Bleed-ing out

[K Peterson]

In my last campaign, my gaming group encountered a little problem with the Bleed combat maneuver. During a combat, an opponent slashed a character with a scimitar, was effective enough to get a combat maneuver (Bleed, in this case), and the damage penetrated armor. The character subsequently failed an opposed Resilience test.

Well, as written, Bleeding incurs increasing levels of Fatigue every passing combat round (5 seconds). The bloodflow can be staunched with a successful First Aid test - but First Aid "takes 1d3 minutes to administer". And a bleeding character will likely 'bleed out' and collapse unconscious in under a minute.

At the time, I did a little GM-handwaving and delayed the character's fatigue. Pushed out the drop in Fatigue level to the span of a minute (12 combat rounds). This at least made First Aid tests possible for the bleeding character. In retrospect, I'm not sure if it'd be more effective to do that, or shorten the amount of time it takes to perform First Aid.

Anyone suggest a solution to this problem?

 

[Dan True]

You could say that the bleeding temporarily stops the moment they're starting to administer first aid "Pressure here! No, there dammit!" by jamming the bandage, their shirt or hand into the wound - but the 1d3 minutes is to properly apply the bandage, so it doesn't fall off the minut their leave again.

Also, the moment they're out of combat you should increase the length it takes to acquire fatigue. When they're in combat they're standing (i.e. blood will properly run out faster if in a lower region of the body, due to the pressure), their hard is pumping the blood around (and out) faster, and they're in danger which always makes things harder. When the combat is over, the bleeding character can drop down, put the damage in the air and start breathing slowly, jam a hand in his wound and so on - things that all help with the bleeding.

The 1 level per combat round, is taken in the context of active combat. If it was longer, the manoeuvre would properly never be used as it would be faster to simply jam a sword down their throat then.

- Dan

 

[ThatGuy]

Remember, Bleed is supposed to be lethal- its on par with impale.

And, speaking from experience, it is effective.

I think Dan's solution is good one though, and addresses the quick, inevitable bleed out problem.

 

[Mongoose Pete]

You could say that the bleeding temporarily stops the moment they're starting to administer first aid "Pressure here! No, there dammit!" by jamming the bandage, their shirt or hand into the wound - but the 1d3 minutes is to properly apply the bandage, so it doesn't fall off the minut their leave again.

This. Once application of First Aid begins you apply pressure or a tourniquet to hold up the bleeding long enough to pack/stitch and bandage the wound. Thus the victim doesn't loose any more Fatigue Levels until the First Aid attempt is completed. But if the roll is unsuccessful, the patch fails and they'll continue bleeding out.

 

[Welshman]

Assuming no help, does death occur when fatigue levels fall below...? When exactly, as it does not seem to say in the rules, or am I missing something? :?

 

[Loz]

When you reach Debilitated you have to make a Difficult Persistence roll (so, -40) to remain conscious every combat round. If you fail, and fall KO then without attention you will die within a short period of time. You'd certainly be out of any combat.

The time taken for you to bleed to death once you fall unconscious should be a number of minutes equal to CON.

 

[Verderer]

I dont' have my rulebooks handy, so can I ask here if firearms ie. bullets cause impales? In CoC and BRP they do (I think), but I don't recall a mention in RQII (OR C&C)? If not, then I guess bleeding would be the option to go for?