Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-25-2015, 03:33 PM   #1
Bicorn
 
Bicorn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Default First aid kits

Something I've never found any official ruling for: how many uses are you supposed to get out of a first aid kit? Realistically most of the stuff in one is not reusable.
Bicorn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2015, 03:56 PM   #2
weby
 
weby's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Default Re: First aid kits

Only one I have seen is in DF where a kit is for half a dozen wounds.

Realistically a mini kit is single wound use. Larger ones can be used for few wounds.
__________________
--
GURPS spaceship unofficial errata and thoughts: https://gsuc.roto.nu/
weby is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2015, 04:00 PM   #3
Ulzgoroth
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Default Re: First aid kits

I don't remember seeing that anywhere, but Biotech does supply details on a lot of the things you'd be likely to have in the kit, so you can be more specific about what you're using up if you want. Doesn't, as far as I recall, detail just how much of what to expect to be included in any given medical kit.
__________________
I don't know any 3e, so there is no chance that I am talking about 3e rules by accident.
Ulzgoroth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2015, 05:38 PM   #4
Phantasm
 
Phantasm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: On the road again...
Default Re: First aid kits

The travel kits we had when I was camping as a kid in the late '70s/early '80s had a few dozen adhesive bandages for minor cuts, enough gauze pads for six larger wounds, a roll of adhesive medical tape, a large roll of gauze (enough to wrap an arm or leg if burned), and a 5 oz. tube of antiseptic (to prevent infections). I'm not sure if there's been much change in the last 30 years.

I'd say that for basic cuts and bruises, you can use it indefinitely while replacing the band-aids and antiseptic on a regular basis, and let it be used twice for what GURPS calls a "major wound" before it needs to be replaced.
__________________
"Life ... is an Oreo cookie." - J'onn J'onzz, 1991

"But mom, I don't wanna go back in the dungeon!"

The GURPS Marvel Universe Reboot Project A-G, H-R, and S-Z, and its not-a-wiki-really web adaptation.
Ranoc, a Muskets-and-Magery Renaissance Fantasy Setting
Phantasm is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2015, 06:15 PM   #5
Bruno
 
Bruno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Canada
Default Re: First aid kits

I unfortunately can't check what came in my first aid kit, because we mostly just have the original box. And some iodine wipes and the crappy scissors, I think.

But if it's one of the ones you get at a pharmacy, hardware store, or car supply store (for putting in your trunk), it's not going to be many uses. 6 sounds fine to me. It also isn't usually good for more than scrapes and small kitchen accidents, or possibly a sprain if you have a slightly-less-cheap kit that includes an elastic bandage.
__________________
All about Size Modifier; Unified Hit Location Table
A Wiki for my F2F Group
A neglected GURPS blog
Bruno is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2015, 06:20 PM   #6
Ashtagon
 
Ashtagon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Europe
Default Re: First aid kits

Come to think of it, commercial first aid kits in the UK can't, for legal reasons, include any "lotions, potions, or pills" (in case someone has an unexpected allergy). This would definitely make a kit less effective compared to what the game rules assume, but by how much?
Ashtagon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2015, 06:30 PM   #7
Bruno
 
Bruno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Canada
Default Re: First aid kits

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ashtagon View Post
Come to think of it, commercial first aid kits in the UK can't, for legal reasons, include any "lotions, potions, or pills" (in case someone has an unexpected allergy). This would definitely make a kit less effective compared to what the game rules assume, but by how much?
... not even alcohol wipes or iodine wipes for cleanup? Or a straight un-medicated Vasoline?

Antibiotic ointments have been proven, repeatedly, to slow wound healing and promote antibiotic resistant bacteria. So allergies be damned, they're not actually useful. If you've had wound care in the last five or so years from a nurse, they'll totally give you the whole lecture. Twice over if they think you haven't got the point yet :)

On the other claw, the base of the ointment, which is basically Vasoline, is actually supposed to be a pretty damn good wound treatment on its own. Keeps it moist and germs out of it. Presuming you've remembered to clean the wound first, of course.
__________________
All about Size Modifier; Unified Hit Location Table
A Wiki for my F2F Group
A neglected GURPS blog
Bruno is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2015, 06:56 PM   #8
safisher
Gunnery Sergeant,
 Imperial Marines
Coauthor,
 GURPS High-Tech
 
safisher's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Default Re: First aid kits

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruno View Post
On the other claw, the base of the ointment, which is basically Vasoline, is actually supposed to be a pretty damn good wound treatment on its own. Keeps it moist and germs out of it. Presuming you've remembered to clean the wound first, of course.
And apparently honey works quite well, too, and has been used for thousands of years.
__________________
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.
safisher is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2015, 07:05 PM   #9
Bicorn
 
Bicorn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Default Re: First aid kits

Alright, based on the replies, how'd this sound as a houserule?

Regular first aid kit: 12 uses on small wounds (GM's judgement, rule of thumb no more than 1/5 max hp) plus (separately) 6 uses on larger wounds. A Major Wound counts as two uses of the latter.
Crash kit: 12 uses for any sort of wounds (no separate small wound supplies); again, Major Wound takes two uses.
Refilling an empty bag costs half the price of the original kit.
Bicorn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2015, 07:20 PM   #10
Bruno
 
Bruno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Canada
Default Re: First aid kits

If you have a specific situation in mind, you can hand-pack a kit to have potentially quite a lot of uses - but for only one thing.

In my case, I had surgery and critically failed my HT roll or something because it took a year to heal (for no damn reason). It was probably only a 1 HP wound, but I still had Wounded for a year, grumble. That's also where I got lectured by nurses :)
I could actually pack about a month of bandage changes for that wound into a kit box. But I can't treat much else with it when its packed like that, like the important step of getting dirt out of a new wound.
__________________
All about Size Modifier; Unified Hit Location Table
A Wiki for my F2F Group
A neglected GURPS blog
Bruno is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
first aid

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:07 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.