Apothecary Esoteric Theories

Apothecaries develop esoteric theories during their adventures
and experiments, representing their own unique synthesis of
medical and occult practices. The description of each esoteric
theory details the benefits you gain from selecting that theory.
Some esoteric theories specify a minimum apothecary level.
You can’t learn such an esoteric theory until you are at least that
level. Unless an esoteric theory’s description says otherwise, you
can’t learn an esoteric theory more than once.

Acquired Tolerance

You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you
gain resistance to poison damage. In addition, you automatically
succeed on saving throws against your own apothecary spells,
and never take damage from your own apothecary spells.

Adrenaline Surge

Prerequisites: 6th-level apothecary
A creature at 0 hit points who regains hit points from a spell you
cast using an apothecary spell slot gains resistance to all damage
and has advantage on saving throws until the end of its next turn.
It gains advantage on the first attack roll it makes on its next turn.

Anatomical Precision

When you make a weapon attack, you can use your Intelligence
modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and
damage rolls.

Anesthesiology

Prerequisites: 14th-level apothecary
You can cast hold person without expending a spell slot or
requiring material components. You must finish a long rest
before you can use this theory on the same creature again.

Bedside Manner

You gain proficiency in the Insight and Persuasion skills. Your
proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that
uses either of these skills.

Caustic Formulae

Prerequisites: 6th-level apothecary
Once per turn when you deal damage to a creature or object
with an apothecary spell, you can expend an apothecary spell
slot to deal 2d4 extra acid damage to that target, plus another
2d4 per level of the spell slot.

Clinical Conditioning

Prerequisites: 6th-level apothecary
You gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws.

Combat Medic

You gain proficiency with martial weapons and shields.

Corrosive Compound

Prerequisites: 6th-level apothecary
When you deal poison damage with your apothecary spells, you
can choose to deal half the spell’s damage as poison damage and
half the spell’s damage as acid damage instead.

Cosmetic Surgery

You can spend 8 hours performing an occult surgical procedure
upon a willing creature, permanently transforming its appearance.
You decide what the creature looks like, including facial
features, the sound of its voice, hair length, coloration, and
distinguishing characteristics, but none of its game statistics
change. You can’t alter the size of a creature, and its basic shape
stays the same. The resulting transformation is non-magical,
however, a greater restoration spell or similar magic cast upon
the creature can restore it to its original appearance.

Critical Condition

Prerequisites: 6th-level apothecary
When a creature rolls a natural 1 on a saving throw made against
one of your apothecary spells that deals damage, roll all of the
spell’s damage dice twice and add them together. Then add
any relevant modifiers as normal to determine the damage that
creature takes from the spell.

Diagnosis

You can take the Help action as a bonus action on your turn.

Doctor’s Note

Prerequisites: 6th-level apothecary
You can cast the sending spell at-will. You must finish a long rest
before you can use this theory to contact the same creature again.

Double Dose

Prerequisites: 10th-level apothecary
When you cast an apothecary spell using an apothecary spell
slot that targets a single creature and restores hit points to that
creature, you can target an additional creature within range.

Extracurricular Research

You learn two additional cantrips of your choice from any class’s
spell list. These cantrips become apothecary cantrips for you.

Inoculation

You have resistance to necrotic damage, and your hit point maximum
can’t be reduced. In addition, you are immune to diseases.

Interdisciplinary Practice

Prerequisites: 14th-level apothecary
When you use your action to cast a spell, you can make one
weapon attack as a bonus action.

Laboratory Assistant

You learn the spell find familiar, and always have this spell
prepared. It doesn’t count against the number of apothecary
spells you can prepare.

Liability Insurance

Prerequisites: 14th-level apothecary
You can cast contingency once on yourself without material
components. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

Medical Expertise

You gain proficiency in the Medicine and Nature skills. Your proficiency
bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses
either of these skills.

Medical Lexicon

You learn six languages of your choice. You can cast detect poison
and disease at will.

Nerve Agent

Prerequisites: 14th-level apothecary
When you deal poison damage with your apothecary spells, you
can choose to deal psychic damage instead.

Noxious Blood

Prerequisites: 6th-level apothecary
When a creature hits you with a melee attack while within
5 feet of you, it takes poison damage equal to 1d6 + your Constitution modifier.

Pharmacology

When you cast a spell using an apothecary spell slot or your Greater
Formula feature which restores hit points to a creature, the creature
regains additional hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Physiological Analysis

If you spend at least 1 minute observing or interacting with
another creature outside combat, you can learn certain
information about its physiology. The Game Master reveals to
you two of the following characteristics of your choice:
h Any one ability score
h Armor Class
h Current hit points
h Resistances (if any)
h Immunities (if any)
h Vulnerabilities (if any)
Alternatively, you can spend 1 minute observing a corpse.
After 1 minute, you determine the cause of death.

Practical Resuscitation

Prerequisites: 10th-level apothecary
When you cast a spell that has the sole effect of restoring a
creature to life (but not undeath), such as raise dead, you don’t
need material components to cast the spell if the creature has
died within the past hour.

Putrefaction

Your apothecary spells and abilities ignore undead creatures’
resistance or immunity to poison damage and immunity to the
poisoned condition.

Rapid Response

When you cast an apothecary spell that restores hit points to a
creature, before or after casting the spell, you can move your
speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Routine Procedure

Prerequisites: 10th-level apothecary
You can cast lesser restoration at-will without expending a spell slot.

Stolen Secrets

Prerequisites: 10th-level apothecary
You learn one spell from any class’s spell list. It must be of a level
for which you have apothecary spell slots or lower. The spell is
treated as an apothecary spell for you, and doesn’t count against
the number of apothecary spells you know.

Subject Preparation

Prerequisites: 10th-level apothecary
When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, that creature
has disadvantage on the next saving throw it makes against
an apothecary spell you cast before the end of your next turn.

Surgeon’s Instinct

You have blindsight out to a range of 10 feet.

Surgical Strikes

Prerequisites: 6th-level apothecary
You can attack twice, instead of once, when you take the Attack
action on your turn.

Toxicology

Prerequisites: 6th-level apothecary
You add your Intelligence modifier to the damage rolls of spells
that deal poison damage.

Triage

You learn the spare the dying cantrip if you don’t know it
already. When you cast this cantrip, it has a range of 60 feet.

Unfailing Focus

Prerequisites: 6th-level apothecary
When you fail a Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration
on an apothecary spell, you can choose to succeed
instead. Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until
you finish a short or long rest.

Venomous Instruments

Prerequisites: 10th-level apothecary
When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, the creature
takes extra poison damage equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Virulence

When you roll a 1 on a damage die for an apothecary spell that
deals poison damage, you can reroll the die. You must use the
new result, even if the new roll is a 1.

Vital Signs

When a creature you can see within 30 feet of you fails a saving
throw or death saving throw, you can use your reaction to add
your Intelligence modifier to the creature’s roll, potentially
turning a failure into a success. You must finish a short rest
before you can use this theory on the same creature again.

Vivisection

Prerequisites: 6th-level apothecary
Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a 19 or 20.