How Do you Feel About Healing Surges? (Read First!)

[keterys]

I vastly prefer the surge value - healing a d8 hp when someone has 100 is monotonous

Could probably care less on the surges per day angle. Unnecessarily stresses certain builds, only applies to certain games, and interacts poorly with mechanics that want folks to intentionally spend, use, or lose surges.

All that said, a couple of the coolest moments I've seen were people doing awesome things when they'd run out of surges so everything was extra scary. Like the paladin who was out of surges, bloodied, and charged into the necromancer's lair, challenging everything - even though his friends at that point were tougher than he was

 

[Kynn]

I'm not a fan of healing surges, or anything else designed to promote healing during combat as an expectation rather than an uncommon exception.

Healing surges don't do that. Did you read the first post before replying?

 

[Kynn]

I am also seeing people conflate 4e's full rest total recovery with healing surges. These are separate issues. If you want slower HP recovery in 4e, just slow the rate of surge recovery. Rapid HP recovery in 4e has nothing to do with healing surges and everything to do with the full rest and short rest mechanics.

A lot of people seem to use "healing surge" as a focus for their dislike of everything related to 4e healing. I think that may be because they haven't played the game and don't understand how the different subsystems related to healing work together.

 

[FinalSonicX]

I voted dislike because I dislike the surges because they feel "backwards" - the healee is limited while the healer can theoretically keep going. It feels like the Cleric "unlocks" healing rather than grants healing. Also, the associated mechanics of second wind and cures and all that bug me a little.

That said, I don't disagree with the idea itself, the concept of a second wind makes sense to me for some classes, and healing based on a percentage of HP is fairly reasonable as well. Tying these abilities to some resource makes sense. Also, the name "healing surge" is kind of bad.

 

[underfoot007ct]

I think healing surges make the 15 minute adventuring day more likely then it was in prior editions so no I don't like them. The shame of it is with leaders getting healing powers per encounter this was preventable.

I so disagree, please explain why you think that is so.

In any edition, when the casters use most/all their dailies, the party goes home to rest. I cannot see how surges change anything.

 

[fuindordm]

When you limit healing surges to X/day, the HS plays the role of HP. For the game I didn't feel any difference between running low on HP and running low on HS.

 

[Shadeydm]

I so disagree, please explain why you think that is so.

In any edition, when the casters use most/all their dailies, the party goes home to rest. I cannot see how surges change anything.

See post #8

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Our Idea to fix them is allowing healing skill checks after combat to regain healing surges.

So: Good idea, but they need to be modified a bit.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Dislike. Hit points worked just fine. Surges brought nothing to the game for me but mechanical complexity and flavor confusion.

 

[The Red King]

I'm not a fan of healing surges, or anything else designed to promote healing during combat as an expectation rather than an uncommon exception.

Recovery of h.p. should happen in only 3 ways:
1. resting (slow)
2. curative spells (from a Cleric or subclass)
3. other one-off stuff (potions, Paladin lay-on-hands, herbs, ring of regeneration, etc.)

3e's wands of CLW were awful. Devices of curing should be rare, and not something the PCs can build until very high level.

Lanefan

Total agreement!

In my mind healing surges look like this:

Fighter, bleeding, and tired growls and flexes...... all better.

It just kills it for me. Very video-game-ish.