Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 xirr2000 Sep 30, 2014 10:50:15	Can an untrained person make a medicine skill check to stabilize someone? Can that same person use an herbalism kit to help?  if they are not trained in the kit, does it provide any benefit? If I am trained in an herbalism kit, but not in medicine, do I still automatically stabilize a dying person? What can someone trained in an herbalism kit, but untrained in medicine do? What can someone trained in medicine, but untrained in herbalism kits do? This has confused me lately.  Thanks for any help.
#2 iserith Sep 30, 2014 11:49:06	1. The player can say the character is trying to stabilize someone and describe how. The DM will determine if that calls for a Wisdom ability check. In combat, there will probably be a call for a roll because of the uncertainty of the action given the circumstances. That roll would be a Wisdom (Medicine) check, but only those trained in Medicine would get to add their proficiency bonus to the Wisdom check.   2. That's up to the DM. A DM might say that given the circumstances - such as injuries where applying prepared herbs or the like might be effective - a character with the herbalism kit tool proficiency can add the proficiency bonus to the Wisdom check. Or the DM might say it grants advantage.   3. I think you might mean healer's kit. And if so, yes, you do. I don't think a healer's kit is a tool in any case.   4. Create antitoxins and potions of healing.   5. Anybody can try to do anything. It's up to the DM to decide whether they succeed, fail, or make an ability check because the outcome is uncertain. Having a skill trained only means you get to add your proficiency bonus to ability checks related to that skill.
#3 El_Condoro Sep 30, 2014 19:40:19	If I am trained in an herbalism kit, but not in medicine, do I still automatically stabilize a dying person?   No-one automatically stabilises anyone, according to p. 197 of the PHB - they have to succeed with a DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check. If they have a Healer's Kit (as distinct from a Herbalism Kit) they do so automatically (p. 151 of PHB). There is no proficiency element to this - you just have to have at least one of the 10 uses (and an action) to use it. All characters have the Medicine skill, so they can all try to stabilise an unconscious character. They roll with and apply their Wisdom modifier. If they have proficiency (you use the word training) with Medicine they add their proficiency bonus to their roll.   The Herbalism Kit has no bearing on healing according to p. 154 of the PHB - it is used to 'identify or apply herbs' - but it would be quite reasonable for a DM to say it applies a bonus or even advantage, since it is used to make healing potions, but it's not specifically stated (that I have seen).
#4 2Chlorobutanal Sep 30, 2014 21:19:21	The Herbalism Kit is a tool used for crafting potions or salves or identifying plants and herbs.  As a tool, its use can be learned as a tool proficiency.   The Healer's Kit is not a tool, it's an item that anyone can use.  It allows the user to expend one "use" of the kit (out of 10) to automatically (without roll) stabilize a dying character.  A character with the appropriate feat (Healer, I think?) can also use a Healer's Kit to automatically revive dying characters by restoring hp.   The Wisdom (Medicine) skill is used to stabilize dying characters with a DC 10 check.  It also has other uses, such as being used to diagnose ailments.  Anyone can roll Wisdom if they do not have proficiency in Medicine.
#5 xirr2000 Oct 01, 2014 10:04:59	Sorry, I did mean healers kit.  Reading it correctly sure helps, thank you for your input!