Healing and Medical Kits (House Rule)

Medic at work

The Alpha Dawn rules make healing the exclusive province of the Biosocial PSA and include an extensive list of contents for the standard Medkit. In order to make the rules a bit more realistic/complete while simplifying the bookkeeping GM's may elect to use the following rules instead:

Training

There are three levels of medical training/expertise, one general that any character can learn/administer and two forms of dedicated expertise which require the full Medical skill (characters must choose which at time the skill is chosen):

First Aid

This represents someone who has had basic emergency medical training (soldiers, police/fire personnel, or the graduate of a civilian first aid course). Therefore, it is within the abilities of all characters, regardless of whether or not they possess the Medical skill. First Aid training includes basic wound care (cleaning, splinting, and bandaging cuts/abrasions/strains/broken bones) as well as diagnosing and treating shock/signs of poisoning/etc. It also includes the ability to perform CPR.

First Aid training does not include instruction in administering prescription or controlled medications such as Biocort, Telol, or Antitox, nor does it teach more advanced medical procedures such as inserting IVs, breathing tubes and so forth.

The following Medical sub-skills may be used by any character with this level of training: Administering Drugs (over-the-counter only), Diagnosis (general information only), First-Aid, Controlling Infection (basic methods only, no medication)

First Aid training allows any character to restore 1 to 10 points of STA immediately.

Medic

This is the type of training received by Combat Medics, Emergency Medical Technicians, and Trauma Nurses. It focuses primarily on stabilizing the patient's condition prior to moving them to where they can receive more sophisticated aid from doctors with better facilities and to be able to assist doctors performing operations in medical facilities

Medic training includes First Aid training with the addition of advanced procedures such as starting IVs and airways, some basic surgery, advanced wound dressing/stabilization, and administering prescribed or controlled medications under a doctor's supervision.

This type of training does not include diagnosing specific types of diseases or poisons, the ability to administer advanced medications such as Telol or extremely specific fields of medicine such as neurology, orthopedics and so forth.

The following Medical sub-skills may be used by any character with Medic training: Administering Drugs (o-t-c and basic, such as antibiotics and Biocort), Diagnosis (full information), First Aid, Controlling Infection (full methods) plus Minor Surgery and Activating Freeze Fields.

Medic training allows the medic to restore either 11-20 or 2-20 points of Stamina.

Doctor

Doctors are fully-trained medical professionals. Doctors may make full use of all Medical sub-skills as per the Alpha Dawn rules.

Wounds

Wounds are divided into three levels:

• Minor (up to 10 STA)
• Moderate (11-20 STA)
• Severe (21 STA +)

Any level of wound may benefit from First-Aid, recovering 1-10 STA, but such may be applied only once to any given wound. Any damage above that requires the use of a medkit of the appropriate type (see below). diseases are automatically considered Severe injuries regardless of the amount of damage done.

Example: Gemma Lane is trying to help her boyfriend Zac Quasar, who has been shot. Zac has taken 23 points of damage. Gemma is not a Medic, and has only a First-Aid Pack. Gemma does her best, and restores 7 points of Zac's Stamina. Zac still has 16 points of damage to heal. Gemma may not treat this wound again because she has applied First Aid once, and she has neither the skill nor the higher-level Medkit needed for the task.

Later, they find their friend Yk'Vr'Nyrr, who is a Doctor and has a First Responder's Kit. Yk performs Minor Surgery successfully and heals another 11 points. Yk can either perform another Minor Surgery at a later date - not First Aid, because the wound was a Moderate one - and finish the job, or Zac will have to heal the last 5 points of damage naturally. If Yk had had a full Doctor's Kit, she could have attempted Major Surgery and possibly healed it all at once.

All other rules concerning wounds and healing remain as per Alpha Dawn.

Medkits

Medkits are, like skill types and wound levels, divided into three types. Each type has a number specifying how many times it may be used to heal an injury of each type. It is assumed that the kit contains all the necessary supplies for the task.

The three levels of medkit are:

Medkit 1/First Aid Pack

First Aid pack

Described in the Alpha Dawn rules, this is the most basic sort of medkit. It is the sort commonly found in homes, carried by ordinary hikers, etc. Anyone can use a first aid pack to treat up to 10 Minor injuries before its supplies are exhausted. A single First Aid Pack (sufficient for one person or a small family) costs 40 credits, measures at least 15x10x2 centimeters, and weighs approximately .5kg.

Larger types of this kit exist, and are often found in businesses or other areas where large numbers of people live and work. (Additional 40 credits and .5kg per 10 uses, maximum of 50 uses total).

Refills for larger kits may be purchased in 10 use blocks at the same price.

Any character may purchase and use a Level 1 Medkit.

Medkit 2/First Responder's Kit

Combat medic's kit

This sort of medkit contains all of the supplies of a first aid pack in greater quantity plus a number of items to make treating Moderate injuries possible. This sort of kit is the type carried by EMTs and combat medics, and requires a character to have at least that level of training to use properly. It is designed to treat Minor injuries and help stabilize more heavily injured characters (presumably for transport to a medical facility). This sort of medkit is designed to treat up to 20 Minor injuries and 10 Moderate ones.

A complete First Responder's Kit costs 200 credits, measures 28x25x20 centimeters, and weighs 5kg. Refills for this type of kit cost 150 credits and weigh 3kg.

Complete First Responder's kits may be purchased only by characters certified to have at least Medic training. Others may purchase a “basic” version of this kit that lacks controlled medicines for 150 credits (refills 100 credits).

Medkit 3/Doctor's Kit

Field Medical kit

This is the sort of kit a field surgeon or civilian doctor carries. It is capable of providing the resources to treat any sort of injury and if not cure the patient, then, at least, maintain their life until a hospital can be reached. It can also give field treatment for poisonings and diseases. Doctor's kits can treat up to 40 Minor injuries, 20 Moderate injuries, and 10 Serious ones.

A Doctor's Kit costs 500 credits, is carried in a backpack measuring roughly 28x53x15 centimeters, and weighs 10kg. Purchase is restricted to fully-licensed Doctors. Refills are 400 credits and mass 5kg.

Notes and References

• This house rule presented by ChrisDonovan.