Doesn't Bleed- Rules Exemption (Bleeding)?

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by martinl

[1] Infection rules are also relevant, admittedly, but even more rarely used IME.

The basic infection rules don't seem to boast the HT roll penalties that make serious bleeding deadly.

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by Mailanka

Body Control can act as First Aid in appropriately cinematic campaigns. That will stop your bleeding via "ki" (MA54). Personally, I find this more thematically appropriate than "Doesn't bleed." In fiction, many powerful martial artists DO bleed, but the very skilled ones will meditate for a moment to close their wounds. That's the sort of thing you're talking about, and it's better represented via Body Control.

Sure, for a lower degree of the ability, Body Control skill works fine, but for a really spectacular degree of ability, an Advantage is better.

[Mailanka]

Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen

Sure, for a lower degree of the ability, Body Control skill works fine, but for a really spectacular degree of ability, an Advantage is better.

I think the ability to knit your wounds with nothing but concentration is pretty spectacular. I mean, if you're looking to impress people, "I can act as my own physician by doing nothing but thinking about it and focusing my chi" has to beat out "I can stop bleeding!"

The perk version would, to me, seem to be "I just don't bleed." Much less "impressive," but constant. An exotic trait, rather than an expression of a power. I'm not opposed to the trait, I just think if your intention is to create chi users who can focus their chi and close their wounds, Body Control (and regeneration from the Body Control power) accomplishes that, thematically, better. If you just want to NOT BLEED for some other reason (say you're a vampire who never sheds any of the blood he has in his system, but is still vulnerable to blood born toxins, etc), then the perk makes more sense.

[dataweaver]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

I'm not sure I'd combine Autohypnosis and Meditation, as the thread you linked suggested. Autohypnosis is a blatantly cinematic skill. I think comparing it to Meditation is like comparing Enthrall to Performance. Sure, humans can have their emotions influenced by music... but to have the discrete, over-the-top effects attributed to mythic bards requires some extra effort.

Personally, I'd be more inclined to get rid of cinematic skills that parallel realistic skills, and instead go with Advantages that expand the realistic skills to achieve cinematic or blatantly superhuman results.

[Flyndaran]

Meditation, while technically a realistic skill, doesn't actually do anything other than maybe allow other blatantly cinematic/supernatural skill use.

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Meditation, while technically a realistic skill, doesn't actually do anything other than maybe allow other blatantly cinematic/supernatural skill use.

As was mentioned before, in reality the main purpose of Meditation is for "lifestyle" benefits. It can calm a person when upset and provide incidental health improvements. These are mostly below the resolution of what GURPS handles, but I think some game use can still be gotten from it.

[Flyndaran]

I just don't think any realistic benefits from meditation rise to the level of skill when the religious beliefs and psuedoscience about it are excluded.

[Sunrunners_Fire]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

I just don't think any realistic benefits from meditation rise to the level of skill when the religious beliefs and psuedoscience about it are excluded.

Meditation functions via the same mechanisms that the placebo effect does; and the placebo effect isn't pseudo-science given that we must actively control for its' effects in order to determine the effectiveness of any given candidate in any situation where it may effect the results.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Sunrunners_Fire

Meditation functions via the same mechanisms that the placebo effect does; and the placebo effect isn't pseudo-science given that we must actively control for its' effects in order to determine the effectiveness of any given candidate in any situation where it may effect the results.

The placebo effect is not the only explanation for some people getting better in studies.
The placebo effect is specifically when the patient doesn't know they don't have an effective treatment, so I don't see how meditation has anything to do with it.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

The placebo effect is specifically when the patient doesn't know they don't have an effective treatment, so I don't see how meditation has anything to do with it.

Actually, it can still have an effect if real medicine is given, resulting in overrated effectiveness of medicine (e.g. when the biochemistry accounts for +2 and the placebo effect for +3).