D&D 5E Different flavors of healing

[Yaarel]

Class features and spells hint at different methods of healing. So far, I discern three main methods.

• Shapeshift. Shape the body into a healthy form, grow wounds back together, regenerate.
• Morale. Psychological intangibles of hit points, pay attention, press on, ignore pain, will to live.
• Positive Energy. Manifestion from ideal self, miraculous healing, mind over matter, fate, space-time.

The three methods correspond to body, mind, and existence. I view all three present in an ambient, unfocused, way during natural healing.

Shapeshift appears in Druid Wildshape, Regenerate, traditionally psionic psychometabolism, possibly Monk ki healing, and so on. The method subtly invigorates cells, or dramatically shapes a new healthy form. Bandages, herbal and folkmedical healing techniques are gentle applications of bodily shapeshift healing.

Positive Energy is the stuff of existence, the energy of atoms entangling across the fabric of space-time, including the stuff of the seat of consciousness. The Cleric is famous for using the divine power source to channel positivity, but also has several spells relating to the psychology of Morale, such as Hope, Heroes Feast, etcetera. Fey creatures within the ethereal spirit world of the Feywild, as personifications of fate and nearness to the Positivity, are also sources of this miraculous energy. There is even a "Positive Material Plane" as matter itself is made out of Positivity, and leaks it ambiently, along with special locations where this profusion of Positivity gushes up in a wellspring of lifeforce.

Morale is interesting because it is something that the "nonmagical" martial power source can also do. It relates to action hero scenes where the hero starts a battle with a pep talk and a battle cry, presses on in the face of adversity, ignores the pain of a serious injury, and during a near death experience decides to live. Morale cannot resurrect the dead, but it can be a factor while making death saves, and even the effect of the Revivify spell seems about the borderline of what Morale might or might not be able to do. Morale is a main aspect of shamanic healing techniques.

Hit points are an abstraction of many different factors, mostly intangible: paying attention to avoid incoming strikes, stamina, skill, training and experience, will, resolve, hope, courage, luck, fate, miracle, magic. Damage to the upper half of hit points is almost entirely intangible before getting fatigued and sloppy. The lower half of hit points is visible, and is going to hurt tomorrow, but is still superficial and nonlethal. Only reducing to zero hit points can be a deep, potentially fatal injury. Even at zero, an attacker can refrain from inflicting a deadly injury. Zero hit points is a state of almost total vulnerability to an attack. From maximum hit points to zero, the diminution of hit points is mostly intangible.

Constitution is the default for hit point bonuses, because it represents both intangible stamina and tangible toughness in the sense of attacks bouncing off, with bodily resilience during death saves.

All methods of healing - Shapeshift, Morale, and Positive Energy - can heal, award temporary hit point "vigor", increase hit point maximum, and so on depending on the intent and application of the method.

But these methods of healing differ significantly, and I want to exp!ore what the strengths and weaknesses of each might be. For example. Positivity would interact with undead in special ways, but Shapeshift might not. Perhaps some applications of Morale might be vulnerable to fear effects or oppositely immune to fear effects. A Shapesift effect might grant soft regeneration in the sense of half damage, but be vulnerable to psychic damage. Or so on.

What might the mechanics for these different flavors be?

 

[Lyxen]

This is a very interesting post, and I feel that you have really captured the essence of hit points and healings, at least in the way I understand that as well.

That being said, one thing I like about 5e in general and hit points in particular is that they are a very quick and simple way to record something cinematic which, in terms of movies/books of the genre only corresponds to "can he continue to fight or not", and actually not much more.

It's fast, streamlined, as simple as can be and still extremely effective, which is why, despite the interest that your post aroused in me, I don't want to encourage you to dig into that into more detail. Yes, it's not that logical that morale healing is affected by constitution, or that all types of healing heal all types of wounds the same way.

But although it would add more crunch to the game, it's not at all an objective for me, and it would only slow down the game enormously for what I feel is little benefit, so good luck with your question, It's just that I don't feel like making any suggestions at all...

 

[Laurefindel]

Class features and spells hint at different methods of healing. So far, I discern three main methods.

• Shapeshift. Shape the body into a healthy form, grow wounds back together, regenerate.
• Morale. Psychological intangibles of hit points, pay attention, press on, ignore pain, will to live.
• Positive Energy. Manifestion from ideal self, miraculous healing, mind over matter, fate, space-time.

