Hit Points
Proficiencies
Plague Doctor
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Cantrips Known |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | + 2 | Spellcasting Physician | 3 |
| 2 | + 2 | Spellcasting Physician | 3 |
| 3 | + 2 | Spellcasting Physician | 3 |
| 4 | + 2 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 |
| 5 | + 3 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 |
| 6 | + 3 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 |
| 7 | + 3 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 |
| 8 | + 3 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 |
| 9 | + 4 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 |
| 10 | + 4 | Spellcasting Physician | 5 |
| 11 | + 4 | Spellcasting Physician | 5 |
| 12 | + 4 | Spellcasting Physician | 5 |
| 13 | + 5 | Spellcasting Physician | 5 |
| 14 | + 5 | Spellcasting Physician | 5 |
| 15 | + 5 | Spellcasting Physician | 5 |
| 16 | + 5 | Spellcasting Physician | 5 |
| 17 | + 6 | Spellcasting Physician | 5 |
| 18 | + 6 | Spellcasting Physician | 5 |
| 19 | + 6 | Spellcasting Physician | 5 |
| 20 | + 6 | Spellcasting Physician | 5 |
Spell Slots per Spell Level
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | + 2 | Spellcasting Physician | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | + 2 | Spellcasting Physician | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | + 2 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | + 2 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | + 3 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | + 3 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | + 3 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | + 3 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | + 4 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | + 4 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | + 4 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | + 4 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | + 5 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | + 5 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | + 5 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | + 5 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | + 6 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 18 | + 6 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 19 | + 6 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 20 | + 6 | Spellcasting Physician | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Class Spells
Class Features
Level 1
Level 10
Level 11
Level 12
Level 13
Level 14
Level 16
Level 17
Level 18
Level 2
Level 20
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Cantrip Progression
| Level | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cantrips Known | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Proficiencies
light
Starting Equipment
Class Features
Spellcasting (Level 1)
Plague Doctors spend years studying anatomy, medicine, and the various spells useful in their trade. These notes, lessons, and formulae are kept in a plague doctor's journal.
Cantrips
At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the plague doctor spell list. You learn additional plague doctor cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the plague doctor table.
Journal
At 1st level, you have a journal containing six 1st-level plague doctor spells of your choice. Your journal is the repository of the plague doctor spells you know, except your cantrips, which are fixed in your mind.
Preparing and Casting Spells
The Plague Doctor class table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. You prepare the list of plague doctor spells that are available for you to cast. To do so, choose a number of plague doctor spells from your journal equal to your Intelligence modifier + your plague doctor level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you're a 3rd-level plague doctor, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With an Intelligence of 16, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination, chosen from your journal. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of plague doctor spells requires time spent studying your journal and memorizing the incantations and gestures you must make to cast the spell: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
Casting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your plague doctor spells, since you learn your spells through dedicated study and memorization. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a plague doctor spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell
Spell
Ritual Casting
You can cast a plague doctor spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your journal. You don't need to have the spell prepared.
Spellcasting Focus
You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your plague doctor spells.
Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher
Each time you gain a Plague Doctor level, you can add two plague doctor spells of your choice to your journal for free. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, as shown on the plague doctor table. On your adventures, you might find other spells that you can add to your journal (see "Your Journal").
Your Journal
The spells that you add to your journal as you gain levels reflect the medical and esoteric research you conduct on your own, as well as intellectual breakthroughs you have had about the nature of magic. You might find other spells during your adventures. You could discover a spell recorded on a scroll in an evil wizard's chest, for example, or in a dusty tome in an ancient library.
Copying a Spell into the journal
When you find a plague doctor spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your journal if it is of a spell level you can prepare and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it.
Copying that spell into your journal involves reproducing the basic form of the spell, then deciphering the unique system of notation used by whoever wrote it. You must practice the spell until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then transcribe it into your journal using your own notation.
For each level of the spell, the process takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp. The cost represents material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the fine inks you need to record it. Once you have spent this time and money, you can prepare the spell just like your other spells.
Replacing the journal
You can copy a spell from your own journal into another book—for example, if you want to make a backup copy of your journal. This is just like copying a new spell into your journal, but faster and easier, since you understand your own notation and already know how to cast the spell. You need spend only 1 hour and 10 gp for each level of the copied spell.
If you lose your journal, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you have prepared into a new journal. Filling out the remainder of your journal requires you to find new spells to do so, as normal. For this reason, many plague doctors keep backup journals in a safe place.
