Getting rid of rad damage?

[Stingray_tm]

One of my players' characters had a little accident involving radiation. She accumulated 60 rads and now is asking, if there is an official way to remove this damage.
I know that there are drugs, that can shield you from getting that damage if taken close to exposure, but that is not an option here.

So are there rules for treatments or is it more like dealing with the cancer if it develops and until then ignore rad damage?

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Radiation dosage never goes away of itself. Unless fixed, the character now has a permanent 60 Rads, no permanent problem so far but might be an issue if exposed to more radiation.

Anti-rad drugs are cheap enough to say it's included in e.g. the ship's locker or a well sorted med kit:

Central Supply Catalog, p95.

I would allow high-tech hospitals to reduce the dosage similar to drug, but even after some time.

 

[Limpin Legin]

The Core Rulebook says there are two types of effects for radiation: 1) immediate damage and side effects and 2) permanent damage. Page 81 states that with 51 - 150 rads, there is no permanent damage, and all other effects can be treated.

The Traveller Companion explores some alternative rules. This book re-classifies radiation as Energy-based Agents (page 71). Page 73 then goes to say that referees can model their own exposure, delay and interval rules, and even allow characters to resist such damages on an END check.

 

[Stingray_tm]

I was looking for some official therapy, like some TL14+ gene recombination treatment on the scale of Anagethics or something like that.

 

[Condottiere]

Getting rid of lingering radiation is inbuilt to the system.

Long term damage could be fixed by cell regeneration, filtering out the mutated ones.

Short term would depend on the fatality of the dose.

 

[Limpin Legin]

I was looking for some official therapy, like some TL14+ gene recombination treatment on the scale of Anagethics or something like that.

Such therapies are unnecessary for your player with 51 - 150 rads radiation absorption. Wikipedia colludes with the Traveller system on this, please feel free to read:

Acute radiation syndrome - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Stingray_tm]

Getting rid of lingering radiation is inbuilt to the system.

Long term damage could be fixed by cell regeneration, filtering out the mutated ones.

Short term would depend on the fatality of the dose.

But I only have found rules/costs for direct emergency application but not for therapy of accumulated radiation over time.

I agree, that the character should not be worried, but my player is very health concious, so she wanted to have her character as priasine as possible.

 

[Condottiere]

1. Tell her to stand next to a nuclear damper.

2.

 

[MasterGwydion]

1. Tell her to stand next to a nuclear damper.

2.

Would standing next to a nuclear dampener actually work? I actually never thought about it before. This would fix the problem of no way to heal permanent radiation damage.

 

[WHULorigan]

Would standing next to a nuclear dampener actually work? I actually never thought about it before. This would fix the problem of no way to heal permanent radiation damage.

It would prevent the problem of any internalized radioisotopes causing additional or ongoing damage (e.g. radioactive Strontium substituting for Calcium in bones), but it wouldn't heal genetic or tissue damage already caused.

 

[Sigtrygg]

mRNA treatment could be developed to replace damaged DNA.
There are a few organisms that are incredibly resistant to radiation damage because they can fix their own DNA, just need to adapt that.

 

[MasterGwydion]

mRNA treatment could be developed to replace damaged DNA.
There are a few organisms that are incredibly resistant to radiation damage because they can fix their own DNA, just need to adapt that.

Sounds like a JTAS article in the making to fill the hole of how to heal radiation damage.

 

[Limpin Legin]

At TL14 genetic engineering is made available , yet there doesn't look like a portable device made available for the intrepid Traveller with Medic skill to have a go.

Tech Level Comparison Chart - Traveller

wiki.travellerrpg.com

Epiginetic modifications allow changes to gene structures without modifying DNA sequences.

Genetic Engineering - Traveller

wiki.travellerrpg.com

Epigenetics

Epigenetics is the study of how the environment and other factors can change the way that genes are expressed. While epigenetic changes do not alter the sequence of a person's genetic code, they can play an important role in development. Scientists who work in epigenetics explore the mechanisms...

www.psychologytoday.com

 

[Sigtrygg]

It's likely to be an advancement from this:

CRISPR gene editing - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Limpin Legin]

It's likely to be an advancement from this:

CRISPR gene editing - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Possibly. I don't know the pedagogy. They are both examples of Genetic Engineering. However, CRISPR is altering the genetic code ('genome'), whereas Epigenetics is to do with untangling the environmental effects and, as such, is not directly altering the genome.

 

[agentwigggles]

MTU I'd let it be removed if the PC had their genome sequenced before the damage. Elsewise what are you restoring to.
And id make the same tl as synthetic anagathics. As for me at least this would reset your telomeres and reverse a lot of aging.

MTU I can see most militaries doing it, the scouts. Though I wouldn't deny it to any character if the player can just tell me where and why it was done.

 

[Sigtrygg]

If every cell of your body has irretrievably damaged DNA it is likely too late for treatment...

 

[MasterGwydion]

Medical Nanobots could probably do it too. Remove the irradiated tissue and replace it with new tissue. Not sure what TL that would be though.

 

[MasterGwydion]

If every cell of your body has irretrievably damaged DNA it is likely too late for treatment...

Time for a full brain scan and transfer into a new cloned body. lol

 

[Vormaerin]

MTU I'd let it be removed if the PC had their genome sequenced before the damage. Elsewise what are you restoring to.
And id make the same tl as synthetic anagathics. As for me at least this would reset your telomeres and reverse a lot of aging.

MTU I can see most militaries doing it, the scouts. Though I wouldn't deny it to any character if the player can just tell me where and why it was done.

At that TL who doesn't have their genes sequenced as a routine medical procedure? Most therapies and medicines will be customized to the individual patient.