Healing the Inanimate, Machines, etc.

[JCurwen3]

I'm pretty sure a living character can heal robots and other animate machines using Healing (Xenohealing, Anything Animate, +100%).

What is "animate" for this purpose? Does it have to be able to move on its own? Would it work on a sessile character that was a mind uploaded into a stationary computer? Or on a regular modern day personal computer (no "mind" inside), television, alarm clock, watch, etc.?

And what about... um... okay, what about plumbing? Or chairs? I'm pretty sure "Anything Animate" wasn't meant to cover those (or, no one ever thought someone think about using Healing that way).

I'm trying to model an ability that would allow you to use Healing on broken inanimate objects and appliances as an add-on enhancement to whatever else that's living and/or animate I want the power to be able to heal (once I decide the specifics of the category of animate things on which I want it to work).

So, how much of an enhancement on top of what Healing already does would it be to be able to apply it to "heal" ripped clothes, leaky plumbing, broken furniture, burned out light bulbs, broken glassware, etc.? Or, alternatively, if you wouldn't do it with Healing (it just seems like the natural choice), what else would you suggest (it could be an Alternative Ability of the same power) to do the job?

My first stab brute force thought was that Cosmic: Heals objects (+50%) would do the trick. But I'm curious if anyone has done this before, or done it differently, if there are any rulings on this, if you think the Cosmic enhancement is too cheap for what it'll add, etc. I mean, I am conscious that this would save the character time and money (sometimes a lot of money), that it would effectively do the job of several specialized skills without the need for those skills (and often, doing their job better). If it has to be pricey, I get that.

One more thing - having decided on an enhancement value for Healing that would do this, what about the value for a modifier on Healing so that it only healed inanimate objects (the ultimate super-repair power)?

[vitruvian]

Originally Posted by JCurwen3

I'm pretty sure a living character can heal robots and other animate machines using Healing (Xenohealing, Anything Animate, +100%).

What is "animate" for this purpose? Does it have to be able to move on its own? Would it work on a sessile character that was a mind uploaded into a stationary computer? Or on a regular modern day personal computer (no "mind" inside), television, alarm clock, watch, etc.?

And what about... um... okay, what about plumbing? Or chairs? I'm pretty sure "Anything Animate" wasn't meant to cover those (or, no one ever thought someone think about using Healing that way).

I'm trying to model an ability that would allow you to use Healing on broken inanimate objects and appliances as an add-on enhancement to whatever else that's living and/or animate I want the power to be able to heal (once I decide the specifics of the category of animate things on which I want it to work).

So, how much of an enhancement on top of what Healing already does would it be to be able to apply it to "heal" ripped clothes, leaky plumbing, broken furniture, burned out light bulbs, broken glassware, etc.? Or, alternatively, if you wouldn't do it with Healing (it just seems like the natural choice), what else would you suggest (it could be an Alternative Ability of the same power) to do the job?

My first stab brute force thought was that Cosmic: Heals objects (+50%) would do the trick. But I'm curious if anyone has done this before, or done it differently, if there are any rulings on this, if you think the Cosmic enhancement is too cheap for what it'll add, etc. I mean, I am conscious that this would save the character time and money (sometimes a lot of money), that it would effectively do the job of several specialized skills without the need for those skills (and often, doing their job better). If it has to be pricey, I get that.

One more thing - having decided on an enhancement value for Healing that would do this, what about the value for a modifier on Healing so that it only healed inanimate objects (the ultimate super-repair power)?

Based on the +100% for anything animate, I'd say this further extension would be another +100%, just eyeballing it.

[JCurwen3]

Originally Posted by vitruvian

Based on the +100% for anything animate, I'd say this further extension would be another +100%, just eyeballing it.

That seems reasonable, I could get behind that.

[vitruvian]

Originally Posted by JCurwen3

That seems reasonable, I could get behind that.

Of course, I'm really not sure whether the 'any animate' is supposed to cover all living things, including sessile plants and animals, or all animate things in the sense of moving themselves about, which would include cars but not plants, in the first place. That could be worth a PM clarification request to Kromm, if you really want to nail it down.

[naloth]

Originally Posted by JCurwen3

I'm pretty sure a living character can heal robots and other animate machines using Healing (Xenohealing, Anything Animate, +100%).

Makes sense.

What is "animate" for this purpose?
<snip>

Given the examples, I would be fairly generous. If it moves under its own power/programming the it's animate. If you really want to do TV repair go ahead.

