Recovery

First Aid

Rendering first aid will prevent the patient from having to make Wound Checks over time. Mortal Wounds are not susceptible to first aid.

The check suffers a penalty equal to the Wound Level minus 2 (Negligible: 0, Light: 0, Moderate: 1, Serious: 2, Critical: 3, Terminal: 4), and may be further modified by conditions, equipment, and resources. A botch causes the patient's condition to deteriorate by 1 level.

First aid may be attempted once per turn.

Medicine

On a successful Medicine skill check (which may take some time, especially with wounds at Critical and above), you reduce the patient's Wound Level by 1, and also stabilize the patient (if not already stable). The check suffers a penalty set by the Wound Level (Negligible: 1, Light: 2, Moderate: 3, Serious: 4, Critical: 5, Terminal: 6, Mortal: 7), and may be further modified by conditions, equipment, and resources. A botch causes the patient's condition to deteriorate by 1 level.

You can reduce the patient's Wound Level by a maximum of your skill modifier. For example, if you have Medicine at the Professional level (+3), you can reduce Wound Level by a maximum of 3.

When using improvised tools, you can only reduce the patient's Wound Level by 1. With field tools, Wound Level can be reduced by no more than 2; with a field clinic, by no more than 3. Once you reach this limit, nothing more can be done. Thus, Serious Wounds cannot be fully healed in the field with a mundane skill; it is not possible to reduce a patient's Wound Level by more than 3 without hospitalization (or comparable facilities).

Convalescence

Without medical attention, wounds do not heal appreciably during Contracts (barring Gifts).

Between Contracts, you can reduce your Wound Level by your Physique + Wealth provided you have at least a month of downtime. If your cell does not use Wealth, reducing Wound Level by Physique + 1 costs nothing but requires hospitalization; a reduction of Physique + 2 costs $10,000, which will be covered by insurance, if any; and a reduction of Physique + 3 (which is the greatest possible) costs $50,000 over and above insurance payments.

Note that wounds treated during a Contract using the Medicine skill still requite convalescence, as described above. The injuries are still present, even though they have been treated, so recovery time is needed.

Stability Levels can likewise be cured by an appropriate skill (such as Psychology) in much the same way as physical wounds. In addition, Stability can be regained at a rate of 1 level every 10 minutes if you are able to rest in a quiet, stress-free area (which usually isn't possible during a Contract).

Note that any Insanities acquired are not cured by the recovery of Stability Levels.

Minor Insanities are generally treatable with appropriate therapy. Three months of mundane therapy by a qualified professional reduces the Difficulty of the Minor Insanity by 2. When the Difficulty reaches 0, the Minor Insanity is cured.

Major Insanities are seldom cured without supernatural intervention. Crippling insanity (i.e. Shattered) results in the loss of your character unless extraordinarily potent supernatural healing is available.

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