no cleric? (my players stay out)

[LostSoul]

The subdual idea is a good one, but I suggest looking at WP/VP instead. Check out the SW d20 game for some specifics.

VP/WP makes critical hits very deadly. If you ignore that part of the VP/WP system (just have criticals do normal damage to VP), then it's almost the same as the subdual system I use.

 

[aurin777]

Play it straight and how you were going to. Healing skill does certain things, but there is no reason to make it more powerful because no one wanted to play a cleric. Henchmen are always available. In a theocracy, I don't see a reason why the church wouldn't send along a cleric with the brave young adventurers.
~~brandon

 

[Enkhidu]

VP/WP makes critical hits very deadly. If you ignore that part of the VP/WP system (just have criticals do normal damage to VP), then it's almost the same as the subdual system I use.

I actually advocate splitting the difference - crits do normal damage to VP, with a small portion going to WP (meaning any strictly weapon damage from the multiplier goes to WP: i.e. if a long sword crits, it does 1d8 to WP and 1d8 + bonuses + bonuses to VP; a light pick does 3d4 to WP (from the multiplier) and 1d4 plus 3 times the bonuses to VP). It makes it deadly, but not too deadly.

Bursts from burst weapons are applied to VP.

 

[Lady Starhawk]

I have had this happen before.

I am the only player who's willing to play a cleric, and when I was DMing no one took that place. I had them start out at 5th level, and I made avaliable to them a 1st level cleric NPC, but the cleric was the daughter of some one VERY important and it was in tehir best intrest to make sure she didn't get hurt .

It worked out pretty well for us. Only 1 PC death, and the NPC survived

Lady Starhawk

 

[Larry Fitz]

Why not ask on the boards for one more player, as long as they play a cleric?

 

[alsih2o]

tons of great advice, but then, i have come to expect that

as for dding another player, i have had a thread going in "gamers seeking gamers" fro some time, everyone else came from it. but i feel,,..odd, asking a player to play a certain class.

i see the d.m.'s advantage as getting to design the world, adn the players advantage as having choices in that world.

thanks for all the input, and i will gladly take any more oyu have

 

[Nightfall]

*isn't even going into the horrors stories of having a PC cleric...mainly because, for some unfathomable reason, the player's ALWAYS end up dropping out and/or missing way to many sessions.* But that might change now. Thank you Zizany!

 

[Jeph]

So characters will actually try to avoid having the giant, abysmal claws of the frumious bandersnatch rake accross their unprotected face, instead of thinking, "I'll be patched up after the fightl." Seems fine to me! Wounds, IRL, actually do hurt.

 

[wolff96]

Heh. If it wasn't Tuesday night, I would have already signed up. I love playing clerics.

---------------------------

For your group, though, I would recommend what has already been said -- boost up the Alchemy and Herbalism skills a bit by introducing a healing item.

"This poultice will help your friend a bit... It takes three leaves of Mugroot -- make sure they're fresh! -- a bit of leech, and some mistletoe. Apply it to the wound. It speeds up healing, but it leaves the body exhausted."

Or in other words, it converts a certain amount of real damage to subdual damage. And it requires a Knowledge: Nature or Profession: Herbalism check of DC whatever to find the components and will take X number of checks (Profession: Herbalism or Alchemy) to create.

Just a thought.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Or you could just change nothing. Let them figure out life for themselves.

They might have already thought of it. It might change the way danger is dealt with.

My PbP players are still traveling to their first dungeon, sans cleric, and we'll see how it goes. They have a handful or so of CLW potions, and that's it. Not gonna pull any punches. We'll see how it goes.