D&D 5E Medicine Checks

[Ashrym]

Medicine is used rarely enough I don't see much on it. I would like to see and encourage more use. I listed what I could find.


DC 5

• stabilize / revive a drowning creature
• determine obvious cause of death

DC 10

• determine if a patient is safe to move
• stabilize a dying creature
• deliver a baby with complications
• diagnose starvation, dehydration, or madness
• diagnose an illness
• determine time and cause of death with multiple visible marks

DC 15

• determine time and cause of death with no visible marks
• save mother with a complicated delivery
• blood spatter analysis
• safely remove an impaled object from a creature
• analyze container contents for poison (I'm not sure I agree with this one)

DC 20

• remove Slaad control gem while incapacitated

Varies

• staunch bleeding (DC=save DC)
• treat poison
• treat disease
• identify remains

Are there other published uses I'm missing, and what uses have you used?

 

[R_J_K75]

Where is this info from?

 

[Ashrym]

AL, various campaign books (Undermountain had several checks), PHB, monster manual, and DMG. Generally it is real world medicine applications, anatomy, and forensics.

5e just has random medicine checks with no central rules, lol.

 

[robus]

Surely including situations in your adventures that require medical attention and have consequences for failure is the best way to increase use of this particular skill? And it does seem like something that would be more prevalent in a gritty campaign rather than typical 5e fantasy excursion.

 

[Ashrym]

@robus Magical healing almost always precedence. Some of the medicine uses take too long to be relevant. Treating a festering wound in the DMG requires 1 check ever 24 hours until 10 successes, for example.

EDIT; it works great in gritty or low magic campaigns. I'm hoping for more mainstream use like other skills.

 

[R_J_K75]

AL, various campaign books (Undermountain had several checks), PHB, monster manual, and DMG. Generally it is real world medicine applications, anatomy, and forensics.

5e just has random medicine checks with no central rules, lol.

Thanks thought so. Didnt think the PHB/DMG was that in depth.

 

[Charlaquin]

5e just has random medicine checks with no central rules, lol.

I mean, that’s kinda how all checks work in 5e. Instead of lists of specific tasks and DCs like in 3e, 5e relies on DM adjudication. Based on what the player wants to accomplish and how their character goes about it, the DM describes the results (calling for a check and setting the DC if necessary to resolve uncertainty in the outcome.)

 

[Ashrym]

I mean, that’s kinda how all checks work in 5e. Instead of lists of specific tasks and DCs like in 3e, 5e relies on DM adjudication. Based on what the player wants to accomplish and how their character goes about it, the DM describes the results (calling for a check and setting the DC if necessary to resolve uncertainty in the outcome.)

I think this is one of those skills most players look at the lack of information in the PHB and don't know what they might try. A list of what has been done to gauge from may help them.

 

[Charlaquin]

I think this is one of those skills most players look at the lack of information in the PHB and don't know what they might try.

This is just my opinion, and it’s a bit of a controversial one, but if the player is thinking of what to try in terms of what their skills are and what those skills can do, they’re going about things backwards. They should thinking in terms of what they want to accomplish and what their character might do to try and achieve that goal. Let the DM worry about whether or not that task requires a check, and if so what kind.

A list of what has been done to gauge from may help them.

I do think a list like this is useful. I just think it’s better as a DM tool to help setting appropriate DCs, rather than a player tool to allow them choose actions from a menu.

 

[neogod22]

@robus Magical healing almost always precedence. Some of the medicine uses take too long to be relevant. Treating a festering wound in the DMG requires 1 check ever 24 hours until 10 successes, for example.

EDIT; it works great in gritty or low magic campaigns. I'm hoping for more mainstream use like other skills.

Magical healing usually isn't as available for common folk. The PHB prices goods and services in GP which may seem cheap until you realize that the currency most people deal in is SP. Then you realize how expensive things really are in the D&D Worlds.