Healing Crippling Damage for Dummies

[Piff]

I just got bit real hard by a River Dragon.

It hurt. I survived, but it ate my leg.

Unfortunately, I don't know anybody with even a passing interest in Solar medicine. So I'm wondering... how common are medical techniques that could help me grow another leg in Creation? Could sorcerers do that sort of thing? Thaumaturgists? What about these new-fangled mechanical legs I've heard about, how common are those?

On the bright side, at least I have Graceful Crane, which renders the penalty of my missing leg nonexistent. But I wish I didn't look so silly!

[CapitanTypo]

from memory, Wonders of the First Age suggested that magi-tech limb replacements were still available i the current age, though much more rough and functional than the aesthetics of the First Age. I assume they need at least an enlightened smith, of not an exalted crater to produce, and I'm assuming the Empire makes access to such things into a chance to scrutinize the patient.

Generally, however, I'd say "as your game requires it"

[Iron Phoenix]

Since Wholeness-Restoring Meditation is a Solar Charm that would take 3 months to restore a lost limb, I'm going to guess that growing another leg isn't that common in Creation. You could definitely investigate a sorcerous working or someone with high Craft skill to get you a replacement. The other option would be to head out to the Wyld and try to strike up a bargain with a raksha, although the result might be interesting.

[TheCountAlucard]

A sorcerer should be able to give you a new leg (I had it happen in my Okeanos game when Gasp of the Drowning got his legs ripped off), but it probably shouldn't just be exactly like the old. Maybe it's a graft taken from the flesh of a water elemental; perhaps it's a golem-limb made from spell-forged iron; just don't let it be boring!

[norraba]

my leg was burned off by a fire elemental, we have a solar healer but i opted to craft a new one rather than go through three months of down time.

[Lioness]

I'll put them in order of how likely I'd expect to encounter them-

Crude Prosthetic- Depending how much is left of your leg it might be possible to construct something that looks the part and helps you balance.

Limb Grafts- Masters of Jade, one of the 2e books that's probably going to remain reliable for a while mentioned that Doctor Alethia uses a wyld pocket to perform these. Necromancy also seems like the other natural fit for sticking a leg that used to belong to someone else onto you. Individual spirits may offer more wholesome options.

Artifact Prosthetic- The problem here is that the market for such a thing will be immensely small and likely catering primarily to Dragon-Blooded they're not really the kind of thing that gets passed on due to the discomfort missmatched limbs would cause.

Limb Regrowth- Getting your own limbs back should be a big deal.

[Greyman]

http://godkickingboot.smackjeeves.com/

[limaxophobiac]

Sorcerous workings can grow you a whole extra set of arms or legs for 4xp, so it should be able to fix you.

[Piff]

So part of the concern for me is that this is a 'non-consensual' Crippling wound. I know that most Crippling wounds are taken by player choice, but the mechanics for the River Dragon allow the Dragon to force you to have one of ITS choice, and since it got 7 HLs the GM decided it was going to just rip off a big meaty piece and then go eat it. The Dragon was forced into retreat by my group but unfortunately it had a grapple on me already so it dragged me in the water.

Anyway, I really don't want to be a Solar with a missing leg, or a necrotic leg, or a mechanical leg. I want my old leg back! Stupid River Dragon!

Since the game takes place over a fairly long period of time, I've decided I'm going to lobby for the idea that the leg might very slowly grow back. So after like a year it might almost get to the knee, another year the shin, etc. I figure with Solar Exalted healing (I have Body Mending) it might not be that unreasonable.

Anybody else think that might work? The more yes votes I get, the better chance of convincing the GM, who lurks here as well!

[The Wizard of Oz]

The Lunar sorcerer in my game gave himself a mystic third eye in the middle of his head.
This was pretty useful as Ahlat stabbed him in the face with a burning spear and boiled his eyes out of their sockets.

So, anyway, I agree with Alucard.

But of course, the easiest thing would just be a wooden leg.

A magic clockwork leg? Well, maybe if you're a wealthy dynast. Or you're a Solar craftsman who can make one. Otherwise, I'm going to say it's extremely unlikely. You can't just buy them in shops: most people will have never seen one.

[Roswynn]

Something I remember from reading the core book was along these lines: you didn't sign up to play a crippled character, so why should you?

