Manual of Bodily Health 5e: A Comprehensive Guide
This homebrew supplement for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, created by Dave, is a Very Rare item costing 36,000 gp, weighing 180 units.
The Manual of Bodily Health represents a significant boon to any adventuring party, offering potent healing and restorative capabilities within the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition framework. This meticulously crafted tome, a product of dedicated homebrew development by creators like Dave, isn’t merely a spellbook; it’s a compendium of anatomical knowledge and restorative techniques.
Its value, a substantial 36,000 gold pieces, reflects the rarity and power contained within its pages. D&D Beyond acknowledges its place as a valuable digital resource for players. The manual’s existence suggests a world where dedicated scholars and healers have codified methods for overcoming ailments, going beyond standard magical healing. It’s a testament to the pursuit of comprehensive bodily wellness within a fantastical setting, offering solutions to a wide range of afflictions.
What is the Manual of Bodily Health?
The Manual of Bodily Health is a Very Rare magical item designed for use within a Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition campaign. Weighing 180 units, it functions as a comprehensive guide to restoring physical well-being, exceeding the capabilities of many common healing spells. It’s not simply a collection of spells, but a detailed resource offering methods for curing diseases, removing conditions, and restoring vital statistics.
This homebrew supplement, created by Dave, suggests a world where advanced medical knowledge exists alongside traditional magic. The manual’s contents likely detail specific procedures and techniques, potentially requiring time and focus to utilize effectively. It represents a significant investment at 36,000 gp, indicating its power and the dedication required to master its contents.
Rarity and Cost
The Manual of Bodily Health is classified as a Very Rare magical item within the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition framework. This designation signifies its exceptional power and the difficulty in acquiring it, placing it amongst the more potent and sought-after magical artifacts available to adventurers.
Its substantial cost of 36,000 gold pieces reflects both its rarity and the extensive knowledge contained within its pages. This price point positions it as an investment typically reserved for well-established adventurers or powerful organizations. The weight of the manual is 180 units, suggesting a substantial tome filled with detailed information and potentially complex diagrams. Obtaining this manual represents a significant accomplishment and a considerable expenditure of resources.
Acquisition Methods
Due to its rarity, acquiring the Manual of Bodily Health is no simple task. It’s unlikely to be found readily available in typical marketplaces or shops. Adventurers might uncover it within the heavily guarded libraries of ancient monasteries, secreted away in the vaults of powerful wizards, or as a treasured possession of long-deceased healers.
Rumors suggest some manuals are occasionally recovered from the ruins of fallen empires, protected by intricate traps and formidable guardians. Others may be rewards for completing exceptionally challenging quests for benevolent deities or influential patrons. A dedicated search, involving extensive research and exploration, is almost certainly required. The manual isn’t simply bought; it’s earned through dedication and risk.
Core Mechanics & Effects
The Manual of Bodily Health focuses on potent healing, disease curing, condition removal, and hit point restoration—a comprehensive toolkit for bodily wellness.
Healing Properties
The Manual of Bodily Health excels in restorative capabilities, offering a significant boon to adventurers facing physical trauma. Unlike simple healing potions or cantrips, the manual provides a sustained and thorough recovery.
A character who spends 1 hour studying the manual can regain a number of hit points equal to 4d8 + their Constitution modifier. This process can be repeated once per day, offering consistent healing outside of combat or short rests.
Furthermore, the manual’s healing isn’t merely superficial; it actively promotes tissue regeneration and reduces scarring, leading to faster and more complete recoveries from grievous wounds. This makes it invaluable for long campaigns where cumulative injuries can hinder a party’s effectiveness.
Curing Diseases
The Manual of Bodily Health possesses remarkable efficacy in combating a wide range of diseases, surpassing many common curative spells. A character meticulously studying the manual for 8 hours can attempt to cure themselves or another of a disease.
This requires a DC 15 Constitution saving throw; success eradicates the disease entirely. Unlike Lesser Restoration, the manual can potentially cure more potent and long-lasting afflictions, though the DM retains final authority.
The manual’s detailed anatomical diagrams and herbal remedies provide insights into disease pathology, allowing for targeted treatment. Repeated use against the same disease grants advantage on subsequent saving throws, representing growing understanding.
Removing Conditions
Beyond diseases, the Manual of Bodily Health offers methods to alleviate various debilitating conditions afflicting characters. Spending an hour carefully consulting the manual allows a character to attempt removing one condition – charmed, frightened, paralyzed, or poisoned – from a willing target.
This necessitates a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw; success instantly ends the condition. The manual details counter-agents and restorative techniques tailored to each affliction.
However, conditions caused by powerful magical effects (like a dragon’s breath) may require multiple attempts or a higher DC, at the DM’s discretion. The manual’s insights into physiological responses aid in overcoming these impairments, offering a valuable alternative to spells.
Restoration of Hit Points
The Manual of Bodily Health doesn’t directly restore hit points like a healing spell, but it provides detailed knowledge of anatomical repair and accelerated recovery. A character can spend eight hours meticulously following the manual’s instructions to create a restorative balm.
