Mark Chance
Boingy! Boingy!
RG Link
IC
The Set-Up
It's a dark and stormy night. You and your adventuring companions are nestled comfortably inside the Inn of the Welcome Wench, along with a dozen or so locals, not including the inn's staff. Ostler Gundigoot keeps his staff hopping, ensuring mugs stay full and the spiced mutton stew stays hot. The aromas of the stew, fresh-baked breads, and strong ale mingles with the less pleasant smells from the hard-working locals.
Outside the storm pounds the village with rain and driving winds. Flashes of lightning white out the smoky glass windows. Claps of thunder rattle the doors.
"We ain't seen a storm like this in years," says Goodie Gundigoot as she sets a fresh plate of greens on your table. "My mother -- Pelor rest her soul -- called this sort of storm a devil's roar." The elderly, kind-faced matron laughs at the memory, but her laughs turns abruptly to a startled yell as an injured, drenched man staggers into the inn.
Blood and rain water pool on the floor around his feet.
Characters
I'm taking four players for an adventure set in the village of Hommlet that has nothing to do with the Temple of Elemental Evil.
Characters start at 1st-level with 450 gold to buy equipment. PH, DMG, Complete Adventurer, Complete Arcane, Complete Divine, Complete Warrior, and Expanded Psionics Handbook only are allowed. If you want to use an LA +1 race from ExPsiH, go for it. LA +1 is worth ignoring.
Use the elite array for ability scores: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, and 8. Maximum hit points at 1st level as normal. Characters start with 750 XP, none of which can be used for item creation before the game starts.
Good-aligned characters only.
House Rules to Pay Attention To
1. Armor bonuses do not add to AC. Instead, armor bonuses only convert lethal damage to nonlethal damage. For example, a chain shirt (+4 armor bonus) would convert 6 points of lethal damage into 2 points of lethal damage and 4 points of nonlethal damage.
2. No Conjuration (Healing) spells exist for spellcasters of any class. Likewise, psionic powers with the Healing descriptor do not exist. Cure potions can be bought as starting equipment, and they can be brewed by adepts, clerics, and druids. We probably don't need to worry about exactly how this brewing works.
3. Turn undead works according to the Variant Turning Rules: Destruction of the Undead on p. 87 of the Complete Divine.
4. Add BAB to AC as a dodge bonus.
Here's a Map of Hommlet
Village of Hommlet Map
Heal (Wis)
Check: The DC and effect depend on the task attempted.
Long-Term Care (DC 15): With a healer's kit, the successful application of this skill allows a patient to recover hit points and ability points lost to temporary damage at triple normal rate.
A new check is made after one hour and then also each day; on a failed check, recovery occurs at the normal rate for that day of rest and care. The one-hour check is for the recovery of nonlethal damage only.
For example, Dacen is caring for his three injured comrades. The party finds a secure place to rest. After one hour, Dacen makes DC Heal checks. If he succeeds, his comrade heals nonlethal damage equal to 3 x character level. If the party rests for an entire day, Dacen makes additional DC 15 Heal checks. With a successful check, the patient heals three times as many hit points of lethal damage as he would have normally.
A character can tend up to as many patients as he or she has ranks in the skill. The patients need complete rest. The healer cannot provide long-term care for himself. Providing long-term care is light activity.
Restore Hit Points (DC 15): With a healer's kit, if a character has lost hit points, the character can restore some of them. A successful check, as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, restores 1d4 hit points. The number restored can never exceed the character’s full normal total of hit points. This application of the skill can be used successfully on a character only once per day.
For example, Dacen is caring for his three injured comrades, but the party doesn't have time to rest. As a full-round action once per day per character, Dacen can attempt a DC 15 Heal check. If successful, Dacen restores 1d4 hit points to his patient. The amount restored applies equally to both nonlethal and lethal damage.
Revive Dazed, Stunned, or Unconscious Character (DC 15): With a healer's kit, the character can remove the dazed, stunned, or unconscious condition from a character. This check is a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity.
A successful check removes the dazed, stunned, or unconscious condition from an affected character. The character can’t revive an unconscious character who is at -1 hit points or lower without first stabilizing the character. An unconscious character who is revived from negative hit points becomes conscious with 1 hit point.
Stabilize Dying Character (DC 15): With a healer's kit, a character can tend to a character who is dying. As a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity, a successful Heal check stabilizes another character. The stabilized character regains no hit points, but he or she stops losing them. The character must have a healer's kit to stabilize a dying character.
