34.1 Doctors assist in the healing of illness and injury. A doctor has a medical ability between 0 and 10. This skill starts at 0 for most characters and can be improved at medical school at a rate of .5 per 3 week course, up to a maximum of medical ability 6 (further improvements can only come with practice). The three weeks of the course do not have to be consecutive and characters studying medicine do not have to study it every month. The three week course costs 50 crowns. A character who spends four consecutive weeks in one month studying medicine is counted as having completed six weeks of study, at a cost of 100 Crowns.
34.2 When a doctor is consulted he makes a skill check in the same way an army commander rolls for a battle result. The result is a number from 1 to 6. 1 being an amazing success and 6 being a botched job. If a doctor achieves a favorable result the patient may recover faster, but no doctor can guarantee recovery. Doctor are hired on a weekly basis at 5*medical ability in crowns or for whatever arrangements can be made with a PC doctor.
34.3 To modify results for die rolls on illness requires two weeks action on the part of the patient and doctor. Wounds require 1 week. If two attempts are made in the month (4 weeks for illness, 2 weeks for wounds) then the best modifier is used. They are not combined. If the doctor is working under superior conditions - in a monastery, or a fine house or better dwelling, he rolls at a skill level one above his actual level.
34.4 Whenever a medical ability check is made, if the SCR (Skill Check Result) from the table is 1 or 2, the character gains .25 to his medical ability. If the SCR is 5 or 6 he loses .25 . In addition, if his current skill level is less than (7 - SCR), he gains .25 to his medical ability, which is cumulative with any other gain/loss from the result. Doctors can also study at medical school as discussed above.
Military Doctors
34.5 There are three ranks of Military Doctor. These are Aide, Surgeon and Physician. Promotion is dependent on medical ability as shown on the table below and is automatic when the next rank's minimum medical ability is reached. In order to join a regiment as a Military Doctor a PC must have at least the minimum SL for that regiment. Due to the demand for skilled medical personnel, a Military Doctor need only roll the number required to gain entry as an Ensign/Midshipman in order to be accepted.
34.6 The life of a Military Doctor is a dedicated one, Aides must do a week of Duty (which can be spent in study at medical school to increase skills). The Aides, Surgeons and Physicians are required to go to the front when the commanding officer goes, and they can volunteer to go with any part of their unit that goes. Positions are also available in the frontier and RNHB units.
34.7 The number of aides attached to any Regiment or ship is unlimited. The number of Surgeons or Physicians attached to each Regiment or ship is limited to one. Surgeons and Doctors will not serve together in the same regiment or ship.
34.8 The Military Doctor is a valuable part of each military Unit, for this reason they are guarded and taken care of by their Regiment (as seen in the Campaign modifiers for Medical People). Every Unit that has a Military Doctor with a Skill of greater then 3.5 will have a -1 modifier to the "Dicing with Death" table.
34.9Military Doctors serving at the front automatically improve their Medical Ability at a rate of 0.25 each month, up to a maximum of 6.
34.10 Pay and status for a Military Doctor is determined by the regiment or ship he serves with. An aide receives pay and sp as if he were an Ensign in his regiment or a Naval Midshipman. A Surgeon receives pay and sp as if he were a Captain of his regiment or a Naval Master & Commander. A Physician is paid as a Lt-Colonel of his regiment or as a Naval Post-Captain. Military Doctors serving on Naval ships are entitled to a share of any prize money taken. Attachment to a regiment or ship is considered to be a non-exclusive appointment, as the Military Doctor does not have military rank. All Military Doctors serving in Cavalry regiments, and all Physicians serving in Army regiments (Infantry as well as Cavalry), must purchase a Horse.
Rank |
Duty Required |
Notes |
| Aide | 1 Week (may be spent at the University) |
Medical ability between 0 and 1.75 |
| Surgeon |
None |
Medical ability between 2 and 5.75 |
| Physician | None |
Medical ability between 6 and 10 |