Author Topic: Paralyzed from neck and down  (Read 2139 times)

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Offline Lorgalis

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Paralyzed from neck and down
« on: October 21, 2017, 01:13:16 PM »
Hi
One of my characters got his spine severed. It resulted in a paralysis from the neck and down.
Can anyone please tell me how you would handle the healing of such a condition?

He was wearing AT16 and got hit in the back with a battle axe.
No bleeding or other important damage was mentioned in the crit. I ruled that he was passed out. Would be strange if someone got his spine severed and could lie there fully awake.
I also think about the time the party will spend until they find a healer... of course He will doodoo his pants... Any other problems that comes with such a condition?


Offline RandalThor

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2017, 11:40:15 PM »
For the most part, the main problem is death. With such an injury, it is very likely that their breathing and other important functions will be compromised, so without some very serious help in a hurry (like minutes), they are likely dead.
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Offline jdale

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2017, 12:16:45 AM »
Puncture C 96-99: "Strike through foe's neck breaks backbone and severs spine. Foe is paralyzed from the neck down."

It's not a death result, or it would say so. A broken neck high enough up will interefere with breathing etc, but lower in the neck you'll "just" be losing sense and control of your limbs and torso. Survival is certainly possible. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraplegia  But not unassisted survival, you'll need someone to take care of you. From a game standpoint, you'll almost certainly need magical healing, or magical healing herbs, to recover from nerve damage this severe.

Playing a completely paralyzed character may not be the most fun. If I was the GM, I would be looking for a way to get that character to a healer (or maybe some kind of transformative recovery experience, like being turned into something that has better recovery abilities). Failing that, it might be interesting to give the character some out of body experiences and let them do some scouting that way, to keep them involved. I did actually once play a character who was incapacitated to the same degree (although the cause was a little more odd) in a different game system, and the GM decided this was the sort of experience that awakens latent psionic abilities.
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Offline RandalThor

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2017, 09:06:06 AM »
Yeah, people do survive such things (I survived a broken neck without any paralysis, getting really lucky there), but there are many things the critical table doesn't (can't) take into consideration: such as numerous secondary and tertiary effects from getting hurt (like infections and/or the panic that may result), so a lot of that will still be up to the GM to interpret. At the very least, as you mention, they will not be able to survive on their own and need much care, depending upon the level of the group (and the current situation), perhaps more care than the other characters are able to provide. There are high level spells that heal nerve damage, but getting to such a healer could be a problem. I just thought of something: this could be a great divine intervention moment, especially if there is a plot thread you really want the group to tug on. (Of course, it could also be the opposite of divine intervention...)

Also, about the unconsciousness, it is entirely possible that he would not pass out. So he could be laying there awake, able to hear and see everything going on, but unable to act. Very scary, imo.

I totally get you about playing such a character, only in very certain situations can it be at all enjoyable. I once played in a Shadowrun 3rd Ed game of "high-power" where my friend played a magician who was a quadriplegic, but because he could just go astral, and his mental stats were very high his astral form was a monster, and he could still cast spells and summon really tough spirits, he was a super power unto himself basically. (The GM was totally unprepared for a high-power game.)
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Offline Hurin

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2017, 11:21:02 AM »
I have also broken my neck (C4 vertebra) but also luckily escaped permanent damage. I remained awake and alert throughout the entire ordeal. The critical result says 'severs spine' though, which i take to mean not just the vertebra (bone) but spinal cord. Can you have a severed spinal cord and still have functions (not movement of course)? I mean, if your spinal cord is really severed, can you even breathe?

We actually had a similar critical in Spacemaster, and the player decided to retire the character.
'Last of all, Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed'. --J.R.R. Tolkien

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Offline RandalThor

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2017, 11:45:19 AM »
It doesn't always mean loss of breathing and other similar functions, but often does. I would say that the majority of people who have severed their spinal cords have to have assistance in breathing and other help, not help for just mobility. But, the critical does not specifically say it, meaning it can be read as literal, so they can still breath and control their bowels, etc... if the GM determines that is the case.

