D&D 5E Healer's kit and medicine

[UngeheuerLich]

When I read the equipment section I was irritade, because mess kit and healer's kit was not in the tools section like other kits.
And when I looked at skills, not a lot of uses for medicine.
So I thought: Why isn't medicine replaced by healer's kit proficiency. seems a lot more useful than a gaming se

 

[iserith]

When I read the equipment section I was irritade, because mess kit and healer's kit was not in the tools section like other kits.
And when I looked at skills, not a lot of uses for medicine.
So I thought: Why isn't medicine replaced by healer's kit proficiency. seems a lot more useful than a gaming se

A Wisdom (Medicine) check can be used to resolve uncertainty as to the outcome of any reasonably applicable fictional action. It isn't limited to the examples listed in the Basic Rules (page 62).

The healer's kit just appears to remove any set uncertainty as to the outcome of a Wisdom (Medicine) check to stabilize the dying. The Healer feat (PHB, page 167) permits additional functionality.

 

[Wik]

Mostly, a healer's kit is a tool that is usable in combat, and its primary function in the RPG is to be used in combat or related to combat. Because of this, it's in a whole different park than artisan's tools, which are what designers call "Ribbons" (ie, they're rarely going to be game-breaking).

Medicine can be used, as an action, to stabilize someone if you make a check. A healer's kit does the same thing, only no check is needed. It functions differently than tools in that regard.

Finally, I happen to really like the division here. I have a player who loves the fact that he is the party's non-magical healer. He loves even more the fact that he's a fighter. Using medicine skill to do all sorts of CSI things (how long a body's been dead, identifying poisons based on symptoms, stuff like that) is a lot of fun, and using the healer's kit to solve mechanical game problems is a pretty good division.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I would really concur, if there was no medicine and nature skill, that could replace medicine in out of combat scenarios.
Even more, if the example of investigation was not what I would seem appropriate for a medicine check.

I know perfectly fine how the rules work regarding medicine and healer´s kit. But medicine cought a lot of flak, and I do believe, when they got rid of proficiency healer´s kit, they should have let get rid of medicine instead, as this is a skill which is a lot narrower than the other skills in the skill list.

I guess the number of applications of the medicine skill which can´t be reproduced by nature or investigation are fewer than some tool proficiencies.
Herbalism kit also treads on medicine´s toes...

And don´t forget, that soldier: healer could make good use of healer´s kit proficiency instead of some dice game proficiencies.

 

[aramis erak]

When I read the equipment section I was irritade, because mess kit and healer's kit was not in the tools section like other kits.
And when I looked at skills, not a lot of uses for medicine.
So I thought: Why isn't medicine replaced by healer's kit proficiency. seems a lot more useful than a gaming se

Because if it was HKP, it would require the HK to be attempted.

Medicine's most common uses don't require the kit to be rolled, and the single most common use, the HK makes automatic: stabilizing the dying.

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

The difference is that artisan's tools (I'm including herbalism tools here, even though the equipment chapter lists them separately) are sets of tools used to make or break something. For example, a herbalism kit does not actually contain any herbs - it contains scissors, knives, vials, and so on that help you when collecting and processing herbs. It allows you to turn raw materials (leaves, flowers, roots, etc) into items like antidotes and healing potions in the same way that a woodworkers tool kit allows you to turn raw materials (lumber) into items like chairs and tables.

A healer's kit is not an artisan's tool set - it doesn't help your create things. What it does is allow you to automatically succeed on a WIS (Medicine) ability check to stabilise a dying creature.

Similarly for a mess kit. It allows you to eat dinner without having to use your fingers.