Rim Doctor
A frontier medic who patches up spacers, smugglers, and anyone else who can pay.
A Rim Doctor is a medical professional working outside Confederation jurisdiction. Some are disgraced Core physicians who lost their licences. Some are self-taught Rim-born who learned medicine from stolen textbooks and trial-and-error. All of them are essential -- in the Rim, the Doctor is the difference between living and dying, and everyone knows it.
A Doctor is an elite support encounter: not a fighter, but a force multiplier who keeps other NPCs alive and functional. They are protected by the universal understanding that killing the Doctor means nobody gets patched up next time. The lever is their neutrality -- most Doctors serve anyone who pays, and breaking that neutrality is a political act.
Rules Reference
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abilities / Cha | 12 |
| Abilities / Con | 10 |
| Abilities / Dex | 12 |
| Abilities / Int | 18 |
| Abilities / Str | 8 |
| Abilities / Wis | 16 |
| Armor Class | 13 |
| Base Attack Bonus | 2 |
| Creature Type | Humanoid |
| Flat Ac | 12 |
| Hd Count | 4 |
| Hd Sides | 8 |
| Hit Dice | 4d8+4 |
| Hit Points | 22 |
| Hp Bonus | 4 |
| Initiative | 2 |
| Languages | Trade Cant; Core Standard; one Rim dialect; medical terminology (universal) |
| Psionics | None |
| Role Tags | Healer, Support, Non-combatant |
| Saves / Fort | 4 |
| Saves / Ref | 4 |
| Saves / Will | 7 |
| Size | M |
| Skills / Deception | 7 |
| Skills / Intimidation | 5 |
| Skills / Knowledge Biology | 14 |
| Skills / Medicine | 16 |
| Skills / Notice | 10 |
| Skills / Persuasion | 8 |
| Skills / Repair | 9 |
| Skills / Streetwise | 7 |
| Speed | 30 |
| Threat Rating | 2 |
| Touch Ac | 12 |
| Xp | 200 |
| Dialogue Path | game/dialogue/npc-rim-doctor.yaml |
Notes
Full Attack: Holdout slug pistol ranged +4 (1d6 energy; range 30 ft; concealed) or Scalpel melee +3 (1d4 slashing)
Habitat: Rim stations, frontier settlements, pirate havens, and anywhere spacers need patching up. Found in a clinic, on a ship, or in the field with a medical kit. Roll 1d6: 1-2 = Doctor in a clinic (prepared, supplies available), 3-4 = Doctor in the field (reduced resources, working fast), 5-6 = Doctor on a ship (in transit, between patients).
Morale: Steady (10); the Doctor retreats when the patients are safe or when the fighting becomes too dangerous; will not abandon a patient mid-surgery
Resistances: Medical scanner implant (included in senses; detects toxins, diseases, and biological threats), Rim reputation (+4 to Persuasion in Rim settings; the Doctor is known and valued)
Senses: Normal human vision; medical scanner implant grants +6 to Medicine checks and +4 to Notice for biological threats; passive Perception 14
Tactics: The Doctor does not fight. They heal. They use Field Surgery to keep the party's fighters standing, Combat Medic to stabilise the fallen, and Stim Injection to boost the most important fighter. If the Doctor is targeted, they use Neutrality to buy time and retreat behind whoever they are patching up. A Doctor who fights has already lost.
Treasure: Medical kit (500 rek), surgical tools (300 rek), combat stims (100 rek per dose), holdout slug pistol (150 rek), medical scanner implant (1,200 rek), medical textbooks (stolen; 200 rek), patient records (privacy-sensitive; 100-500 rek to the right buyer), 2d10 rek in medical fees.
Vulnerabilities: Non-combatant (the Doctor has no combat training; in a fight they are a liability), Supply-dependent (Field Surgery and Stim Injection require medical supplies; if supplies are exhausted, the Doctor is limited to basic first aid), Neutrality is not immunity (in desperate or Core settings, the Doctor has no special protection)
Attacks
Holdout slug pistol
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
bonus | 4 |
category | ranged |
damage | 1d6 |
damageType | energy |
name | Holdout slug pistol |
notes | Concealed; the Doctor draws only when there is no other option |
rangeFt | 30 |
Scalpel
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
bonus | 3 |
category | melee |
damage | 1d4 |
damageType | slashing |
name | Scalpel |
notes | Surgical tool; the Doctor knows where to cut |
Special Abilities
Field Surgery
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Full-round |
name | Field Surgery |
description: The Doctor performs emergency surgery on one creature within 5 ft. The target heals 2d8+4 HP and is stabilised if at 0 HP or below. The Doctor can use this ability 3 times per encounter (medical supplies permitting). Player-visible: the Doctor works fast, hands steady, and the bleeding stops.
Combat Medic
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Standard |
name | Combat Medic |
description: The Doctor stabilises one creature at 0 HP or below within 30 ft without moving (shouted instructions, remote medical kit). The creature is stabilised and conscious at 1 HP. 1/encounter. Player-visible: the Doctor shouts the instructions, throws a med-kit, and the downed person coughs and opens their eyes.
Stim Injection
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Swift |
name | Stim Injection |
description: The Doctor injects one willing creature within 5 ft with a combat stim. The target gains +2 to attack rolls and saves for 1d4 rounds, then suffers -2 to the same for 1 round (crash). 3 doses per encounter. Player-visible: the needle goes in, the eyes clear, and for a few rounds the pain is gone.
Neutrality
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | passive |
name | Neutrality |
description: The Doctor is protected by an unspoken agreement in the Rim: nobody kills the Doctor. Creatures who attack the Doctor in a Rim social setting must make a DC 14 Will save or hesitate (the social cost is too high). This does not apply in Core space or in desperate situations. Player-visible: you raise your weapon, and every spacer in the room watches you decide.