The three methods correspond to body, mind, and existence. I view all three present in an ambient, unfocused, way during natural healing.

Shapeshift appears in Druid Wildshape, Regenerate, traditionally psionic psychometabolism, possibly Monk ki healing, and so on. The method subtly invigorates cells, or dramatically shapes a new healthy form. Bandages, herbal and folkmedical healing techniques are gentle applications of bodily shapeshift healing.

Positive Energy is the stuff of existence, the energy of atoms entangling across the fabric of space-time, including the stuff of the seat of consciousness. The Cleric is famous for using the divine power source to channel positivity, but also has several spells relating to the psychology of Morale, such as Hope, Heroes Feast, etcetera. Fey creatures within the ethereal spirit world of the Feywild, as personifications of fate and nearness to the Positivity, are also sources of this miraculous energy. There is even a "Positive Material Plane" as matter itself is made out of Positivity, and leaks it ambiently, along with special locations where this profusion of Positivity gushes up in a wellspring of lifeforce.

Morale is interesting because it is something that the "nonmagical" martial power source can also do. It relates to action hero scenes where the hero starts a battle with a pep talk and a battle cry, presses on in the face of adversity, ignores the pain of a serious injury, and during a near death experience decides to live. Morale cannot resurrect the dead, but it can be a factor while making death saves, and even the effect of the Revivify spell seems about the borderline of what Morale might or might not be able to do. Morale is a main aspect of shamanic healing techniques.

Hit points are an abstraction of many different factors, mostly intangible: paying attention to avoid incoming strikes, stamina, skill, training and experience, will, resolve, hope, courage, luck, fate, miracle, magic. Damage to the upper half of hit points is almost entirely intangible before getting fatigued and sloppy. The lower half of hit points is visible, and is going to hurt tomorrow, but is still superficial and nonlethal. Only reducing to zero hit points can be a deep, potentially fatal injury. Even at zero, an attacker can refrain from inflicting a deadly injury. Zero hit points is a state of almost total vulnerability to an attack. From maximum hit points to zero, the diminution of hit points is mostly intangible.

Constitution is the default for hit point bonuses, because it represents both intangible stamina, tangible toughness in the sense of attacks bouncing off, and bodily resilience during death saves.

All methods of healing - Shapeshift, Morale, and Positive Energy - can heal, award temporary hit point "vigor", increase hit point maximum, and so on depending on the intent and application of the method.

But these methods of heàling differ significantly, and I want to exp!ore what the strengths and weaknesses of each might be. For example. Positivity would interact with undead in special ways, but Shapeshift would not. Perhaps some applications of Morale might be vulnerable to fear effects. Shapesift might be unable to resist psychic damage. Or so on.

What might the mechanics for these different flavors be?

Temporary hp muddy the picture a bit, but interesting post. I’ll probably reply at a later point: need to think about it… and go back to work.

 

[Stalker0]

So I have often felt Temp Hitpoints are the best realm for "morale" healing.

Morale can't fix a broken leg, but it can help you ignore it in the current fight. I like the concept of morale healing as "strong but temporary sources of healing". The warlords rousing speech can let the near dead fighter surge ahead, and finish the dragon....but then the fighter falls into a coma vs a cleric who might not generate as much immediate healing, but the healing is permanent, and can bring people back from near death.

The best way for this model to work is for temp hp to bring people back up from unconsciousness, of course only while the temp hp exist. I also think temp hp should be short lived, in the 1-10 minute kind of place, not in the "until next rest" that it currently functions.

 

[Yaarel]

Keep ideas coming!

Here are some thoughts that come to mind.

This is a very interesting post, and I feel that you have really captured the essence of hit points and healings, at least in the way I understand that as well.

That being said, one thing I like about 5e in general and hit points in particular is that they are a very quick and simple way to record something cinematic which, in terms of movies/books of the genre only corresponds to "can he continue to fight or not", and actually not much more.

It's fast, streamlined, as simple as can be and still extremely effective, which is why, despite the interest that your post aroused in me, I don't want to encourage you to dig into that into more detail. Yes, it's not that logical that morale healing is affected by constitution, or that all types of healing heal all types of wounds the same way.

But although it would add more crunch to the game, it's not at all an objective for me, and it would only slow down the game enormously for what I feel is little benefit, so good luck with your question, It's just that I don't feel like making any suggestions at all.

Designing features that heal, can think about what kind of healing it is, and decide the mechanical quirks relating to the flavor.

