Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition occupation
Psychiatrist
Psychiatrist is an occupation in Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition: Physician of the mind who can treat Sanity loss, read patients, and get inside institutions.
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Key facts
- Skills
- Language, Medicine, Persuade, Psychoanalysis, Psychology, Science, Credit Rating
- Credit Rating
- 30-80
Overview
The Psychiatrist is the only occupation here with Psychoanalysis, which starts at 1 percent and is the skill that restores lost Sanity over time. In a game where Sanity begins at POW and never comes back easily, one investigator who can run a course of therapy changes how long a whole party lasts. The occupation also carries Medicine at base 1 percent, Psychology at 10 percent, Persuade at 10 percent, and a named Science, with a Credit Rating of 30 to 80. That combination gets you inside asylums, hospitals, and case files, which is where a surprising number of scenarios keep their best witness: the survivor of the last investigation, whom nobody believed.
How it works
Occupation Skills: Language, Medicine, Persuade, Psychoanalysis, Psychology, Science, Credit Rating Credit Rating: 30-80% Skill Points: EDU × 4 (spent only on the occupation skills listed above) Typical Equipment: Consulting room and case notes, hospital or asylum privileges, professional standing to request a patient transfer, medical bag, colleagues in medicine and academia
Tips and playstyle
Best For: Long campaigns where Sanity attrition decides the ending, parties already carrying an indefinite insanity, players who want access to institutions. Playstyle: Buy Psychoanalysis first even though it starts at 1 percent, because nobody else can take it usefully and it is your unique contribution to the party. Psychology and Persuade come next for interviews and for calming a patient who is about to say something important. Medicine at base 1 percent is expensive, so if a Doctor of Medicine is at the table, leave general medicine to them and specialize. Character Concepts: Asylum physician with one unusual patient, analyst in private practice, shell-shock specialist from the war, researcher studying mass hysteria, doctor who committed someone and is no longer sure they should have.
Frequently asked questions
How does Psychoanalysis restore Sanity?
It is a course of treatment rather than a field roll: sessions across weeks or months of game time, paced by the Keeper, to bring an investigator out of indefinite insanity or recover Sanity points. Plan for downtime between scenarios instead of expecting to fix somebody mid-scene.
Do I need Medicine as well?
Only if there is no medical doctor in the party. Medicine starts at 1 percent and takes heavy investment to become usable. With a Doctor of Medicine present, put those points into Psychoanalysis, Psychology, and Persuade instead.
Is my own Sanity any safer?
No. Sanity starts at POW for every investigator, and your maximum drops to 99 minus your Cthulhu Mythos score as you learn. Understanding why you are breaking down does not slow it, which is exactly the tragedy the occupation is built for.