<Cybercore>

Medic - Pharmaceutical

Medic - Pharmaceutical is the ability to produce and administer life-saving medication in the field using cutting-edge technology. As a skilled medic, you have mastered the use of the Jet Injector and Programable Protoplasma Capsules, allowing you to quickly adjust and produce a variety of pharmaceuticals as needed.

Your Pharma-cutting skills allow you to create customized pharmaceuticals on the fly, tailored to the specific needs of the patient. once you have diagnosed a patient's condition, you can quickly produce a medication to treat their symptoms or even save their life.

Having the skills to produce and administer medicine on the spot can mean the difference between life and death. With the Medic - Pharmaceutical skill, you have the power to save lives and provide critical care in even the most hostile and challenging environments.

Medics in the field rely on two core pieces of equipment a good medical Jet Injector (JI) and Programable Protoplasma Capsules (p3c's). The modern Jet Injector can be configured to adjust the molecular structure on the fly to produce a wide variety of pharmaceuticals.

It takes one action to program your JI and one action to apply it. If your JI is already programmed you can apply it as a single Action.

Using Pharmaceutical

Each pharmaceutical task will have a difficulty rating based on the complexity of the drug, purity required, synthesis conditions, and available equipment. The more experimental or precise the pharmaceutical, the higher the difficulty.

When you attempt to synthesize medicines, formulate compounds, program your Jet Injector for custom effects, create antidotes, or modify drug formulas, you will make a Medic - Pharmaceutical skill check against the task's difficulty rating. The GM may apply Boons or Banes based on factors such as lab quality, available chemicals, time pressure, or purity of ingredients.

  • A Critical Success means you create pharmaceutical perfection. Your medicine is not only exactly what's needed but exceeds expectations - the drug is more potent (25-40% better effect), has fewer side effects, lasts longer than standard formulas, requires smaller doses (stretching supplies), or you discover an improved formula that can be replicated. Patients respond better than expected and you may gain insights for future formulations.
  • A Regular Success allows you to successfully create the pharmaceutical. You synthesize the medicine correctly, program your Jet Injector properly, formulate effective compounds, or create functional antidotes. The drug works as intended and accomplishes your medical objectives.
  • A Failure means your pharmaceutical effort is flawed but not dangerous. The medicine is less effective than hoped (reduced potency), requires higher doses (using more supplies), has increased side effects (discomfort but not harm), takes longer to work, or the formula needs refinement before it's truly effective. It might help, but not as much as needed.
  • A Critical Failure results in pharmaceutical disaster: you create a harmful compound that injures rather than heals, your formula interacts badly with the patient's biology causing severe reactions, you waste expensive rare ingredients on unusable batches, you contaminate your synthesis equipment requiring extensive cleaning, or you accidentally create a dangerous substance that poses risks to everyone nearby. Your pharmaceutical error causes serious harm.

Pharmaceutical Tricks

Rather than spending skill points to move up skill levels, you may instead spend skill points to purchase any of the following tricks.

Rapid Synthesis:

Cost: 2 Skill points
Requires: Tactical Training
Frequency: Once per Lockdown
Effect: You can synthesize pharmaceuticals with exceptional speed. Once per operation, you can program your Jet Injector and administer a treatment in a single action instead of two. Additionally, when using a chemistry lab, you can produce medicines in half the normal time. Your rapid formulation doesn't compromise quality or effectiveness.

Formula Optimization:

Cost: 2 Skill points
Requires: Tactical Training
Frequency: Once per Lockdown
Effect: You can optimize pharmaceutical formulas for maximum efficiency. Once per operation, any medicine you create is 50% more potent - healing drugs restore more HP, stimulants last longer, antidotes work faster. This optimization uses the same amount of resources but produces superior results through your expert technique.

