Magical Style: Caducean Secrets

I took Healing spells away from mages, but I decided it might be fun to play a dedicated healer who wasn't a priestly type.  This Order has religious blessing, but it's not a formal part of the church.

The Order of the Sacred Caduceus

Allies: The Church of The Goddess of Healing

The Caduceans are an order of male wizards who serve the Goddess of Healing.  The goddess’s sponsorship grants them access to spells wizards are typically forbidden from learning.  They also ignore the normal prerequisite chain, as their access to specific spells is limited by their rank in the Order instead.

Caducean schools, or Sanctums, are typically boarding schools, normally taking the place of teen apprenticeship as well as university studies for most students.  Typical academic skills are also taught, so a Caducean might pick up any of the liberal arts.

Most students will remain at the Sanctum as full members after graduating.  Those who are unmarried typically live at the Sanctum itself, while those who marry are responsible for their own living arrangements.  Members take no religious vows but have a non-hazardous Duty to the Sanctum, typically done as pro-bono healing provided to the community on a rotating basis. Even with this free service a Caducean can expect a good living.

The Order is very dedicated to the ideals of the Healer’ Code and a member in good standing should at least pretend to it.

The Order has a uniform worn when performing professionally, and many members wear it as their standard dress.  Caduceans wear a hooded robe of white, trimmed with gold serpents at the edges. A white, brimmed pointy hat with the typical wizardly heraldic devices is also allowed, but not required.  They carry wands of hawthorn or oak.

Full Rank in the order costs five points per level[1].  Most adventurers will likely be content with Courtesy Rank, as the required Duty to their Sanctum limits their travel opportunities.  Leaders of the Order, known as Lords Medical, answer to no higher authority in their own Sanctum and serve for life once elected. Note that the Caducean Secrets style itself doesn’t have a Lord Medical rank, as this is purely a social rank and doesn’t have any spells or teachings associated with it.

Table Legend:  Rank: the level of rank, Cost:  the point cost of that level, Title: the salutation for that rank; AR: the Assistance Roll the rank provides to a member of the Order.

Order of the Sacred Caduceus Ranks

Rank	Cost	Title	AR
0	0	Novice	1
1	5	Student	3
2	10	Senior Student	5
3	15	Healer	7
4	20	Great Healer	9
5	25	Master Doctor	10
6	30	Lord Medical	11

Caducean Secrets

13 points

Style Prerequisites: Pacifism (Cannot Kill), and either Empathy or Magery 1.

Caduceans are wizardly masters of the healing arts.  They learn mundane and magical means of healing.  Caduceans do not learn skills or spells related to childbirth or midwifery.  Such are left to the Church of Anra or witches and wise women.

The Caducean Secrets style is very focused on healing, including almost all of the Healing College.  This unique access makes the Caduceans highly in demand, as most other healing comes from Anra’s church and therefore often creates a religious obligation in those who receive her aid.  The Sanctums of the Order only demand monetary payment, and the rates they charge are comparable to those charged by religious hospitals.

Practitioners of the style aren’t barred from learning other styles, and adventuring Caduceans will often bolster themselves with a style that focuses on self-defense.

Required Skills: Diagnosis, Naturalist, Pharmacy (Herbal), Physician, Physiology, and Surgery.

Required Spells: Awaken, Body-Reading, Lend Energy, Minor Healing, Share Energy, Stop Bleeding.

Perks: Better Magical Items (Healing), Continuous Ritual (Any), Covenant of Rest, Intuitive Cantrip (Aid), Life Force Burn, Permit (Resurrection), Secret Spell (Bless, Halt Aging, Resurrection, Vigil, Youth, or Cure Insanity), Special Exercises (Extra Life), Spell Bond (Any), Spell Hardiness (Deathtouch), Stabilizing Skill (Physician for Healing Spells).

Secret Spells: Bless; Cure Insanity; Halt Aging; Resurrection; Vigil, Youth.

Optional Traits

Attributes: Improved IQ and HT.

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Improved Will.

Advantages: Empath, Intuition, Languages (Ladine), Longevity, Rank or Courtesy Rank (Caducean Order), Stable Casting.

Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Healer’s), Disciplines of Faith (Ritualism).

Skills: Alchemy, Diplomacy, Exorcism, History, Literature, Meditation, Public Speaking (Rhetoric), Psychology, Teaching, Theology (Orthodox).

Spell List

Level 1 (Student)

These six spells are considered basic, and are all required.  Once they are learned, the student automatically advances to Senior Student.

Awaken	Lend Energy	Share Energy
Body-Reading	Minor Healing	Stop Bleeding

Level 2 (Senior Student)

A Senior Student must learn four of these spells (a total of ten) to advance. Proof of this to any Healer allows the practitioner to advance to that rank.

Cleansing	Resist Poison	Spasm
Relieve Sickness	Restore Memory	Stop Spasm
Resist Disease	Resuscitate

Level 3 (Healer)

A Healer can advance to Great Healer after learning seven of these spells, a total of seventeen.  Once again, the student need only prove the knowledge to another Great Healer to do so.

Major Healing	Vigil*	Enchant
Neutralize Poison	Restore Hearing	Restoration
Restore Speech	Restore Sight	Cure Disease
Relieve Addiction	Stop Paralysis	Healing Slumber
Pain

Level 4 (Great Healer)

A Great Healer must learn six of the following spells (totaling 23 spells) to advance to Master Doctor, the highest rank of the Order.  At this level, however, advancement is no longer automatic.  A prospective Master Doctor must gain letters of recommendation from no less than 3 Master Doctors in good standing with the Order.  He must prove he has mastered the correct spells and that he is dedicated to the ideals of the Healer’s Code.  Any Lord Medical may then promote him.

Great Healing	Suspended Animation	Instant Neutralize Poison
Monk's Banquet	Instant Restoration	Relieve Madness
Manastone	Regeneration	Banish
Staff	Agonize

Level 5 (Master Doctor)

The Master Doctors have access to the most powerful spells in the Order.  They are allowed to learn life extension magics, but are expected to be wise enough to avoid abusing them.

Instant Regeneration	Curse	Youth*
Resurrection*	Bless*	Halt Aging*
Cure Insanity*

Secret Spell: Cure Insanity (VH)

Regular

College of Healing

This spell restores the subject’s sanity, permanently. It will rid the subject of one Delusion, Phobia or Compulsion. Other mental disadvantages (such as Quirks) may be "cured" as well, at the GM’s option. The subject’s insanity may also be cured progressively; for example, a Major Delusion could be reduced to a Minor Delusion. The cost to cast is then based on the difference in character points. Note that even once a Delusion is removed, its effects can persist for some time; that is, people who knew of the Delusion will react to the former sufferer as though he were still deluded. It may be some time before they adjust to the "cure."

Cost: Equal to triple the change in character point value. Thus, a 10-point Phobia costs 30 fatigue to cure, while reducing a Major Delusion to a Minor one would cost 15 fatigue. One try per disadvantage!  In addition, half the value removed must be paid in Character Points, by either the caster or the subject; if this can’t be paid the spell fails.
Time to Cast: 1 hour.

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[1] Social Engineering stats: Hierarchy, Chain of Command, Typical Resources, Special Assets, not Dominant, Legitimacy