Ranger beasts

[Mengu]

I'm not sure how a ranger beast is supposed to survive for more than 2-3 encounters a day. Is resurrecting the animal companion supposed to be a daily ritual?

Say as a DM I have 6 encounters planned for the day. First encounter, the beast companion takes some damage, and is bloodied. At the end of the encounter, after the short rest, it spends its two healing surges to be close to full. Second encounter, the beast takes some damage again, and is bloodied. At this point the beast has no healing surges left, the ranger decides he doesn't want his beast to die, so pulls him back. In the next 4 encounters the ranger is playing with only half his powers because if the beast is exposed to one or two stray AoE's it might die.

Is there something I'm missing here? Or is the ranger better off letting the beast die, and resurrecting it every few encounters.

Is the DM supposed to ignore the beast and attack the PC's so the beast can live?

 

[Shayuri]

Well there are some powers and PP features that let the ranger heal the beast with his own surges, if I recall right.

There are also powers that some healing classes get that let them heal folks without spending surges.

 

[Leif]

Well there are some powers and PP features that let the ranger heal the beast with his own surges, if I recall right.

There are also powers that some healing classes get that let them heal folks without spending surges.

I thought that most, if not all, "Cure [Whatever]" spells allowed the recipient to regain hp AS IF he/she had spent a surge, without actually spending the surge. But this point side-steps the question: Even if a ranger can heal his animal companion with his own surges/spells, then that leaves fewer surges/spells for the ranger to use on himself. This problem, if indeed it is a problem, is not 4E exclusive, either.

I'm not sure about the rules for getting a replacement animal companion whe one dies, but, depending upon the specific rules for it, it just might be more advantageous for the average ranger to have an animal companion "revolving door" -- just let one fight like hades until he's used up, and call in the "second string"/replacement.

Luckily, my regular DM feels that it is just not "cricket" to target familiars/animal companions, so this is a purely intellectual inquirty for me. But I truly pity those for whom it is a very real, ongoing struggle.

 

[Mengu]

There are also powers that some healing classes get that let them heal folks without spending surges.

I thought that most, if not all, "Cure [Whatever]" spells allowed the recipient to regain hp AS IF he/she had spent a surge, without actually spending the surge.

True, but these are daily powers, and most people with such powers would rather use them on actual party members rather than an animal companion.

 

[DracoSuave]

Two things to note:

If you use Second Wind, and the beast is adjacent to you, he can use Second Wind as well. As well, if you're adjacent, you can spend a healing surge as a minor action to heal it as if it spent a healing surge.

Given that the beast is taking hits you normally would, this is -very- fair. It's almost better because no one else can spend as many healing surges as they want in a fight.

 

[Mengu]

As well, if you're adjacent, you can spend a healing surge as a minor action to heal it as if it spent a healing surge.

Ok, this is what I was missing, and I read the whole thing twice. Guess it's time to re-read it.

 

[DracoSuave]

It's in the section 'Beast Companions and Healing'

 

[Leif]

True, but these are daily powers, and most people with such powers would rather use them on actual party members rather than an animal companion.

Oh. I don't know enough about 4e yet to have learned all of that. What about the powers that let you spend one surge but actually heal One Surge +X hp? Healing Word is one of those, and it's an At-Will, isn't it?

 

[Evilhalfling]

healing word is 2x per encounter, and is unclear on effects if the target does not have a healing surge to spend.

All the 'as if' spending a healing surge powers are dailies, including the magic item powers. My cleric in a lvl 13 pbp game has a daily power which creates a healing zone that 8 hp a round, as long it is maintained with a standard action. I am planning on restoring the whole party fo full, after our 2nd of 3 encounters.

The beast master ranger I will play in the next game has a troll armor, and a "as if" healing item. Both should help his beast last the 3 fights.

His beast also has +20-75 hp more than party members, which should help reduce the need for surges.
Multiplying it out @lvl20 with surges defenders can take 550-636 damage; the controllers and strikers can take 300-330 damage, the bear can take 310

 

[Leif]

healing word is 2x per encounter, and is unclear on effects if the target does not have a healing surge to spend.

All the 'as if' spending a healing surge powers are dailies, including the magic item powers. My cleric in a lvl 13 pbp game has a daily power which creates a healing zone that 8 hp a round, as long it is maintained with a standard action. I am planning on restoring the whole party fo full, after our 2nd of 3 encounters.

two questions:
1. What is your take on the effects of Healing Word in the situation you describe?
2. What is that power (that heals 8hp/round as long as it is sustained) called, and where is it found? That sounds like a 'must have' power for every cleric!

"Sustain" in this case is a minor action, isn't it? If so, then a cleric could use that to restore a whole party while they continued to move/explore.