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Apothecary, “Master of Alchemical Remedies”

“Master the Deadly Arts of Poison and Healing with the 5e Apothecary Class!”

Apothecary
Midjourney

Apothecaries are skilled practitioners of herbalism, alchemy, and medicine. They possess a deep understanding of poisons, venoms, and the healing properties of herbs and concoctions. These versatile specialists are highly proficient in crafting various remedies, elixirs, and toxins to aid their allies or hinder their enemies. Apothecaries excel at both curing ailments and exploiting weaknesses, making them valuable assets in any adventuring party.

  • Compounds Medications: Apothecaries compound and prepare various medicinal substances. They create formulations, tinctures, powders, ointments, and other forms of medication based on recipes and traditional knowledge.
  • Uses Herbal Remedies: In many historical contexts, apothecaries primarily rely on herbal remedies. They have extensive knowledge of medicinal plants, herbs, and botanicals, which they use to treat a wide range of ailments and conditions.
  • Has Knowledge of Substances: Apothecaries have a deep understanding of various substances, including minerals, animal products, and chemicals, and their potential therapeutic uses. They collect and store these substances in their apothecary shops.
  • Offers Patient Consultations: Apothecaries often interact with patients, diagnose common illnesses, provide advice, and dispense appropriate remedies. They are trusted members of their communities and serve as healthcare providers.
  • Compounds from Recipes: Many apothecaries rely on compounding from established recipes and formulas that are passed down through generations. These recipes often include precise measurements and instructions for preparing medicines.
  • Operates a Shop and Mortar: Apothecaries typically operate from “apothecary shops,” characterized by a mortar and pestle, a symbol of the profession. These shops are essential hubs for obtaining medications and medical advice.
  • Carries Cultural and Historical Significance: Apothecaries have existed for centuries and are deeply intertwined with the history of medicine. They play critical roles in societies around the world, including ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome.
  • Transition to Modern Pharmacy: Over time, the role of the apothecary has evolved into modern pharmacy practice. The profession has become more regulated and standardized, eventually leading to the development of licensed pharmacists who provide pharmaceutical care in contemporary healthcare settings.

In summary, an apothecary is a skilled practitioner who specializes in the preparation and dispensing of medicines and remedies. They possess extensive knowledge of herbs, substances, and remedies.


  • Apothecary 5e
  • Apothecary 3.5

Apothecary

Apothecaries are skilled artisans and healers who specialize in the art of crafting poisons, antidotes, and medicines. They combine their knowledge of herbs, alchemical compounds, and anatomy to create potent concoctions. Whether they’re healing allies, delivering debilitating poisons, or enhancing their own physical abilities, apothecaries are versatile characters with a deep understanding of the natural world.

Hit Dice: 1d6 Starting Age: As wizard Starting Gold: As wizard

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Apothecaries are proficient with simple weapons and light armor but not with shields.

Skills: The apothecary’s class skills are Craft (Poison), Medicine, Nature, Perception, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth.

Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Intelligence modifier) x 4 Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier

Apothecary Class Table

LevelProficiency BonusFeaturesCantrips KnownSpells Known1st2nd3rd4th
1st+2Poison Use, Expanded Craft Poison, Expanded Heal22β€”β€”β€”β€”
2nd+2Craft Medicine, Milk Venom23β€”β€”β€”β€”
3rd+2Bonus Feat23β€”β€”β€”β€”
4th+2Job Focus, Hazard of the Job +224β€”β€”β€”β€”
5th+3Quick on the Job, Pharmacy +1342β€”β€”β€”
6th+3Herbal Potion352β€”β€”β€”
7th+3Cool on the Job353β€”β€”β€”
8th+3Hazard of the Job +4, Job Specialization363β€”β€”β€”
9th+4Bonus Feat3632β€”β€”
10th+4Pharmacy +24732β€”β€”
11th+4β€”4733β€”β€”
12th+4Hazard Immunity4833β€”β€”
13th+5β€”48332β€”
14th+5Specialization Mastery49332β€”
15th+5Bonus Feat, Pharmacy +349333β€”
16th+5Fighting on the Job410333β€”
17th+6β€”4103331
18th+6Bonus Feat4113331
19th+6β€”4113332
20th+6Pharmacy +4, True Specialization Mastery4123332
Apothecary
Midjourney

Poison Use (Ex): Apothecaries are skilled in handling poisons and toxins, and they never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison.

