Monster Healing Surges

[Emryys]

I'm sure this has been asked before...

"Monsters, like PCs, have healing surges. However, few monsters have a power that lets them spend a healing surge."

Can you use other monsters to do a 'heal' check to trigger the healing surge, minions even?

 

[MadLordOfMilk]

Heal checks grand a Second wind use:

Use Second Wind: Make a DC 10 Heal check to allow an adjacent character to use his or her second wind without the character having to take an action to do so. The character doesn’t gain the defense bonuses normally granted by second wind.
http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/skill.aspx?id=9

Second wind, as a general rule, cannot be used by monsters:

Second wind

You can dig into your resolve and endurance to find an extra burst of vitality. In game terms, you spend a healing surge to regain some of your lost hit points, and you focus on defending yourself. Unless otherwise noted in the statistics block of a monster or a nonplayer character, this action is available only to player characters.
http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/glossary.aspx?id=334

Therefore: nope!

 

[Moon_Goddess]

Monsters can however use a heal check to grant other monsters a save.

Love the look on a players face the first time you do it.

 

[Stalker0]

Monsters can however use a heal check to grant other monsters a save.

Love the look on a players face the first time you do it.

And another use for minions! Excellent!

Monsters get 1 surge per tier normally, and while they don't get 2nd winds, they can be healed by things that make them spend surges.

 

[Jack99]

And another use for minions! Excellent!

Monsters get 1 surge per tier normally, and while they don't get 2nd winds, they can be healed by things that make them spend surges.

Nothing like the look on players' faces when the aspect of the demonlord dominates the cleric and tells him to heal him. BAM, 250 hit points, thank you very much. Of course, it was even more fun when the cleric missed all saves and had to heal the demonlord again the round after

 

[Runestar]

I have always wondered how a fight with an epic solo monster would go if it could somehow tap into its 3 healing surges...

Way to make an already long fight even more grindy...

 

[Danceofmasks]

Nothing like the look on players' faces when the aspect of the demonlord dominates the cleric and tells him to heal him. BAM, 250 hit points, thank you very much. Of course, it was even more fun when the cleric missed all saves and had to heal the demonlord again the round after

Standard dominated condition doesn't cut it, though.
PH p277 says they can only make you use at-will powers.

 

[Emryys]

Monsters get 1 surge per tier normally, and while they don't get 2nd winds, they can be healed by things that make them spend surges.

So I could use monster #1 to do a heal check on Monster #2, then #2 could use a healing surge...?

If so, nothing like little Medic Minions running around healing their Masters!

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

So I could use monster #1 to do a heal check on Monster #2, then #2 could use a healing surge...?

If so, nothing like little Medic Minions running around healing their Masters!

No, because all the heal skill can do is let the target use Second Wind. Monsters have no Second Wind, so heal alone cannot access surges. The rules are pretty carefully set up to keep monsters from gaining access to healing. I think they mainly have surges for purposes of resting so that the PCs can't just hit and run constantly.

Tossing a healing potion or two into a monster group and letting them use it however isn't bad. The amount it heals is worthwhile to a PC who has fairly small surge values. It is worth a LOT less to a monster but it can be fun to see the players faces when a monster slugs one down. It can also be a decent way to let you use a somewhat lower level boss monster to keep things from dragging too much. He gets a small HP boost but still has reasonable defenses. Plus it makes sense, why wouldn't monsters use things like that? It kind of shows that they are smart enough to weild magic against the party but without making things crazy.

 

[bobcat_grad]

Don't forget that a monster could be drowning or suffocating and could use up a healing surge if they fail an endurance check rather than take hitpoints equal to their level.