Medicine without the Church

Someone always wants to play a Cleric simply because they have healing spells, but no one should be forced into the clergy because of medical necessity. Here are 4 flavorful variations on the basic “healing spell” for Magic-Users instead.

This spell is almost exactly like Cure Light Wounds (pg. 98, Rules and Magic) except:

Roll 1d4

1. The Magic-User applies an herbal poultice created during the memorization process, using local plants gathered through intuition, to the wounds of the wounded, sealing up cuts and fading contusions. The character must wear the poultice for the next 24 hours, or the wounds will suddenly reappear when they remove it.
   
   The character exudes a powerful musk that animals find distasteful this whole time: dogs will bark at them, horses will whinny, and so on. The increased noise caused by fleeing birds and other creatures will make encounters in the wilderness much more likely, and the use of domestic animals will become much more difficult. (Roll for Reactions involving natural animals using only 1d6, automatically roll for a “Wilderness” encounter if applicable)
   
2. The Magic-User must prepare an astrological chart, under the open night sky, so as to better align the astral influences of the moons and planets in the favor of a subject, and also perform a particular incantation dependent upon the movements of the heavens at the time of casting. The spell can only be prepared or cast outdoors, at night, with the stars fully visible.
   
3. The Magic-User prepares a quaff of potion similar to “Dwale”, a hemlock-based and opioid based anesthetic, from local materials. After this vile, bitter liquid is drunk the spell takes effect, but the person who drunk it must Save vs. Poison immediately. If successful they fall unconscious for 1d6 rounds. If unsuccessful they must Save vs. Poison once again, if this roll is successful they fall unconscious for 1d6 turns. If that roll is also failed they must Save vs. Poison one final time or simply die, as their lungs fail to draw breath.
   
4. The Magic-User must have a ritual item available to cast this spell, one similar to what caused the initial wounds. A dull blade for cuts, a hammer for blunt traumas, and so on. This weapon is placed in, on, and near the wounds to be healed, causing them to be suddenly and miraculously cauterized by a searing, painless heat that nonetheless leaves distressing scars.
   
   These ritual items may be re-used, but they may be touched only by the magic user and the intended target of the spell, lest they lose their enchantment. They are “charged” during memorization, and each type of wound also requires a different memorization.
   
   (For healing temporary negative conditions a symbol of the Caduceus may be used.)