The journal's Appearance
Your journal is a unique compilation of spells, notes, and formulae, with its own decorative flourishes and margin notes. It might be a plain, functional leather volume that you received as a gift from a professor, an ream of loose papers kept in a simple case, or even a loose collection of notes scrounged together after you lost your previous journal in a mishap, wrapped with string.
Physician (Level 1)
Using a Healer's Kit, a Plague Doctor can double their proficiency bonus when using the Medicine skill to diagnose and treat a disease, as well as on any roll to stabilize a target. A Plague Doctor can also attempt to stabilize a target as a bonus action on their turn.
Tincture Lore (Level 2)
Starting at 2nd level, you have learned to craft versatile potions called Tinctures. A Tincture is a rapidly brewed potion that is concocted by mixing together various herbs and other ingredients, called "medicinals", that the Plague Doctor collects throughout the course of their career. Depending on the medicinals selected during the brewing process, a Tincture can produce a wide array of effects, including minor healing, resistances, and other benefits.
You can brew a number of Tinctures per day equal to your Intelligence modifier plus one, with a minimum of one. When you do, you select two different effects from the list of medicinals you've discovered to creature the Tincture.
Tinctures are normally brewed when you finish a long rest, taking ten minutes to brew each one, but you can brew these Tinctures later in the day if you wish. Once imbibed, the effect of the Tincture lasts for one minute. In the case of medicinals that grant advantage or a bonus on dice rolls, the benefit must be used within the minute duration or it is lost. As Tinctures are prepared quicker and with less precision than true magic potions, Tinctures you brew lose their efficacy after a day.
When you gain this class feature, you may select four medicinals from the list below for use in preparing your Tinctures. You learn one additional medicinal of your choice at 7th, 13th, and 18th levels.
At 11th level, you can add a third medicinal to your Tinctures.
At 18th level, any resistances the medicinals grant become immunities for the duration.
Plague Doctor Disciple (Level 3)
When you reach 3rd level, you choose to focus your skills and knoweldge toward a particular discipline: Bloodletting or Pathogenisis.Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.
Ability Score Improvement (Level 4)
When you reach 4th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat.
Grim Spectre (Level 5)
Plague doctor's are seen as portents of calamity, as they are usually encountered when plague has already stricken a settlement or region. Though their work is invaluable, plague doctors are viewed with as much fear and trepidation as they are respect. As such, experienced plague doctors are trained to amplify that association with fear, the better to drive off those who would intentionally spread the taint of disease throughout the world.
At 5th level, you gain the ability to create an aura of fear as an action. The aura lasts for a number of rounds per day equal to the plague doctor's level. When active, any creature that starts its turn within 10ft you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is frightened until the start of its next turn. If a creature's saving throw is successful, the creature is immune to the your Grim Spectre for 24 hours. The difficulty of the saving throw equals the your spell save DC.
At 17th level, the aura extends out to 30ft.
Disciple Feature (Level 6)
At 6th level, you gain a feature granted by your Plague Doctor Disciple.
New Tincture (Level 7)
At 7th level, you learn one additional medicinal of your choice.
Ability Score Improvement (Level 8)
When you reach 8th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat.
Disciple Feature (Level 10)
At 10th level, you gain a feature granted by your Plague Doctor Disciple.
Miasmic Inoculum (Level 11)
At 11th level, the Plague Doctor has spent so much time studying, healing, preventing, and being exposed to diseases and poisons, that they develop supernatural defences to protect against them. You gain immunity to disease; you also gain resistance to poison damage as well as advantage on saving throws versus being poisoned. If you are already resistant to poison damage, either through a racial ability or some other feature, you instead gain immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition.
Tincture Lore Improvement (Level 11)
At 11th level, you can now add a third medicinal to your Tinctures.
Ability Score Improvement (Level 12)
When you reach 12th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat.
New Tincture (Level 13)
At 13th level, you learn one additional medicinal of your choice.
Disciple Feature (Level 14)
At 14th level, you gain a feature granted by your Plague Doctor Disciple.
Ability Score Improvement (Level 16)
When you reach 16th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat.
Grim Spectre Improvement (Level 17)
At 17th level, the aura extends out to 30ft.
New Tincture (Level 18)
At 18th level, you learn one additional medicinal of your choice.
Tincture Lore Improvement (Level 18)
At 18th level, any resistances the medicinals grant become immunities for the duration.
Vestige of Pestilence (Level 20)
At 20th level, once per day as a bonus action, you can remove one condition from a creature you can see within 60 feet and apply it to another creature within 60 feet. The conditions you can do this with are: blinded, deafened, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, and stunned. A creature that is immune to the condition still suffers the effects of it if it is applied in this manner. The effect lasts for 1 minute.