Applying this balm grants the target advantage on their next Constitution saving throw against exhaustion. Furthermore, during the next long rest, the target recovers an additional 1d4 hit points.
This method isn’t instant healing, but it promotes natural recuperation, making it invaluable during extended journeys or after grueling encounters. The manual emphasizes holistic wellness, focusing on bolstering the body’s inherent healing capabilities.
Detailed Effects & Applications
The manual details procedures for neutralizing diseases, restoring ability scores, and removing conditions like blindness or deafness with focused application.
Curing Poisoned Condition
The Manual of Bodily Health offers a detailed, multi-stage process for curing the poisoned condition, exceeding the speed of typical remedies. Unlike a simple antidote, the manual requires a full hour of dedicated study and application, involving specific herbal poultices and precisely worded incantations detailed within its pages.
A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check is required to properly administer the cure; failure results in wasted materials and no effect. The manual’s instructions account for various poisons, offering tailored approaches, though exceedingly rare or magical toxins may necessitate a DC 20 check.
Furthermore, the manual provides preventative measures, outlining dietary adjustments and protective amulets to bolster resistance against future poisonings, enhancing overall bodily resilience.
Neutralizing Disease
The Manual of Bodily Health presents a comprehensive approach to neutralizing diseases, going beyond simple curative effects. It details specific diagnostic rituals, allowing a user to identify the exact nature of the affliction – crucial for selecting the appropriate countermeasure. This process requires a DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) check.
The manual outlines the creation of potent elixirs and the performance of cleansing rites, each tailored to combat different disease types. More severe or magically-induced illnesses demand a DC 18 check and rarer ingredients.
Successfully neutralizing a disease with the manual also grants temporary immunity, bolstering the patient’s constitution against re-infection for a period of one month, promoting lasting health.
Restoring Ability Scores
The Manual of Bodily Health details intricate procedures for restoring drained or reduced ability scores, a process far exceeding simple healing. It emphasizes a holistic approach, linking physical vitality to mental and spiritual well-being. Restoring an ability score requires a week-long regimen of specialized treatments.
Each day involves specific herbal remedies, restorative exercises, and meditative practices, demanding a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check to properly administer. Permanent reductions require multiple applications, increasing the DC by 2 for each subsequent attempt.
The manual warns against hasty restoration, noting potential backlash if the body isn’t adequately prepared, potentially causing temporary exhaustion.
Removing Blindness/Deafness
The Manual of Bodily Health dedicates a significant section to restoring sight and hearing, detailing complex procedures beyond typical magical remedies. It posits that sensory loss often stems from imbalances within the body’s vital energies, requiring precise re-alignment.
Removing blindness or deafness necessitates a three-day ritual involving rare components like powdered moonstone and distilled nightshade. A successful DC 18 Wisdom (Medicine) check is crucial each day to correctly administer the treatment. Failure results in temporary disadvantage on related checks.
The manual stresses the importance of diagnosing the root cause, as magical or traumatic origins require different approaches.
Advanced Uses & Considerations
This manual’s power invites scrutiny; synergies with other items exist, but limitations and potential for abuse demand careful Dungeon Master oversight.
Synergies with Other Magic Items
The Manual of Bodily Health truly shines when combined strategically with other magical artifacts. Pairing it with a Periapt of Wound Closure dramatically increases survivability, rapidly stabilizing characters after severe injuries. A Cloak of Protection bolsters saving throws, enhancing the manual’s restorative effects against ongoing ailments.
Furthermore, utilizing the manual in conjunction with a Potion of Greater Healing can provide an immediate burst of health, followed by the manual’s sustained restorative benefits. Consider its use alongside items granting advantage on saving throws against diseases or poisons, maximizing its efficacy. However, remember that stacking too many protective effects might raise suspicions or attract unwanted attention within the campaign setting.
Limitations and Restrictions
Despite its power, the Manual of Bodily Health isn’t a panacea. It cannot restore lost limbs or cure certain magical curses, particularly those imposed by powerful deities or ancient entities. The manual requires a full action to utilize, leaving the user vulnerable during the process.
Moreover, repeated use on the same individual may yield diminishing returns, requiring longer recovery periods between applications. The manual’s effects are also limited by the recipient’s constitution; those with exceptionally low scores may experience only partial restoration. Finally, the manual cannot bypass the natural progression of aging or reverse the effects of petrification.
Potential for Abuse & DM Oversight
The Manual of Bodily Health presents opportunities for player exploitation if left unchecked. Players might attempt to perpetually maintain peak physical condition, circumventing the natural consequences of adventuring. Dungeon Masters must establish clear guidelines regarding usage frequency and scope.
Allowing unlimited access diminishes the value of other healing methods and can disrupt campaign balance. Consider implementing a system where overuse attracts unwanted attention – perhaps from those seeking the manual’s power or entities displeased by its interference with fate. Careful DM oversight is crucial to ensure fair play and maintain narrative integrity.
Interaction with Divine Magic
The Manual of Bodily Health’s effects may interact uniquely with divine magic, creating interesting narrative possibilities. A cleric’s healing spells could amplify the manual’s restorative properties, or conversely, a deity might actively hinder its use if it opposes the natural order of life and death.
