...mostly because of the tone; it gives me the sudden urge to slap someone and scream that MEDICINE AND SCIENCE DON'T WORK THAT WAY (if its repeatable, and you can show that its repeatable, most scientists will accept that it works. Come on, stop making me flash back to Exalted 1E's back cover, guys.)
But when I overcame my urge, I noticed that Holistic Awareness could be reskinned to let you use methods that should not work, no way, no how. Stuff like treating people with orgone energy, or bloodletting to get someone over their hangover.
I ended up rationalizing it as a very low-key Supernatural Merit - you're breaking reality to let "impossible" treatments work anyway. So I wrote this little thing up:
Heretical Medicine (• - •••)
Upon taking this Merit, come up with the basic "theme" for your heretical medicine; maybe you believe bloodletting cures all bodily ills, or that a dietary regimen of thin soups cures most minor injuries and infirmities.
Effect: Your character has hit upon a medical method that, according to orthodox science, should not work. In fact, your character has an innate, low-key biokinetic gift. As long as your treatment falls within your theme and your patient is not suffering from penalties due to Lethal or Aggravated damage, you do not need access to traditional medical equipment to stabilize the patient or treat injuries and diseases. With access to an area appropriate to your theme, you may make either a Wits + Survival or a Wits + Streetwise roll, whichever is appropriate, to gather all necessary supplies.
For each dot past the first, select one of the following options:
Heretical Engineering (• - •••)
Upon taking this Merit, come up with a basic "theme" for your heretical engineering; maybe you are sure that painting a car red makes it go faster, or that you can fix most problems with a car by giving it a stiff thwack.
Effect: Your character has figured out a method for working with technology that should leave the machine a hunk of junk. In fact, your character has an innate, low-key technopathic gift. As long as your maintenance falls within your theme, you do not need access to traditional tools to repair, jury-rig, or tinker with a machine. With access to an area appropriate to your theme, you may make either a Wits + Survival or a Wits + Streetwise roll, whichever is appropriate, to gather all necessary supplies.
For each dot past the first, select one of the following options:
Basically, Heretical Engineering kinda assumes that you have some system of after-market modifications for equipment. It also lets you make an Internal Combustion Engine that runs off of human blood, so there is that.
But when I overcame my urge, I noticed that Holistic Awareness could be reskinned to let you use methods that should not work, no way, no how. Stuff like treating people with orgone energy, or bloodletting to get someone over their hangover.
I ended up rationalizing it as a very low-key Supernatural Merit - you're breaking reality to let "impossible" treatments work anyway. So I wrote this little thing up:
Heretical Medicine (• - •••)
Upon taking this Merit, come up with the basic "theme" for your heretical medicine; maybe you believe bloodletting cures all bodily ills, or that a dietary regimen of thin soups cures most minor injuries and infirmities.
Effect: Your character has hit upon a medical method that, according to orthodox science, should not work. In fact, your character has an innate, low-key biokinetic gift. As long as your treatment falls within your theme and your patient is not suffering from penalties due to Lethal or Aggravated damage, you do not need access to traditional medical equipment to stabilize the patient or treat injuries and diseases. With access to an area appropriate to your theme, you may make either a Wits + Survival or a Wits + Streetwise roll, whichever is appropriate, to gather all necessary supplies.
For each dot past the first, select one of the following options:
- Your patient heals at twice the normal rate while under your treatment.
- Your patient suffers no ill effects from your treatment, regardless of how conventionally dangerous it should be.
- You no longer need access to traditional medical equipment to stabilize or treat a patient suffering from penalties due to Lethal damage.
Heretical Engineering (• - •••)
Upon taking this Merit, come up with a basic "theme" for your heretical engineering; maybe you are sure that painting a car red makes it go faster, or that you can fix most problems with a car by giving it a stiff thwack.
Effect: Your character has figured out a method for working with technology that should leave the machine a hunk of junk. In fact, your character has an innate, low-key technopathic gift. As long as your maintenance falls within your theme, you do not need access to traditional tools to repair, jury-rig, or tinker with a machine. With access to an area appropriate to your theme, you may make either a Wits + Survival or a Wits + Streetwise roll, whichever is appropriate, to gather all necessary supplies.
For each dot past the first, select one of the following options:
- When you tinker with a piece of machinery, you can replace the type of fuel it uses to some fuel that falls within your theme. If the fuel in question is something blatantly out-of-the-ordinary, the machine is considered a Bygone.
- When you tinker with a piece of machinery, you can increase the Durability or Structure by 1; this does not stack with previous uses of this merit.
Basically, Heretical Engineering kinda assumes that you have some system of after-market modifications for equipment. It also lets you make an Internal Combustion Engine that runs off of human blood, so there is that.
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