[CONAN] Folk Healer

[Supplement Four]

Some of my players have expressed an interest in becoming natural healers (as in, using nature to heal). They're all Cimmerian Barbarians, so Craft (Herbalism) is a class skill, but Heal is not.

I see the Folk Healer Feat in the Player's Guide, and I'm thinking of adding to that feat so that, if one of my Barbarians take it, it will make the Heal skill a class skill.

What are you thoughts on that?

 

[BARDOBARBAROS]

Nice...

 

[Nyarly]

Is a feat solution really needed ? Skill points that come from high intelligence (12+) can raise any skill as if it was a class skill (no cross-class cost / limit; 2nd Ed. p. 86). I know that Cimmerians have an Int penalty but are the player characters all dumb brutes ?

Or just multiclass into e.g. Scholar for one level and put 5+ skill points into Heal (3 skill points have to be put into Knowledge skills). And take Skill Focus (Heal) instead of a Sorcery Style.

 

[Nyarly]

As I said, take a feat instead of a sorcery style. A scholar without spells is just a bunch skill points on a crappy chassis.

 

[Nyarlathotep5150]

but to take a whole level in Scholar and not enjoy the Defensive Blasts it has to offer, seen a little weakening to the Class Level?

Actually, the first level in Scholar doesn't give you much. Even if you take Sorcery, you only get the basic spell of one "School" at first level.
However, if one (or two) of the PC's where wanting to go the "Medicine Man" route, they could multiclass into scholar, put a lot of points in Heal, then I think I remember there being a sort of "Folk Magic" sorcery style (I wanna say in Skelos?), that was one of the less evil styles, and themed toward Barbarian Shamans. I can't remember the details now, cause I'm pretty wiped out from work.

 

[Nyarlathotep5150]

Well, logically, anyone taking a different form of magic would be "Outcast". That was true in Real world Celt and Norse cultures too (infact that was the condition for most oracles in those cultures as well). The simple fact is, people wont trust you if you have magic powers.
But being "Outcast" (a social distinction which really only meant being forced to live outside the community, and not welcome at feasts and celebrations, not "We kill you on sight and wont trade with you") never stopped the villagers from consulting the witches when they needed something from them.