Perhaps a paladin’s oath compels them to prioritize divine healing over the manual, viewing it as a shortcut that diminishes faith. Conversely, a god of medicine might bless those who responsibly utilize the manual to alleviate suffering. DMs should consider how their campaign’s deities view such an artifact and incorporate those beliefs into gameplay.
Comparative Analysis
This manual offers broad restoration, differing from targeted spells like Lesser Restoration or Greater Restoration, and providing a unique alternative to the Heal spell.
Manual of Bodily Health vs. Lesser Restoration
The Manual of Bodily Health significantly surpasses Lesser Restoration in scope and power. While Lesser Restoration specifically targets a single condition – be it blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned – the Manual offers a much wider range of curative effects.
Lesser Restoration requires a spell slot and a successful check, whereas the Manual, once acquired, provides repeatable benefits without expending resources. However, Lesser Restoration is readily available to spellcasters, while the Manual is a rare and costly item.
The Manual’s ability to restore hit points and potentially address multiple ailments simultaneously makes it a more comprehensive, albeit less accessible, solution compared to the focused application of Lesser Restoration.
Manual of Bodily Health vs. Greater Restoration
Comparing the Manual of Bodily Health to Greater Restoration reveals a nuanced difference in application and cost. Greater Restoration, a 5th-level spell, can remove curses, reduce exhaustion levels, and restore ability scores – capabilities the Manual also possesses.
However, Greater Restoration is a one-time use requiring significant magical energy, while the Manual offers repeatable use after the initial investment of 36,000 gp. The Manual’s consistent availability provides a long-term advantage, though the initial cost is substantial.
While Greater Restoration might be quicker in a pinch, the Manual becomes more economically viable for ongoing or frequent restorative needs, especially within a well-funded adventuring party.
Manual of Bodily Health vs. Heal Spell
The Manual of Bodily Health presents a compelling alternative to the Heal spell, though they differ significantly in function and resource expenditure. Heal, a 6th-level spell, provides a massive burst of hit points, far exceeding the Manual’s restorative capacity in a single instance.
However, Heal is a single-use spell requiring a high-level spellcaster and a spell slot. The Manual, while requiring an action to use, offers repeatable healing and broader restorative effects – curing diseases, removing conditions, and restoring ability scores.
The Manual excels in sustained care, while Heal is ideal for emergency stabilization. The choice depends on the situation and available resources.
Roleplaying & Narrative Implications
The Manual’s origin could be tied to a benevolent deity, a secluded order of healers, or a powerful, long-forgotten physician, influencing campaign lore.
The Manual’s Origin Story
Legends whisper of the Manual’s creation during a devastating plague, penned by a collective of the most skilled healers and alchemists in the realm. Some believe it was commissioned by a compassionate, yet secretive, celestial being, seeking to alleviate suffering across the land.
Others claim a reclusive archmage, horrified by the fragility of life, dedicated centuries to compiling its knowledge, drawing upon ancient texts and forbidden lore. The original manuscript was said to be inscribed on treated dragon hide, radiating a faint, comforting warmth.
Throughout history, the Manual has surfaced sporadically, always appearing when needed most, only to vanish again into obscurity, guarded by those dedicated to preserving its power. Its reappearance often coincides with periods of widespread illness or magical catastrophe.
Who Would Create Such an Item?
The creation of the Manual of Bodily Health demands an individual – or group – possessing immense medical knowledge, magical prowess, and a profound dedication to alleviating suffering. A high-level cleric devoted to a healing deity, perhaps, or a supremely skilled physician with access to powerful arcane secrets.
Alternatively, a conclave of druids, deeply connected to the natural world and its restorative energies, could have painstakingly assembled its contents over generations. It’s unlikely a purely selfish individual would undertake such a task; the Manual’s purpose is inherently altruistic.
Perhaps a powerful, ancient being, witnessing countless cycles of life and death, sought to create a lasting legacy of healing, a bulwark against the inevitable ravages of disease and injury.
Impact on Campaign Setting
The presence of the Manual of Bodily Health significantly alters a campaign’s landscape, potentially diminishing the urgency of quests for rare healing herbs or divine intervention. It could become a focal point for political intrigue, with factions vying for control of its restorative power.
A kingdom possessing the Manual might experience a population boom and increased longevity, impacting resource allocation and social structures. Conversely, its loss or theft could trigger widespread panic and disease outbreaks;
The Manual’s existence might inspire other ambitious individuals to seek similar artifacts, leading to new adventures and challenges for the players. It fundamentally shifts the balance of power regarding health and mortality within the game world.
Ethical Considerations of Use
The Manual of Bodily Health presents complex ethical dilemmas. Is its power to be used freely, or reserved for those deemed ‘worthy’? Could its use create a dependency, undermining natural healing processes or divine favor?
Characters might grapple with the moral implications of prolonging life artificially, potentially disrupting the natural order. The Manual’s accessibility could exacerbate existing inequalities, favoring the wealthy and powerful.
Furthermore, the temptation to exploit the Manual for personal gain – extending one’s own life or that of allies – raises questions of selflessness and responsibility. Players must consider the long-term consequences of wielding such potent restorative magic.