Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Combat Medic

Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted fulfilled a request to come up with the ultimate healer for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons with the Combat Medic character build. Pointing the Patreon supporter who sent the request towards a 20th level Life Domain cleric seemed a bit boring so they spiced things up for the 5E D&D Combat Medic, which went on to become a silver best seller. Let’s get into it.

Behind the CBG — Combat Medic

Every CBG we create considers the journey as much as the final outcome. We aim to present a guide suitable for any level of 5E D&D play whether you’re pursuing an epic campaign from start to finish, starting beyond 1st level or choosing a character for a one shot. Then we take those concepts and develop an NPC or creature version of the character build for DMs to incorporate into their games. All of this gets packaged up and laid out in a PDF you can find over at Dungeon Master’s Guild. We’ve got dozens of pay what you want products at DMG, many of them best sellers so if you want to check those out start with the Combat Medic here.

All about the character story

Each CBG starts with a character concept sticking to a particular schtick, from the Mind Breaker’s psyche crushing smites to the Combat Medic’s comprehensive mastery of healing techniques. Sometimes puns and pop culture references instigate the creation of a CBG too. At every step of the way we considered options for expanding upon the variety of wellness enhancing skills, abilities and features.

For us it’s important to consider who these characters are as individuals and why they follow these particular paths. One special thing to note with this CBG is while we always aim to make the journey to 20th level as practical as possible — none of these characters “come online” after an awkward slog through many levels — the Combat Medic peaks at 11th level. From there the wide array of healing capabilities continues to get regular bumps and there’s a few new tricks they learn too. But at any level an adventuring party with a Combat Medic in tow can find some solace in knowing they’ve got a companion who takes their wellbeing with the utmost concern.

Going back to some of these very early CBGs now years later sometimes illustrates how 5E D&D content released since can render character choices moot. There’s certainly lots more avenues to explore but at the same time, healing is healing and the Combat Medic holds up. A big part of the appeal with every CBG is the narrative thread that emerges during early conceptualization and this character’s dedication to their chosen vocation as healer still rings true today. Magic is a powerful tool and casting healing spells with all sorts of buffs applied makes a tremendous impact but I really dig how the Combat Medic relies on mundane means as well, elevating these skills to adventuresome proportions.

Combat Medic NPC for 5E D&D

Full disclosure — the NPCs and creatures we make in CBGs are some of my favorite bits of 5E D&D content to create. We step back and look at the character build to find the standout features that feel like signature abilities. The juice! From there we consider what sort of person or people would possess or gain these abilities and build a stat block around them. More often than not the section of a CBG For Dungeon Masters presents a generic creature.

The primary design goal for the Combat Medic NPC if I’m honest was making sure they could cast word of recall. For the player character side of the CBG if I recall correct it does not gain high enough spellcasting capability for this one because of the multiclassing split. When it came to the NPC though those hindrances were gone. Instead we put together what I believe is our first Legendary creature in a CBG and their focus is 100% on keeping their allies in good health.

The combat medic makes for an implacable foe, or at least those they aid will be implacable. And if all their battlefield healing goes south, they can make an escape with word of recall…if it ever even gets close thanks to the Combat Medic’s extremely powerful and versatile healing.

“(Legendary Action) Bolster. The combat medic targets one ally it can see within 60 feet of it. If the target can see and hear it, the target gains 10 temporary hit points, and the next weapon attack they make is made with advantage.”

If your next 5E D&D game needs a character who keeps their allies in tip top health — whether you’re the DM or a player — check out the Combat Medic Character Build Guide here.

*Featured image — Drannith Health from Magic: The Gathering’s Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths expansion set makes a fantastic model for a Combat Medic. These human clerics come from a human sanctuary with tens of thousands of residents and its their duty to keep them safe and secure. I’m not versed in MTG lore enough to know if these healers are also part of the the Coppercoats but since the Drannith Defense Force is the most well-resourced, powerful military force in the world I’m gonna assume yes? At any rate Ikoria is one of my favorite sets and a 5E D&D campaign set there would be amazing. Several MTG settings do exist in 5E D&D these days like Theros, which we’ve explored quite a lot not to mention the free Plane Shift supplements, which includes the Ixalan setting. There’s also Curriculum of Chaos, the Strixhaven book we shared lots of details about after attending a press briefing. As a huge fan of both D&D and MTG it’s awesome to see the crossover! [Art by Scott Murphy]

New videos every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel here