Having a healer's kit grants a +2 circumstance bonus to Heal checks. A healer's kit is exhausted after 10 uses.
The description of Treat Deadly Wounds task of the Heal skill says "You take a -2 penalty on your Heal skill check for each use from thae healer's kit that you lack."
Does this mean that not having a healer's kit grants a -20 to your Heal check to Treat Deadly Wounds (lacking 10 uses)? Does (for example) having a healer's kit with only 1 use left still grant the +2 circumstance bonus (in addition to the -18 for lacking 9 uses)?
Is there something I'm missing?
I would say that any time you wish to claim the +2 circumstance bonus from a Healer's Kit that one of its 10 "charges" are used. The LACK of a healer's kit only seems to apply to treating severe wounds or the like, and it would only be for lacking the kit in its entirety - as long as you have the required "ammo" (charges, whatever) available, you can use the kit.
Specifically for treating deadly wounds, you need two uses from a healer's kit available to attempt that use of the Heal skill without penalty. If your kit has but one use remaining, you suffer a -2 penalty on the attempt (setting the DC at 22 instead of 20). If you have no uses remaining, you have no kit, suffering a -4 penalty and thus setting the DC at a 24.
That makes *much* more sense. Thanks for the clarification. I guess I just couldn't see the forest for the trees.
Cheers,
Sir George Anonymous