Periapt of Wound Closure

[cormanthor]

From the SRD: This stone is bright red and dangles on a gold chain. The wearer of this periapt automatically becomes stable if his hit points drop to between –1 and –9 inclusive. The periapt doubles the wearer’s normal rate of healing or allows normal healing of wounds that would not do so normally. Hit point damage that involves bleeding is negated for the wearer of the periapt, but he is still susceptible to damage from bleeding that causes Constitution loss, such as that dealt by a wounding weapon.

My question is simple, yet far reaching. Taken at face value, sans context, it sounds like this prevents damage from piercing and slashing weapons as the 2nd edition version did. But I am assuming that the 'bleeding' portion specifically means a bleed effect. Please do correct me if I am wrong.

 

[frankthedm]

But I am assuming that the 'bleeding' portion specifically means a bleed effect.

this

 

[the Jester]

My question is simple, yet far reaching. Taken at face value, sans context, it sounds like this prevents damage from piercing and slashing weapons as the 2nd edition version did. But I am assuming that the 'bleeding' portion specifically means a bleed effect. Please do correct me if I am wrong.

To start with, the 2e version most emphatically did not prevent damage from piercing and slashing weapons, at least not by any ruling I've ever played under. It did pretty much exactly the same thing as in 4e.

This magical stone looks exactly the same as the others of this ilk. The person possessing it need never fear open, bleeding wounds because the periapt prevents them. In addition, the periapt doubles the normal rate of healing, or allows normal healing of wounds that would not do so normally.

I don't think I've ever heard your interpretation of the bolded bit to mean "immune to swords and spears" before, but I guess I could see someone reading it that way. I'd think the xp value- a mere 1000, equal to a +1 cloak of protection- argues strongly against it.

 

[Empirate]

Examples of the bleeding effects this refers to are attacks by a Swarm of Bats, or the Infernal Wounds ability of a Bearded Devil: i.e., effects which are delivered by causing a wound via an attack, and which cause you to constantly lose a certain number of HP each round after being hit. I think the wording is clear enough.

Immunity to piercing and slashing weapons? Those are a little bit more costly...

 

[cormanthor]

Thanks for the replies. It's pretty much what I thought, but for some reason, my mind focused on the bold text. I had read it the same way in second edition, never thinking about bleed effects from a sword of wounding.
I think of all piercing and slashing weapons as causing "open, bleeding wounds".