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Old 06-06-2018, 02:30 PM   #9
Pursuivant
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Default Re: healing multiple wounds - is this OK?

For First Aid, it seems more logical to base treatment time on total HP lost rather than individual wounds.

For example, a single wound which reduces a victim to -HP is likely to take more monitoring and treatment than multiple wounds which leave the victim at > HP/2.

E.g., single sucking chest wound from a gunshot vs. three grazing shots.

In the first case, you have to apply a gas-resistant barrier over both exit and exit wounds, apply pressure bandages, treat the victim for shock, apply direct pressure to try to slow down bleeding rate, monitor him to make sure that airway, breathing, and circulation don't go down the pan, and possibly administer plasma/blood expander, painkillers, and antibiotics.

In the latter case, you just need to make sure the wounds are clean (and blood, within reason, is pretty good at both cleaning out wounds and getting rid of hostile microbes), apply bandages, check for shock, ABC, more severe injury, and then properly position the patient until the bleeding stops. If the patient is conscious, they can slow down bleeding by applying direct pressure and/or elevating wounds themselves.

OTOH, for Surgery, multiple wounds mean more stitches (or whatever) and might take more time than treating a single relatively shallow, but dangerous wound (like a hit which nicks an artery in the arm or leg).

For healing, it makes sense to initially treat recovery of HP as "generic" until the victim gets to positive HP, then restore lost HP from least severe wound to most severe wound. For example, if you are hit by three grazes and a sucking chest wound which knock you down to -3 x HP, you're going to be in the ICU for a long time. Functionally, none of your wounds is likely to be fully healed. But, once you get back to 1 HP or higher, the GM can rule that your three grazing wounds (1 HP each) heal before your major wound which knocked you down to ((-3 x HP)+3).

Last edited by Pursuivant; 06-06-2018 at 02:38 PM.
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