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Medicine is a skill in Fallout 3, replacing the First Aid and Doctor skills from Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics.

This skill determines the effectiveness of stimpaks, alien biogel, adapted biogel, Rad-X, and RadAway.

Initial level[]

Example: A starting Intelligence of 5 and Luck of 5.

The higher one's Medicine skill, the more Hit Points they will replenish when using a stimpaks and the more effective they are at using any other medicinal item such as Rad-X or RadAway.

Effect of Skill Level[]

The exact effect of the Medicine skill on such items is determined by the formula:

In basic terms, medical items become twice as effective with a Medicine skill of 50, and three times as effective with a Medicine skill of 100. This progression is linear, meaning at a skill level of 75 medical items are 2.5x as effective. "Effectiveness" varies depending on the drug:

  • Stimpaks apply the Medicine modifier to their base amount of healing of 30 (so with the starting minimum value of 5 in the skill, they heal for 33, and at 100, they heal for 90).
    • Adapted biogel works the same way, but the base amount of healing is 50, giving a normal range of 55-150.
    • Alien biogel works the same way, but the base amount of healing is 10, giving a normal range of 11-30.
  • Rad-X applies the Medicine modifier to its base amount of supplied radiation resistance of 25 (so with the starting minimum value of 5 in the skill, it supplies 27.5%, and at 100 skill, 75%).
  • RadAway applies the Medicine modifier to its base amount of rads removed of 50 (so with the starting minimum value of 5 in the skill, it removes 55, and at 100, it removes 150).

Ways to increase Medicine[]

Bobblehead Medicine

"The smart man knows a bandage only hides his wounds."

Permanent
Temporary

Perks that require Medicine skill[]

Perk Required Level Additional Requirements
Chemist 60 14 -
Cyborg 60 14 Science 60
Chem Resistant 60 16 -

Interactions that require Medicine skill[]

  • 30 Medicine will garner information from Doc Church in Megaton about Leo's Drug Habit.
  • 30 Medicine is required to properly examine the bodies of the West family for the Blood Ties quest in Arefu. However, the higher the Medicine skill, the more information the examination will yield, with thresholds at 50, 70 and 90.
  • 40 Medicine is required to revive Timebomb in Big Town, which is the only way to get his Lucky 8-ball.
  • 50 Medicine is required to help a slave in The Mill inside The Pitt, although there is no reward for doing so.
  • 50 Medicine is required to convince Vance to deal with Arefu for bloodpacks in the Blood Ties quest.
  • 60 Medicine is required to revive Reilly in the Chop Shop in Underworld, which is one of two ways to revive her and start the Reilly's Rangers.
  • 70 Medicine is required to explain handling injuries for Chapter 2 of the Wasteland Survival Guide.

Notes[]

The Medicine bobblehead is the first bobblehead available in the game.

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