How do elixirs work?

[m!g]

On the last event there was minor confusion about how elixirs work.

This was not so much regarding the threshold for elixirs. It is generally acknowledged that a Minor Elixir works up to -30 life and a Major Elixir works up to -45 life.

The issue was more around how much time you have to apply elixirs (is it 3 or 5 minutes?) and also how much time do you have to apply a minor elixir before a major elixir is required (is it 1 or 3 minutes).

Then there are other rules like (i) what happens if you move somebody on negative life, (ii) what happens if you stop tending somebody being elixired, and (iii) how much do you need to cure somebody to overcome this weird concept of "days rest"?

Could somebody please clarify this one for me...it could be a matter of life or death on the next event!
Oh yes, and I bet you all give me different answers

[sebsmith]

I had always understood it as follows:

You have 5 minutes to apply an elixir after the moment of horror happens. A minor elixir MUST be applied within a minute of the incident, otherwise the patient will require a major elixir regardless of the amount that they are below.

If you move somebody who requires an elixir then they will be unelixirable... Full Stop... Capital Letter...

An elixir requires 5 minutes to apply. During this period the patient is immobile and can only groan and roleplay appropriately; Not move... The Applicator is able to defend themselves briefly, and is able to interact with the world, but if they stop roleplaying tending for too long (ref's discretion) then the elixir will fail and the patient will die...

I've never really got the whole 'Day's Rest' thing... To the best of my knowledge, the application of an elixir is a traumatic process, and leaves the patient exhausted and feeling like crap. They can either rest for a full day to get over this, or receive a cure mortal or greater, which does not provide any healing, but allows them to return to full activity...

I might be wrong on any or all of those points, but that's always been my understanding...

[AndyK]

Whilst Seb is correct, the skill Triage changes some of those things. With certain skill sets it is possible to increase the time for applying an elixir by up to an extra 3 minutes for both minor and major elixirs and also move someone up to 20 feet without them expiring.
It actually takes a few seconds to apply an elixir, the 5 minutes is tending time. As far as I know if you have Triage and someone is only just negative and so an elixir is not needed, it takes one minute of Triage followed by 5 minutes of tending. It is possible to switch the person tending provided there is no real break in the tending.
After those 5 minutes they need 1 days bed rest for each point they were below 0. This can be cured off at a rate of 1 days rest for 1 point of curing which MUST be from just one invocation/potion etc. Thus after a major elixir a neutral caster cannot provide the casting needed unless they cast rank 5 cures (or perhaps if they have enhanced curing). I believe that any "extra" curing actually does cure the patient.

[AnthonyK]

Seb & Andy are correct

Once you cure the days rest the person is left on 6 life, 1 per location, any curing over the days rest continues to cure there body.

[Tomothy]

One clarification.

"If you move somebody who requires an elixir then they will be unelixirable... Full Stop... Capital Letter..."

Not so true. It is once an elixir has been applied, you cannot move them without Triage or similar. Up till the elixir goes on, it's just a bleeding, dying lump of flesh and the seconds tick by.