General Prestige Class : Combat Medic
"My mission is pretty straightforward. Make sure they all come back alive." - Cradle, a combat medic
On the front lines of battle, injury is inevitable. Where the carnage is at its worst, the combat medic can be found, keeping her allies alive and tending to the fallen. For a combat medic, the goal is not to kill the enemy but to make sure the enemy does not kill her troops. Her ability to keep forces fighting makes her invaluable to an army. She is entrusted with the care of the best forces available, sometimes even assigned to elite strike teams.
Clerics of the gods of healing and war are the quickest to adopt the abilities of the combat medic, since clerics have Heal as a class skill. The spontaneous healing ability she gains from the cleric class allows her more opportunities to use her new combat medic class features. Bards are also very good candidates for the combat medic class, because they spontaneously cast spells as well. The bard's support abilities mesh nicely with the abilities of the prestige class, but a bard needs to multiclass into a class that offers Heal as a class skill if he wants to be a combat medic as a mid-level character. Healers (see the Miniatures Handbook) make fine combat medics as well. Rangers and paladins can pursue the path of the combat medic, though they must sacrifice some of their martial prowess to do so.
Wisdom is the key ability for most combat medics, since it impacts their Heal skill modifier and (typically) their spellcasting ability. Combat medics typically have a good Dexterity score as well, since Armor Class is important for all who find themselves near a battle.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Combat Medic, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Alignment: Any nonevil
- Skills: Concentration 4 ranks, Heal 8 ranks.
- Feats: Combat Casting, Dodge.
- Spells: Ability to cast cure light wounds.
Class Skills
The combat medic's class skills are Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Heal, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (religion), Profession, Ride, Spellcraft, and Spot.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
As she advances in level, a combat medic gains abilities that enhance her healing skills. She also continues to gain spellcasting power.
Spellcasting: As you attain more levels, you continue your training in your chosen spellcasting field. You get new spells per day, spells known, and an increase in caster level as if you had also gained a level in any one spellcasting class that includes cure light wounds on its spell list, provided you belonged to that class previously. You do not, however, gain any other class feature a character of that class would have gained. This essentially means that you add the level of combat medic to the level of whatever eligible spellcasting class you have, and then determine spells per day and caster levels accordingly.
If you had more than one eligible spellcasting class before becoming a combat medic, you must decide to which class you add each level of combat medic for the purposes of determining spells per day, spells known, and caster level.
Healing Kicker (Su): You hate to see your careful work ruined by an attack made right afterward. Thus, you can choose to add a short-term protective effect to your healing spells, allowing a healed target to more easily survive the rigors of combat.
Whenever you cast a conjuration (healing) spell on an ally, you can choose to imbue the spell with a secondary effect as described below. You can use this ability once per round, up to a total number of times per day equal to your class level + your Wisdom modifier (minimum once per day). In each case, the secondary effect lasts for 1 round unless otherwise noted. Only one secondary effect can be imbued into any single spell. You can't apply this secondary benefit to yourself.
At 1st level, you can imbue a healing spell with a sanctuary effect (as the spell). The Will save DC to overcome this effect is equal to 15 + class level + Wisdom modifier.
At 3rd level, you can grant the target of your healing spell a competence bonus on Reflex saves equal to your class level.
At 5th level, you can imbue a healing spell with a maximized aid effect (as the spell, but the quantity of temporary hit points granted is equal to 8 + your class level). This effect lasts for 1 minute or until the temporary hit points are depleted, whichever comes first.
Defensive Casting (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, you are capable of spellcasting even under the most dangerous circumstances. You gain a competence bonus equal to your class level on Concentration checks made to cast spells defensively.
Field Healer (Ex): At 2nd level, you become adept at administering first aid quickly and while under duress. You can make a Heal check to provide first aid as a move action (rather than a standard action) and can take 10 on such checks even when stress or distraction would normally prevent you from doing so.
Mobility: You frequently find it necessary to dive into a pitched melee in order to heal a comrade. As a result, you gain Mobility as a bonus feat at 3rd level.
Evasion (Ex): Beginning at 4th level, you can avoid damage from certain attacks with a successful Reflex save. See the monk class feature.
Spontaneous Heal: At 5th level, you gain the ability to "lose" any prepared spell or spell slot of 6th level or higher in order to cast heal, even if that spell is not normally on your spell list. If you do not have the ability to cast 6th-level spells, you can't use this class feature. This ability otherwise functions identically to the cleric's spontaneous casting class feature.
| Combat Medic | Hit Die: d6 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells |
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +0 | Healing kicker (sanctuary) | +1 level of existing eligible spellcasting class |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +0 | Defensive casting, field healer | +1 level of existing eligible spellcasting class |
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +3 | +1 | Healing kicker (Reflex saves), Mobility | +1 level of existing eligible spellcasting class |
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Evasion | +1 level of existing eligible spellcasting class |
| 5th | +2 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Healing kicker (aid), spontaneous heal | +1 level of existing eligible spellcasting class |
Combat Medic Lore
Characters with Knowledge (history) can research combat medics to learn more about them. When a character makes the skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including the information from lower DCs.
- DC 10: "Most larger armies have clerics moving with the regular troops. The best ones of those are called combat medics."
- DC 15: "Combat medics are highly valued on the battlefield because they imbue their healing with extra protection, like casting more than one spell at a time! They call themselves Officers Hospitaler."
- DC 20: Characters who achieve this level of success learn which armies of the region employ combat medics and know tales of prominent combat medic exploits.
A PC attempting to contact the Officers Hospitaler should make a DC 20 Gather Information check to discover the nearest post where a combat medic might be stationed, or a DC 25 check to find where a retired veteran combat medic might live. A PC already in a military organization that includes Officers Hospitaler need not make any skill checks and instead can request contact through his or her chain of command. A DC 20 bardic knowledge check could be employed to recall tales of combat medics, perhaps even supplying the name of a prominent Officer Hospitaler, while a DC 20 Knowledge (local) check reveals whether any combat medics call the area home.
Source: Heroes of Battle