Craft Poisons (Ex): Apothecaries can craft various poisons using their Craft (Poison) skill. They follow the expanded poison crafting rules detailed below:

  • Basic Poison Crafting: At 1st level, an apothecary can craft basic poisons, such as injury, contact, or ingested poisons. Crafting poisons requires materials and a successful Craft (Poison) check, and the process takes 1 hour per dose. The DC for crafting a poison is determined by its type and potency.
  • Advanced Poison Crafting: Starting at 5th level, apothecaries can create more potent poisons and modify existing ones. This allows them to increase the DC or add additional effects to their poisons.
  • Master Poison Crafting: At 11th level, apothecaries have honed their poison crafting skills to perfection. They can create deadly toxins with greater ease and precision, allowing them to craft poisons with even more devastating effects.

Medicinal Expertise (Ex): Apothecaries excel at healing non-magical injuries and diseases. They gain proficiency in the Medicine skill and can produce anti-venoms and medicines to treat poison and disease more effectively.

Bonus Feat: Beginning at 3rd level and every three levels thereafter, the apothecary gains a bonus feat from the following list: Alchemist, Healer, Physician, Poisoner, Medic, or any feat for which they meet the prerequisites.

Pharmacy (Ex): Starting at 5th level, the apothecary’s knowledge of poisons and medicines grants a +1 bonus on all Craft (Poison) and Medicine checks. This bonus increases to +2 at 10th level, +3 at 15th level, and +4 at 20th level.

Quick Healing (Ex): At 5th level, the apothecary can use their Medicine skill to restore hit points to a wounded creature as a standard action instead of a full-round action.

Elixir Brewing (Ex): At 6th level, the apothecary can create magical potions. They gain the Brew Potion feat and can use spells from any spell list to create potions, following the normal rules.

Hazard Resistance (Ex): By 8th level, the apothecary has built resistance to toxins and diseases. They gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against poison if they focused on poisons or disease if they focused on medicine. This bonus increases to +4 at 16th level.

Specialization Mastery (Ex): At 14th level, an apothecary who specialized in medicine can save a character reduced to 0 hit points or lower by making a Medicine check (DC 20). If successful, the character stabilizes and is restored to 1d6 hit points.

If they specialized in poisons, they can deliver a deadly poison with a touch attack once per hour, with the victim making a Fortitude saving throw (DC = 10 + half the apothecary’s class level + the apothecary’s Constitution modifier). Failure results in initial and secondary damage.

True Specialization Mastery (Ex): At 20th level, an apothecary’s mastery reaches its peak. If they specialized in medicine, they can revive a character reduced to -10 hit points or lower with a successful DC 40 Medicine check administered within 3 minutes of the character’s death. Success restores the character to 1d6 hit points.

If they specialized in poisons, once per day, they can deliver a deadly poison with a touch attack that requires a Fortitude saving throw (DC = 10 + half the apothecary’s class level + the apothecary’s Constitution modifier). Failure results in instant death, and even on a successful save, the target takes 5d6 points of damage. Use of this ability suppresses the apothecary’s specialization mastery for 1d6 hours.

Apothecary, By Warja Lavater - 2300 years of medical costumeΒ : distinctive garb of the medical and related professions from the time of Hippocrates to the Napoleonic era. North Chicago, ILΒ : Abbott Laboratories, [1962?]Β ; OCLC number 5734427, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12386749
By Warja Lavater – 2300 years of medical costume : distinctive garb of the medical and related professions from the time of Hippocrates to the Napoleonic era. North Chicago, IL : Abbott Laboratories, [1962?] ; OCLC number 5734427, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12386749

Hit Die: d6.
Starting Age: as wizard
Starting gold: as wizard

Class Skills

The apothecary’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Craft(Intelligence), Disguise(Charisma), Forgery (Intelligence), Handle Animal(Charisma), Heal(Wisdom), Hide(Dexterity), Knowledge (local, nature), Move Silently(Dexterity), Profession(Wisdom), Search(Intelligence), Concentration (Constitution), Spot (Wisdom), Sense Motive (Wisdom)
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Intelligence modifier) x?4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Intelligence modifier.

