The skill "First Aid" says it can only be applied to a wound once. How is the book defining wound in this instance?
Can I finish one battle, get first aid applied to me. Then later in the same day, get into another battle and after that one have first aid applied again?
Errata Quote :
The First Aid
use of the
Medicae Skill can be used to treat any number of untreated injuries with
a single Medicae Test. If successful, the Medicae Test removes damage
as detailed above. Once the Medicae Test is performed, the injuries are
treated (for better or worse) and cannot be treated with another First Aid
Test. They may be treated with an Extended Care Test.
Have a look at the errata in full:
http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/deathwatch/minisite/support/deathwatch-errata-v1.pdf
Alex
Think of it like this, whenever first aid is applied, any wounds on that character at that moment, have been "treated," and extended care is needed to heal those further. If the character takes more wounds, then they can only heal untreated wounds.
So lets say you have 20 wounds, In one encounter you take 1 wound, and don't bother to heal. In another, you take 5. You attempt to heal. The check is passed, and the character is healed IB wounds (2x if a narthecium is used), so lets assume 8 healed, so back at full. Another combat occurs, character takes 7 wounds. Another heal check is made, but failed. Those 7 wounds are now "treated," and cannot be healed by first aid, they need extended care. They are now at 13 wounds. Another combat, another 10 wounds. A first aid check is made, and passed, healing 8 again, they are back to 11. All other wounds have been treated, and need extended care.
Basically, each time a first aid check is made, that "locks in" the wound total for a character in terms of how effective first aid can be.
More to the point, if, after KommissarK's example, the Marine happened to receive another 5 points of damage, the succesful first-aid treatment would only remove those five, leaving the Marine at 11 wounds although the Medicae test could have healed eight because the damage beyond the 11 wounds has been "locked" by former first aid tests.
Basically, always use first aid at the first sign of trouble (better to over heal, rather than heal, but not be possible to heal fully), and use first aid first, and then use fate points to regain health (not the other way around). This way, the max first aid healing can be dealt, followed up by whatever a fate point can do, instead of a fate point eating up "treatable" wounds, and leaving only the untreatable (at least, I'm fairly certain wounds are healed by fate points in a way such that the treatable are healed first...).
Also, fate points to re roll failed first aid checks is probably one of the wiser things an apothecary can do.