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Are Doctors/Medics always "in the rear with the gear" in your games?

F

Father Fletch

SOC-12
I have found, since I work in the medical field, that often the active life of docs and medics are quite active. Indeed some of them would qualify as IRL Travellers. Yet in many RPG's they are relegated to the role of HP rechargers, (medical) drug pushers and cleaning up after the grunts (legs and arms and eyes, yuck).
Do you find this to be the case? I would love to hear some notable exceptions, from RPG, Fiction or real life. Give the Docs a chance to have some fun!
 
In our T20 playtest campaign, the only guy with appreciable medical skill was the Merc Cruiser captain.

Most of the characters were mercenaries, marines or army class, and so had little in the way of skill points.

The ship captain, however, was a hi-INT human with levels in Traveller and Navy. So, he had more skill points than he could possibly need. Therefore, he did all the Electronic work, was a better sensor op than the NPC's in the bridge crew, and was the only first-rate medic. On ground missions, it was always, inject 'em with Medical Fast drug and drag 'em back to the ship for the captain.

But during space combat, he ran the show, no in the rear with the gear for him. He was also the best gunner, so did all the orbital fire support from the ship (orbital fire support be very good)
 
LOL In point of fact, in our campaign the medic has a real 'gung ho' sort of personality. He's impulsive and aggresive, which often puts him in the thick of things, if he didn't start things that is. It does lead to some very interesting situations with his companions trying to cover 'Doc' while he runs about playing Action Hero.

Shiara
 
In RL I think this one of the biggest crying shames about peoples attitudes towards doctors.

Both in the game and in RL they are some of the most educated people in our commuity. It seems a shame that we do not utilize this resource more often in areas other than medicine.

In strict game sense I think Dr. Skulls example is indicative. The "doc" character is most likely to have the most skill point heavy careers AND the highest INT.
 
Great Topic Father Fletch!

In answer to your question--yes!

In my TNE campaign (Solee vs RC war), my daughter's Pc, a Ship's Dr/ cross trained with Drop troops/ and Navy personnel from the allied system of Mueller, CDR Hani Feldmann, took charge of ground ops on this planet that has 9 months of winter (due to its orbit/ time of year), a TL-7 world, the Guild had foreclosed on, and Solee had swooped up, and later taken out by the RC.
She personnally led the evacuation of several cities, and harnessed trains, old TL-9 VTOL Hercules type craft after several Power plants had been Knocked out (not just off line-the Orbital strike led by the gung-ho Pcs was more efective than they expected).

Now thy were faced with over 500,000 sophonts freezing to death/ feeding them, etc, plus EPWS, and their occupation forces.

She pushed two adult players out of the way (made me proud) and displayed the best Sons of Craig -"Save these people!" roleplaying the li'l cuss hs done to date (save for her outrage when she discovered the planet had been using "Soylent Green" as a solution to their chirper overpopulation--on Mueller you don't eat chirpers!)...I'm an evil GM, and she played right into it. ;)
Imagine a 5'6" woman being restrained by Marines in power armor from shooting the Soylent Green Plant director! They almost let her have him! :mad:
It was a moment in her RPG'ing I was proud to see. Even if I set the morbid piece in front of her. SHe impressed the heck outa the other adult players (josie is 13, be 14 this Monday).
She's a were-gandalf with Dice, be warned.
 
Liam, my daughter is the same way, tho' only 7, she loves to play the big strong type. In Star Wars D20 she plays a Wookie 18yo Fringer/Scout with strength of 18. She also seems to have the best luck with the dice, rolling many a crit.
Her next character, which we rolled up last night, is an Aslan female who came out of the Barbarian/Traveller path.
In Living Greyhawk she is preferential to a half-orc barbarian.
I think she likes being the biggest and toughest character around.
Course her name is KALI! (No foolin’) I wonder if that has anything to do with it?
 
