In the harsh, unforgiving world of Cybercore combat, the Medic - Triage skill can mean the difference between life and death. With this skill, you are trained to quickly assess the severity of HITS loss and Wounds, prioritize casualties, and administer the appropriate medical care in a combat situation.

You are a master of triage, able to determine which injuries are life-threatening and need immediate attention, and which can wait for a Stim Break. You can perform battlefield triage and stabilize injured allies, from applying Quick Clot and nanite patches to performing emergency surgery using advanced medical tools.

You can also identify and treat the effects of various types of combat damage, from environmental hazards like radiation to exposure to unknown alien toxins. Your training and quick thinking allow you to keep your team alive in the most dire of situations, ensuring that they can fight another day.

Triage Target Rating

The difficulty of treating a patient is the higher of two values: the wound-count TL, or the source's TL (whatever inflicted the damage).

Wound TL = 10 + (3 × Wounds)Source TL = the TL of the creature, hazard, or weapon that caused the injury

Use whichever is higher. A street thug (TL 12) who inflicts 2 Wounds produces a Triage target of 16 (wound-count wins). A Zod Warrior (TL 40) who inflicts 1 Wound produces a Triage target of 40 (source TL wins); bigger creatures leave nastier wounds even when the wound count is low.

Using Triage

Each medical emergency will have a difficulty rating based on the Triage TL formula above. When you attempt to stabilize wounded allies, perform emergency surgery, prioritize casualties, or manage mass casualty situations, you will make a Medic - Triage skill check against the TL. The GM may apply Boons or Banes based on factors such as quality of medical equipment, combat stress, or time pressure.

• A Critical Success means you perform battlefield medicine at the highest level. Treatment restores an additional +1 HIT beyond normal, you identify hidden injuries (additional Wounds or conditions the patient wasn't aware of), and treatment time is halved. If performing Lockdown treatment, you complete the patient in 30 minutes instead of 1 hour.
• A Regular Success allows you to successfully triage and treat your patients. You stabilize wounded allies, prioritize casualties correctly, and administer appropriate emergency care. Treatment proceeds at normal rates (1 hour per patient during Lockdown).
• A Failure means your triage efforts are incomplete or delayed. Treatment takes 2 hours instead of 1 during a Lockdown. During combat, your Combat Medic action restores 0 HITS this round instead of 1; the Action is wasted but you can try again next round within the treatment window.
• A Critical Failure results in medical catastrophe: the patient takes +1 additional Wound from botched treatment, you waste the consumable with no effect, or you misdiagnose the injury entirely, requiring a fresh assessment before further treatment. Your mistake costs time the patient may not have.

Triage 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 Assessment:

Cost: 2 Skill points
Requires: Tactical Training
Frequency: Once per Lockdown
Effect: You can instantly assess casualty severity and prioritize treatment. When entering a mass casualty situation, you automatically identify the most critical patients, determine correct treatment priority, and spot hidden life-threatening injuries. During a Lockdown, your first patient takes 30 minutes instead of 1 hour to treat. Grants +1d6 Boon to your first Triage check of the operation.

Combat Medic:

Cost: 2 Skill points
Requires: Tactical Training
Frequency: Once per person per encounter
Effect: You can perform emergency battlefield medicine on a wounded ally. Spend 1 Action to restore 1 HIT to an adjacent ally. Treatment must begin on the same round the damage was received or the following round; after that window closes, the injury must wait for a Stim Break. You can spend additional Actions on subsequent rounds to restore additional HITS, but only within the treatment window. Once the window closes for a patient, you cannot treat them again this encounter. You can treat different patients in the same encounter, each with their own treatment window.

Supply Efficiency:

Cost: 2 Skill points
Requires: Tactical Training
Frequency: Once per Lockdown
Effect: You can stretch limited medical supplies further than most medics. For one Lockdown, each healing consumable you administer can treat 2 patients instead of 1 without loss of effectiveness. Your efficient technique ensures nothing is wasted. This does not increase the number of consumable uses; it allows one use to benefit two patients.

Field Surgery:

Cost: 6 Skill points
Requires: Expert Training
Frequency: Once per Op
Effect: You can perform complex emergency surgery in field conditions without a proper med-bay. Using your portable medical unit and improvised sterile field, you can conduct surgical procedures that would normally require a full medical facility. Surgery takes 2 hours per patient instead of the standard 1 hour, but has the same success rate and patient outcomes. This allows Wound removal in the field if you have the Trauma Surgeon ability (or equivalent).

Trauma Specialist:

Cost: 6 Skill points
Requires: Expert Training
Frequency: Once per Op
Effect: Your expertise in treating severe trauma is exceptional. When treating patients with life-threatening injuries (below 1/4 MAX HITS or with 2+ Wounds), you gain a +1d8 Boon to all Triage checks. You can save patients that other medics would consider beyond help.

Team Coordinator:

Cost: 6 Skill points
Requires: Expert Training
Frequency: Once per Op
Effect: You can coordinate a team of medics and assistants with exceptional efficiency. When working with a medical team during a Lockdown, each additional medic reduces treatment time by 15 minutes per patient (minimum 15 minutes per patient). You can also train non-medics to provide basic assistance, allowing any teammate to help with medical procedures as an Aid Another action.

