One of the strongest themes in
the world of Victoriana is the struggle between magic and science. The rules
carry this idea into player character stats very skillfully, but sometimes
having two ways of doing the same action can mean someone’s toes get stepped
on. A PC based on being a practical physician with a high Medicine skill could
find themselves outshone by a magician armed with a healing spell. The magician
can cast all sorts of spells, and still heal as well as the doctor. The same
can happen with the Invisibility spell and Hide and Sneak, the Repair spell and
Ad-hoc Repair, and a number of other spell effects and skills.
If a player feels like their
skills can’t compete with a spell, they need to be reminded that their skills
aren’t just for actions, they can provide important information too. The
Medicine skill wonderfully illustrates this idea. The Thaumatergical spells Heal
and Cure nicely cover all the needs of a wounded character, but the Medicine skill can do that and much more:
Social Uses
As scholarly men with expert
knowledge and a trained eye, doctors have a certain mystique. A successful Medicine
check could add a die or two to Propriety for a Reputation Roll, or hide a lie
in medical mumbo jumbo. A skilled physician will almost always be believed over
a layman, but be careful. A doctor caught up in a scandal will be quickly
infamous.
- The police may not look too
carefully at the unconscious man being “helped” home as long as a doctor is
present.
-A doctor on hand to the scene of
an emergency will always be needed. If he minds his manners he could get quite
a bit of information from witnesses, authorities, etc.
-The poor need charity, the rich desire
discretion, but everyone needs a doctor sometime.
Investigative Uses
The wealth of knowledge a trained
doctor has at his disposal would be an asset to any group looking into a
mystery.
Vocational ailment and diseases
were a fact of life in the Victoriana age. A perception check and a Medicine
check or just a Medicine check with variable difficulties could reveal a
suspects job.
-The dwarf with the severe
stomach pains could be suffering from poisoning caused by the arsenic used in
the paint factory.
-The small blueish gray dots on
the eldren’s hands are mostly likely from working with silver. The small
shavings get stuck in the skin and dissolve into the connective tissues of the
hand.
-The halfling with the
inflammation on her hands may be a cleaning woman who uses lots of alkaloid
chemicals.
-The calluses on that man’s fingers
are from a hammer. He could be a blacksmith, a carpenter, or a shoemaker.
Human anatomy is an excellent
source of clues. A perceptive doctor could also get useful information from a
set of footprints, such as irregularity of gait, or subrace, discover the
source of wounds using their shape and depth, or identify rare poisons.
Tactical Uses
Identifying a weak spot greatly
increases your ability in combat. A quick Medicine check of variable difficulty
could show a weak point in an obstacles anatomy.
-The doorman’s left ear is
stuffed with cotton. If he has an ear infection, a quick jab to his head could
disorient him enough to get in.
-The thug throwing a chair at you
has broken nose and can only breathe through one nostril. If you reset his nose
for him, he might be grateful.
-The plump baron possessed by the
ancient evil is moving carefully because of his gout. A quick stomp on his feet
will disrupt the ritual for a round.