I broke C1 and cracked C2 and C3 body surfing an 8-10 foot wave in Hawaii. At a place locally known as "break-neck beach" (would have been nice to know that going in...). It was a straight-on pile drive of a hit (and was serious proof that I watched a lot of Looney Tunes cartoons as a kid, because I literally saw the cartoon swirl, complete with birds and other things) so no twisting was involved, and I got myself out of the water - and was the only one keeping calm, both my friends and the lifeguard sort of freaked out, with me having to tell them to call an ambulance and relax all the while holding my head up/straight with my hands. Fun times.
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Scratch that. Power attracts the corruptible.

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Offline Hurin

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #6 on: October 22, 2017, 02:29:28 PM »
A friend of mine had almost the exact same thing happen to him when he was in Hawaii. He was just wading/swimming in the water, and then turned to see what he described as a black wall of water descending upon him. I can't remember which vertebra he broke, but like you he was able to make it out of the water to lie down on the beach, and in the end he had pretty much the exact same surgery as me (I got mine in a car accident). Strange coincidence!
'Last of all, Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed'. --J.R.R. Tolkien

'Every party needs at least one insane person.'  --Aspen of the Jade Isle

Offline Lorgalis

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #7 on: October 22, 2017, 03:43:47 PM »
Nice feedback, thanks! I didnt realize that it was common to remain conscious. Hmmm...
It was E slash 91-95. I should have just told them that he was hit in the back and collapsed. I did an amateur mistake and read it aloud. The healing should take place the next session, cause I'm pretty sure he would rather make a new character than drooling in the background and being a pain in the ass for the party. So my current plan is to let them try to get to a very big city nearby and pay for healing of nerve, bone, cartilage, joint damage and an unparalysis spell. Something like that. It's too late for divine intervention and stuff like that. My players like it the brutal way, and they would just think I did it to be nice.

Offline RandalThor

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #8 on: October 22, 2017, 04:20:27 PM »
A friend of mine had almost the exact same thing happen to him when he was in Hawaii. He was just wading/swimming in the water, and then turned to see what he described as a black wall of water descending upon him. I can't remember which vertebra he broke, but like you he was able to make it out of the water to lie down on the beach, and in the end he had pretty much the exact same surgery as me (I got mine in a car accident). Strange coincidence!
So, Halos all around then? (Of course, when I show someone the scars on my forehead I say they are remnants of my horns being removed.) For a while there, I was Robo-Jarhead going out to clubs in my Halo, I was able to get into everywhere for free and got to know some of the bouncers real well, so that even afterwards I was able to get in for free and would hang out with them after hours (some times even crashing at their pads in Honolulu.)

As for the "divine intervention" being seen as going easy, you can easily put in some pretty-serious side effects - not character ending, but still problematic in a fun roleplaying sort of way.
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Scratch that. Power attracts the corruptible.

Rules should not replace the brain and thinking.

Offline Hurin

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #9 on: October 23, 2017, 12:10:05 AM »
Ah, the halos... wow, are they terrible. I opted for the surgery and the neck scar, and I'm happy I did. I told my friend he will hate the halo and want the surgery; he waited to see what the halo was like, and after about 2 hours in the halo decided to have the surgery.

Lorgalis: yes, personally I think that what you are doing sounds good. As I said, our party member was like yours: she didn't want to play a paralyzed character. I didn't know how to solve the issue in Spacemaster, when none of the characters had access to remove paralysis spells. I guess there probably was some way of healing her in Spacemaster, but the characters did not have the money or technology to do it. So she just retired the character and rolled a new one.
'Last of all, Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed'. --J.R.R. Tolkien

'Every party needs at least one insane person.'  --Aspen of the Jade Isle

Offline Lorgalis

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #10 on: October 23, 2017, 04:28:16 AM »
The paralyzed character is a 9 th lvl non non spell user with a background option that makes him almost immune to magic. Think it's called "unbeliever". He resists at 3 x lvl even if it's a friendly spell. Herbs will work, but the unparalysis spell should be cast by a high level npc.   

