Medkit (Rating 6)

Lore & Background

In the sprawl, a Rating 6 medkit is a badge of hard-won professionalism. Street docs and corporate trauma teams alike rely on these kits to handle bullet wounds, acid burns, toxin exposure, and the aftermath of magical overload—no spirit required. The kit's internal diagnostic computer can interface with standard cyberware to assess damage and administer auto-injectors loaded with anticoagulants, stimulants, and painkillers, all while whispering updates in a calm, synthesized voice. Its compact, hardened case is rated to survive a grenade blast, keeping the contents sterile and functional even when the floor is slick with blood and coolant. For shadowrunners, carrying a Rating 6 medkit is a statement: you plan to walk out of the fire, and you've got the nuyen to prove it.

In Their Own Story

The Johnson had promised a simple data snatch. But the host's IC was smarter than the matrix file said, and the security mage had a taste for fire. Now Drek-head lay on the grimy floor of the server room, a chrome arm severed at the elbow, blood pooling around a sparking stump. 'Get the kit,' I hissed to the rigger. She tossed me the heavy, yellow-plastic case. I slapped it open, the internal screen flickering to life. 'Trauma. Severe. Blood loss critical.' The autosyringe whined, injecting a cocktail of coagulants and synth-blood. I packed the wound with sterile gauze, the kit's smart-tool scanner guiding my trembling hands. The bleeding slowed. Drek-head's eyes fluttered open. 'Nice kit,' he rasped. 'You're welcome,' I said, already reloading the spent supplies. The job wasn't over yet.

Reader's Guide

The Rating 6 Medkit is the ultimate non-magical healing item for characters who lack magical healing abilities—think of it as a trauma surgeon in a lunchbox. It is used to treat physical damage, stabilize bleeding, and cure certain toxins or diseases. In most Shadowrun games, using a medkit requires the First Aid skill, and the Rating 6 kit provides the highest possible dice pool modifier for mundane healing tests. Each use consumes one or more of the kit's supplies; once depleted, the kit must be reloaded with new supplies, which can be costly and difficult to acquire—good luck finding a street doc who won't charge you an arm and a leg. The kit is bulky and obvious, making it hard to conceal, but its effectiveness is unmatched. It is most commonly carried by street samurai, combat medics, and any runner expecting serious firepower. It cannot heal Stun damage or magical wounds directly, but it can treat the physical consequences of both—like setting the bones of a guy who got hurled through a wall by a spirit. In the tabletop source material, the Rating 6 kit is also the benchmark for professional medical facilities, often used as a reference for hospital-grade equipment.

Did You Know?

• In the SNES version of Shadowrun, the Rating 6 Medkit is the only way to fully restore health without visiting a doctor or using expensive magic—making it the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card for the resourceful runner
• The kit's internal computer can be hacked or disabled by a decker, turning your lifeline into a paperweight mid-combat. Always keep a manual backup—or a good relationship with your team's hacker.
• Some Shadowrun editions allow the medkit to be upgraded with additional diagnostic software or expanded pharmaceutical modules, letting you customize it for specific threats, like tailored toxins or exotic critter venom.
• A Rating 6 Medkit is legally restricted in most UCAS and CAS territories, requiring a medical license or a shadowy fixer to obtain. In the wrong hands, it's a smuggling red flag that can land you in a corp interrogation