Skill | First Aid (Mind)

First Aid is the skill of providing immediate, practical medical care. It includes stopping bleeding, stabilizing wounds, preventing shock, and buying time for rest or advanced healing. When properly applied, First Aid keeps injured characters alive and functioning long enough to recover.

When You Use It:
First Aid is used when a character suffers physical injury or trauma and needs immediate assistance. This can occur in combat, after hazards, or following traps or magical effects. First Aid may only be attempted once per incident per patient, unless the GM rules that circumstances meaningfully change.

Mechanical Effects:

• Stabilize Wounds:
  A successful check stabilizes a character who is Mauled or Incapacitated, stopping ongoing HP loss. This holds them at their current HP or raises them to 1 HP if below zero (GM discretion applies based on the result and situation).

• Enhance Natural Healing:
  If used within one hour of injury, a successful check improves recovery:

  • Injured characters heal 2 HP per day instead of 1.

  • Seriously Wounded characters heal 2 HP per day with bed rest.

  • Further healing (such as bonus recovery rolls) requires Medicine.

• Critical Success (01):
  Stabilizes with enhanced effect, restoring 1 HP immediately and possibly removing certain penalties (GM discretion).

• Critical Failure (00):
  Worsens the condition: inflicts 1d10 damage or causes complications that may hinder future treatment.

Situational Modifiers:
Apply the Difficulty Ladder based on setting, resources, and patient condition:

• Trivial (+50%): Full daylight, clean environment, medical kit, patient calm

• Effortless (+40%): Shelter, clean rags, low stress, cooperative patient

• Easy (+30%): Decent tools, minor injuries, no time pressure

• Routine (+20%): Typical distractions, average wounds, basic supplies

• Favorable (+10%): Dirtier setting or mild urgency

• Everyday (0%): Standard adventuring conditions

• Challenging (–10%): Dim light, distressed patient

• Hard (–20%): No tools, under fire, unstable ground

• Very Hard (–30%): Poor visibility, convulsing patient, serious wounds

• Extreme (–40%): Magical injury, poison, unconscious patient in filth

• Near-Impossible (–50%): Mid-combat treatment, cursed wound, patient dying in swamp conditions

Untrained Use:
Anyone may attempt First Aid using their full Mind score. However, if untrained, failure counts as a critical failure, risking serious harm or further complications. While success is possible under ideal conditions, attempting without skill is always dangerous.

Narrative Examples:

• A ranger applies bandages in the field, stopping a wounded ally from bleeding out.

• A cleric treats burns after a magical blast, stabilizing an unconscious fighter.

• A rogue uses torn cloth and quick thinking to keep a poisoned friend breathing.

• A warrior kneels in the mud, shielding and patching a comrade as arrows fly overhead.

GM Note:
First Aid is not magical healing and should never replace proper medical care. It stops bleeding, prevents death, and reduces the effects of trauma—but it cannot restore characters to full strength or cure serious injuries. Think of it as buying time: a way to stabilize the wounded until they can rest, receive medicine, or find magical aid. If First Aid fails, death or further harm becomes very real.

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File Created: 05/01/2025
Last Modified: 05/01/2025