Acupuncture (sage ability)

Acupuncture is an amateur-status sage ability in the study of Occultism which provides temporary relief for penalties that result from physical injury, pain, burns, disease, and even age.  The application of acupucture is stressful, requires an hour to perform and requires the possession of eighty needles which need to be folded into a leather-and-cloth pouch.  An accupuncturist can work on only one patient in a given day.

A comfortable place is needed for the subject to lay, with the equivalent of day-time lighting, a heavy blanket to lay on and relative peace and quiet.  During this time, neither the patient nor the acupuncturist may be disturbed without risking the effect of the treatment to that time.

Afterwards, the beneficiary will, that day, be unaffected by the penalty they would otherwise suffer, for a period between 6 to 9 hours after the practice is applied (roll randomly, d4+5).

Acupuncture will also restore age effects to the next lowest category — so that a venerable person would feel old, an old person would feel middle-aged and a middle-aged person would feel mature.  These effects likewise last 6 to 9 hours, with the character regaining strength, constitution and dexterity, but losing none of their gained intelligence or wisdom.  Acupuncture has no age effects upon persons who are mature in age or younger.