Sure, river dragons can tear off your limbs. That's realistic and dramatic, and conveys the feeling that you really shouldn't mess around with f**kin' megafauna.

But, it has been mentioned repeatedly that a sorcerous working can give you your old leg back... or at least, a new one, but the same. It should be eminently feasible if you have a sorcerer in your Circle, or even just if you can hire one. There might be... consequences, or a task that needs fulfilling, first. Or it might simply cost a lot and take quite a bit. But it should be possible.

So, again, it's not really cool to force you to play an amputee if you weren't on board right from the start. Sure, it can happen. But you didn't choose to take a crippling injury to ablate damage - it was externally imposed on you. So, if not specifically a seamless leg-clone, at least an artifact prosthesis should be somewhat available. If you're not gonna have fun playing your character, then why should you? And I suppose you'd prefer not to just dump them and "roll a new one", seeing how Exalted is quite a bit about finding a concept that really pumps you and laboriously putting together a very cool character. Also, as this isn't D&D, it would be disruptive if the Circle one day found themselves with a new member they've never known anything about, and with your current character mysteriously gone. That wreaks havoc with the narrative.

Perhaps I'm too compassionate. For maximum clarity, if I were you, I'd ask the devs for how best to solve this problem, in their opinion and in the spirit of the game.

Also, don't hope we'll convince your ST. It's your game, theirs and yours and the rest of the group's. Discuss it like mature people (now I'm starting to sound condescending, sorry) - but really, have an honest discussion, tell them how you really don't enjoy playing a cripple, and ask them they help you find a solution. I think it's simply in everyone's best interests.

[TheCountAlucard]

Gotta agree with Roswynn - if your ST doesn't know us, don't expect us to be able to convince him. I'm still prickly over the last time someone did that here.

(That said, maybe don't go referring to even fictional people with disabilities as "a cripple," but that's beside the point.)

While I can sympathize with not wanting to play a character with a missing leg, I as an ST would call for more than just Body-Mending Meditation to fix it; I would work with the player to provide an opportunity to regain her character's mobility, but just having it grow back over time doesn't make for an entertaining story.

[Lioness]

Since the game takes place over a fairly long period of time, I've decided I'm going to lobby for the idea that the leg might very slowly grow back. So after like a year it might almost get to the knee, another year the shin, etc. I figure with Solar Exalted healing (I have Body Mending) it might not be that unreasonable.

I wouldn't be down with that.
Mostly because you seem fine with your character being an amputee for 2-3 years while the leg slowly regenerates. Full fledged limb regeneration might be very rare but a Solar actively chasing down rumours of anything that posesses such a power and putting the word out that they'd be indebted to anyone who could help them, would probably find a solution faster and be more interesting.

[Kunoichi]

In second edition, Lunars could regrow limbs for other people with a charm as long as they were in the Wyld of some sort. Nice thing was that it was pretty close to instant.

[Isator Levi]

So I'm wondering... how common are medical techniques that could help me grow another leg in Creation?

Probably not very common at all.

I mean, that shouldn't matter very much, if the story affords you the means of honing in on the uncommon sources.

In the meantime, you could get a nice wooden prosthetic to at least maintain symmetry. Maybe one of the more ornate ones, with a carved foot to it.

Could sorcerers do that sort of thing? Thaumaturgists?

Yes, sorcerers can do just about anything, and it doesn't seem beyond the bounds of something in the innumerable possibilities of thaumaturgy.

For sorcery, one would probably want a restoration of their body to be high Finesse. Other than that, I think the restoration of a natural limb is something that doesn't need to have too much baggage attached to the working.

What about these new-fangled mechanical legs I've heard about, how common are those?

How mechanical are you talking about, here? Something with springs to give it a bit more flexibility, or magic bionics.

Either way, also not common, although the former is probably something that some master artisans in some of the major cities could handle, while the latter is basically unheard of.

You could always go with that character in Masters of Jade; a doctor, I think she was Dragon Blooded, uses limbs gathered from the Wyld to fix people up.

Hell, does anybody in the group have Lore? Introduce some facts. "Oh, I just remembered that there's a renowned physician said to possess some unusual medicine that restores lost limbs just a few miles over".