[Only War] Boosting the medic

In my OW campaign something has come up, for which I would appreciate third party advice. I told the group that I would prefer if at least half of their characters, we play without comrades and with two characters per player, were Guardsman Specialities as it feels wierd with a squad consisting of only specialists and a sergeant to lead them.

And that is that my players have concluded that the Medic specialization is really bad, as in a wasted oppertunity to pick. The main criticism is that the Medic is a one-trick-ponny and has a trick that the tech-priest ponny can replicate with ease, while at the same time the tech-priest ponny can also do other tricks as well. So far they've managed fairly well with the tech-priest as the medic of the squad.

As as side note we would prefer to not make the Healing rules very complicated as we find that the grinds down the game. So that option has already been discussed, I'm afraid.

What I've suggested as additions to the Medic to make that Speciality more attractive has been:

- Can heal the same attack the number of times that the Medic has Intelligence Bonus (instead of just one heal per damage/attack suffered)

- Can automatically stop a blood loss with a Half Action

- +20 to all Logistics rolls for medical stuff (like medical gear, getting a party member on an express ticket to the surgeon, request a bionic replacement for a character and so on)

- The Medic gets a an extra Apitude to be chosen at character creation

They think its a good start but would like more before thinking that the Medic is an interesting choice.

So do you guys have some ideas for how to proceeed or if I must give up and let the players dismiss this Speciality?

Hmmmm, I need to take a close look at the specialty. I take it the aptitudes for the Tech priest allow it to cross train into medicae effectively?
In the same vein, wouldn't the medic be able to cross rain into tech use equally as well?

Maybe reduce the time it takes the medic to heal outside of combat? And make it take longer for the tech priest to do the same? I can see a medically trained tech priest being too methodicall in its approach weheras a medic could look at a wound and say "Walk it off"

In the field, reduced medicae time would be important for the squad to keep moving and not get pinned down by reinforcements.

Sylphilis wrote:

Hmmmm, I need to take a close look at the specialty. I take it the aptitudes for the Tech priest allow it to cross train into medicae effectively?
In the same vein, wouldn't the medic be able to cross rain into tech use equally as well?

Maybe reduce the time it takes the medic to heal outside of combat? And make it take longer for the tech priest to do the same? I can see a medically trained tech priest being too methodicall in its approach weheras a medic could look at a wound and say "Walk it off"

In the field, reduced medicae time would be important for the squad to keep moving and not get pinned down by reinforcements.

Well, the tech-priest does not really have the two Apitudes to train into Medicae but got one, and the medic has got one for tech, so reasonably it should be possible for them to go into each other's field. What I would imagine is the issue with my players is that the tech-priest can still get his Intelligence to high levels easily, and gets cybernetics in a way the medic don't. And from their talk, or at least the tech-priest player's talk I think this is the key.

Giving the medic some kind of custom talent to provide with reduced healing time that the medic gets at character creation could be used, of course. Essentially being the specialized training that the medic got, but the tech-priest don't get.

I'll take this with me and see what they think about it.

Hey, Gurk. What did you end up deciding on this?

One thing I have done in my game is Nerf the tech-priest a bit. For example, I made Demolition its own skill (with appropriate aptitudes: Tech/Fieldcraft IIRC) rather than just be another catch-all under Tech Use.

I think your fixes sound really good. Another option would be a special trait for the medic to burn a fate point to instantly heal a number of critical damage = to the Medic's INT Bonus. It's almost as if the medic is trading in their Emperor Points for their comrades.

How about a talent or trait that allows the Medic to get bonuses to fear/pinning as long as their allies are actively in combat/danger? Again, this makes the medic more of a team support rather than a tech priest who has "multiclassed" into being a good healer.

I'll have to check with my group's document on house rules in the OW file and get back. And no, the file isn't being kept in my place.

Right, sorry for the delay but I finally got around to this.

Our modfiiers as we finally agreed to in order to boost in regards to a tech-priest.

Medic gets

1 extra free Apitude

+20% on Logistics rolls for medical equipment and bionics in case there's s medical need

Can roll twice on wounds to heal them

Heals 1 + DoS + IntB number of wounds (unlike non-medics who heals 1 + DoS number of wounds

Star with Diagnosticator

Can automatically stop Blood Loss as a half action Action

I think those are good boosts for the medic. The issue with the tech priest easily crossing over is definitely real, especially if they acquire medicae servo-skulls or mechadendrites. I am a huge fan of nerfing tech priests (see above - additionally, put more of a focus on the Security Skill in games and Tech Priests will have to start thinking about what type of Enginseer they want to be, alas, I digress).

To put this into play into Dark Heresy 2, for example, I am now thinking it a good idea to make a new Talent, "Combat Medic," that healers could take to represent their time fixing wounds on battlefields. It would grant them everything you have listed minus the free aptitude, which is much less of an issue in DH2.

Great stuff, man. Way to keep the homebrew threads alive!

Thank, Jeff. I'll try to post some more since this forum is by far more alive than the archived one at FFG.

^^ Best Compliment ever.

Try to get some of those people on the archived forums over here if they want to talk shop!

If anyone was left over there I totally would try to get them here.

I haven't given those old forums a proper look in some time. Is it a complete ghost town, then?

Almost. But maybe you'll have better luck than I did?

Curious how this ended up working out in-game, Gurk.

EDITED: Misunderstood the initial question, sorry.

It went pretty well. Medic is, or was, a used speciality so I think the goal was reached to make it something worth taking. I don't have any cool stories to tell but should I pick up my OW GMing again something should probably come up.

The first regiment they created has been destroyed by now in-game and while the campaign is on ice they've made a mechanized infantry regiment from a feudal world with an Arthurian theme and an obsession with swordplay. So more crazy guardsmen are running around on the battlefield and I think they've got a medic in the squad. Which is kind of useful as they have a preferences to engage Orks with low-tech swords.