By the way, being unable to use any spells or spell devices is pretty tough when you hang around with 3 semi spell users and one magician.

Offline JakeM.

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #11 on: October 23, 2017, 02:18:26 PM »
I've understood that severed spinal cord basically paralyzes your straight below that point.
So if it's high enough one could not control the muscles used in breathing. Breathing is reflexive but I'd say that solar plexus etc are not involuntary muscles, like heart for example.

Maybe the characters friends would just end him and give some of his divine atifacts ( Hackmaster +12) to the new character as a gift?
I'd argue that there were not many fully paralyzes persons kept alive during any swords and magic era?
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Offline Spectre771

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #12 on: October 24, 2017, 06:22:55 AM »
RM2 in ChL&CaL, C&T, and the nearly all of the Companions have Nerve Repair and Organ Repair Potions and Herbs.  Getting the player to a Healer would be best, hoping of course that he is skilled enough to heal nerve damage.  As posted above, severed spine does not always = death.

If it is possibly a "death crit", the player (if he has it) can roll Body Damage Stabilize.  All of my characters invest in it and I encourage all of my players to do so because Magic in our gaming world "doesn't exist" so to speak.  Herbs, potions, First Aid, Second Aid, Surgery, BDS, etc. are all very important.
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Offline RandalThor

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #13 on: October 24, 2017, 03:06:13 PM »
Ah, the halos... wow, are they terrible. I opted for the surgery and the neck scar, and I'm happy I did. I told my friend he will hate the halo and want the surgery; he waited to see what the halo was like, and after about 2 hours in the halo decided to have the surgery.
The military did not give me an option. But it wasn't so bad, though I did end up tearing out the wool padding - not a good idea when one is living in Hawaii to have extra thick covering.
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Rules should not replace the brain and thinking.

Online rdanhenry

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #14 on: November 10, 2017, 02:25:30 PM »
I didn't know how to solve the issue in Spacemaster, when none of the characters had access to remove paralysis spells. I guess there probably was some way of healing her in Spacemaster, but the characters did not have the money or technology to do it. So she just retired the character and rolled a new one.

Mad scientist. "I'll hook you up with a new body, a better body. But you'll have to do me some... favors." Any solution that gets a character out of bind like that should involve letting someone stick plothooks into his skin. That way you (a) salvage the character, (b) charge a price for it, maybe even make them wonder once or twice if it was worth it, and (c) assure getting characters onto the plot train in the future. Mad scientist could also be a government, a rogue agency of a government, a corporate black ops department, or weird aliens in sci-fi. Fantasy options are gods, powerful spell-casters, and exotic creatures. In all cases, someone very dangerous to try to back out of the deal on and with an agenda of their own to push.
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Offline Hurin

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #15 on: November 10, 2017, 03:19:24 PM »
That's a great idea; wish I had thought of it back then.
'Last of all, Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed'. --J.R.R. Tolkien

'Every party needs at least one insane person.'  --Aspen of the Jade Isle

Offline tulgurth

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #16 on: December 02, 2017, 05:05:25 PM »
I had a character suffer the same crit many years ago.  the party toted his large butt out of the dungeon and had him healed using magic.  However the GM decided that because of the injury, the reluctance of the healer to heal an "evil" half troll, my character would suffer a -70 to all MMs.  the healing time was excruciatingly long and I decided to retire the character as a PC.  But on the bright side, he has become an NPC in my games as the crazy half-troll seeking the shiny armor and preaching the word of Paladine.

Offline Jenkyna

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Re: Paralyzed from neck and down
« Reply #17 on: December 04, 2017, 06:50:03 PM »
Just an observation, but you can always talk to the player about how they would like to handle something like this. For some this would ruin the character, but for others it might open the door for a roleplay experience.