Surgery (DC 20): With a surgery kit, a character can conduct field surgery. This application of the Heal skill carries a -4 penalty, which can be negated with the Surgery feat. Surgery requires 1d4 hours; if the patient is at negative hit points, add an additional hour for every point below 0 the patient has fallen.
Surgery restores 1d6 hit points for every character level of the patient (up to the patient’s full normal total of hit points) with a successful skill check. Surgery can only be used successfully on a character once in a 24-hour period.
A character who undergoes surgery is fatigued for 24 hours, minus 2 hours for every point above the DC the surgeon achieves. The period of fatigue can never be reduced below 6 hours in this fashion.
Treat Disease (DC 15): A character can tend to a character infected with a treatable disease. Every time the diseased character makes a saving throw against disease effects (after the initial contamination), the treating character first makes a Heal check to help the diseased character fend off secondary damage. This activity takes 10 minutes. If the treating character’s check succeeds, the treating character provides a bonus on the diseased character’s saving throw equal to his or her ranks in this skill.
Treat Poison (DC 15): A character can tend to a poisoned character. When a poisoned character makes a saving throw against a poison’s secondary effect, the treating character first makes a Heal check as an attack action. If the treating character’s check succeeds, the character provides a bonus on the poisoned character’s saving throw equal to his or her ranks in this skill.
Try Again?: Yes, for restoring hit points, reviving dazed, stunned, or unconscious characters, stabilizing dying characters, and surgery. No, for all other uses of the skill.
Special: The Surgery feat gives a character the extra training he or she needs to use Heal to help a wounded character by means of an operation. A surgery kit costs 75 gp.
A character can take 10 when making a Heal check. A character can take 20 only when restoring hit points or attempting to revive dazed, stunned, or unconscious characters.
All uses of Heal require a healer's kit. Surgery requires a surgery kit. If the character does not have the appropriate kit, he or she takes a -4 penalty on the check.
A character can use the Heal skill on his or herself only to restore hit points, treat disease, or treat poison. The character takes a -5 penalty on your check any time he or she treats his or herself.
Time: Heal checks take different amounts of time based on the task at hand, as described above.
IC
The Set-Up
It's a dark and stormy night. You and your adventuring companions are nestled comfortably inside the Inn of the Welcome Wench, along with a dozen or so locals, not including the inn's staff. Ostler Gundigoot keeps his staff hopping, ensuring mugs stay full and the spiced mutton stew stays hot. The aromas of the stew, fresh-baked breads, and strong ale mingles with the less pleasant smells from the hard-working locals.
Outside the storm pounds the village with rain and driving winds. Flashes of lightning white out the smoky glass windows. Claps of thunder rattle the doors.
"We ain't seen a storm like this in years," says Goodie Gundigoot as she sets a fresh plate of greens on your table. "My mother -- Pelor rest her soul -- called this sort of storm a devil's roar." The elderly, kind-faced matron laughs at the memory, but her laughs turns abruptly to a startled yell as an injured, drenched man staggers into the inn.
Blood and rain water pool on the floor around his feet.
Characters
I'm taking four players for an adventure set in the village of Hommlet that has nothing to do with the Temple of Elemental Evil.
Characters start at 1st-level with 450 gold to buy equipment. PH, DMG, Complete Adventurer, Complete Arcane, Complete Divine, Complete Warrior, and Expanded Psionics Handbook only are allowed. If you want to use an LA +1 race from ExPsiH, go for it. LA +1 is worth ignoring.
Use the elite array for ability scores: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, and 8. Maximum hit points at 1st level as normal. Characters start with 750 XP, none of which can be used for item creation before the game starts.
Good-aligned characters only.
House Rules to Pay Attention To
1. Armor bonuses do not add to AC. Instead, armor bonuses only convert lethal damage to nonlethal damage. For example, a chain shirt (+4 armor bonus) would convert 6 points of lethal damage into 2 points of lethal damage and 4 points of nonlethal damage.
2. No Conjuration (Healing) spells exist for spellcasters of any class. Likewise, psionic powers with the Healing descriptor do not exist. Cure potions can be bought as starting equipment, and they can be brewed by adepts, clerics, and druids. We probably don't need to worry about exactly how this brewing works.