P3C Synthesis:

Cost: 2 Skill points
Requires: Tactical Training
Frequency: Once per Lockdown
Effect: You can synthesize Protoplasma Capsules from common materials. During any Lockdown rest (1 hour) with access to basic supplies, you can produce 1d4 P3C capsules. During a Blackout rest (6-8 hours) in a proper lab, you can produce 2d6 P3C capsules. Your ability to create these vital medical supplies keeps your team supplied.

Custom Antidote:

Cost: 6 Skill points
Requires: Expert Training
Frequency: Once per Op
Effect: You can create custom antidotes to counteract poisons and toxins. Given a sample of a toxin or 10 minutes to analyze a poisoned patient, you can formulate a specific counteragent. You gain a +1d8 Boon to neutralize that specific poison or toxin. The antidote works on any patient affected by the same substance.

Performance Enhancer:

Cost: 6 Skill points
Requires: Expert Training
Frequency: Once per Op
Effect: You can create safe, effective performance-enhancing compounds. Once per rest, you can synthesize a stimulant that grants a patient +1d6 to a chosen ability score (Physical or Mental) for one hour. Unlike crude steroids, your formula has no crash or side effects - when it wears off, the patient feels normal, not exhausted.

Pharmaceutical Arsenal:

Cost: 6 Skill points
Requires: Expert Training
Frequency: Once per Op
Effect: You maintain a diverse arsenal of pre-programmed pharmaceutical formulas. Once per rest, you can access any standard pharmaceutical effect without needing to program your Jet Injector first - healing serums, stimulants, antidotes, sedatives, vaccines, or other standard medical compounds. You can administer these as a single action since they're pre-programmed and ready.

Miracle Drug:

Cost: 10 Skill points
Requires: Master Training
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: You can synthesize a pharmaceutical masterpiece that seems miraculous. Once per mission, you create a custom drug that cures any single disease, neutralizes any poison, heals severe injuries, or provides exactly the medical effect needed - no matter how rare or exotic the condition. The drug works perfectly with no side effects. Your pharmaceutical genius saves lives others consider lost.

Combat Stim Package:

Cost: 10 Skill points
Requires: Master Training
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: You can create the ultimate combat pharmaceutical cocktail. Once per mission, you administer a comprehensive stim package that grants a patient: +2d6 temporary HP, +1d6 to all ability scores, immunity to pain and fear, enhanced reflexes, and sustained focus. The effects last for one full operation. When it wears off, the patient is Fatigued but suffers no other negative effects. This is your masterwork formula.

Universal Formula:

Cost: 10 Skill points
Requires: Master Training
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: Your pharmaceutical knowledge is so complete that you can synthesize anything. For one mission, you can create any pharmaceutical compound - even experimental or theoretical drugs that don't officially exist. Alien medicine? You can make it. Impossible cure? Done. Banned substances? Synthesized safely. Your Jet Injector becomes a pharmacy that can produce any medical compound the situation requires.

Crafting

Two-Stage Creation Process

Stage 1: Research Formula (Blueprint)

  • Requires: Medic - Pharmaceutical check (DC varies by drug complexity)
    • Simple Formula (DC Easy): Basic medicine (pain reliever, antibiotic, stimulant)
    • Advanced Formula (DC Medium): Specialized drug (antidote, performance enhancer, targeted treatment)
    • Elite Formula (DC Hard): Experimental compound (custom vaccine, genetic modifier, advanced cure)
  • Time: 2-7 days of research and testing per formula
  • Resources: Medical databases, chemical references, test samples

Stage 2: Synthesize Drug (Crafting)

  • Requires: Chemical compounds + lab equipment + sterile environment
  • Time: 1-4 hours depending on drug complexity
  • Materials:
    • Chemicals: Base compounds and reagents (Cheap to Expensive)
    • Lab Equipment: Synthesizer, centrifuge, testing equipment (Free if lab equipped)
    • P3C Capsules: Programmable Protoplasma Capsules for delivery (Cheap)
  • Workshop: Medical lab, chemistry lab, or properly equipped med-bay

