The Botanist

With a ferocious roar, the half-orc man slams his captive into the wall, the goblin in his fist writhing in agony as the cactus spines growing from his skin dig into it's throat. Softly murmuring, the dwarven woman kneels by her fallen companions side, smearing green gunk over his grievous wound. As she watches the hole in his side close, she hums with quiet satisfaction. The war chants of the hobgoblin falter as the target of its blows, a short elf man, doesn't flinch as its sword sinks into his side. Instead, the flurry of petals that float in the air around him slash across the hobgoblin's eyes, blinding him.

These adventurers are Botanists, creatures who believe that the study of plants is the path to discovering power. Unlike Druids, who worship plant life, and Rangers, who merely live off them, Botanists study plants, try and form a relationship with them and ultimately, emulate them.

Herbalist

At 1st level, your familiarity and practice with Herbalism kits of all types and uses allows you to assemble and utilise specialised Herbalism kits. Over the course of a long rest, you can forage for rare or exotic herbs and plants to assemble one of the following Herbal Specialist kits. You can use each kit a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier before it becomes depleted and unusable.

• Combat Healing kit. As a bonus action on your turn, you can apply the ingredients of this kit to a creature within 5ft of you. They regain 1d6 hit points. The die changes when you reach certain levels in this class. The die becomes a d8 at 5th level, d10 at 10th level, and a d12 at 15th level

• Wound Setting kit. This kit is represented by a pool of d6's equal to your spellcasting modifier. Over the course of two actions (yours and the creature's), you can apply the ingredients of this kit to a creature within 5ft of you. You can spend any number of dice that remain in the pool. Roll the spent dice and add them together. The target regains hit points equal to the number rolled. Additionally, you can choose to spend one dice to end the effects of a single poison or disease affecting the target. This kit is expended when the pool of dice is depleted fully. The die changes when you reach certain levels in this class. The die becomes a d8 at 5th level, d10 at 10th level, and a d12 at 15th level

• Poison kit. As an action on your turn, you can coat one weapon or contaminate a Small or smaller item of food or drink with poison or acid. When a creature is struck by a coated weapon or ingests contaminated food or drink, they suffer an additional 1d6 poison or acid damage (your choice) and become poisoned. The amount of damage dealt increases to 2d6 damage at 3rd level, 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 9th level, 5d6 at 12th level, 6d6 at 15th level and 7d6 at 18th level.

• Stimulant kit. As a free action, you can pass a creature within 10ft of you a stimulant, which they can then ingest as a bonus action on their turn. Upon ingesting, they gain the following benefits. - Their speed increases by 10ft - They gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks as well as Dexterity Saving throws. - Their movement no longer triggers opportunity attacks. - If they are reduced to 0 hit points by a creature they can see, they can take an immediate reaction and make a melee attack against the creature, or move up to 10ft towards it before they fall unconscious. - They have disadvantage on all Intelligence checks, as well as Dexterity (Stealth) checks. These effects last until the end of the creature's next turn. When you reach certain levels, the potence of the drug increases. At 5th level, the effects of the drug last 1 minute, 10 minutes at 10th level, and 1 hour at 15th level.

• Drug kit. As an action on your turn, you can apply the ingredients of this kit to a creature within 5ft of you. Upon ingesting, they undergo the following conditions: - Their speed is reduced by 5ft - They have disadvantage on checks made to contest all Charisma rolls - They have disadvantage on all attack rolls as well as Dexterity saving throws - They are filled with an all-consuming sadness or lethargy (your choice) At 11th level, you can create a Herbal Specialist kit over the course of a short rest as well as a long rest.

Fertile Flesh

By 2nd level, your inseparable relationship with plants and constant study of them has opened your eyes to the methods necessary to cultivate them on and in your own body. You have gained two Cultivations of your choice. When you gain certain Botanist levels, the number of Cultivations you know increases, as shown in the Cultivations Known column of the Botanist table.

When you choose a Cultivation, choose a plant and one of its benefits. If you choose two effects from the same plant, that counts as two Cultivations as you grow the plants in and around your body to serve different purposes.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose a Cultivation and replace it with another Cultivation you are eligible to learn.

Spellcasting

At 1st level, the innate magic of the vast majority of plants you work closely with have imbued you with the ability to cast magic spells of your own.

Cantrips. At 1st level, you know two cantrips from the Botanist spell list. You learn additional Botanist cantrips of your choice at higher levels.

Preparing and Casting Spells. The Botanist table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these Botanist spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended slots when you finish a long rest. You prepare the list of Botanist spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the Botanist spell list. When you do so, choose a number of Botanist spells equal to your Intelligence modifier + your Botanist level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots For example, if you are a 3rd-level Botanist, 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. If you prepare the 1st-level spell Cure Wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.

Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your Botanist spells, since your magic draws upon your knowledge and close relationship with the magical plants you work with. 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 Botanist spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Botanical Study

At 3rd level, you must choose which area of botanical study you wish to specialise in. You can choose from the following options.

• Arboreal Study
• Floral Study

Your choice grants you features at 3rd, 6th and 14th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th 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.

Plantkin

By 7th level, you are so intrinsically linked with plants that they've begun to affect your identity. You no longer require food to survive, only bright light and water. Additionally, you can also hold your breath 10 times longer, and can communicate basic ideas with plants, though you cannot especially understand them in return. At 15th level, when you are in a forest or another biome with profuse plant life, you have advantage on all Dexterity (Stealth) checks. Additionally, for every ten years that pass, your body ages only 1 year.

Deep Rooted Cultivation

When you reach 10th level, your cultivations have reached new levels on synchronicity with your body and it's systems. You may choose one of the plants you draw a Cultivation from. You gain all effects the plant may grant you. This counts as one Cultivation for you. At 18th level, you may choose another plant as a Deep Rooted Cultivation.

Verdant Apotheosis

At 20th level, you finally achieve perfect symbiosis with your plants. Your type is now plant as well as humanoid and any other types you may count as. In addition, whenever you are in bright light or sunlight generated by outside sources you regain a number of hit points equal to 10 + your Intelligence modifier.

Arboreal Study

Additional Proficiencies. At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in heavy armour.

Fighting Style. You adopt a particular style of dealing with combat as your signature. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

• Defense: While you are wearing armour, you gain a +1 bonus to AC
• Mariner: As long as you are not wearing heavy armour or using a shield, you have a swimming speed and climbing speed equal to your walking speed, and you gain +1 bonus to AC
• Protection: When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5ft of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield
• Tunnel Fighter: As a bonus action, you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction, and you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 5 feet while within your reach.

Lumbering Strikes. Beginning at 6th level, you can put the weight of the trees you align yourself with behind your strikes. You can roll an additional dice when determining the extra damage on a critical hit.

Ironwood Skin. At 14th level, your skin has hardened to be near impermeable. You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from non-magical weapons.

Floral Study

Additional Proficiencies. At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Acrobatics skill if you did not have it already. Additionally, when you roll for Acrobatics, you can double your proficiency bonus to add to the roll.

Fighting Style. You adopt a particular style of dealing with combat as your signature. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

• Archery: You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons
• Close Quarters Shooter: When making a ranged attack while you are within 5 feet of a hostile creature, you do not have disadvantage on the attack roll. Your ranged attacks ignore half cover and three-quarters cover against targets within 30 feet of you. You have a +1 bonus to attack rolls on ranged attacks.
• Duelling: When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
• Two Weapon Fighting: When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Cultivations