BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS

"Do you know about your blood type?"

"It's an exotic. But you can treat it as an AB positive for all practical purposes. I can take anything, but don't give mine to anyone else."

Dr. Bailey and Corwin, 'Sign of the Unicorn', Chapter 8

It is entirely possible, given the kind of life lived by the average Amberite, that at some point a blood transfusion of some kind will be required. Or that their blood will be consumed by some kind of vampiric creature. This page describes the possible options.

As I see it there are nine possible types of blood transfer we need to be worried about:

• Amberite to Amberite
  I tend to say that all Amberites are of essentially the same blood type, so that everyone can give and receive blood from everyone else without any problems. Of course, certain members of the family (shapeshifters in particular) might be able to modify or use this to put unexpected surprises into the bodies of the recipients of their blood...

• Amberite to Chaosite
  If a Pattern sword makes creatures of Chaos burn, one cannot help but think that giving a Chaosite an infusion of Pattern-empowered blood could well have similar effects. Of course, it is also possible that it might have the reverse effect, actually making the Chaosite stronger and more like an Amberite. Or perhaps even both, together, killing the Chaosite while making them stronger for a while.

• Amberite to Shadow Dweller
  According to Corwin, this should not be done. He does not give any exact details of why not, so depending on the game this could be anything from a normal allergic reaction to a foreign blood type right up to mere shadow dwellers being unable to handle an infusion of Pattern energy in the form of blood, and bursting into flame or exploding if given Amberite blood. And of course, with some shadow dwellers, Amberite blood might make them more like an Amberite - stronger, faster, perhaps even able to shift through shadow to some extent.

• Shadow Dweller to Amberite
  Again, according to Corwin, he can accept blood from anyone, so assuming Amberites are much the same as each other in terms of blood type, this should apply to all of the family. However, perhaps having too much of ones Amberite, Pattern-charged, blood replaced with that of mere shadow dwellers could have the effect of making the Amberite more like a shadow dweller, that is, weaker, and less able to use the Pattern...

• Chaosite to Chaosite
  Chaosites having a larger and much more diverse population than Amberites, it is fairly unlikely that they will be able to freely accept blood from all other Chaosites, even were it to be offered. Perhaps all of those from the same House have the same blood type, or perhaps blood types are linked to House-specific powers in some way. Again, as with Amberites, skilled Chaosite shapeshifters would doubtless be able to booby-trap their blood in some way if necessary...

• Chaosite to Amberite
  I should imagine that Amberites would have no problems accepting the blood of the more human-like people from Chaos, in much the same way as accepting blood from shadow-dwellers (see above). However, the less human the Chaosite, the more likely there are to be problems with their accepting blood.

• Chaosite to Shadow Dweller
  As with Amberites, this is probably a bad idea. Depending on the game this could be anything from a normal allergic reaction to a foreign blood type right up to mere shadow dwellers being unable to handle an infusion of powerful blood. And of course, with some shadow dwellers, Chaosite blood might make them more like a Chaosite - stronger, faster, perhaps even a shapeshifter to some extent.

• Shadow Dweller to Chaosite
  Depending on their similarity to the shadow dweller in question, a Chaosite might be more or less able to successfully accept their blood in a transfusion. As with Amberites, having too much of ones Chaosite blood replaced with that of mere shadow dwellers could have the effect of making the Chaosite more like a shadow dweller, that is, weaker...

• Shadow Dweller to Shadow Dweller
  There are a vast range of different types of shadow dweller, and even within a single shadow (such as shadow Earth) the blood of individuals is not necessarily compatible. Therefore transfusing blood between shadow dwellers without testing for compatibility beforehand is probably a very bad idea.

Back to my Amber Page.

The picture of red blood cells used in the title is from Introduction to the Cell.
It is used here without permission, but for personal game use only and not for profit or commercial gain.