Healing solutions in a non-magic campaign

[RussellChamp]

Hello friends!
Yesterday my GURPS group finished our first campaign. Hurrah! Anyway, I have not been given the opportunity and challenge to be the next GM and I'm gonna give it my best shot.
The campaign world will be a steam punk variant and (at least initially) not contain any "magic" per say. However, I'd still like to give my players a way to heal at a moderately quick rate so I don't gimp the campaign and make players take months to recover from a particularly nasty scrape with whatever I throw at them.
My current plan is to allow players to recover HP over night (at a rate of 1-3hp dependent on sleeping conditions), increase the HP regained by bandages using the First Aid skill (to 1-3 hp dependent on the success of the roll), and having semi-magic "healing pods" (think bacta tanks from Star Wars) available at "large cities" that could heal full hp in 1-2 days for minor scrapes, slashes, and bullet wounds.
Is this a workable idea? Are there any other already established ideas on how to handle this?

[Turhan's Bey Company]

You might want to look into the healing elixirs in Fantasy Tech 1. The basic idea is similar, in that they speed "natural" healing rather than doing a "zap, you're better!" kind of thing. The underlying rationale of alchemy might not quite match match your setting's solutions, but you can keep the game mechanic and explain it as an elan vital solution or something more in-period.

[RussellChamp]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

You might want to look into the healing elixirs in Fantasy Tech 1

Hahah! Way to promote your own book! Unfortunately, I don't yet have that resource. I do like the idea of healing elixirs, though. Any chance you could elaborate on how that works or should I roll a fright check for even suggesting posting of material from a published resource?

[weby]

Basically, it is very much within steampunk genre to have "mad scientist" type who can do things like "elixir of life" that reastores hitpoints or perhaps gives a a regeration 1hp/hour or whatever.

The thing to remeber that any such should likely have had sides too.. maybe every one(or every batch) them would have different side effects from making the drinker drowsy or drunk to halving their FP for the duration of the regeration or giving them a temporary delusion.

The idea with such would be that the players would have this contact or whatever that could provide such potions, but people would not normally want to use them unless really needed...

[Figleaf23]

Perhaps your society makes a precocious discovery of Orgone.

[RussellChamp]

Originally Posted by weby

Basically, it is very much within steampunk genre to have "mad scientist" type who can do things like "elixir of life" that reastores hitpoints or perhaps gives a a regeration 1hp/hour or whatever.

Well that works out well since we'll be having a self-proclaimed "mad genius" as a PC party member.

Originally Posted by Figleaf23

Perhaps your society makes a precocious discovery of Orgone.

Oh, don't worry. We'll be finding some magic stuffs eventually. I have some custom stuffs planned out, too. I'll take a peak at Orgone, though.

[Witchking]

Originally Posted by RussellChamp

and having semi-magic "healing pods" (think bacta tanks from Star Wars)

Well to continue to suggest the scientific alchemist meme...who do you think would have come up with the "healing fluid" and "injectibles" for those tanks but an alchemist.

So while a "normal" alchemist might be working building bacta tanks and innovating in a safe lab enviorment...a "mad" alchemist might be an adventurer...and may have slightly experimental (unsafe??) prototype formulae for new healing compounds.

As to sourcing material...there are a number of alchemicals (healing and others) in the Magic sourcebook toward the back...

Other thing is if the alchemicals start to get a little out of hand, keeping a close handle on the raw materials required (rarity and cost) can help keep things balanced without gimping the alchemist PC unnessarily...

Good Luck...

[RussellChamp]

Originally Posted by Witchking

Well to continue to suggest the scientific alchemist meme...who do you think would have come up with the "healing fluid" and "injectibles" for those tanks but an alchemist.

So while a "normal" alchemist might be working building bacta tanks and innovating in a safe lab enviorment...a "mad" alchemist might be an adventurer...and may have slightly experimental (unsafe??) prototype formulae for new healing compounds.

As to sourcing material...there are a number of alchemicals (healing and others) in the Magic sourcebook toward the back...

Other thing is if the alchemicals start to get a little out of hand, keeping a close handle on the raw materials required (rarity and cost) can help keep things balanced without gimping the alchemist PC unnessarily...

Good Luck...

Can you "like" a post? No? Bummer. I really like this idea. I'll try and get our resident "mad scientist" on board with the alchemic ideas even though he's gone more on a clockwork engineer bend.

[Witchking]

Originally Posted by RussellChamp

Can you "like" a post? No? Bummer. I really like this idea. I'll try and get our resident "mad scientist" on board with the alchemic ideas even though he's gone more on a clockwork engineer bend.

Well a good engineer build will likely have a strong IQ...since Alchemy is just a skill (no Adv required unless GM charges for Unusual Backround...setting choice for GM there)....even though it is a Mental/VH; it does not take a lot of points.

IQ 13-14 and 2 to 8 points for Alchemy should give a good enough base skill...then it is just a question of having a lab set up at "home base" and tossing some cash and time at manufacturing appropriate alchemicals for adventures.

IME most times alchemicals are carried as expensive "In Case of Emergency" measures...not bread and butter. "If the priest gets hammered and the physician can't stabilize...pour this into him and don't think about the fact that literal liquid gold would be cheaper!"

Of course costs (of materials and elixirs) are setting dependant (another GM call) and since supply and demand should be in effect if you find things out of balance you can certainly change the prices over time!!

But if you are going without priests you could also have NPC alchemists who are making a living with some of the more portable healing elixirs...in addition to the tanks. Particularlly if the PC mad scientist starts having problems setting up enough non adventure time for his various lab projects.