Healer Occupation in RQG Question

[svensson]

A question came up in my game last night about the skills received in the Healer occupation in RQG character generation.

Healers get 10 percentage points in the Devise skill. Why is that?

As I understand it, Devise is the skill to use or design most mechanical devices more complicated than, say, a pulley or lever. With it, players can figure out the workings of a water mill or pick a lock.

So, why would a Healer need that skill? Splinting a bone is pretty simple stuff and is easily covered in First Aid. The availability of reliable magic to knit flesh and bone pretty much does away with most of the Bronze Ancients and Medieval period's more advanced tools [traction rigs for beds, screw clamps, etc.]

 

[Darius West]

8 hours ago, svensson said:

So, why would a Healer need that skill? Splinting a bone is pretty simple stuff and is easily covered in First Aid. The availability of reliable magic to knit flesh and bone pretty much does away with most of the Bronze Ancients and Medieval period's more advanced tools [traction rigs for beds, screw clamps, etc.]

Okay, I don't know why Devise is a healer skill.  Could it be because they like freeing animals from traps?  Could it be that they sometimes need to rescue people from traps too?  Or perhaps it is to keep their medical supplies locked (or open someone else's?).  Perhaps it is so they can make and assemble alchemical equipment?  I wouldn't be surprised if this +10% Devise was a typo.

[Kloster]

perhaps for simple prosthesis?

[svensson]

2 hours ago, Kloster said:

perhaps for simple prosthesis?

But wouldn't you go to an actual craftsman for that? Maybe something temporary?

 

2 hours ago, Darius West said:

Okay, I don't know why Devise is a healer skill.  Could it be because they like freeing animals from traps?  Could it be that they sometimes need to rescue people from traps too?  Or perhaps it is to keep their medical supplies locked (or open someone else's?).  Perhaps it is so they can make and assemble alchemical equipment?  I wouldn't be surprised if this +10% Devise was a typo.

Not bad suggestions. And I'm wondering about the typo myself.

[French Desperate WindChild]

don't know too

maybe it is related to alchemical stuff,

 

but I think the best way is to free your leg from a trap (or from any complex or little mechanism) without too much wounds

 

or is it just to use "devise flesh" as some kind of surgery ^^

 

note that in the starter set i found a healer with 55% (Herin Mercy) however there are a lot of people with device (humakti, issaries, lankhoring, etc...) in Jonstown so probably a lot of "civilized" people have a minimum experience with mechanics

[Shiningbrow]

Maybe it's for use on Mostali? Because, maybe... First Aid doesn't work on them, and so you need something to do with mechanics.....

On 9/26/2022 at 7:19 PM, French Desperate WindChild said:

but I think the best way is to free your leg from a trap (or from any complex or little mechanism) without too much wounds

I wouldn't ask for that (Devise to free someone safely), unless it was a really complicated trap.. (that I can't even think of right now).

 

On 9/26/2022 at 5:06 PM, Kloster said:

perhaps for simple prosthesis?

Maaaayyybeeee... although, I'd suggest you'd need to have a relevant craft skill as well.

[Kloster]

2 minutes ago, Shiningbrow said:

Maaaayyybeeee... although, I'd suggest you'd need to have a relevant craft skill as well.

Agreed (woodworking or redsmithing, at the very least).

[Ludo Bagman]

Devise was already there in the RQ3 Healer occupation with a more modern, less magical Fantasy Europe as standard setting.

Devise could be used to operate the mechanical medical tools like bone drills. For example, a windlass box or a Hippocratic bench were used for setting the bone fragments of a broken limb; they were fixed with wooden splints, cords, etc. in order to let it heal naturally.

https://exarc.net/issue-2016-2/int/broken-leg-year-1350-treatment-and-prognosis

Edited September 27, 2022 by Ludo Bagman

[MJ Sadique]

Or just to help a not-so-bright adventurer who got his foot inside a bear trap or any kind of booby trap 😝. but I like Ludo way of thinking out of the box...

• Devise (05) : This is the skill of both assembling and disassembling mechanisms such as traps and locks. (RQ RiG p186)

Disarming such trap need a devise skill roll so the healer should have son experience in this which justify the +10%. It's way better than sawing your foot 🧐

[g33k]

On 9/25/2022 at 4:43 PM, svensson said:

... The availability of reliable magic to knit flesh and bone pretty much does away with most of the Bronze Ancients and Medieval period's more advanced tools [traction rigs for beds, screw clamps, etc.]

 

It's worth noting that MP's are a limited resource; RP's even moreso.

After a big battle (and maybe with another on the morrow, and no time to rest & restore overnight), or maybe an extended multi-day "fighting retreat" ... that "availability" of reliable magic may dwindle to a trickle...  Or even to nothing at all!

Better the mundane tools to help heal, than no healing at all.

Edited September 29, 2022 by g33k

[Shiningbrow]

On 9/28/2022 at 7:28 AM, MJ Sadique said:

Or just to help a not-so-bright adventurer who got his foot inside a bear trap or any kind of booby trap 😝. but I like Ludo way of thinking out of the box...

• Devise (05) : This is the skill of both assembling and disassembling mechanisms such as traps and locks. (RQ RiG p186)

Disarming such trap need a devise skill roll so the healer should have son experience in this which justify the +10%. It's way better than sawing your foot 🧐

Except, opening up a trap to pull a foot out is very different to disassembling the trap.

But... you could make the argument that it's for those CAs who do want to disassemble traps, so that sentient creatures don't get harmed in them.

[Bill the barbarian]

On 9/25/2022 at 5:43 PM, svensson said:

So, why would a Healer need that skill? Splinting a bone is pretty simple stuff and is easily covered in First Aid. The availability of reliable magic to knit flesh and bone pretty much does away with most of the Bronze Ancients and Medieval period's more advanced tools [traction rigs for beds, screw clamps, etc.]

 

Why devise? Hm, let's see. As a lifetime 1st aider; first with cadets 5 decades ago, right up to the pandemic (I need to renew my certificate) I have held a St John's Ambulance 1st Aid Certificate. Beyond being taught about the body, and how we are to work with it as 1st aiders (not doctors) we are taught about devising simple slings, bandages, splints, stretchers. You name it. Buddy has a pencil in his eyeball, what do you do? Leave the frigging pencil where it is, get a doctor or an ambulance and then while waiting, devise a donut bandage to isolate the problem. 

Edited September 29, 2022 by Bill the barbarian

[Jeff]

10 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Why devise? Hm, let's see. As a lifetime 1st aider; first with cadets 5 decades ago, right up to the pandemic (I need to renew my certificate) I have held a St John's Ambulance 1st Aid Certificate. Beyond being taught about the body, and how we are to work with it as 1st aiders (not doctors) we are taught about devising simple slings, bandages, splints, stretchers. You name it. Buddy has a pencil in his eyeball, what do you do? Leave the frigging pencil where it is, get a doctor or an ambulance and then while waiting, devise a donut bandage to isolate the problem. 

That was pretty much the idea behind it - Chalana Arroy cultists have Devise to build travois, improvised stretchers, make medical tools, etc.

[svensson]

21 minutes ago, Jeff said:

That was pretty much the idea behind it - Chalana Arroy cultists have Devise to build travois, improvised stretchers, make medical tools, etc.

Alright. I'd always considered Devise as more 'mechanical' than just simple devices... something involving gears, frankly... but alright. I can readjust my thinking on that one.