Medicine
Full rules text, use cases, and edge-case handling for this skill.
Description
Medicine represents practical healing knowledge — stabilizing the dying, diagnosing illness, and identifying the nature of injuries or afflictions. Unlike magical healing, Medicine works through understanding of biology and triage. It keeps people alive long enough for magic to save them.
Check
The GM calls for a Medicine check when treating wounds, diagnosing conditions, or recalling medical knowledge.
| Difficulty | DC |
|---|---|
| Easy | 10 |
| Medium | 15 |
| Hard | 20 |
| Very Hard | 25 |
| Nearly Impossible | 30 |
Common Uses
- Stabilizing a dying creature (DC 10) — on success, the creature stops making death saving throws
- Diagnosing a disease or poison to determine its nature
- Determining the cause of death by examining a body
- Recalling medical lore about diseases, poisons, or anatomy
- Treating wounds during a short rest (some optional rules)
Note: Medicine cannot restore hit points on its own — it stabilizes and diagnoses. Any Healer's Kit allows a Medicine check to stabilize without spending spell slots, making it valuable even in a party with healers.
Passive Score
Passive Medicine (10 + modifier) may be used when the GM wants to determine whether a character notices signs of illness, injury, or poisoning on an NPC without requiring an active examination roll.
Proficiency
Medicine proficiency is standard for Clerics and characters with acolyte or healer backgrounds. In parties without a dedicated healer, a Medicine-proficient character with a Healer's Kit provides a reliable fallback for stabilization.
Special
- Healer (feat): Use a Healer's Kit to stabilize a creature as a bonus action (no check required). Also allows restoring 1d6 + 4 + creature's max HD hit points during a short rest — a significant healing option that doesn't require spell slots.
- Healer's Kit: Required tool for stabilization checks. Without it, stabilizing requires a spell or a Medicine check using improvised means at the GM's discretion.
- Herbalism Kit (tool): Proficiency with the Herbalism Kit can be combined with Medicine checks for diagnosing and treating natural diseases and poisons.
- Spare the Dying (cantrip): Automatically stabilizes at touch range with no check — renders Medicine redundant for stabilization in parties with Clerics, but Medicine still serves for diagnosis and lore.