Unicorn's Touch: Free Hit Points Every 5 Minutes?

[FireLance]

I wouldn't call it "broken" because the rate of healing really is quite slow (5+Con bonus hit points per use), but unicorn's touch (Swordmage Utility 6, Arcane Power) is an encounter power that allows the user to restore hit points to himself or an ally without having to spend any healing surges. If the PCs aren't in a hurry, they will never need to spend healing surges outside of combat again!

 

[mach1.9pants]

An endless font of free healing....until the DM rules you can use it just once between encounters

Like that 'will wotc ever get it right thread'; the often don't think to deeply about these things do they!

 

[Garthanos]

I have this idea that the environment of an encounter is exciting sometimes frightening and indeed some of the powers might only work during that energized boosted encounter time. The unicorn is definitely a spirited beast... so you might find it doesn't even work outside of an encounter.

Me and mach.1.9pants are spoil sports aren't we.

 

[Errantocracy]

If the PCs aren't in a hurry, they will never need to spend healing surges outside of combat again!

If the PCs aren't in a hurry, they could just take an extended rest.

 

[Garthanos]

If the PCs aren't in a hurry, they could just take an extended rest.

differing definitions of hurry... waiting an hour is not the same as waiting 8.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Most surely broken. :/

first time i would not allow a power use more than once between actual encounters...

 

[Lord Ernie]

While I can see the issue, it's not all that far away from "If you have a lot of time, you can save your healing surges through the Cleric's Healing Word". Yeah, it's doable, and supported, but if you as a DM don't like it, put a time limit on things, or throw in some random encounters.

For my game, this power won't have much of any impact, since I tend to get the tension out of 'the cleric is out of healing words' in a single combat, rather than 'I'm out of surges for today'. The latter is way too likely to get characters randomly killed for my liking (if that's your game, of course, feel free).

 

[mach1.9pants]

"If you have a lot of time, you can save your healing surges through the Cleric's Healing Word". Yeah, it's doable,

What? Healing word lets you spend a surge (but get an extra benefit). You still have to spend a surge, but you'll just spend less. UT means you spend no surges at all.
That is a different kettle of fish, with a cleric you spend less. With a 6th+ level paladin you spend none at all!

 

[Lord Ernie]

First: It's a swordmage power.

Second: Quoting myself, I said "it's not that far away", and proceeded to explain why. Yes, you spend no surge at all on this power, and Healing Word does use a surge. Barring circumstances during which time is of the essence, both can be used to optimize healing. Healing Word does it a lot quicker than Unicorn's Touch, but it uses surges, meaing that the latter might be faster in the long run (never needing to take an extended rest due to running out of surges).

My main point was that this usage of these powers seems more or less to require the same from the story/DM, meaning that you don't have to mind these shenanigans (a lot of DM's I saw post on here already got an apoplexy from repeated uses of Healing Word and short rests... this would be worse in their book), and there can't be any timing in the storyline. IMO, though, if time is of no importance anyway, why do you care if they can heal without using surges all day long? They might just as well use HW, and use extended rests when one of them runs out of surges.

Yeah, there's a modicum of difference, but only in specific storylines and campaigns, in which the DM can call shenanigans on it all.

 

[Garthanos]

First: It's a swordmage power.

I wasnt aware that sword mages were priests (ok not quite priests) of the unicorn but combined with all the blinking effects representing the uncatchability of the unicorn and since the unicorns horn is a symbol of certain "swords" it actually makes sense.

Personally it actually doesn't bother me, the main reason is hp and therefore healing does not represent long term injury... and well somebody getting back their spirit, recovering their luck, and fairly fast recovering from muscle fatigue..(hit points are the resource we spend to avoid real wounds) so this doesnt bother me.

I see the DM as having some say over the use of powers explicitly outside of an encounter... so either way they might rule works.