D&D 5E Does Rope Trick Heal?

[Leatherhead]

Why would you wait until after you'd cast it to begin resting? You can start taking your short rest five minutes before you actually cast the spell if you're really insistent upon counting it down to the second.

You can't interrupt a short rest like you can with a long rest.

 

[D1Tremere]

As I see it the spell is no different than camping and resting, it just has more security. You are not necessarily safe with rope trick, and could still fall victim to an attack while resting in your pocket dimension. As such, I don't understand the need to view it as a healing spell in any way.

 

[Mistwell]

But those spells do heal you, whether you need the healing or not

Does it? If you are at max hit points, and a healing spell is cast on you, does it heal? By the strict definitions you guys seem to be using, that would not be a healing spell as only healing spells which directly result in actual healing would be a healing spell, right?

 

[D1Tremere]

You can't interrupt a short rest like you can with a long rest.

Why would you need to interrupt it? I would say, "A short rest is a period of downtime, at least 1 hour long, during which a character does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds" implies the ability to engage in light movement to tend wounds, fetch food and drink, or get to a comfortable spot such as the pocket dimension.

 

[Leatherhead]

Why would you need to interrupt it? I would say, "A short rest is a period of downtime, at least 1 hour long, during which a character does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds" implies the ability to engage in light movement to tend wounds, fetch food and drink, or get to a comfortable spot such as the pocket dimension.

That one I read wrong, I blame being sick.

 

[Blue]

@Leatherhead gets it.

Whatever is truly behind this question, the spell is not a healing spell. If it were, then a Life Cleric casting it would additionally heal 4 points of damage to anyone entering.

Though it is not a healing spell, I as a DM don't mind at all if players use it for a short rest, because I am not going to worry over a half minute in a non-combat situation, given how I spend my time in real life.

The question is not if it's a healing spell. It asks if it heals. The Catnap spell from Xanathar's gives people a short rest if they are uninterrupted for 10 minutes. Do you heal? You definitely can. It is a healing spell that Life clerics would add to? No. So we can see spells that can enable healing without being spells that heal. So life cleric adding or not isn't a valid criteria to use.

 

[Maxperson]

Does it? If you are at max hit points, and a healing spell is cast on you, does it heal? By the strict definitions you guys seem to be using, that would not be a healing spell as only healing spells which directly result in actual healing would be a healing spell, right?

They are words that themselves directly provide healing. That healing is provided by the spell, even if the recipient is not healed and that portion of the spell fizzles. I think that's the definition most, if not all people here are using, even if they sometimes word it poorly. There is no such direct healing with Rope Trick.

 

[Maxperson]

The question is not if it's a healing spell. It asks if it heals. The Catnap spell from Xanathar's gives people a short rest if they are uninterrupted for 10 minutes. Do you heal? You definitely can. It is a healing spell that Life clerics would add to? No. So we can see spells that can enable healing without being spells that heal. So life cleric adding or not isn't a valid criteria to use.

Enabling healing does not equal healing. If you have to engage something other than the spell in order to heal, that spell does not heal you and is not a healing spell.

 

[Blue]

Enabling healing does not equal healing. If you have to engage something other than the spell in order to heal, that spell does not heal you and is not a healing spell.

Catnap explicitly gives you the benefits of a short rest. You don't have to take a short rest. So it's a healing spell by both of our criteria. Thanks for confirming, even though I'm pretty sure that's not what you intended to do.

Please note that I *did not* say that Rope Trick was a healing spell. I was only pointing out that the criteria of a Life cleric adding isn't a valid test.

 

[Maxperson]

Catnap explicitly gives you the benefits of a short rest. You don't have to take a short rest. So it's a healing spell by both of our criteria. Thanks for confirming, even though I'm pretty sure that's not what you intended to do.

I would say "You're welcome.", but Catnap utterly fails to meet my criteria. It provides exactly 0 direct healing, making it NOT a healing spell under my criteria. If you have hit dice or some OTHER way to heal after a short rest, you can engage THAT ability to heal, but Cantap itself is not a healing spell in any way, shape or form. If you have no OTHER way to heal, Catnap only provides some short rest combat abilities at best, and absolutely nothing other than some rest at worst.