So, how much of an enhancement on top of what Healing already does would it be to be able to apply it to "heal" ripped clothes, leaky plumbing, broken furniture, burned out light bulbs, broken glassware, etc.? Or, alternatively, if you wouldn't do it with Healing (it just seems like the natural choice), what else would you suggest (it could be an Alternative Ability of the same power) to do the job?

First off, Healing explicitly won't work on things that are dead, so anything that's actually broken couldn't be healed. Light bulbs that are burned out are gone. Ditto for glassware that's broken into shards. Leaky plumbing and furniture would be a maybe depending on the damage.

A TV that still works (say with a pesky line down the picture or some bad pixels) could be restored to original (non-wear) condition. A TV that's dead can't be fixed. If it's missing knobs you have the crippled/severed penalty to fix those. :)

While players may try to abuse this, it's not terribly obvious that it's that valuable. For the +30 "anything animate" buys, you could have purchased a patron that replaces broken equipment or the wealth to constantly buy new stuff yourself.

[JCurwen3]

Originally Posted by vitruvian

Of course, I'm really not sure whether the 'any animate' is supposed to cover all living things, including sessile plants and animals, or all animate things in the sense of moving themselves about, which would include cars but not plants, in the first place. That could be worth a PM clarification request to Kromm, if you really want to nail it down.

That's a good idea, I'll post what he says.

[David Johnston2]

Plants move. Just real slow.

[JCurwen3]

Originally Posted by naloth

First off, Healing explicitly won't work on things that are dead, so anything that's actually broken couldn't be healed. Light bulbs that are burned out are gone. Ditto for glassware that's broken into shards. Leaky plumbing and furniture would be a maybe depending on the damage.

Incidentally, I think there is a way to have Healing work on the dead. Of course it's Cosmic, but it's not my invention. On Powers: Divine Favor, p. 16, Cosmic: Works on the dead (+50%) is used on Regeneration and Unkillable to build the Resurrection prayer. It notes: "This version of Cosmic means it only works on the dead – not injured living people – and gives one try, ever." If it works on both of those advantages I'd see no problem having it work for Healing (although it'd have to be bought as a second Healing ability with that enhancement, with the less expensive of the two powers being an Alternative Ability, in order to allow your Healing power to heal both the dead and the living).

I'm iffy on whether broken for objects is the analogue of dead for living things. In the end, I think you're right, but only if by broken we mean FUBAR, as "unfixable" as a dead person's body is.

Originally Posted by naloth

While players may try to abuse this, it's not terribly obvious that it's that valuable. For the +30 "anything animate" buys, you could have purchased a patron that replaces broken equipment or the wealth to constantly buy new stuff yourself.

Huh. That's a damn good point!

[naloth]

Originally Posted by JCurwen3

I'm iffy on whether broken for objects is the analogue of dead for living things. In the end, I think you're right, but only if by broken we mean FUBAR, as "unfixable" as a dead person's body is.

Rules wise it's very easy to measure an object's "death" as you can track HP and make HT checks for it just like a character. Of course doing for anything but essential adventuring gear is far too much effort*. Other non-adventuring gear (and it's maintenance) something I've always considered part of normal living expenses so it's not even really a cost savings for the character.

*As a GM it would get old doing the scene:
Player: "So is the TV just -HP, disabled/unconscious or did it fail a HP check and become destroyed?"
GM: "Did you buy a relevant skill to figure that out?"
Player: "Not yet... I'll just try to heal and dump 5 fatigue in it... That ought to fix most issues..."
GM: "Nope, still dead. Again at -3 or do you give up?"
Player: "Gak, let me rest and I'll try to heal this TV again...."

Real world it would be a pretty nifty power. Game-wise I don't see it as something that's fun to have.

[JCurwen3]

Some sage wisdom from Kromm on these issues:

Originally Posted by Kromm

Alive or having the appearance of life, which extends to machines, undead, etc. "Animate" here isn't used in the sense of "can move" but in the stricter sense of "is recognizably a distinct character." Yes, it's a meta-game distinction.

I'd call that an entirely new instance of Healing, so +100% in effect if you added it atop other Healing.

It's all based on HP, HT, and failed HT rolls in GURPS. Something or someone who has gone to or past -HP and then failed a HT roll is "dead." If it's inanimate, it's "broken."

And naloth, it appears you were right on the money in your broken=death equivalence!

So based on what Kromm said above, two modifiers for Healing (names are mine and I'm not married to them, if you have better suggestions, please share!):

Affects Inanimate: You can also heal inanimate objects. If an object has gone to or past -HP and then failed a HT roll, it's broken and it can't be healed. +100%.

Inanimate Only: You can only heal inanimate objects, as described for Affects Inanimate. You can't heal anything living or animate. -0%.