Treat Wounds and different DC checks question

[Jedfordski]

Hi guys and gals, a quick question regarding Treat Wounds and different DCs:

"The Medicine check DC is usually 15, though the GM might adjust it based on the circumstances, such as treating a patient outside in a storm, or treating magically cursed wounds. If you’re an expert in Medicine, you can instead attempt a DC 20 check to increase the Hit Points regained by 10; if you’re a master of Medicine, you can instead attempt a DC 30 check to increase the Hit Points regained by 30; and if you’re legendary, you can instead attempt a DC 40 check to increase the Hit Points regained by 50. The damage dealt on a critical failure remains the same."

If I'm a Master in Medicineand attempt a higher DC check, say 30, and only roll 20, does the whole Treate Wounds attempt fail (assuming the standard is DC15), or just the additional benefit of going for the DC30 (i.e. the additional 30HP)?

Cheers,

Jed

[Deadmanwalking]

If you attempt a DC 30 check and get a 20, you critically fail and damage your patient.

The higher DCs represent more difficult operations with higher chances of failure, so no you don't get the lower effect if you went for the higher one.

[shroudb]

it fails like any other check that you fail to meet its DC.

You can choose to attempt a higher DC, if you fail that DC nothing changes the failure to "success of a lower DC"

[Fumarole]

Rolling a 20 on a DC 30 Medicine check isn't just a fail, it's a critical fail. Very much not a good thing when you're trying to heal someone.

Treat Wounds wrote:

[...] if you’re a master of Medicine, you can instead attempt a DC 30 check to increase the Hit Points regained by 30 [...]

If you try to heal extra health, the DC 20 check goes out the window and you attempt a DC 30 check. You do not roll one check and apply it to two different DCs. The word instead is very important here.

[Jedfordski]

Thanks all.

[Ubertron_X]

As you roll versus fixed DCs while using medicine it may be worthwhile considering to pick up the Assurance (Medicine) skill feat, which grants you a fixed "dice result" of 10 while ignoring all modifiers other than level and proficiency.

This way you will automatically pass a DC15 check by level 3 (trained 2 + level 3), a DC20 check by level 6 (expert 4 + level 6) and a DC 30 check by level 14 (master 6 + level 14).

[Watery Soup]

Rogues and Investigators can be Expert at Level 2 and have Assurance of 16.

[graystone]

Watery Soup wrote:

Rogues and Investigators can be Expert at Level 2 and have Assurance of 16.

Anyone can get Expert at Level 2 by taking the Medic Dedication feat.