Traditions of Faith

Black Wood Herbalists
Lesson One – Herblore
A student of the Herbalists receives quite an education regarding various plants and their uses. She gains a +2 bonus to all Profession checks and may consider it a class skill.

Lesson Two – Edibles and Poisons
Which plants are safe to eat and which are not? This question has plagued many an adventurer who is low on rations and wondering what that pink mushroom would due to his growling stomach. In this lesson, a student learns the names of common plants and weeds and quick tricks to determine if they are edible or not. She gains a +4 bonus to Wilderness Lore checks for this purpose.

Lesson Three – Tea Reading
Foretelling the future by the patterns in tea leaves is an ancient art form. The Black Wood Herbalists have their own version, which produces surprisingly accurate results. This technique duplicates the effects of the augury spell and can be performed once per day.

Lesson Four – Healing Salves
Certain herbs, when mixed appropriately, are very helpful in closing wounds, preventing infection, and stabilizing a dying character. If a student who knows this technique has 5 or more ranks in Profession, her synergy bonus on Heal checks increases to +4.

Lesson Five – Extract Poison
Deadly poisons can strike without warning. Small children are prone to munching on pretty flowers, while adventurers often come in contact with irritable snakes or nasty traps. Extracting a poison is a delicate process since it does not necessarily cure the poison or its initial affects. A character who knows this technique can use a Heal check (DC equal to the poison’s save DC) to extract a poison and prevent any further damage it might cause. Initial damage is not healed by this technique.

Lesson Six – Cure Disease
Some curative balms are very helpful to a healer confronted with disease. Although they generally smell awful, these balms must be smeared over the diseased individual’s skin, particularly in areas where the disease is highly active. A student who knows this technique can make a Heal check (DC equals 10 + the disease’s save DC) to cure a disease. This duplicates the effects of the remove disease spell. The ingredients necessary to create the balm cost 150 gp.

Lesson Seven – Healing Oils
The recipes for minor healing oils have been refined and perfected over the centuries. A student learns how to mix these oils from common ingredients found in healer’s kits and small herb gardens. They are non-magical in nature but greatly aid in the recovery of an injured individual. If a student who knows this technique has 10 or more ranks in Profession, her synergy bonus on Heal checks increases to +6. Treated individuals recover two hit points immediately and naturally heal at twice the normal rate for 24 hours.

Lesson Eight – Dispelling Incense
Incense and spice are great for relaxation and clearing the mind of harmful enchantments. A character who knows this technique can use a Heal check (DC equal to the spell’s save DC) to dispel an enchantment on a character or animal. This duplicates the effects of the break enchantment spell. In order for the student to perform the Heal check properly, the victim must breathe in the fumes of the burning incense. The incense costs 150 gp per application.

Lesson Nine – Advanced Potions
Requires the Brew Potion feat. Other spellcasters may have the knowledge to put together potions, but none can make them quite as strong as the Herbalists of the Black Wood. The Herbalists bring an immense mental library of useful herbs to the alchemy table. Provided that the herbalist knows and can cast the spell, she can now brew a potion of any spell of 4th level or lower.

Lesson Ten – Mastery of Plants
A Black Wood Herbalist eventually develops a supernatural control over plants and sentient plant creatures. It is not so much a dominating presence as an awe-filled friendship. The plants look up to and respect the herbalist’s knowledge. Once per day, a character with this technique can express her mastery of plants, which mimics the effects of the command plants spell. Charmed plants, however, never overcome the enchantment unless the Herbalist personally attacks them.

Lionsguard
Lesson One – Optimism
The Lionguard try to instill a strong sense of optimism and morality in their students. A student learns to see how all trials, even bad ones, are an opportunity for spiritual growth. The result of this optimism is a +2 morale bonus to saves against fear effects.

Lesson Two – Encourage Ally
Sometimes all people need for success is a little confidence in themselves and their abilities. Astudent of the Lionguard is given many helpful ideas on how to inspire faith and self-assurance in another character so that they increase their performance. When aiding an ally in combat, the benefits last an additional round. Additional aid does not stack.

Lesson Three – Relax Animal
A calming word. A gentle touch. A sincere smile. There are many ways to soothe a frightened or upset animal. For this lesson, the student and master visit an animal farm or zoo and interact with the animals. The student is taught how to focus an animal’s attention away from sources of fright. The character can now calm an animal with an Animal Empathy check (DC 15). This duplicates the effects of the calm animals spell.

Lesson Four – Inspire Confidence
Fear is always the greatest obstacle to success because it can cause an individual to not even try. The fear of failure, the fear of pain, and the fear of loss are difficult challenges to overcome. The Lionguards know just what to say to strengthen a person’s resolve and confidence, and they can uplift a frightened ally or dispel the effects of fear. A character with this ability can make a Diplomacy check (DC 15) to negate the fear of another character, even if it is magically induced.

Lesson Five – Inspire Leadership
The Lionguard are famous for taking a young man of simple background and turning him into a great hero and leader among men. With the Lionguard’s support, any character can assume a position of leadership. So blessed is the Lionguard with divine purpose that merely their presence is a boon to those around them. As a supernatural ability a student with this technique can grant another character a +2 bonus to all Charisma checks and Charisma-related skill checks. This ability works as long as the Lionguard can be around to bolster the affected character. A Lionguard may only use this ability on one person at a time.

Lesson Six – Determined Journeyman
There are many walls that block the path of a true believer and many pitfalls that can hinder her spiritual growth. In this lesson, the master reminds a student of the divine influences in her life with simple sayings and religious stories to think upon during difficult times. The master teaches the student how to strengthen her will and resolve. As a supernatural ability for up to 10 minutes per day, a character with this technique can slip through hindrances (magical and non) as if continually under the influence of a freedom of movement spell.

Lesson Seven - Protective Presence
The encouraging sayings that a student learns in lesson two are greatly improved in this lesson, in which a master teaches the student how to shift his aid quickly among multiple allies. A character with this technique can offer aid in battle to two separate allies as long as they are within 10 ft. of each other and both adjacent to the Lionguard character.

Lesson Eight – Inspire Resilience
Many things run through the mind of the dying, even if they are not conscious enough to recognize any of it. Failures, successes, hopes, and dreams all flash before a character’s eyes dur- ing the last throes of his life. A student of the Lionguard is taught how to reach through to a dying character’s thoughts and use them to inspire the character to embrace life. As a supernatural ability, the student can make a Diplomacy check (DC 20) to inspire a dying character. On a successful check, the dying character stabilizes and returns to consciousness with one hit point. This supernatural ability can only be used once per day.

Lesson Nine – Courage Ward
The Lionguard have a special prayer that blesses a character with courage. The courage ward is a supernatural ability and can only be used once per day. Asingle touched target gains a +4 bonus to all saves for one hour.

Lesson Ten – Battle Cry
Kalos Strongblade, the famous barbarian-turned-paladin, first used this technique in the goblin wars during the slaughter of Haryn. Although Kalos and his brave group of knights fell under the goblin onslaught, the goblins suffered incredible losses for their trouble. The battle cry grants a group of allies supernatural strength in combat. By making a cry, all allies within 10 ft. of the Lionguard gain a +4 bonus on all attack and damage rolls for the next minute. A Lionguard can use this ability once per day.