Come to think about it.....No...i dont "use" much of anything "Medical"....certanily not any doc's or nurses.....nothing like that....I think The T.V. series MASH ruined that for me.....Very Few episods about forward Aid Stations.....Then there are all the other T.V. series...and there were alot....mostly BULL****!!!

WoW...Lotta Nasty Old Memories!!!!!......
 
Originally posted by Father Fletch:
Liam, my daughter is the same way, tho' only 7, she loves to play the big strong type. In Star Wars D20 she plays a Wookie 18yo Fringer/Scout with strength of 18. She also seems to have the best luck with the dice, rolling many a crit.
Her next character, which we rolled up last night, is an Aslan female who came out of the Barbarian/Traveller path.
In Living Greyhawk she is preferential to a half-orc barbarian.
I think she likes being the biggest and toughest character around.
Course her name is KALI! (No foolin’) I wonder if that has anything to do with it?
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Josephine tends towards clerics & Drs. She does have a Navy Pilot though, and a TNS/CIN reporter, as well as a Free Trader's daughter. Thanks fer the topic, Father Fletch.
 
Doc's not in the rear:

1) In my current D&D campaign the running joke is 'Cleric to the front'. We have three PC's: A dwarf who is a walking tank, Me, playing an elven theif who should be good with a bow and who also has one level in Wizard. And the Cleric. The cleric's player is an intensily active officer with the local reserve regiment and seems to come up with the best strategy's more often than not. The dwarf is a thin, bookish, IT expert who, in game, prefers to resolve obstacles by breaking them.

but I digress, The cleric has proved nearly as effective as the Dwarf at (sometimes more effective, dang those pesky dice) pounding on monsters. Has nearly the same hit points and needs to be close to the dwarf to keep his HP topped up. Often he's a priority target, often he's the last man standing. "Clerics to the front!"

Clerics generally have had a munchkin-esque balance between spell casting and combat abilities. they are the D&D single class generalist.

2) In RL I've met some REALLY big and muscular medics. I remember one story about an argument in a Juniors Ranks Club were some Infantry guy being and ASS stated "And who is going to do anything about it a bunch of Medic service Fags?" and was suddenly confronted with three med branch guys all larger than him and all willing to get it on.

From that experience, I made up an NPC in a barfight: One of the players had just drunkly spilled a drink on the wrong NPC. I rolled some quick stats (or checked 1001 characters I can't remember) and got an Army Officer with a strength of 'C' and Med skill 4. I invented a tough talking bruiser of an army doc on the spot. The player(or his character) had JUST the knack of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and got pulped by this guy. For an over the top touch I had the 'doc' wearing heavy rings with embossed letters on his fingers. So the the next morning the PC woke with 'Hypocrates' and 'Anaesthesia' imprinted on his face. It was one of those one-off characters that took on a life of his own.

3) As a Nurse and former Ambulance Driver myself I've often played/Protrayed med skill in great detail. Actually having my characters go through the modalities for emergancy scene managment or sterile technique in great detail. Even non Drs. I've played have often had paramedic skill or it's equivalent And I've often sent them into the heat to drag people clear and treat them.

4) In one of David Weber's non-Harrington novels (Path of The Fury: very traveller-esque btw) there is a character who is a combat medic. The line describing her actions in one fight scene goes something like "Drop Commando Medics were medics first but only first..." and goes on to describe her lethal precision in combat.
 
Garf and Liam thanks for the replies.
Garf, long ago in a city far away I was a certified EMT-1A. I know what you mean about the tough medics. I was trained by SF (San Francisco) paramedics who had been combat medics in Vietnam. Talk about tough!
 
Not in my current group. The ship's doctor is an ex-Scout and is not above mixing it up. When getting mugged, her assailant came away much the worse for wear. Of course, the player has a proper understanding of "Hippocratic Oath", which helps. And said doctor decided to take a demolitions short course... :(
 
Originally posted by Father Fletch:
Garf and Liam thanks for the replies.
Garf, long ago in a city far away I was a certified EMT-1A. I know what you mean about the tough medics. I was trained by SF (San Francisco) paramedics who had been combat medics in Vietnam. Talk about tough!
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Yer welcome (bows)! ANything fer a good story/ topic! Or a friend.
 
