First Aid and Saving Throws Question

[valeren]

Question! Under First aid of the Healing Skill (page 185 of the PHB), it says "grant a saving throw: make a DC 15 Heal check. if you succeed, an adjacent ally can immediately make a saving throw"

Are we right to assume that this is for only one effect affecting the character? I mean if the character is both weakened and dazed, he can only roll for one of these. But that he could choose as to which one he rolls the saving throw for.

(Coz another interpretation that came us is that the first aid allows the character a saving throw and may roll for each effect as if it was the end of his round)

Thanks

 

[Khime]

A saving throw, singular. It would need multiple heal checks to give multiple saving throws.

 

[baberg]

A saving throw, singular. It would need multiple heal checks to give multiple saving throws.

I would agree with this, both RAW and RAI. If you've got two things plaguing you, a Heal check will only affect one of those.

 

[Syrsuro]

So - who gets to choose which effect the bonus affects (and whether he makes the immediate save or takes a bonus at the end of the round)? The person making the heal check or the person making the roll?

By RAI, my inclination is to say the person making the Heal Check. But I don't think that anything in the RAW says that and normally the person making the rolls gets to pick the order in which the saves are made, etc.

For that matter - can you use a healing check to grant an opponent a saving throw? Stablize the Dying says "character" but Grant a Saving Throw says "ally".

Carl

 

[ppaladin123]

So - who gets to choose which effect the bonus affects (and whether he makes the immediate save or takes a bonus at the end of the round)? The person making the heal check or the person making the roll?

By RAI, my inclination is to say the person making the Heal Check. But I don't think that anything in the RAW says that and normally the person making the rolls gets to pick the order in which the saves are made, etc.

For that matter - can you use a healing check to grant an opponent a saving throw? Stablize the Dying says "character" but Grant a Saving Throw says "ally".

Carl

I'd say the person making the heal check. They noticed a condition and are applying salves, magic, encouraging words, etc. designed to treat that specific condition. If I have a cough and a rash and you administer cough syrup, you are deciding which of my conditions may subside.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I'd say the person making the heal check. They noticed a condition and are applying salves, magic, encouraging words, etc. designed to treat that specific condition. If I have a cough and a rash and you administer cough syrup, you are deciding which of my conditions may subside.

Similarly if someone is on fire and immobilised, and the first aider uses a cloak to smother the flames, it would be weird if the hurting person said "great, I'm mobile again now... but still on fire!"

I'd always leave it up to the person making the heal check. I would allow them to know all the potential things they could be affecting though.

 

[James McMurray]

It'd take some odd group dynamics for this to matter. I can't picture a time when one of our players gives someone a heal check for a save without either saying "save against something" or "what do you want to save against." If they didn't ask beforehand and the other player said "could you do my ___ instead," they'd say "sure."

 

[Syrsuro]

That the person making the heal check gets to choose is only common sense. But it is not RAW, so far as I can tell.

What about the other part of my question:

For that matter - can you use a healing check to grant an opponent a saving throw? Stablize the Dying says "character" but Grant a Saving Throw says "ally".

Carl

 

[DracoSuave]

For that matter - can you use a healing check to grant an opponent a saving throw? Stablize the Dying says "character" but Grant a Saving Throw says "ally".

Stabilize the Dying says 'Character' because only PCs can be at negative hitpoints--NPCs at zero are defeated and out of the fight, just as if a PC were knocked down to -bloodied.

Grant a Saving Throw says 'Ally.' An enemy is, by the book definition, any creature that is not an ally. Therefore, you cannot Grant a Saving Throw to an enemy.

 

[James McMurray]

Since there's nothing stating what determine's one's status, we let you choose who is an enemy and who is an ally, so you could give a save to anyone you wanted, assuming they were willing. It's also meant that you can attack your fellow party members if it makes sense.