A GUIDE TO COMMON INJURIES & CONDITIONS
At some point in time, most players find themselves under the care of the hospital’s exceptional team of workers. This guide is to help navigate and roleplay out a variety of common injuries and conditions we see daily.
Please note that, while this guide provides the framework for questions you may have, it’s always important to do your research when roleplaying something out.
SOFT TISSUE INJURIES
These are injuries that affect the body’s soft tissue (ie. muscles, tendons). They can occur for a variety of reasons and affect the body in different ways.
BRUISES: These are injuries that are caused by force trauma (ie. punches); when small blood vessels break under the skin, bruises form. The area around a bruise may become red and swollen, with the bruise itself starting as a red/pink color, then transitioning to blue/purple, and finally green/yellow as it heals and the blood gets reabsorbed.
Healing time for bruises varies, but most will heal within 3-10 days.
ABRASIONS: Also known as a simple sc****, these are small, shallow injuries caused by rubbing against a rough surface. They may or may not bleed, and will typically only injure the outermost layers of skin.
An abrasion will typically heal within a few days, though some may take up to two weeks to heal.
LACERATIONS: These are irregular tears in the skin caused by blunt force or a sharp object. Lacerations will almost always bleed. Realistically, there are two types of lacerations: major and minor ones. Minor lacerations will only need to be cleaned before applying antibiotic ointment and bandages, while major ones will require stitches prior to full treatment due to how deep they are.
Lacerations will typically heal within one to two weeks. Karakura’s Hospital uses dissolving stitches, meaning you do NOT need to come in to get them removed! The body will absorb them.
STAB WOUNDS: These are injuries that have broken the body’s soft tissue deeper than a laceration would. These injuries will bleed and, depending on where the injury is located, may cause internal damage to an organ or artery. An EMS worker will perform an ultrasound on the location to look for any damage, paving way for two outcomes: 1. No internal damage has occurred and the wound can be sutured up and treated, or 2. Internal damage has occurred and needs to be treated prior to suturing.
If an organ/artery has been hit but the damage is repairable, it will be repaired and then the wound itself will be treated. If an organ has been hit but the damage is irreparable, then an organ transplant will take place. Either way, organ/artery damage means you will be placed into recovery for 3 OOC days.
A stab wounds healing comes in stages. Between 7-10 days, the outer wound will heal. But it may take several weeks to months for the internal damage to heal properly. If an organ transplant has taken place, it will take several months for the body to heal. While your character will be briefed on organ rejection in recovery, it can occur at any time, altering the healing process.
BURNS
Burn injuries can happen from a number of reasons: playing too close to a firepit, touching your flat iron by mistake, getting struck by lightning, et cetera. Treatment varies depending on the degree, which is just a fancy way of saying how deep the damage goes!
FIRST DEGREE: The most mild form of a burn; these are superficial and only affect the outermost layer of skin. The affected area will be red and may feel dry, but no blisters will form. A mild sunburn is a great example of this!
First degree burns will typically heal between 3-10 days. Scarring is rare.
SECOND DEGREE: These burns begin to affect the dermis layer. The affected site will be red, painful, and may appear swollen. Blisters may begin to form.
Second degree burns will typically heal within 1-3 weeks. Scarring is minimal but may occur if deep enough. These are the most common degree developed when struck by lightning
THIRD DEGREE: The most severe form of a burn; these will destroy the dermis layer, and may even affect muscles, bones, or tendons! The affected area will appear white, charred and/or leathery, but pain at the site will be minimal because the nerve endings have been destroyed.
Third degree burns can take months to even years to heal fully; it’s dependent on how the body deals with treatment. Skin grafts are a requirement for treatment.
CONDITIONS
These are a variety of conditions that affect the body and that are commonly seen around the hospital.
CONCUSSIONS: Caused by trauma to the head, concussions are something commonly seen on the server. Some common symptoms of a concussion are as follows: headache, nausea, blurry vision, fatigue, ringing in the ears. Some concussions can cause the person to lose consciousness and have temporary amnesia over the event, though its worth it to say that this is not always the case.
Concussions can be mild, moderate, or severe, with the latter typically accompanying a skull fracture. No matter the case, mild and moderate concussions can be treated with at-home rest. They will clear up on their own!
An MRI is used to diagnose a concussion, though its a common misconception that a concussion shows up on an MRI. It’s actually the lack of any other brain injury (brain bleeds, swelling, etc.) that leads to the conclusion!
For more information, please view a full guide to TBIs (Traumatic Brain Injuries) here!
BROKEN BONES: While limbs are the most common break seen, any bone in the human body can be broken. There are two kinds of breaks we treat at the hospital: clean and compound breaks. A clean break is where the bone is broken in half, resulting in no recovery time and treated with a simple cast or splint. A compound break encompasses many different types, but they all get treated via surgery and require 2 OOC days in the recovery ward.
What’s the difference between a cast and a splint?
- A cast is used for arms and legs, made up of cotton, fiberglass, and a colorful bandage. They come off after seven OOC days.
- A splint is used for places we are unable to cast (ie. noses, fingers, shoulders), made up of the splint itself and fastened over the area in question. These are also used for orthopedic injuries that do not require a cast (ie. sprains).
For more information, please view a full guide to broken bones here!
I’VE HAD X HAPPEN TO ME, WHAT WILL IT CAUSE?
Sometimes, a situation happens but you aren’t totally sure what the physical damage will be. If the items above don’t fill in the gaps, that is what this section is designed for.
BEAR BITES: While the damage will be heavily dependent on the bear’s age/size and the player’s action, some form of laceration is likely to occur. If the bear was young or small, the bite may not require stitches. If the bear is fully grown, it is likely the bite will need stitches.
Please note that all bear bite-related injuries require recovery.
LIGHTNING STRIKES: When you get struck by lightning, a number of injuries can occur. The most common injuries will be burns from the electricity itself, with second degree being the most common. Because of the electrical current, your character will also be at risk of cardiac arrest and respiratory arrest, though those are entirely up to you to roleplay out if you so wish. Nausea and head trauma can also happen.
Being hit by lightning will require recovery time; it is a medical emergency.
BAT STRIKES: Being hit with a bat is likely to do damage, but the damage itself depends on where you’ve been hit. If it’s to the head, you can expect some bruising and a potential concussion. If it’s to a limb, you can expect bruising and the potential for a broken bone. As for extremities (ie. hands, feet), the likelihood of a shattered break is quite high.
It’s important to note that broken bones caused by another player require permissions to act upon. If you have questions regarding that aspect, it’s best to contact the crime discord.
I hope this guide is able to help somebody out there when they're stuck in one of our curtains, and that there was some joy in reading through it. Please note that there are plenty other injuries and conditions your character can have and/or may face, this is just a small list of the most common ones we treat in the hospital! Questions/suggestions? Shoot me a DM!
