Combat Medic (5e Background)
Combat Medic
War has happened many times in your life and armies always need someone to fight, someone to help save troops that are wounded and somebody to pray with them. Your family's history has inspired you into learning the medical field and combat. You trained as a youth, studied survival techniques, studied the use of weapons and armor, and studied ways of keeping people alive. You might have been a medic for an army or a freelancer medic for mercenary companies. You're primarily responsible for providing emergency medical treatment, protection, and evacuation from a point of injury or illness. You help keep your comrades alive and fight off the enemies as well. Not only do you keep your comrades alive but you take care of them after injury and help boost moral by keeping them company, hearing their worries and giving them telling them inspirational stories from religious scripts.
Skill Proficiencies: Medicine, Athletics
Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (land), Herbalism Kit
Equipment: A healer's kit, a bar of soap, a lamp, a set of common clothes, a blanket, a roll of bandages, an insignia denoting your role as a medic, and a pouch containing 10 gp.
Specialty
During your time as a medic, you handle your job in different ways in your unit or army. Roll a d6 or choose from the table.
| d6 | Specialization |
|---|---|
| 1 | Surgeon |
| 2 | Nurse |
| 3 | Doctor |
| 4 | Battle Medic |
| 5 | Assistant |
| 6 | Supervisor |
Feature: Health Care Specialist
You are a medical soldier and spiritual advisor, who heals the heart mind and body. Did you extract arrows or prepare healing herbal brews? Were you sent out onto a battlefield to retrieve wounded soldiers? Perhaps you had to fight to defend yourself. Either way, both sides respect and take comfort when they see your distinctive uniform coming over the battlefield towards them. Wherever you go, you are welcomed. Soldiers of all ranks and villagers alike will come to you with their wounds, illnesses, and to seek spiritual guidance (as long as they have a similar alignment or values). If you help others, they will help you; this will provide you with contacts and allies others don't have.
In "civilized" warfare, it is often considered a war crime to attack a combat medic.
Suggested Characteristics
As a medic war never changes but it can change you. You may stay sane or go insane from combat or from the sight of the injured people.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'm respectful and polite. |
| 2 | I will never give up. |
| 3 | Danger will not stop me from helping. |
| 4 | I'm haunted by memories of people I couldn't save. |
| 5 | I enjoy fixing things. |
| 6 | I have a sense of humor... sometimes an odd one. |
| 7 | I have many stories of seeing serious injuries. |
| 8 | I'm quick to make new friends. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Responsibility: We will save lives no matter the cost. (Lawful) |
| 2 | Greater Good: We will sacrifice our lives if needed. (Good) |
| 3 | Independence: We are not judges, our job is to save lives. (Neutral) |
| 4 | Soldier: Sometimes to save a life, you must take a life. (Any) |
| 5 | Solo: Sometimes it's not worth risking my life for yours. (Evil) |
| 6 | Judge: Listen, I'm the one who will decide if you live or not. (Chaotic) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I will risk my life to save another. |
| 2 | I will never leave anyone behind. |
| 3 | The safety of my patients is my priority. |
| 4 | I fight for those who cannot defend themselves. |
| 5 | My family medical experience inspired me to save lives. |
| 6 | My job is my life. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | My hesitation cost many people their life. |
| 2 | The injuries I've seen have haunted me. |
| 3 | I will never forgive the enemy, even after it's all over. |
| 4 | Sometimes I prefer to work alone. |
| 5 | I can never get along with comrades that I dislike. |
| 6 | I have no respect to anyone until they have proven themselves. |
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