I had an idea for a UW Campaign that I want to start on RoleGate soon that features the fact that Oxygen is a precious resource. I made the following rule set to account for this. Any thoughts?
Oxygen Depravation
Oxygen Depravation Rules
Oxygen is an essential to anyone and everyone and in an Oxygen Depravation campaign, when a character’s Oxygen supply reaches Class 0 in total they take the Major Debility ‘Hypoxia’. If it is reduced below 0 then the character dies of asphyxiation.
A character may gain Oxygen Shipments or top up their O2 Tanks with oxygen of varying qualities dependant on the environment from which they originated:
Class 1 from recycled air habitats
Class 2 from oxygen plants and bio-domes
Class 3 from naturally forested planets
Note that sometimes a character may gain this air freely simply by turning on the intake pipes, but other times will have to roll Acquisition to gain this cargo.
Breathe
Basic Move
When you hyperventilate or after an extended period of time, typically between a few weeks to a month or two for Oxygen Shipments or a few days to a week for O2 Tanks, roll 2d6+Oxygen Class.
– 13+, you expend far less air than expected. Gain a data point about this skill.
– 10-12, you breathe easy, for now.
– 7-9, you expend the quantity of air you expected to. Reduce your Oxygen class by one.
– 6-, your lungs are your weak point. Reduce your Oxygen class by two.
Oxygen Shipments
Cargo
Large cargos of Oxygen canisters that are used primarily in stations and ships and typically last anywhere between a few weeks to a month or two per person.
O2 Tanks
Group Asset
Allows the on hand transport of oxygen. A single class of O2 Tank oxygen typically lasts a few days to a week. When you have access to an Oxygen Shipment, you can reduce the Class of it by 1 to increase the class of your O2 Tanks by 2, to a maximum of 3.
Hypoxia
Major Debility
One of the worst afflictions possible, hypoxia is characterised by reduced mental and physical capacity as well as the discoloration of the skin towards blue.
Mechanically, it is also one of the worst debilities, as the players must choose two stats that are 0 or more and change them to become a -1 until Hypoxia ends.
Hypoxia cannot be healed by a standard Patch Up or even Surgery. Hypoxia is only cured once the character’s Oxygen supply returns to being class 1 or higher.
Looks good to me 🙂 Limited air supply is an interesting idea, though I think I’d be worried that it’d limit the game too much if used for the majority of a campaign. Especially limiting the PCs, who would be encouraged to be calm and collected, perhaps even emotionless, in the face of danger, as anything else would use too much air and be considered “hyperventilating”.
If this is a major feature of the setting and play, I say go for it, but it seems too fiddly for anything less than a major game theme.
Andrew Taylor Good point. I suppose I would just have to clarify to the players that acting quickly or recklessly won’t necessarily cause them to hyperventilate.