potions, elixirs, or mixtures do you carry? Are there any formulas in your wrist notebook? (0 load)

Alchemy Recipe Book

Perhaps the most important book any Alchemist owns. This is a book filled with formulas and recipes to brew your potions, salves, and elixirs. Margins are filled with your notes on how to improve or alter them for even more useful creations.

What are your most valuable recipes and formulas? Did you write all of these yourself? Was the book a gift from who trained you? Did you find the book or perhaps stole it? If so, is someone looking for it? (1 load)

Alchemist Kit

This is a small, brown leather bag with a shoulder strap that contains small beakers, ingredients, flint striker and more. All that an Alchemist needs to brew their mixtures in the field.

You carry your favorite minerals, venoms, herbs, and spices in this, just in case there is a need to quickly brew up a healing tonic, sleeping potion, or lethal venom for your allies. In addition, the strap has a set of small, vial-sized loops like a bandoleer to hold your most important potions. Without this? You wouldn’t be able to ply your trade. (1 load)

Gear (cont...)

Book of Healing Runes

This small, brown leather book contains mystic runes and symbols from cultures around the world. These runes improve either the speed, potency, or effectiveness of a healing spell being cast in a scene. But you must choose for that scene how the book helps. Once either speed, potency, or effectiveness of a healing spell has been selected, it may not be changed until the next scene. (1 load)

Field Apothecary Kit

A common sight on any Field Apothecary, this is a leather reinforced double canvas bag worn over the shoulder. Like most medical bags, this one contains a wide collection of scalpels, bandages, salves, and other curatives. But your work more often takes you into the battlefield, back alleys, and other rough places. This is reflected in the contents of your bag from Etherwave Crystals to reference books, protective amulets, and emergency rations. (1 load)

Healer’s Tome

This large, thick leather-bound and locked book contains the accumulated knowledge and understanding of anatomy and remedies. The anatomy section covers the current medical information about humans, thayans, morasu, and grimlings. Despite those detailed accounts, there are still large gaps in knowledge.

In addition, the back of the book holds a long list of common remedies. These are both mundane and magical, intended to ease everything from rough scrapes, breaks, and burns to common illnesses. Even possible curatives for certain curses are recorded. Despite its thickness, the book can easily fit into a backpack with room to spare. (1 load)

Lightbender Crystal Amulet

An amulet made of an amethyst Etherwave Crystal bound in a brass and gold setting and shaped like a monocle. This relic allows any Surgeon to sense hidden ailments or curses that may be a part of a wound when the monocle is worn as an eyepiece. But in the hands of an Arcane Healer, it can be used as a focus to grant them +1 effect when treating a patient.

This unusual item can’t be found for sale by just any jeweler or Wavebinder. Who crafted it for you? How long have you had it? (0 load)

Surgeon’s Kit

The legendary “doctor’s black bag”, this black leather satchel with its metal clasp is a common sight with most any Surgeon. You use it to carry your most effective and needed equipment for your profession.

There are vials of anesthetics, ointments and medicinal compounds. Some are powerful enough to rival enchanted healing potions. From tubes to scalpels, bandages to bone setting tools and surgical guides, you carry what you need to treat most any patient, provided you have the space. (1 load)

Attire

Runecrest Gloves

gloves with a healing rune sewn into the top, or palm, of each glove. Those runes grant a +1 effect in attempts to Remedy a wound for a patient.

Where did you get yours? Were they made especially for you? How are they unique? (0 load)

Sturdy Gloves

These are a pair of durable, well-fitting gloves made of cotton or leather. They give your hands protection during procedures using a scalpel, unstable enchanted potions, and more. In addition, they have helped you with your grip in messy, wet situations where you might have dropped a knife or a vial of explosive liquid. (0 load)

Attire (cont...)

Surgeon’s Vest

A plain waistcoat, or vest, made of stain resistant canvas or cotton. It often comes one of several colors with bone or brass buttons. Four small pockets are on the front, two on either side of the vest. These are just large enough for a pocket watch, spectacles, or small tools. Inside the vest is a small hidden pocket to store quick-access remedies or teas. (0 load)

Tinted, protective goggles

These protective goggles shield a wearer’s eyes from bright lights, sunlight, flash explosions, and the occasional splash of deadly alchemy chemicals. These goggles contain multiple lenses that can be swiveled into place that also let them magnify fine details, or filter light to see near invisible vapors or supernatural threats.

These are highly intricate devices. Where did you get yours? Were they made for you and by who? (0 load)

Personal Items

An old, well-used Scalpel

This old scalpel is your first medical tool you ever had as a Surgeon. You keep it sharp and well oiled, free of rust. But the grip has still tarnished from use over time. It’s a reminder of your journey and decision to be a Surgeon.

Does it look like a normal scalpel or are there any interesting markings on it? Where did you get it? Was it a gift? (0 load)

Portrait of you and your mentor

This small, easily carried portrait of you and the person who mentored you in your profession. You keep this as a reminder of why you took up this profession.

Who exactly is this person? What happened that it was so important that you keep a small portrait of the two of you? How do you carry it? In a locket, or in a leather wallet? (0 load)

Fine pocket watch

This is a precision timepiece made of brass, tin, or silver. It has a cover that can be opened by pressing the winding stem knob on top. The chain attaches to one of your belt loops or to a button on your vest. You keep it in fine running shape and try never to part with it.

Who made it? Did you inherit it? Steal it? Is someone looking for it? Is there anything special about it, like decorative or mysterious engravings on the case? (0 load)

Vial of a Rare Elixir

You’ve carried this mysterious potion for some time and were told to use it only in a dire emergency. A powerful liquid, its enchantment is strong enough that it glows inside its glass container. The elixir allows someone who is exhausted or even wounded to react to a situation as if in perfect health.

Any existing wounds won’t grow worse. But after one scene, once the effects wear off, the person who drank it will collapse and cannot move without medical help. There are five doses of this elixir in the flask. You were always told that to drink all five doses would be lethal.

Where did you get this elixir? What color is the potion? Is that a different color from its glow? Who gave it to you or made it for you? Is it the formula or the ingredients that make it rare? (0 load)