R2 I was referring to your earlier comments that you can find something but can't buy it even though it's not restricted. When the book says "Rarity in Edge of the Empire is a simple way of measuring how difficult an item can be to find on a scale of 1-10" I interpret that to mean that you found it for sale. If you can't buy it through legal means then it's a black market item and therefore restricted. Obviously if the GM wants to make a bunch of stuff ® it's well within their purvey. And just like they have a chart for modifying rarity based on location, the GM can also adjust rarity based on what he or she thinks would be available in the area.

Narcotics (vicodin, crack, etc) would all be restricted items with different levels of rarity. Some restricted items with legitimate uses would be available with the right licenses or on the black market if you don't. Much like a imperial peacekeeping license allows people to wear weapons and armor where they would normally be restricted.

A CAT or MRI machine is a massive machine that can costs hundreds of thousands. They do require licensing, but aren't really restricted or the license is easy to get for someone who can afford to buy the scanner anyway. I see it like buying a starship. You have to be licensed and register your ship, but it's a tiny cost that's included in the cost of the ship.

R2 knows a lot more about star wars lore than I do so I concede that there could very well be lore reason for the empire to automatically assume that someone with a bacta tank was a terrorist or criminal. As a less learned fan I wouldn't bat an eye if a ship had a portable bacta tank. If it's a larger ship, then it makes sense because it's the fastest way to heal major injuries. Maybe the owner just happens to be wealthy and can afford the best. It's a dangerous galaxy out there, maybe the owner of the ship is a bounty hunter or freelance security. Having a bacta tank is completely plausible to me. It might raise some questions and some extra scrutiny, but there are plenty of plausible reasons to have one from my layman's point of view.

What made me chuckle was when i re-read the Starships of the Galaxy book (d20) for inspiration i noticed that nearly no cruiser or large vessel had any med-bay or a brig listed in their equipment section. So ... 37.085 people work on a SDeuce ... but no one ever gets sick, injured or arrested.

I am impressed.

Don't forget there's the cost of the Bacta tank, and then there's the cost of installing it. All the hookups, custom work that needs to be done on the ship to make sure it fits and bacta doesn't fly everywhere the first time you take off, all that stuff.

My group wanted a bacta tank for their space station, so I think I set it at 12,000 credits for the full sized tank you see in ESB - they handled the installation themselves so there were no additional costs. That also got them enough bacta to fill it once, and then they spend another 2-3k credits on spare bacta. They had just come off a big win and wanted to blow some credits, and in a lot of ways them spending a ton on a bacta tank works great narratively - especially since they have to get back to their base to use it.

Considering they could have spent 15,000 credits on tons of super top of the line gear and modifications, this ended up being a really nice middle ground in terms of gear/loot.

Install a Bacta keurig so nothing goes to waste.

Install a Bacta keurig so nothing goes to waste.

ROTFLMAO as I sit here watching my wife brew apple cider in her new Keurig.

You have just won the internet.

Install a Bacta keurig so nothing goes to waste.

ROTFLMAO as I sit here watching my wife brew apple cider in her new Keurig.

You have just won the internet.

Hi,

after a lot of considerations, I think I'll go for:

Cost for the tank (full): 8k

Filling it after each use: 4k

It may be incongruous if we calculate the volume of the tank, but as in other parts of the book "the cost is exactly what fits your Group and game". And in my case, 4k per use right now is ok. If the game will scale up and they'll have loads of credits, then the empire will start to control the market and prices will go up from 2 to 10 times that. Or, they may also need to steal bacta/assault medical ships.

Personally I think Bacta tanks should be pretty cheap. The Bacta should be the most expensive part not the tank itself. And given that Bacta treatment is used for treating everything from common viruses to major trauma (I believe one of the X-Wing novels actually mentions Bacta being used to treat colds.) I don't think that possession of a small Bacta tank like most transports would be able to fit would set any red flags off if an Imperial inspector finds it.

I don't think that possession of a small Bacta tank like most transports would be able to fit would set any red flags off if an Imperial inspector finds it.