3. Turn undead works according to the Variant Turning Rules: Destruction of the Undead on p. 87 of the Complete Divine.
4. Add BAB to AC as a dodge bonus.
Here's a Map of Hommlet
Village of Hommlet Map
Heal (Wis)
Check: The DC and effect depend on the task attempted.
Long-Term Care (DC 15): With a healer's kit, the successful application of this skill allows a patient to recover hit points and ability points lost to temporary damage at triple normal rate.
A new check is made after one hour and then also each day; on a failed check, recovery occurs at the normal rate for that day of rest and care. The one-hour check is for the recovery of nonlethal damage only.
For example, Dacen is caring for his three injured comrades. The party finds a secure place to rest. After one hour, Dacen makes DC Heal checks. If he succeeds, his comrade heals nonlethal damage equal to 3 x character level. If the party rests for an entire day, Dacen makes additional DC 15 Heal checks. With a successful check, the patient heals three times as many hit points of lethal damage as he would have normally.
A character can tend up to as many patients as he or she has ranks in the skill. The patients need complete rest. The healer cannot provide long-term care for himself. Providing long-term care is light activity.
Restore Hit Points (DC 15): With a healer's kit, if a character has lost hit points, the character can restore some of them. A successful check, as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, restores 1d4 hit points. The number restored can never exceed the character’s full normal total of hit points. This application of the skill can be used successfully on a character only once per day.
For example, Dacen is caring for his three injured comrades, but the party doesn't have time to rest. As a full-round action once per day per character, Dacen can attempt a DC 15 Heal check. If successful, Dacen restores 1d4 hit points to his patient. The amount restored applies equally to both nonlethal and lethal damage.
Revive Dazed, Stunned, or Unconscious Character (DC 15): With a healer's kit, the character can remove the dazed, stunned, or unconscious condition from a character. This check is a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity.
A successful check removes the dazed, stunned, or unconscious condition from an affected character. The character can’t revive an unconscious character who is at -1 hit points or lower without first stabilizing the character. An unconscious character who is revived from negative hit points becomes conscious with 1 hit point.
Stabilize Dying Character (DC 15): With a healer's kit, a character can tend to a character who is dying. As a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity, a successful Heal check stabilizes another character. The stabilized character regains no hit points, but he or she stops losing them. The character must have a healer's kit to stabilize a dying character.
Surgery (DC 20): With a surgery kit, a character can conduct field surgery. This application of the Heal skill carries a -4 penalty, which can be negated with the Surgery feat. Surgery requires 1d4 hours; if the patient is at negative hit points, add an additional hour for every point below 0 the patient has fallen.
Surgery restores 1d6 hit points for every character level of the patient (up to the patient’s full normal total of hit points) with a successful skill check. Surgery can only be used successfully on a character once in a 24-hour period.
A character who undergoes surgery is fatigued for 24 hours, minus 2 hours for every point above the DC the surgeon achieves. The period of fatigue can never be reduced below 6 hours in this fashion.
Treat Disease (DC 15): A character can tend to a character infected with a treatable disease. Every time the diseased character makes a saving throw against disease effects (after the initial contamination), the treating character first makes a Heal check to help the diseased character fend off secondary damage. This activity takes 10 minutes. If the treating character’s check succeeds, the treating character provides a bonus on the diseased character’s saving throw equal to his or her ranks in this skill.
Treat Poison (DC 15): A character can tend to a poisoned character. When a poisoned character makes a saving throw against a poison’s secondary effect, the treating character first makes a Heal check as an attack action. If the treating character’s check succeeds, the character provides a bonus on the poisoned character’s saving throw equal to his or her ranks in this skill.
Try Again?: Yes, for restoring hit points, reviving dazed, stunned, or unconscious characters, stabilizing dying characters, and surgery. No, for all other uses of the skill.
Special: The Surgery feat gives a character the extra training he or she needs to use Heal to help a wounded character by means of an operation. A surgery kit costs 75 gp.
A character can take 10 when making a Heal check. A character can take 20 only when restoring hit points or attempting to revive dazed, stunned, or unconscious characters.
All uses of Heal require a healer's kit. Surgery requires a surgery kit. If the character does not have the appropriate kit, he or she takes a -4 penalty on the check.
A character can use the Heal skill on his or herself only to restore hit points, treat disease, or treat poison. The character takes a -5 penalty on your check any time he or she treats his or herself.
Time: Heal checks take different amounts of time based on the task at hand, as described above.
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