I'm running the Long Arm of the Hutt using the pre-generated characters from the Beginner's Game. The problem i'm having is how to deal with the medical droid (41-VEX) trying to heal friends during combat.

To my understanding medical healing is too slow to be used in combat. Field medics can apply quick first aid to remove a critical wound and allow a soldier to keep fighting, but to get him healthier (decrease the wound threshold) take some time.

The only way to remove wound threashold during combat in my opinion is through stimpack since it just "trick the body" with analgesics and stimulants to keep fighting.

Now, the med droid thinks it's too restrictive to his role. I'm being to hard on the medicine checks?

I allow the once-per-encounter medicine check to be done during combat. You can flavor it as field treatment; resetting a joint, spraying some bacta foam in a chest wound, or applying some smelling salts to get them up.

The medicine check has rules for treating wounds and it doesn't have to be long-term (that's what the bacta tank and related bacta tank specialist talents are for.)

In a game where stimpacks are a thing, allowing a medic to do quick field treatment in the middle of combat is far from game breaking and validates the Doctor and Medic specializations. In one of my games I am playing a doctor and I have to agree with your player that I would not have fun with that class if I wasn't able to use medicine to treat wounds in combat.

In short, if the action is too intense, just apply setback dice when appropriate and let your medic do his thing and have fun.

I definitely allow characters to make a Medicine check during combat.

A round is intended to cover a flexible amount of time, so like kaosoe said, you can view it as field dressing a wound or as providing a shot of adrenaline or the like.

Yup.

No open heart surgery (healing crits) or the like, but simple a simple "here some Wounds back" is perfectly okay.

Of course if they had to perform full field surgery in the midst of a pitched battle to save someone's life? Yeah, I'd a allow a "long" action" (multiple rounds) probably set a certain number of rounds and allow Successes to reduce it or something.

Yup.

No open heart surgery (healing crits) or the like, but simple a simple "here some Wounds back" is perfectly okay.

Of course if they had to perform full field surgery in the midst of a pitched battle to save someone's life? Yeah, I'd a allow a "long" action" (multiple rounds) probably set a certain number of rounds and allow Successes to reduce it or something.

As a curiosity EE, how do you handle Triumphs with medicine checks. By RAW, a Triumph allows a doc to heal a critical injury. This is probably the most overpowered aspect of the medicine skill.

As a curiosity EE, how do you handle Triumphs with medicine checks. By RAW, a Triumph allows a doc to heal a critical injury. This is probably the most overpowered aspect of the medicine skill.

Thank you all for the answers!

Soon i'll have good news to my med. droid!

I use a simple rule for healing crits and wounds

1) the number of rounds needed to heal a crit equals the crit's severity rating (as always triumphs etc can be used to cut the time)

I use a simple rule for healing crits and wounds

1) the number of rounds needed to heal a crit equals the crit's severity rating (as always triumphs etc can be used to cut the time)

That sounds reasonable. Would you make an exception for time-based crits, like "Bleeding Out" and "The End is Nigh"?

One thing you can say is that if a Triumph is rolled to fix a Critical Hit, it wasn't as bad as it had looked.

That sounds reasonable. Would you make an exception for time-based crits, like "Bleeding Out" and "The End is Nigh"?

For "The End Is Nigh" I'd just alter it to "The target will die either after the Doctor/Mechanic fails to save them or a number of rounds I think is appropriate (allowing the Doctor/Mechanic to get to the target, assess, and begin meatballing/duct taping them back together, so probably 4 rounds)."

I allow the once-per-encounter medicine check to be done during combat. You can flavor it as field treatment; resetting a joint, spraying some bacta foam in a chest wound, or applying some smelling salts to get them up.

Just for the record (since no one else has said so) this is, in fact, the official rule.

By the rules as written, one Medicine check (or Mechanics check for droids) may be performed per encounter to recover wounds. Only one check is permitted per patient per encounter, however, since first aid is assumed to have its limits. Any wounds not healed by the one check are assumed to be too severe to treat on-the-fly and will require more recovery time.

Those two are exactly why I'd allow a Long Action in the midst of combat.

Note: The term Long Action comes from GURPS not FFG SW. My group uses it when we mean "an action that should take longer than can be reasonably performed in a Combat Encounter".

So stuff like, Surgery (to heal Crits), Major Ship Repairs, Modding an Attachment, Maintenance on Weapons/Armor, a Negotiation, Diplomacy (not to be confused with Pistol Diplomacy), Slicing for Deep Information, Social Legwork, etc.

