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Old 09-04-2017, 09:24 PM   #1
Wayne
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Geelong, Australia
Default Surgery - How does it work?

Hi,

I'm a bit confused about Surgery in GURPS.

I understand how physician works (get HP back per day etc)...

But there doesn't appear to be a rule saying successful surgery gives back n hit points.

It can cause damage on a failure, stabilise a mortal wound, repair a crippling injury, but there doesn't appear to be a benefit on hit points!

Any thoughts please?

Thanks,

Wayne
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Old 09-04-2017, 09:33 PM   #2
Refplace
 
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Location: Yukon, OK
Default Re: Surgery - How does it work?

Surgery does not giveback HP.
In fact it really should subtract HP.
This is the skill you would use to save a life by pulling out a bullet, possibly setting a limb (at a penalty, IMHO), removing a tumor or organ, etc.
After surgical procedure you use Physician to speed the recovery.
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Old 09-04-2017, 09:38 PM   #3
Wayne
 
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Location: Geelong, Australia
Default Re: Surgery - How does it work?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Refplace View Post
Surgery does not giveback HP.
In fact it really should subtract HP.
This is the skill you would use to save a life by pulling out a bullet, possibly setting a limb (at a penalty, IMHO), removing a tumor or organ, etc.
After surgical procedure you use Physician to speed the recovery.
So doing surgery to repair a massive hole does no good?
Or removing bullet fragments?
This makes no sense at all, surgery I think has an immediate positive effect and then hastens healing.
Thanks,
Wayne
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Old 09-04-2017, 09:42 PM   #4
whswhs
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
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Default Re: Surgery - How does it work?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wayne View Post
So doing surgery to repair a massive hole does no good?
How would you repair a massive hole surgically? Surgery can't create new tissue to fill the gap and replace the destroyed tissue. That takes healing, which is a physiological process, which can be aided by Physician.
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Old 09-04-2017, 09:48 PM   #5
Wayne
 
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Default Re: Surgery - How does it work?

Quote:
Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
How would you repair a massive hole surgically? Surgery can't create new tissue to fill the gap and replace the destroyed tissue. That takes healing, which is a physiological process, which can be aided by Physician.
Yes, but you can draw together muscle layers. You can then suture the subcutaneous and skin layers. Very quickly you go from an open wound to a closed wound, the person or animal can walk without fear of the intestines falling out. So an immediate benefit.
Then of course healing will be much much quicker, so yes, a physician aids there but the surgery has given an enormous head start and the healing will be more rapid.
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Old 09-04-2017, 09:59 PM   #6
ericbsmith
 
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Default Re: Surgery - How does it work?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wayne View Post
So an immediate benefit.
The immediate benefit of surgery is usually that you will stop bleeding and the continuing risk of infection decreases dramatically. The secondary benefit is that your body will be able to start healing, which it may not have been able to do with a large gaping wound or a ruptured spleen, and it can start healing in a way that is more beneficial to you - i.e. a set bone will heal in a way that will allow you to walk again instead having a permanently crippled leg.

The problem is that most of these benefits fall below the resolution of what GURPS - and most RPGs - bother to keep track of.
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Last edited by ericbsmith; 09-04-2017 at 10:05 PM.
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Old 09-04-2017, 10:49 PM   #7
Refplace
 
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Location: Yukon, OK
Default Re: Surgery - How does it work?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wayne View Post
Yes, but you can draw together muscle layers. You can then suture the subcutaneous and skin layers. Very quickly you go from an open wound to a closed wound, the person or animal can walk without fear of the intestines falling out. So an immediate benefit.
Then of course healing will be much much quicker, so yes, a physician aids there but the surgery has given an enormous head start and the healing will be more rapid.
I don't think you understand how surgery works.
As someone who has had a few I feel confident in saying that GURPS does ok here.
First Aid or Physician can stop the bleeding and includes stitches, so is great for saving a life and the go to skill for an emergency. If you have to undergo surgery to save your life your going to be laid up and need time to recover.
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Old 09-05-2017, 04:08 AM   #8
malloyd
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Default Re: Surgery - How does it work?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wayne View Post
Yes, but you can draw together muscle layers. You can then suture the subcutaneous and skin layers. Very quickly you go from an open wound to a closed wound, the person or animal can walk without fear of the intestines falling out. So an immediate benefit.
That isn't Surgery though. By GURPS standards suturing a wound is First Aid - and that does promptly restore a few hit points.
And yeah, First Aid probably ought to have a default to Surgery, that may be the house rule you need.
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Old 09-04-2017, 09:37 PM   #9
clu2415
 
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Default Re: Surgery - How does it work?

It works like in real life. Surgery doesn't heal you; it is cutting open the body to repair an issue that isn't letting your body do its work. It's up to your body to do the actual healing.
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