Two more docs 'not in the rear'

The sci fi thread that got hijacked by all us (not very) covert Bujold fans has several medics on the front lines. Most notably though.

Ethan of Athos - and no jokes about doc's in the rear okay.

The Other day I finally got the last player in my 'free trader' campaign. I encouraged him to develope med skill. he took me a little literally and actuall got his MD with 3 terms as a professional at the end (two with an HMO 'corporate service' and one in 'Private Practice)

however in the interlude between first flunking out of his masters and actually completing his med school He did two terms and got three levels of marines. In addition to be able to fill the role of medic/steward (closest thing since he has people skills and NO ONE has the steward feat) He's also got one of the highest BAB's in the party and is the only qualified GUNNER.

I suspect that he WON'T be in the rear of this party.
 
I don't know about that...
relative to the party maybe.

One character did army and rogues mostly and I suspect has a higher BAB or a matching one.

the other two were navy and professional/academic they suck. (in combat)

the whole party has a well rounded bunch of skills and swords that they can wear with their dress uniforms. :D
 
Originally posted by Garf:
I don't know about that...
relative to the party maybe.

One character did army and rogues mostly and I suspect has a higher BAB or a matching one.

the other two were navy and professional/academic they suck. (in combat)

the whole party has a well rounded bunch of skills and swords that they can wear with their dress uniforms. :D
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Snappy, blades! Till that Long blade law level hits em. I can see the latter two havin low BAB's, true. They went afte that noggin stuff/ "edu-macation" skills/ feats. Still, nothinwrong with havin brains in th' group-to steer the cannons at the problems with!
 
I prefer characters who are AWARE that they aren't 'combat monkeys' it gets them thinking BEFORE they start shooting. Only one character bought 'improved initiative'

Of course there's such a thing as TOO much thinking. I've got one player who wants to buy all sort of clever gizmo's (like marbles to scatter on the deck when being boarded) guns to hide everywhere and clothing and toolkits for every ocasion. The most evil thing I can think of doing is letting him SPEND all his money on all that stuff. Let him CARRY all that stuff. Then throw a situation at the party where they have to RUN.

Mwuhahahahahahaha! (Yeah Kevin I know you're reading this... so think of what I'm NOT telling you.)
 
Don't know about T20 yet, but in our Twilight 2000 campaign, the doc was always getting in front, and getting shot up, often more than anyone else. We had to restrain him a few times so he could heal us. We refused to give him any grenades other than smoke, and we would not let him near any gun heavier than his M16. Good thing is he always trekked along behind us in his HumVee ambulance.
 
Hi all.
Great thread and one that I had to reply to espically for my first post, and sorry that it's a bit long.
As you have probably guessed from the Nick, I am a medic myself. Infact a Psychiatric Nurse. Amongst my gaming friends I am well known for playing medics and Doctors of all types and generally have them up front and in the fray of combat most of the time. Sometimes even when the want me to be there

They usually want me to pull them out of the fire and patch them up so that they can get back in. Have fun with Combat medics most of the time, usually because of full automatic rules. Just gotta love them SMG's.
Then there was the time when a friend of mine was running this big merc unit and wanted to make sure that he didn't have any spys amongst his group. He pretty much had the screening process down pat and wanted to make sure that no body doubles were taking place. Along comes my medic and he presents me with the problem. Taking 3 mins to think about it, I suggest a Lumber Puncuture. For those of you not in the profession, a needle is inserted into you spinal column and a small amount of spinal fluid is drained. Now this is INCREDIBLY painful and tends to lay you up for a bit. So it gives you plenty of time to do a DNA comparison. He loved the idea.
Anyway, Later Days
Medik
 
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