I agree, also the group compostion should be taken into account: if you have a Bounty Hunter or a Big Game Hunter in your group they can easily justify the tank with the dangers of their jobs. Maybe an archaelogist too could explain it as necessary to treta injuries on an excavation.Scouts can use the "be prepared for anything on an unexplored planet" angle. And a group of mercenaries, well they definitely need bacta.

The bacta tank itself could just as easily be a barrel with primitive plumbing rigged to the ship's systems for pumping the fluid. The bacta itself is what matters, so the real question should be how long is the bacta in the tank good for before needing to be replaced?

I don't think that possession of a small Bacta tank like most transports would be able to fit would set any red flags off if an Imperial inspector finds it.

I agree, also the group compostion should be taken into account: if you have a Bounty Hunter or a Big Game Hunter in your group they can easily justify the tank with the dangers of their jobs. Maybe an archaelogist too could explain it as necessary to treta injuries on an excavation.Scouts can use the "be prepared for anything on an unexplored planet" angle. And a group of mercenaries, well they definitely need bacta.

Cargo runners could explain it as in case of an accident with cargo either while in space or while loading on some remote outpost which might lack a decent hospital, or if the ship can carry passengers in case they fall ill between worlds.

The bacta tank itself could just as easily be a barrel with primitive plumbing rigged to the ship's systems for pumping the fluid. The bacta itself is what matters, so the real question should be how long is the bacta in the tank good for before needing to be replaced?

We decided that healing one wound costs 1 liter of bacta and healing crits costs 10xcrit severity. Bacta tank holds 300 liters and should have enough fluid to allow the patient to float.

Hi,

after a lot of considerations, I think I'll go for:

Cost for the tank (full): 8k

Filling it after each use: 4k

It may be incongruous if we calculate the volume of the tank, but as in other parts of the book "the cost is exactly what fits your Group and game". And in my case, 4k per use right now is ok. If the game will scale up and they'll have loads of credits, then the empire will start to control the market and prices will go up from 2 to 10 times that. Or, they may also need to steal bacta/assault medical ships.

I got this reply from Sam, you may be interested on it

Question:

Dear,

The item "Bacta (full tank) listed under the Medical label of table 5-8 in the Edge of the Empire core rulebook. Is it the bacta tank (recipient) plus electronics plus the bacta liquid? or is it only the amount bacta liquid you need fill one of those tanks?

Kind regards,

Yepes,

Answer:

Hello Yepes,

The bacta tank itself could just as easily be a barrel with primitive plumbing rigged to the ship's systems for pumping the fluid. The bacta itself is what matters, so the real question should be how long is the bacta in the tank good for before needing to be replaced?

That is THE question I would like to know. So I better work with my players for an answer because the developers of this game won't provide such sort of details, the same as they don't provide details about docking fees, refuelling etc.

I think that a full bacta tank like in Episode V is kinda sealed so the liquid would go without spoiling for quite some time, a portable tank coul be open to the air and have the liquid become soiled much faster. Also you can make a case for the tank being filled only when needed, and the bacta stored in his sealed container. If yo use it i'd say it keeps working to heal the party wounds and crit but needs to be changed before the next session.

Our ship bacta tank takes credit and encumbrance, no hard point. We also chopped the top off and made it a bacta hot tub. Twi'lek slave girls love hot tubs.

We honestly treat it as a normal bacta tank, it's just a funny image.

Our ship bacta tank takes credit and encumbrance, no hard point. We also chopped the top off and made it a bacta hot tub. Twi'lek slave girls love hot tubs.

We honestly treat it as a normal bacta tank, it's just a funny image.

Consider that idea stolen.

When I get my Neb-B the captains chair shall be replaced with the all mighty Bacta-tub. From whence my character shall lead the Rebellion to victory over the Galactic Empire, while being incredibly dashing in my fancy Commodore hat!

That might actually make sense for an aquatic species though you would need drains surrounding the tub, and no electrical wires or war cables anywhere near it. Still if Palleon could command a fleet from a batca tank I'm sure your character could handle commanding one frigate from one.