Just for the record (since no one else has said so) this is, in fact, the official rule.

By the rules as written, one Medicine check (or Mechanics check for droids) may be performed per encounter to recover wounds. Only one check is permitted per patient per encounter, however, since first aid is assumed to have its limits. Any wounds not healed by the one check are assumed to be too severe to treat on-the-fly and will require more recovery time.

Still, that leaves the following scenario:

Encounter 1, Player A receives 5 damage. Player B heals 1 point of damage.

Encounter 2, Player A receives 1 damage. Player B heals 6 points of damage.

The second check is still valid with RAW, since it occurs in a separate encounter. However, it completely healed damage from the previous hit, as well. It would probably be more realistic (I know, I know, that word is just asking for it in RPGs!) if wounds were actually tracked discretely, so that each hit gave you a separate wound that could only be attended to once, so that the following occurred instead:

Encounter 1, Player A receives 5 damage. Player B heals his 5pt wound for 1 point of damage.

Encounter 2, Player A receives 1 damage. Player B heals his 1pt wound for 6, the extra not carrying over.

However, that would make things really complicated and probably not so much fun in actual practice.

However, that would make things really complicated and probably not so much fun in actual practice.

It's a vague representation of health, luck, fatigue, fighting spirit, etc. (Yes I know Strain is meant to represent some of that as well).

It really isn't a "Wound" unless it's a Critical. Hence a Stim(ulant) Pack can get one back up and in top fighting shape with out the need for a Surgeon or Bacta Tanks.

However, that would make things really complicated and probably not so much fun in actual practice.

Also damage really doesn't mean "Wound" (even if it is called Wound Threshold).

It's a vague representation of health, luck, fatigue, fighting spirit, etc. (Yes I know Strain is meant to represent some of that as well).

It really isn't a "Wound" unless it's a Critical. Hence a Stim(ulant) Pack can get one back up and in top fighting shape with out the need for a Surgeon or Bacta Tanks.

I think it was Jay Little on one of the first Order 66 episodes that said that one thing they really disliked on D&D was the fact that both your AC and HP could be used as a representation of how hard you're to be hit and that they didn't wanna two stats representing the same thing on EotE.

So, i don't believe you could delegate fatigue and fighting spirit to wound threshold. Luck, yeah i can accept that but i still prefer to think that when they get hit, they get hit... at last like Leia on episode VI.

I think it was Jay Little on one of the first Order 66 episodes that said that one thing they really disliked on D&D was the fact that both your AC and HP could be used as a representation of how hard you're to be hit and that they didn't wanna two stats representing the same thing on EotE.

So they made Soak and Wounds?

I'm not sure he really thought that statement through.

Not really, soak is the damage absorption property of your body and equipment. Wound threshold is how much pain and damage one can endure.

They are related but do not overlap in my opinion.

Not really, soak is the damage absorption property of your body and equipment. Wound threshold is how much pain and damage one can endure.

They are related but do not overlap in my opinion.

The main difference? In D&D they aren't based on the same Attribute.

I would say let the player make Medicine checks during combat to heal the rest of the players. But unless their opponents are completely dense, they are going to realize that A) the players have a medic, and B) the medic is healing the PC's, thus C) scotch the medic NOW!

I would say let the player make Medicine checks during combat to heal the rest of the players. But unless their opponents are completely dense, they are going to realize that A) the players have a medic, and B) the medic is healing the PC's, thus C) scotch the medic NOW!

Yup. I play a doctor and I fully expect to get focused on if I bust out my medpac in the middle of combat. When I do, it's generally in the backlines with plenty of party members between me and the enemies.

...C) scotch the medic NOW!

If a) the Medic is not armed and clearly identified as a Medic (symbol, medkit, what have you), b) is not initiating aggressive actions towards the attackers, and c) the attackers are any sort of trained Military group (Stormtroopers and the like) they wouldn't attack a Medic.

Attacking unarmed, non-hostile Medics is a no-go for most professional Military types.

"Attacking unarmed, non-hostile Medics is a no-go for most professional Military types."

This assumes that the party is dealing with professional Military-types.

"Attacking unarmed, non-hostile Medics is a no-go for most professional Military types."

This assumes that the party is dealing with professional Military-types.

Well yes, that was rather the whole point of I wrote.

Attacking unarmed, non-hostile Medics is a no-go for most professional Military types.

They wouldn’t kill him, sure. But given the opportunity, I would think they would definitely knock the medic out with stun weapons.