Miraculous Recovery:

Cost: 10 Skill points
Requires: Master Training
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: Your medical skill borders on miraculous. Once per mission, you can save a patient who has reached their Wound Maximum or who is dying. Through heroic medical intervention, the patient stabilizes at 1 HIT at their current Wound count (which remains at Max Wounds). They are conscious but critically wounded and cannot recover HITS until at least one Wound is treated. Proper care must be provided during a Lockdown.

Mass Casualty Expert:

Cost: 10 Skill points
Requires: Master Training
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: You can manage overwhelming mass casualty situations with calm efficiency. For one emergency, you automatically organize and prioritize any number of casualties, coordinate all available medical personnel, and allocate supplies optimally. During a Lockdown, you can treat 2 patients per hour instead of 1. No saveable patient dies under your watch.

Battlefield Surgeon:

Cost: 10 Skill points
Requires: Master Training
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: You can perform complex surgery under impossible conditions; under fire, in zero-g, during ship maneuvers, or in other extreme circumstances. For one mission, you can perform Lockdown-level treatment (including Wound removal if you have Trauma Surgeon) as an Extended Action taking 2 rounds instead of requiring a full Lockdown. Your hands are steady, your focus absolute, and your patients survive procedures that should be fatal.

Crafting

Two-Stage Creation Process

Stage 1: Research and Document (Blueprint)

• Requires: Medic - Triage check (TL varies by protocol complexity)
  • Simple Protocol (TL 10): Basic injury treatment (gunshot wounds, blast trauma, burns)
  • Advanced Protocol (TL 15): Complex trauma (multi-system injuries, toxic exposure, environmental hazards)
  • Elite Protocol (TL 20): Extreme situations (zero-g surgery, alien biology, mass casualty)
• Time: 1-3 weeks of research and documentation per protocol
• Resources: Medical databases, case studies, trauma data

Stage 2: Train and Implement (Crafting)

• Requires: Protocol documentation + training time + practice scenarios
• Time: 1-2 weeks of training and drills
• Materials:
  • Training Supplies: Medical dummies, simulation equipment (Cheap to Moderate)
  • Documentation: Protocol manuals and quick reference cards (Cheap)
  • Practice: Repeated drills to internalize procedures (Time investment)
• Workshop: Medical bay, field hospital, or training facility

Benefits: Stacking Boons and Treatment Efficiency

Each medical protocol grants a stacking Boon to Medic - Triage rolls when treating matching injury types:

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

Boons apply when:

• Treating injuries covered by your protocols
• Performing emergency procedures you've documented
• Managing casualties in situations you've planned for
• Training others using your documented procedures
• Working under pressure with familiar injury patterns

Material Benefits

Medical protocols provide practical advantages:

• Faster Treatment: Protocol-covered injuries take 30 minutes per patient instead of 1 hour during Lockdown
• Supply Efficiency: Reduce consumable waste; 1 in 4 consumable uses is preserved (round down)
• Better Outcomes: Patients recover with fewer complications (+1d4 Boon to recovery checks)
• Team Coordination: Protocols can be taught to team members during R&R
• Stress Reduction: Familiar procedures reduce panic in crisis
• Quality Assurance: Standardized care ensures consistent results

GM Note: Protocols represent battle-tested procedures. Unusual injuries or exotic conditions may require new protocols.

Maintenance Requirements

Medical protocols require occasional updates:

• Practice: Run training drills monthly to maintain proficiency
• Updates: Incorporate new medical techniques and technologies (Cheap)
• Sharing: Protocols can be taught to other medics or team members
• Specialization: Each protocol covers one injury type or situation
• Reputation: Well-documented protocols enhance professional standing

Example: Combat Medic's Battlefield Protocols

Corpsman "Patch" Williams creates combat-specific procedures:

1. Research Protocols (TL 15): Patch spends 2 weeks documenting battlefield trauma, rolls Medic - Triage (success)
2. Create Protocols: Develops 3 emergency procedures:
   • Gunshot wound stabilization: Rapid hemorrhage control
   • Blast trauma response: Multi-system injury management
   • Combat burns protocol: Field treatment for thermal injuries
3. Cost: Cheap for training supplies and documentation
4. Benefit: When treating combat injuries, Patch gains +1d8 Boon and treats patients in 30 minutes instead of 1 hour
5. Duration: Permanent knowledge; practice monthly to maintain

Example: Trauma Surgeon's ER Protocols

Dr. Chen maintains comprehensive emergency procedures:

1. Multiple Protocols: Chen has developed 5 trauma protocols for different emergencies
2. Benefit: When treating emergencies in equipped med-bay, gains +1d12 Boon
3. Team Training: All ER staff trained on protocols for coordinated response
4. Quality: Protocols ensure consistent high-quality care under pressure

GM Notes

• Limit to 5 active protocols per medic to represent realistic specialization
• Protocol Scope: Each covers one specific injury type or emergency situation
• Story Opportunities: Developing protocols can drive research and training missions
• Team Benefit: Trained team members can assist using the protocols
• Professional Value: Well-documented protocols can be published or taught