Survival skill and damage

safisher · 08-10-2005, 03:07 PM

[QUOTE=Sabaron]Under the description of the Survival skill (B223), it states "To live safely in a wilderness situation, you must make a successful Survival roll once per day. Failure inflicts 2d-4 injury on you and anyone in your care; roll seperately for each victim."

I was talking with someone and they reminded me of these stories:

Aron Ralston
With no water and as little hope of survival, Aspen mountaineer Aron Ralston, 27, used a pocketknife to amputate his own arm and free himself from a boulder weighing 800-1,000 pounds that fell and trapped him for five days in a remote desert canyon in eastern Utah.

William Jeracki
William Jeracki probably understands Aron Ralston's ordeal better than most. On October 6, 1993, Jeracki, a 38-year-old anesthetist from Conifer, Colorado, was fishing alone on a small creek near St. Mary's Glacier, outside Denver, when he accidentally dislodged a large boulder, which landed on his left leg and crushed it.
Jeracki knew a snowstorm was forecast for that evening but had not left word with anyone about where he was going. Now, wearing only light clothes, he didn't believe he'd survive the night. He had to make a choice: amputate his leg or wait for help and risk dying of exposure. After three hours he pulled a pocketknife from his tackle box, tied off his leg with fishing line, and began sawing through his flesh at the knee. He sliced through tendons, nerves, and his patellar ligament until his femur slid out of the knee socket. Once free, he crawled to his truck, then managed to drive the stick shift a half-mile to Alice–St. Mary's, where he was air-evacuated to Denver's University of Colorado Hospital. Searchers recovered his severed leg, but surgeons were unable to reattach it. Today, Jeracki, who uses a prosthetic leg, declines to be interviewed about the incident, but it has had a profound impact on the course of his life—afterwards, he went back to school to become a licensed prosthetist.
After his escape, Jeracki told the Associated Press, "I'll never know if that was the best possible decision. But I'm here. I feel lucky to be alive."

It's debatable whether these are examples of Unluckiness or a failed Survival roll. Either way, it's best to not fool around in the wilderness unless you carry a pocketknife and are willing to use it!

And notice this next guy, who's only a few miles from his car:

Gilbert Gaedcke
"Gaedcke left his hotel at 9:30pm the previous Sunday night, and drove to The Plume, on the east side of the national park, to see the spectacular show of lava entering the ocean. He made it successfully to The Plume, about three to four miles away over rough and trail-less terrain, but got lost on his way back to his rental car. He told the hotel that he would return at 10:00am the next morning, and when he did not return, they reported him missing."
"When rescued, Gaedcke had cuts to his hands, and sores on his feet, even though he said he was wearing brand-new running shoes."

No exploding flowers, but these stories should illustrate the dangers of the wilderness.

08-10-2005, 03:07 PM	#10
safisher Gunnery Sergeant, Imperial Marines Coauthor, *GURPS High-Tech* Join Date: Oct 2004	Re: Survival skill and damage [QUOTE=Sabaron]Under the description of the Survival skill (B223), it states "To live safely in a wilderness situation, you must make a successful Survival roll once per day. Failure inflicts 2d-4 injury on you and anyone in your care; roll seperately for each victim." I was talking with someone and they reminded me of these stories: Aron Ralston With no water and as little hope of survival, Aspen mountaineer Aron Ralston, 27, used a pocketknife to amputate his own arm and free himself from a boulder weighing 800-1,000 pounds that fell and trapped him for five days in a remote desert canyon in eastern Utah. William Jeracki William Jeracki probably understands Aron Ralston's ordeal better than most. On October 6, 1993, Jeracki, a 38-year-old anesthetist from Conifer, Colorado, was fishing alone on a small creek near St. Mary's Glacier, outside Denver, when he accidentally dislodged a large boulder, which landed on his left leg and crushed it. Jeracki knew a snowstorm was forecast for that evening but had not left word with anyone about where he was going. Now, wearing only light clothes, he didn't believe he'd survive the night. He had to make a choice: amputate his leg or wait for help and risk dying of exposure. After three hours he pulled a pocketknife from his tackle box, tied off his leg with fishing line, and began sawing through his flesh at the knee. He sliced through tendons, nerves, and his patellar ligament until his femur slid out of the knee socket. Once free, he crawled to his truck, then managed to drive the stick shift a half-mile to Alice–St. Mary's, where he was air-evacuated to Denver's University of Colorado Hospital. Searchers recovered his severed leg, but surgeons were unable to reattach it. Today, Jeracki, who uses a prosthetic leg, declines to be interviewed about the incident, but it has had a profound impact on the course of his life—afterwards, he went back to school to become a licensed prosthetist. After his escape, Jeracki told the Associated Press, "I'll never know if that was the best possible decision. But I'm here. I feel lucky to be alive." It's debatable whether these are examples of Unluckiness or a failed Survival roll. Either way, it's best to not fool around in the wilderness unless you carry a pocketknife and are willing to use it! And notice this next guy, who's only a few miles from his car: Gilbert Gaedcke "Gaedcke left his hotel at 9:30pm the previous Sunday night, and drove to The Plume, on the east side of the national park, to see the spectacular show of lava entering the ocean. He made it successfully to The Plume, about three to four miles away over rough and trail-less terrain, but got lost on his way back to his rental car. He told the hotel that he would return at 10:00am the next morning, and when he did not return, they reported him missing." "When rescued, Gaedcke had cuts to his hands, and sores on his feet, even though he said he was wearing brand-new running shoes." No exploding flowers, but these stories should illustrate the dangers of the wilderness. __________________ Buy my stuff on E23. My GURPS blog, *Dark Journeys*, is here. My D&D blog, Grappling Hook, is here. Fav Blogs: Doug Cole here , C.R. Rice's here, & Hans Christian Vortisch here.