Medicine

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 Medicine (01%) 

(see also 1920's Medicine and Medicine (rules))

The user diagnoses and treats accidents, injuries, diseases, poisonings, etc., and makes public health recommendations. If an era has no good treatment for a malady, the effort is limited, uncertain, or inconclusive. The Medicine skill grants knowledge of a wide variety of drugs and potions, natural and man-made, and understanding of the side effects and contraindications.

Treatment using the Medicine skill takes a minimum of one hour and can be delivered any time after damage is taken, but if this is not performed on the same day, the difficult level is increased (requiring a Hard success). A person treated successfully with Medicine recovers 1D3 hit points (in addition to any First Aid they have received), except in the case of a dying character, who must initially receive successful First Aid to stabilize them before a Medicine roll is made.

A character is limited to one treatment of First Aid and Medicine until further damage is taken (except in the case of a dying character who may require stabilizing with First Aid multiple times). Successful use of Medicine can rouse an unconscious person to consciousness.

In treating Major Wounds, successful use of the Medicine skill provides the patient a Bonus die on their weekly recovery roll.

The Keeper may grant automatic success for medical treatment in a contemporary, well-equipped hospital.

Opposing skill/Difficulty level:


 * Regular difficulty: diagnosis and treatment of standard medical ailments, with access to equipment (at least a doctor's bag containing drugs and instruments) and a suitable environment.
 * Hard difficulty: diagnosis and treatment in a dirty and unsafe environment, with the minimum of equipment.

Pushing examples: consulting with colleagues; conducting further research; trying something experimental or more risky; performing some form of clinical experiment.

Sample Consequences of failing a Pushed roll: you misdiagnose the ailment and you worse the patient's condition (perhaps even killing them); your good standing comes into question and you are investigated for malpractice. In the case of a dying character, if a pushed Medicine roll is failed, the patient dies.


 * If an insane investigator fails a pushed roll, the results will be disturbing to the extreme, perhaps involving amputation or blood poisoning as a result of failed attempts to graft animal parts to a person.