Benefits: Stacking Boons and Treatment Advantages

Each custom formula grants a stacking Boon when treating conditions it was designed for:

  • 1 Formula: +1d4 Boon
  • 2 Formulas: +1d6 Boon
  • 3 Formulas: +1d8 Boon
  • 4 Formulas: +1d10 Boon
  • 5+ Formulas: +1d12 Boon (then +1d4 for each additional)

Boons apply when:

  • Treating patients with custom-designed medicines
  • Administering drugs for specific conditions
  • Creating antidotes for known toxins
  • Enhancing performance using custom stimulants
  • Synthesizing doses from researched formulas

Types of Custom Pharmaceuticals

Medical Treatments:

  • Targeted Antibiotic: Effective against specific pathogens
  • Custom Vaccine: Immunity to known diseases or toxins
  • Regenerative Serum: Enhanced healing for specific injury types
  • Pain Management: Powerful analgesics for specific conditions

Performance Enhancers:

  • Stamina Booster: Extended endurance without crash
  • Focus Enhancer: Improved concentration and mental clarity
  • Reflexes Stimulant: Heightened reaction time
  • Strength Augment: Temporary physical enhancement

Antidotes & Counters:

  • Toxin Neutralizer: Counteragent for specific poisons
  • Radiation Treatment: Reduces radiation damage effects
  • Disease Cure: Treatment for alien or exotic illnesses
  • Withdrawal Suppressant: Manages addiction symptoms

Tactical Pharmaceuticals:

  • Combat Stimulant: Multi-system combat enhancement
  • Stealth Enhancer: Metabolic suppression for covert ops
  • Environmental Adaptation: Tolerance to extreme conditions
  • Rapid Clotting Agent: Emergency trauma response

Maintenance Requirements

Custom formulas require storage and documentation:

  • Formula Records: Keep detailed synthesis procedures
  • Shelf Life: Most drugs expire (weeks to months depending on type)
  • Storage Conditions: Proper temperature and light control (Cheap)
  • Batch Production: Can produce multiple doses per synthesis session
  • Quality Control: Test batches to ensure potency and safety

Example: Combat Medic's Custom Formulas

Doc "Lifeline" Rodriguez creates combat-specific pharmaceuticals:

  1. Research Formulas (DC Medium): Lifeline spends 5 days researching, rolls Medic - Pharmaceutical (success)
  2. Synthesize Drugs: Creates 3 custom combat medicines:
    • Trauma response serum: Rapid clotting + pain suppression
    • Combat stamina pack: Extended endurance without jitters
    • Shock counteragent: Treats blast trauma and concussion
  3. Cost: Moderate for chemical compounds
  4. Benefit: When treating combat injuries with custom formulas, gains +1d8 Boon (3 formulas)
  5. Production: Can synthesize 5 doses per formula per lab session

Example: Xenobiologist's Alien Medicine Cabinet

Dr. "Xeno" Chen specializes in alien biology treatments:

  1. Multiple Formulas: Xeno has researched 5 treatments for alien pathogens and toxins:
    • Antidote for Quar'tian venom
    • Vaccine for Zypherian spore infection
    • Treatment for Crystalline blood syndrome
    • Neutralizer for atmospheric toxins
    • Cure for alien parasites
  2. Benefit: When treating alien-related conditions, gains +1d12 Boon
  3. Investment: Each formula required 4-7 days research and Expensive alien samples
  4. Value: Formulas highly sought after by frontier colonists

GM Notes

  • Limit to 5 active formulas in medic's repertoire
  • Research Requirements: Rare conditions may require samples or infected patients to study
  • Story Opportunities: Researching cures can drive exploration and missions
  • Economic Value: Custom formulas can be sold or traded
  • Ethical Considerations: Some drugs may have questionable applications
  • Side Effects: Experimental compounds may have unforeseen consequences