Reversing/negating drowning

[Tech]

I want to ask a question about something that could happen to a character of mine and get an answer ahead of time.

 

Let's say I'm playing a Champions character who's actual form is a water elemental but for purposes of living amongst the humanworld, has a device that allows him to be fully human. Obviously, a water elemental is not going to drown in water but a human could.

 

Here's the question: if while human and starting to drown (takes damage because water is in the ol' lungs), he changes back to a water elemental (ahhh, water!), would the drowning damage be negated? Rephrased, would the damage taken from drowning possibly be even null and void, giving back the Stun lost due to drowning? I will add the following:

 

For the water elemental, not only is 'breathing' water not harmful but necessary for it's life, even helpful. So, what do you think?

 

 

[Greywind]

I'd say that any damage already taken would have to heal.

[Balabanto]

This is a physical complication and a power with a weird special effect. 

 

You buy Life Support (Breathe Water) as if it were air for 5 points and give him an OIF for 3 points total. All you're doing is flipping the medium for his base breathing source.

 

Then you take this:

 

Physical Complication: Seriously, infrequently. Character obeys the drowning rules without life support equipment. (Cannot take recoveries, etc)

 

That's all you have to do.

[Christopher R Taylor]

The drowning effect would instantly end but the damage sustained has to heal normally.  However, its pretty cheap to build a heal into the shapeshift so it automatically heals some damage taken.

[薔薇語]

For this I would take a cue from the way Multi-Form works. 

 

6e1 Pg269:

 

"When a character shifts forms, the STUN and BODY damage he's taken and the END he's used do not disappear - they carry over to the next form." 

 

So, while changing forms would negate the damage source's ability to continue to deal damage, it would not undo the damage done. The mechanical reason for this is to prevent people from using various multiforms to negate damage in combat (or other situation). The stylistic reasons for this are up to you and the GM; I would say that the shock to your system is what has left you exhausted and fatigued (Stun and END). Just as people who still feel pain from limbs they have long lost, you still "Feel" the pain of your human form's near death experience. At least until your Water Form body can fully adjust to the situation (normal healing). Or perhaps it is because the device that transforms you back and forth struggles to deal with aberrant data (elevated stress hormones, extraneous objects, damaged bits) and when transforming those bits back makes mistakes which result in the damage carrying over. 


To get pass these things, you could have an extremely limited heal but I don't know if that is worth the costs to you. 

PS: The exact amount of damage carried over is a bit in the air per the rules. It could be a literal 1 for 1 between forms or a proportional segment. -10% END in Human Form = 10% END in W.E. form. 

Also of note is that this is a two way street. Damage you take as a Water Elemental does not get erased when you become human. 

La Rose.