Monday, March 12, 2018

Victorian OSR: A bit of 19th Century Medicine

Our newest Victorian game is in full swing and I decided to flesh out a bit of the horror that is Victorian medicine for unsuspecting player's or to inflict on their beloved NPC allies.
We'll be testing these out as we go along..... (the poison section I have done for a while.)

Anesthetics
The Physician administers the drug and rolls a Diagnosis check with a +4 bonus. The dose takes effect in 1d4 rounds. Each round after the effect hits the patient must make a Constitution check with a cumulative -1 penalty until he fails. He is then unconscious for thirty plus 2d6 minutes. . If the Diagnosis check was failed too much was administered and the patient loses 1d6 hit points due to anesthetic shock.

Once the time of unconsciousness is nearly up the Physician can administered another dose if necessary. The Physician administers the drug and rolls another  Diagnosis check with a +2 bonus. If successful the patient is unconscious for another for thirty plus 2d6 minutes. If the check is failed too much was administered and the patient loses 1d6 hit points due to anesthetic shock. If a natural 20 is rolled on this second or subsequent dosages the patient has a severe reaction and drops to 0 hit points, losing 1d4 per round until a Physician makes a Stabilization check (with appropriate penalties.)

Amputation
The actual removal of an appendage or limb takes 1d6 rounds. The damage done is 1d4 for a hand, foot, or other part such as a large piece of flesh, genitals, etc. Removal of an arm or leg does 1d6 damage.

During the amputation the patient must make a Constitution check or lose half of his current hit points due to shock. This check is made with a +2 bonus if the patient is anesthetized. A finger or toe will cost one hit point but does not require healing rolls to stop bleeding and seal the wound. Infection may set into such an amputation though.

The second step in the surgery is to control the bleeding and hopefully sew up the wound. The patient suffers one hit point loss a round due to blood loss until the Physician makes a successful Healing check (or untrained for non-Physicians). This Healng check does not heal 1d6 hit points as a normal one would; this one instead stops the bleeding and further hit point loss from the actual amputation, nothing  more.

Finally, with the bleeding under control, the Physician (or amateur surgeon) makes another Healing check to close the wound. Again this is not to heal hit points but instead to seal the wound which will be important to stop infection. In fact, in some emergency or complicated situations, the wound may have to be left open and risk infection,

Thus ends the surgery and those in care of the patient can now 'bind wounds' for 1d4 hit points as they treat shock, give meds/whisky, etc.

Now we must check for infection.
The chance for infection is as follows:

  • 5% per hp lost during the procedure (actual amputation and blood loss, do not count binding wounds healng)
  • 2% per round taken to stop bleeding and close the wound. If the wound is not closed only count the bleeding.
  • +25% if wound only wrapped, not sewn shut
  • +25% non-sterile operation
  • x1/2 for a sterile operation

Example:
1. A patient loses a leg doing 4 points of damage. He bleeds for 3 rounds at one hit point per round for a total of 7 hit points x 5% = 35% base.
2. It took 3 rounds to stop the bleeding and 1 round to sew the wound closed for a total of 4 rounds x 2%= 8%. Our total is now 43%.
3. If the operation was non-sterile, perhaps in a civil war tent, we would add +25% for a 68% chance of infection. IF it was in a sterile operating theature we would divide the 43% by 2 (round up) for a 22% chance of infection.

If an infection is present roll a 1d6. One a 1-3 it is a minor infection. On a 4-6 it is a major infection.

Minor Infection
Patient must make a Constitution check each day. If he fails he will heal no hit points that day. If a natural 1 is rolled it turns into a major infection. If the Constituation check is healed two days in a row the infection passes. If on antibiotics or other relevant medication the patient receives a +2 bonus to the Con roll.

Major Infection
Patient must make a Constitution check each day or he will heal no hit points and lose 1d3 Constitution that day. If successful he regains 1d3 Con points and heals normal hit points that day.
If on antibiotics or other relevant medication the patient receives a +2 bonus to the Con roll.

Healing from the Amputation
The minimum time for total healing is four weeks.
At the start of the fifth week  the patient must make a Constitution check with a +4 bonus if on relevant medication. If the Constitution check is failed the patient loses that week and it will take another week and another check to see if he is finally healed. If the Con check is failed by 5 points the patient has contracted a minor infection. If failed by 10 or more he has contracted a major infection. Infections must be dealt with as above.

When finally healed the patient is ready for normal activity with a prosthesis.

  • With the loss of a hand/arm the patient can use his prosthesis to hold an object but can do nothing complicated such as firing a bow or pulling a trigger. A hook is also a viable replacement.
  • With the loss of a foot the patient can move normally with a prosthesis. With the loss of a leg the character's movement with a prosthesis is 90'/30' instead of 120'/40'.

Poisons
Strength of the poison is rated in Xd6 in damage. After entering the system the victim rolls a Saving Throw (with penalties if an especially virulent poison) and takes 1d6 damage. The remaining d6's in damage are taken 1d6 at a time after a set amount of time (one round, minute, hour, etc.) With each time increment 1d6 damage is rolled. This continues until there are no more available damage dice and the poison has run its course. If the Saving Throw was made upon the initial exposure all damage taken is halved. If an antidote is introduced it stops all future damage from occurring. 








No comments:

Post a Comment