Subclasses
Subclass Features
Bloodletting
Bloodletting (Level 3)
An archaic form of treatment, bloodletting is still popular in areas where the populace is either poorly educated or lacking in divine healers. Before plague doctors developed a thorough understanding of how disease and the body functions, as well as their utilization of formulas and magics to combat pestilence, bloodletting was a popular form of treatment among their ranks.
Nowadays, the theories behind bloodletting have been expanded upon, with the modern understanding of science and magic that plague doctors enjoy. The technique has been developed by more martial minded plague doctors to be used against those who spread illness and suffering.
Bonus Proficiencies
When this Discipline is selected, you gain proficiency with medium armor, shields, and the glaive, longsword, rapier, and heavy crossbow.
Drain the Humours
At 3rd level, when you damage a creature with a melee attack using a slashing or piercing weapon, you can choose to inflict a bleeding wound. If you do, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw versus your spell save DC or suffer an additional 1d4 bleeding damage, and an further 1d4 bleeding damage at the start of your next turn. This damage increases as you gain levels: 1d6 at 6th level, 2d4 at 10th level, and 1d10 at 14th level. Constructs, Elementals, and Undead (except Vampires and Vampire Spawn) are immune to this effect.
You can use this feature a number of times per day equal to your Intelligence modifier. You regain all uses after finishing a long rest.
Balancing the Humours (Level 6)
At 6th level, your understanding of blood grows. Drawing connections between a creature's blood and mind, you can affect the creature's temperament, hampering its ability to fight effectively.
When a creature fails a save against your Drain the Humours ability, you can choose to Balance the Humors and impart one of the following effects on the creature. The creature suffers from this effect for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence modifier. Once you user this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Phlegmatic
The creature has disadvantage on Constitution saving throws for the duration.
Choleric
The creature only heals half the amount from a healing source for the duration.
Melancholic
The creature's movement speed is halved for the duration.
Phlebotomy (Level 10)
At 10th level, you can add your Intelligence modifier as a bonus to the damage inflicted by your Drain the Humours feature.
Exsanguination (Level 14)
At 14th level, when a creature fails its save against Drain the Humours, the creature is stunned until the end of your next turn.
Pathogenisis
Pathogenisis (Level 3)
A plague doctor spends many years studying and understanding the causes, treatments, cures, and other details about how diseases work. By collecting samples of diseased tissue and other specimens, plague doctors are able to utilize their discoveries to more efficiently identify specific plagues and treat patients. For plague doctors who study the discipline of pathogenisis, their knowledge of disease becomes a weapon. They learn to create and infect their enemies with a disease of their own creation, and even inspire fear into the allies of the afflicted, leaving them weakened and alone.
Infection
At 3rd level, you can infect a creature with a virulent magic disease of your own design. When you hit a target with a melee attack, you can choose to infect the target with the disease. The target takes an additional 2d6 necrotic damage from the attack and must make a Constitution saving throw versus your spell save DC. On a failed save the target is infected with a virulent, magic disease, and it has disadvantage on all attacks rolls, ability checks, and saving throws for a number of rounds equal to the plague doctor's level, as its body attempts to fight off the disease. How this disease manifests is up to you; for example, the target's body might erupt with grotesque pustules, it might vomit uncontrollably, or thin layers of skin might rapidly dry and slough painfully from its body. Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
At 14th level you can use this ability twice between rests, but no more than once in a round.
Hypochondria (Level 6)
At 6th level, when you hit a creature with your Infection ability, you can choose a number of creatures within a 30ft. radius of the target equal to your Intelligence modifier. Each creature selected must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, affected creatures are frightened of the target of your Infection ability for one minute. The creatures can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to your Hypochondria and Grim Spectre features for the next 24 hours.
Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.
Contagion (Level 10)
At 10th level, you can Infect a target using a ranged weapon.
Also at 10th level, you add your Intelligence modifier as bonus damage to any attack that deals necrotic damage.
Epidemic (Level 14)
When you reach 14th level, the magic disease you've created takes on a life of its own. If a creature is killed while suffering from your Infection ability, or died as a result of the damage inflicted by the Infection, the creature releases a cloud of diseased air in a 30ft radius. The air is heavily obscured, and creatures you choose that are caught within the cloud must make a Constitution saving throw or take 8d8 necrotic damage and are stunned until the end of your next turn. Creatures who pass the saving throw take half of the damage and are not stunned.
Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.