General Medicine

Reasoning
Memory
Empathy

Short Description

Diagnose, treat, and manage a wide range of injuries, illnesses, and environmental conditions, improving both short-term health and long-term vitality.

Success Criteria

Roll d100 versus DR 100

Special (Level-Up health increase): Roll must exceed target’s current health score to grant bonus health when leveling.

Effects

On success, you can:

  • Treat disease, illness, and internal injuries
  • Reverse non-lethal effects from environmental exposure (heat, cold, radiation)
  • Aid recovery from magical afflictions with physical consequences

Special (Permanent Health Increase): Once per level-up per ally character, you may attempt to increase the target's Max Health by 1d3

Modifiers and Restrictions

-20 to DR if target is a familiar species and condition is well-documented

+10 to +30 to DR depending on severity, unfamiliar physiology, complexity

+20 to DR if working under pressure or battlefield conditions

For the level up health increase, target must have been part of your group and must have followed your medical advice (might not work if there is a lot of alcohol, performance enhancing drugs etc.)

Action Examples

Level-up health increase attemp: target has current health 65 - Roll must be 65+

Roll = 91 → Success → Add 1d3 to target’s max health permanently.

Treating radiation exposure from an energy-based trap

  • Condition known but complex
  • DR –20 battlefield + 10 for complexity→ Final DR = 130
  • Roll = 135 → SR = +5 → Stabilized, reduces long-term health loss

Long Description

General Medicine encompasses holistic medical knowledge, from treating infections and stabilizing trauma to managing chronic conditions or toxic exposure. Unlike emergency triage (First Aid), this skill allows a deeper diagnosis and tailored care that can improve performance and recovery over time.

This skill shines in prolonged campaigns, wilderness exploration, and alien environments where magical or technological healing is unavailable. The special level-up health bonus adds long-term strategic value to the medic's presence in the party.

General Medicine is often the glue that holds a team together in harsh or unpredictable environments, especially when paired with specialist skills like Toxicology, Nanodisease Treatment, or Pharmacy.

Sequencing

Not optimized for sequencing

Potential Counters

No direct counters

How to use this page

All the information above is intended as a guide to help you navigate the many situations that can arise during your game. Since it's both impossible—and frankly uninspiring—to plan for every possible outcome, players are encouraged to think creatively when using their skills. Game Masters, in turn, are encouraged to embrace and support that creativity.

Whenever possible, aim to resolve situations through narrative choices, logical thinking and role playing. If that’s not feasible, agree on a Difficulty Rating (DR) using the provided Success Criteria and Modifiers. These are not rigid rules, but suggestions - starting points to help you find the right level of challenge. The player describes their intended action, and the Game Master proposes a DR. This should be open to brief discussion at the table, ideally resulting in consensus. If not, the Game Master has the final say.

It’s important to emphasize that all suggested effects, modifiers, and action examples are exactly that: suggestions. If you’re unsure how to resolve something, they offer a reliable fallback—but wherever possible, we encourage you to push boundaries. That’s where some of the most memorable and exciting moments in play are born.

Sequencing and Potential Counters are far from exhaustive. With hundreds of skills, spells, and tech modules in the game, the possibilities are too vast to list. You’re encouraged to explore combinations that make sense in your story and setting and in the situations that arise in your game. Sequencing and countering are core to Cosmic Odyssey - they’re where strategic depth meets dramatic flair, and where legendary moments often take shape. Even if no sequencing and counters are mentioned, some certainly exists and can be smartly utilized.

So explore boldly, improvise wisely, and enjoy the game as it unfolds around your choices.