Non-magical plastic surgery.

[Morithias]

How would one go about doing this in D&D? I'm assuming SOMEONE could do it, seeing how Fleshgrafters and all. And you can't tell me giving plastic surgery is more complex than grafting an alien object into someone's skull but leaving them alive and functioning.

[Grod_The_Giant]

A high Heal or Profession (Surgeon) check?

[unseenmage]

Dragon 359 has Craft (body modification), that might be a good place to start.
Or one could go with the classic, 'Who was that masked man?' scenario. Masks are cool.
Finally there's rules for skill checks to disguise in the PH IIRC.

[Alefiend]

Even if it's possible to do non-magical surgery of this nature, I would say you need access to healing magic post-operation. Otherwise, the patient is going to look like he had a fire on his face and somebody tried to put it out with a golf shoe.

[TuggyNE]

Even if it's possible to do non-magical surgery of this nature, I would say you need access to healing magic post-operation. Otherwise, the patient is going to look like he had a fire on his face and somebody tried to put it out with a golf shoe.

No doubt that's why our own plastic surgeons make heavy use of cure critical wounds, panacea, and regeneration, touching up with cure minor wounds during the procedure.

Oh wait.

[John Longarrow]

I'll see if I can dig it up, but I've got a 4th level spell to do this in my game. Basically its a version of Alter Self with an Instant duration. Leaves you as what you get turned into. Uses a mirror as a Focus, plus either the recipient or Caster can do the disguise check to match an appearance. Casting time is 10 minutes.

It doesn't do as much as alter self though, since you can't get natural attacks/armor out of it.

[Alefiend]

No doubt that's why our own plastic surgeons make heavy use of cure critical wounds, panacea, and regeneration, touching up with cure minor wounds during the procedure.

Oh wait.

I thought about that before posting, but then I considered that modern medicine is almost certainly A. C. Clarke-grade magic compared to the mundane surgery available to people in-game.

Of course, I'm assuming non-Tippyverse here; if your world has self-dissolving stitches, antibiotics, scalpels with blade widths measured in microns, and reliable general and local anesthesia, then go right ahead and take some ranks in Heal and Profession (cosmetic surgeon).

[The Oni]

I would just say the dude doing the surgery needs like 20 ranks in Heal (or that Craft: Body Modification if you're using it) and Int of 14+.

Plastic surgery was around IRL for several hundred years before it became what we know it to be now. The Romans and the Indians both had procedures to repair damaged noses, ears and hands, it wouldn't be unrealistic for their fantasy counterparts to be able to do modern-day procedures without magic.

If not them, then the elves - as obsessed with beauty and perfection as they are, they probably invented plastic surgery before steel swords.

[Alefiend]

Plastic surgery was around IRL for several hundred years before it became what we know it to be now. The Romans and the Indians both had procedures to repair damaged noses, ears and hands, it wouldn't be unrealistic for their fantasy counterparts to be able to do modern-day procedures without magic.

True enough. There's a lot of daylight between reconstructive surgery and seamlessly changing somebody's features though.

At any rate, I'm arguing too hard against something that doesn't actually matter to me that much. For me, a change like this in a fantasy game needs magic. But I'm not in your game, and if it's fun for you then I should probably fade out. A professional skill (Prof: body modification was suggested), good surgical tools, and a list of target DCs should probably be enough to do what you're talking about.

[TuggyNE]

So in a pseudo-medieval setting, how do you ensure a stable pulse rate during surgery?

High Heal check, presumably.


How do you sterilise your knives?

Boiling water, alcohol, or whatever; probably imperfect, but better than nothing. (Moderate Heal check to know about this.)


How do you create a topical antiseptic?

High Heal check for alcohol (complications) or some sort of alchemical substance (with appropriate Craft and Knowledge checks).


What about anaesthesia (both unconsciousness and to deaden pain receptors; they take different drugs in reality)?

Unconsciousness is non-lethal damage; not sure about pain receptors.


How do you ensure a clear air supply? How do you monitor all this during and after the procedure? What's your light source, and is it going to contaminate the air near the surgeon with pollutants and irritants?

These are trickier, but I recall an alchemical face mask that purifies air, so that could be adapted for the purpose, and there's I believe a type of stone that gives off non-magical light.


Considering this is facial plastic surgery, how do you locate and avoid damaging vital nerves for muscle control and sensation?

Very high Heal check.

Exactly how high the skill checks need to be I neither know nor care; the fact that it can be done, in theory (as witnessed by the fact that it is now done in practice) is all that really matters to me.