The Old World: Grim and Perilous

Recovering from trauma
In the Old World, the risk of going mad is virtually
an everyday occurrence. It is therefore
not surprising that Oldworlders have many
ways of dealing with mental ailments. Below
we present some of them. Please note that, as
with diseases, in order to begin treating trauma,
its symptoms must first appear. Additionally,
traumas must be treated in order of severity
starting from the most severe one.
• Rest - characters can try to cure their ailments
on their own, giving themselves
time to breathe and rest. This may not be
the most effective method, but its advantage
over others is that it is cheap and safe.
Once per week of rest, a character may
make a Discipline check with a difficulty
equal to the severity of the trauma plus .
If the check is successful, the character recovers
from the trauma. In addition, if the
check generates aaa or t, the character
may spend it to recover from one additional
trauma with the lowest severity.
• Medicines - Many Alchemists and apothecaries
offer herbal and chemical medicines
to provide relief to traumatized patients.
These types of preparations are often very
effective, but they discourage potential buyers
due to the price, side effects and risk
of addiction. A single dose of the medicine
costs shillings equal to twice the sum of the
severity of all the character's traumas, and
its rarity is . Taking the medicine removes
the effects of all traumas for the rest of the
day but lowers the strain threshold by for
the remainder of a day. If the character's
check generates d when the character is under
effects of medicine, the GM may spend
it to make the character addicted to the substance.
The character suffers a new trauma
- obsession related to use of the medicine.
• Medical care - in the Old World there are
many asylums dedicated to the care of the
mentally ill. Many doctors also have their
own, often unusual, treatments designed
to relieve the patient of their ailments. Although
expensive and not very pleasant,
this type of therapy often turns out to be
extremely effective. Once per week spent
under the care of a character with at least
rank in Medicine skill, the character may
make a check based on their Willpower and
their therapist's ranks in Medicine with a
difficulty equal to the severity of the trauma.
If the check is successful, the character
recovers from this trauma. In addition, if
the check generates aaa or t, the character
may spend it to recover from one additional
trauma with the lowest severity.
• Surgical procedures - although it seems
crazy in itself, putting yourself in the hands
of an experienced surgeon may prove beneficial.
The surgeon must make a Medicine
check with a difficulty equal to the severity
of the trauma minus . Upgrade the difficulty
of the check once. If the check is successful,
the character recovers from the trauma.
hhh or d generated on the check can be
spent to inflict the Critical Injury - Horrific
Injury (see Genesys Core Rulebook, page
) to the operated character. In addition,
if the check generates aaa or t, the
character may spend it to recover from one
additional trauma with the lowest severity.
134 The Old World: Grim and Perilous