The Apothecary
LevelBABFortRefWillSpecial
1st+0+2+0+2Poison Use, expanded craft poison, expanded heal
2nd+1+3+0+3Craft Medicine, Milk Venom
3rd+2+3+1+3Bonus Feat
4th+3+4+1+4Job Focus, Hazard of the Job+2
5th+3+4+1+4Quick on the Job, Pharmacy+1
6th+4+5+2+5Herbal Potion, Bonus Feat
7th+5+5+2+5Cool on the Job
8th+6+6+2+6Hazard of the Job+4, Job Specialization
9th+6+6+3+6Bonus Feat
10th+7+7+3+7Pharmacy+2
11th+8+7+3+7 
12th+9+8+4+8Bonus Feat, Hazard Immunity
13th+9+8+4+8 
14th+10+9+4+9Specialization Mastery
15th+11+9+5+9Bonus feat, Pharmacy+3
16th+12+10+5+10Fighting on the Job
17th+12+10+5+10 
18th+13+11+6+11Bonus feat
19th+14+11+6+11 
20th+15+12+6+12Pharmacy+4, True Specialization Mastery

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the apothecary.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Apothecaries are proficient with the club, Dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, dart, cane sword, and hand crossbow, apothecaries are not proficient with armor or shields

Poison Use (Ex): Apothecaries spend all day around various dangerous poisons and chemicals, they know how to avoid accident around them. Apothecaries never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison.

Expanded Craft Poison (Ex): Apothecaries don’t just refine existing poisons, they create their own, following the expanded craft (poison) rules given at the bottom of the page.

Expanded Heal (Ex): Apothecaries don’t just make medicine, they use it, as non-magical injury specialists, they can get a lot more accomplished via mundane means then even some clerics. They use the expanded heal rules given at the bottom of the page.

Milk Venom (Ex): Many creatures produce venoms that the apothecary can utilize, at 3rd level he gains a +4 bonus on all Handle Animal checks to extract natural venom from an animal. (DC 15, failure means no poison was extracted, failure by 5 or more means that you were stung/bitten/whatever in the process)

Bonus feat: beginning at 3rd level, and every three levels thereafter, the apothecary gains a bonus feat from the following list: Dissolving poison, Withering poison, Blessed poison, Antithetical poison, Lingering poison, Slow-acting poison, Subtle poison, Confusing poison, Fast-acting poison, Reckless poison, Frightful poison, Tiring poison, Dizzying poison, Nauseating poison, Surgery, Self-Sufficient, Iron Will, Healing touch, improved healing touch, Educated, Omni-Medic, Pressure point, and Empathy. The apothecary must still meet all prerequisites for these feats.

Craft Medicine (Ex): At 2nd level the apothecary’s familiarity with poisons and herbs of all types allows them to produce anti-venoms (with the craft (poison) skill) or medicines (with the heal skill) to help treat poison and disease. Use of these grants the user a +2 bonus on fortitude saves against the secondary damage of a poison or the effects of a disease. Refer to the following table.

Poison/Disease Fort save DCCost to makeCraft DCTime
14 or lower23gp151hr.
15-1894gp203 hr.
19-22211gp256 hr.
23+375gp3012 hr.

Job Focus (Ex): at 4th level the apothecary has to make a choice whether to specialize in either poison or medicine, this affects which class features they receive at various levels. If they focus in Poison, all poisons they Craft gain a +1 competence bonus to their fort save DC. If they choose to focus in medicine, they gain a +4 bonus on Concentration checks to avoid provoking an AoO when healing in combat. Once a specialization is chosen, it cannot be changed later. This does not interfere with the selection of feats, and there is nothing stopping a medicine specialist from taking meta-poison feats for example.

Hazard of the Job (Ex): Over time, exposure to poisons and disease of varied types has caused the apothecary to build up a resistance to their effects, at 4th level, the apothecary gains a +2 inherent bonus on saves against poison if their Job focus is poison, or Disease if their Job focus is medicine, this bonus increases to +4 at 8th level.