Bacta is supposed to leave a sickly sweet smell/taste for up to a week after use. I'd imagine that constant use might be nauseating enough to give you Setback if your players are splashing in Bacta too much. Of course, if it looks like it might be a problem, just make them pay to replace the Bacta more frequently and the cost alone might be nauseating.

Bacta is supposed to leave a sickly sweet smell/taste for up to a week after use. I'd imagine that constant use might be nauseating enough to give you Setback if your players are splashing in Bacta too much. Of course, if it looks like it might be a problem, just make them pay to replace the Bacta more frequently and the cost alone might be nauseating.

Ours smells of Trando, we have two 'Bob & Cork' that spend most of their down time being dunked in it like tea bags.

Just wondering after the last time we changed it, is there a market for lizard tasting bacta? We sort of thought adding in gelatin and making cubes of it could sell.

I've ruled that a tank holds one individual of Silhouette 0 or 1 and the Bacta in it is good for 72 hours of use before it degrades to ineffectiveness (and this is with the filtering systems operating). Bacta doesn't degrade except when actively used, so you get three full days of healing time per 4,000 credits. These numbers suit my game, but may not be suitable for the games of others.

I would argue the Bacta should be replaced after each use. I know that seems expensive but I wouldn't jump into a bath tub to wash up right after someone else got out of the tub, and I certainly wouldn't wipe a medicated antibiotic oitment off of someone else's wound immediatly after use. Filter's are nice but do they scrub the bacta for continued use or just enough for the individual in the tank to heal? How often do the filters need to be changed? These are real world questions but everyone is arguing real world issues. I would say you go with option 3, and consider the first tank full; A Smuggling compartment takes a hard point and only adds 25 enc for Hidden cargo; it does not improve the ship's overall cargo capacity. IMO a bacta tank is similar. Change the Bacta after every use and charge accordingly; a full bacta tank is a high end convienience and the Players should feel like they have made it to the big time if they can afford a Bacta tank to heal up.

As far as Medical help being readily available, PCs don't go to hospitals for splinters. These are most likely Gun Shot Wounds, and most people sit up and take notice when someone walks into a major metropolitan hospital with a GSW. The only place people tend to not care about a GSW is third world countries and "The wild, wild west," but you are not likely to get the best medical care in those places.

edited for grammatical errors. (I think I still missed some, OCD much)

Well, i picture it like that this:

A full bacta tank immersion is only necessary for hard case. The tank is like shown in The Empire strikes back, fully enclosured, with a breathing unit, sensors hooked up to the patient and all that.

The rest is my take on it:

The bacta is regularly filtered to get blood, tissue and whatnot out that gets out of the wounds. And any spoiled Bacta.

Since Bacta is an organic substance it is degradable, so an open tank would be useless or even dangerous after some time.

Therefore the tanks have to be cleaned and refilled after some uses. And since there are only 2 companies that sell the stuff if you want to get it cheaper you would have to visit Tyferria.

Bacta is organic, but that doesn't mean it has to degrade quickly. It could just as likely have the shelf life of honey.

Interesting comparison, but i think not very good one IMO.

I looked a little bit around (i am after all not one who studied medicine, bio chemistry or such so please correct me when i fumble). Honey is originaly a food source, most microorganisms do not grow in honey because of its low water activity ; and it is hygroscopic (absorbing moisture even out of air). Leave the jar open and ... well, it won't hold that long.

Bacta according to the old EU had bacterial particles within that sought out wounds and promoted rapid tissue regeneration while preventing the emergence of scar tissue. It was a synthetic chemical substance that consisted of gelatinous, translucent red alazhi and kavam bacterial particles that were mixed within a colorless, viscous fluid known as ambori .

I assume that it is therefore far more active than honey and therefore more degradable.

But hey, that's my take on the stuff so do your own thing.

I still make it good for months if in sealed containers, and if you follow the main hyperlanes Thyferra is reachable within 3-4 weeks. But sooner or later it will degrade.

Edit: I fi sound pompous, sorry. I'm a little low on sleep the last few days.

Despite having limited sources, Bacta is remarkably common with its Availability 1, so even in the most remote of places, it's pretty easy to get some.