The vacuum of space

[bighara]

Looking at the rules, I don't see much in the standard mutations lists that would save a PC from being exposed to the void of space. I'm thinking a basic android would be OK, but the replicants and synthetics would take damage due to things like the fluids in their bodies boiling away, etc.

Has anyone made any rules for getting "spaced"? Various science articles peg life expectancy at about 90 seconds, losing consciousness after around 10-15 seconds. Fun fact: you die quicker if you hold your breath. Should it just be "you die, no save"? Or would some rules be worthwhile for a game that might end up in space? I'm thinking something like:

A character will die in 10 rounds unless retrieved and brought back into atmosphere (spacesuit re-sealed, etc.). Character must make a save vs. death every round or lose consciousness. They also take 1d6 damage per round. Regneration can restore lost hp, but will not prevent the countdown until death.

IRL, your brain is badly affected in the first few seconds, so you're pretty much helpless & disoriented, but that's not much fun for the player that wants to try and save his PC.

[gentleman john]

I have had some thoughts on this matter, and I came to pretty much the same conclusions as you.

I would go with the saving throw vs death. If you fail the saving throw, then that's it - dead. Call it what you will: vacuum embolism, blood boiling, running out of oxygen. I'd stick with the 1d6 per round if you succeed at the saving throw, although this may take a while to kill a PC.

Obvious defences would be Extra Body Parts that give the PC a chance to withstand vacuum: an oxygen storage gland, for example. Tough skin could be argued to prevent damage from body tissues swelling. A force field might just capture some atmosphere around the victims. If the player can argue it, I'd be inclined to be merciful, given the consequences.

Now - how do they make re-entry without a vehicle?

[bighara]

Storing oxygen (holding your breath) kills you faster than emptying your lungs. Tough skin? Not really an issue. I could see a force field, if they reacted fast enough to contain some air (maybe a saving throw). The rest of it wouldn't help.

The hp damage isn't what kills them. In 10 rounds you're dead regardless of hp total. The hp damage is to reflect how messed up you are if you survive!

Obviously the rule of cool needs to be employed here. If players come up with something fun/interesting, I'm inclined to give them a (slim) chance. I'm not trying to emulate EXACT science, but getting 'spaced is far more dangerous than something like drowning in water.

[gentleman john]

Storing oxygen (holding your breath) kills you faster than emptying your lungs.

Actually, I was thinking more like the mechanism that cetaceans use to store oxygen in their fat cells, rather than in their lungs. It seems that some whales have been spotted at depths where (logically) their lungs would collapse, and for significant periods of time. Combine that ability with a few others to stop the damage from lack of pressure, and you might have a character that stands a chance ...

[bighara]

Storing oxygen (holding your breath) kills you faster than emptying your lungs.

Actually, I was thinking more like the mechanism that cetaceans use to store oxygen in their fat cells, rather than in their lungs. It seems that some whales have been spotted at depths where (logically) their lungs would collapse, and for significant periods of time. Combine that ability with a few others to stop the damage from lack of pressure, and you might have a character that stands a chance ...

That's pretty cool.

Probably a little far afield from the standard mutations list, but still.

[Malcadon]

Don't forget that this is a science fantasy, so the normal rules of reality can be warped on the whim of the Mutant Master. Basically, old-school post-apocalypse gaming plays by comic book physics (And we don't need any dead cat-girls wow, don't we?). So the ML could rule that a vacuumed PC must make a save vs death each combat round, or pop like like a balloon - instant death! Succeeding in the save means the PC is surviving by holding his or her breath. In space, the PC can also move by "swimming" in the void. Mind you, this would be an extreme approach, but in the end, it would be up to individual MLs to choose the level of realism for their own campaign.

[Blood axe]

Don't forget that this is a science fantasy, so the normal rules of reality can be warped on the whim of the Mutant Master. Basically, old-school post-apocalypse gaming plays by comic book physics (And we don't need any dead cat-girls wow, don't we?). So the ML could rule that a vacuumed PC must make a save vs death each combat round, or pop like like a balloon - instant death! Succeeding in the save means the PC is surviving by holding his or her breath. In space, the PC can also move by "swimming" in the void. Mind you, this would be an extreme approach, but in the end, it would be up to individual MLs to choose the level of realism for their own campaign.

+1 I like it!

[bighara]

Don't forget that this is a science fantasy, so the normal rules of reality can be warped on the whim of the Mutant Master. Basically, old-school post-apocalypse gaming plays by comic book physics (And we don't need any dead cat-girls wow, don't we?). So the ML could rule that a vacuumed PC must make a save vs death each combat round, or pop like like a balloon - instant death! Succeeding in the save means the PC is surviving by holding his or her breath. In space, the PC can also move by "swimming" in the void. Mind you, this would be an extreme approach, but in the end, it would be up to individual MLs to choose the level of realism for their own campaign.

+1 I like it!

That's pretty amusing. I think I would go for a slightly more realistic approach, but I'd still want to give PCs a chance –albeit a small one– to get out of the mess they've found themselves in.