Pharmacy (Ex): by 5th level, the apothecary has become particularly skilled at both poison and medicine. He gains a +1 bonus an all Craft (poison) and Heal checks. This bonus rises to +2 at 10th, +3 at 15th, and +4 at 20th.

Quick on the Job (Ex): by the time the apothecary reaches 5th level, they have become especially skilled at acting quickly in combat. If their job focus is poison, they gain the ability to apply poison as a move action rather then a full-round action. If their job focus is medicine, they gain the ability to restore a character’s hit points with the heal skill as a standard action instead of a full-round action.

Herbal Potion (Ex): at 6th level, the apothecary gains a virtual caster level equal to one-half his apothecary level for the sole purpose of creating magical potions. He gains Craft potion as a bonus feat, and may use spells from any spell list to create a potion, subject to the normal rules.

Cool on the Job: by 7th level, the apothecary has become very confident in his skills within his area of specialization. If the apothecary’s job focus is medicine, he may now take 10 on all heal checks, even when rushed or threatened. If the apothecary’s job focus is poison, a successful crafting always creates 4 doses of poison rather then 1d4 doses.

Job Specialization (Ex): by 8th level, the apothecary has become even more skilled in his area of expertise. If his job focus is poison, from now on, any poison the apothecary crafts deals an additional 2 units of damage (+2 points of damage, +2 rounds of blindness, +2 minute’s of Paralysis, ect.). If his job focus is medicine, he now heals 1d6 damage with the heal skill and 1d8 hit points per character level with surgery.

Hazard immunity (Ex): by 12th level, the apothecary’s long association with poison or disease has granted him the ability to ignore all but the strongest afflictions. Depending on his job focus, the apothecary is now immune to any poison (if job focus poison) or Disease (if job focus medicine) with a Fort DC lower then his apothecary level + his Constitution modifier.

Specialization Mastery (Ex): At 14th level or higher, an apothecary who has specialized in medicine can save a character reduced to Β·10 hit points or lower. If the apothecary is able to administer aid within 3 rounds of the character’s death, he or she can make a Heal check. The DC for this check is 30, and the apothecary can’t take 10 or take 20. If the check succeeds, the dead character can make a Fortitude save (DC 15) to stabilize and be restored to 0 hit points.

If the apothecary fails the skill check or the patient fails the save, the dead character can’t be saved.

If the apothecary has specialized in poison, long exposure to toxins of all kinds has made even brief contact with the apothecary dangerous, the apothecary gains the ability to poison an opponent with a touch attack (fort DC equal to 10+ Β½ the apothecary’s class level + the apothecary’s Constitution modifier) that deals initial and secondary damage 1d4 Constitution, this ability is usable once per hour.

Fighting on the Job (Ex): by 16th level, long amounts of time spent adventuring has allowed the apothecary to pick up many tricks to allow them better chances in combat. If the apothecary’s job focus is poison, when the apothecary scores a critical hit with a poisoned weapon, the target must make his save against the initial effect with a -4 penalty. If the apothecary’s job focus is medicine, any weapon the apothecary wields is counted as having the merciful quality; the apothecary may dismiss or resume this effect as a free action.

True Specialization Mastery (Ex): At 20th level, an Apothecary who has specialized in medicine can revive a character reduced to Β·10 hit points or lower. If the Apothecary is able to administer aid within 3 minutes of the character’s death, he or she can make a Heal check. The DC for this check is 40, and the Apothecary can’t take 10 or take 20. If the check succeeds, the dead character can make a Fortitude save (DC 20) to stabilize and be restored to 1d6 hit points.

If the Apothecary fails the skill check or the patient fails the Fortitude save, the dead character can’t be restored.

If the apothecary has specialized in poison, he has now learned to focus the toxins within his body in a deadly attack. Once per day he may make a single touch attack as a full-round action that provokes an AoO, success poisons the target with a death poison, initial and secondary damage the victim must make a fort save (DC=10+ Β½ apothecary’s class level + apothecary’s Constitution mod) or die instantly, even on a successful save the target takes 5d6 points of damage, use of this ability suppresses the apothecary’s specialization mastery ability for 1d6 hours.

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