I would avoid separate hit point pools, to track different kinds of damage and healing separately.

But an effect that heals can easily add other related mechanics as well. For example, a Morale effect that grants damage resistance might grant Frightened resistance as well.

So I have often felt Temp Hitpoints are the best realm for "morale" healing.

Mental attitude might be enduring too.

Morale can't fix a broken leg,

Heh, there are no broken bones in D&D! No mechanics to represent such a concept.

I know what you mean. I think hitting zero hit points is "real" damage. It would make sense if reaching zero invited enduring wounds.

A simple rule is each time a character hits zero hit points, a level of Exhaustion occurs. Depending on the context of the damage (fall, sword slash, drowning, lightning, etcetera), the DM decides which bodypart was injured. However, the DM needs to be able to pick the Exhaustion effect out of order. For example, an injured arm wouldnt reduce speed, but can cause skill disadvantage. But if several zeroes accumulate Exhaustion 4, becoming slow and sluggish can make sense. DMs choice.

A more complex mechanic might track injuries that take days, weeks, or months to heal, or even an indefinite loss.

In any case, a Morale healing might heighten intangibles, thus restore hit points to max, but might not overcome the impediments of Exhaustion.

ut it can help you ignore it in the current fight. I like the concept of morale healing as "strong but temporary sources of healing". The warlords rousing speech can let the near dead fighter surge ahead, and finish the dragon....but then the fighter falls into a coma vs a cleric who might not generate as much immediate healing, but the healing is permanent, and can bring people back from near death.

The best way for this model to work is for temp hp to bring people back up from unconsciousness, of course only while the temp hp exist. I also think temp hp should be short lived, in the 1-10 minute kind of place, not in the "until next rest" that it currently functions.

I can visualize this Morale healing effect vividly. Grant temporary hit point vigor to someone dying. The character gets up and presses on. But when the vigor effect runs out, the character collapses back into unconsciousness, but this time is stabilized, without needing death saves.

The image also works great for fightsport scenes, where damage is intentionally nonlethal.

Even if Morale healing is by a nonmagical character, it should still be as powerful as various healing methods by a magical character of the same level.

 

[Laurefindel]

this is hard to do without taking temp hp into account. I can't remember how RAW defines temp hp, but they act as some kind of ablative armor (figuratively speaking). You can only have so much, and when it's gone, it's gone. This works perfectly for arcane armor/fortification, but it also represents morale best IMO. For this reason, I'd leave morale under the purview of temp hp and not "healing". Encouragement fortifies, but it doesn't heal in a D&D sense.

Resolve / Reserves of Strength however "heals". The fighter's second wind is the best example of this, and I'd include the monk's self healing too. In a way, the barbarian's "come back to 1hp instead of 0hp" is also resolve. I'd even go as far as HD healing from a short rest is the same. I'd use resolve as the non-magical way of healing, with the caveat that only you can heal yourself.

Another potentially nonmagical method is rapid rejuvenation (for lack of better term), as a way of healing yourself by the inspiration of something else. This is often used in fiction although it has few equivalent in D&D. See you friend die? hop, a little boost of health to make it worth. The kid is trapped in a car that's about to tip over the bridge? Get up and rescue them. Rivendell is so tranquil and restful? You regain in a day what would take a week otherwise. The bard's song of rest is the closest I can think of at the moment, but any kind of spend-inspiration-to-heal houserule would also fall in this category, as would any healing surge equivalent. Contrary to resolve, rejuvenation is only triggered by something outside yourself.

 

[Nefermandias]

Class features and spells hint at different methods of healing. So far, I discern three main methods.

• Shapeshift. Shape the body into a healthy form, grow wounds back together, regenerate.
• Morale. Psychological intangibles of hit points, pay attention, press on, ignore pain, will to live.
• Positive Energy. Manifestion from ideal self, miraculous healing, mind over matter, fate, space-time.

The three methods correspond to body, mind, and existence. I view all three present in an ambient, unfocused, way during natural healing.

Shapeshift appears in Druid Wildshape, Regenerate, traditionally psionic psychometabolism, possibly Monk ki healing, and so on. The method subtly invigorates cells, or dramatically shapes a new healthy form. Bandages, herbal and folkmedical healing techniques are gentle applications of bodily shapeshift healing.

Positive Energy is the stuff of existence, the energy of atoms entangling across the fabric of space-time, including the stuff of the seat of consciousness. The Cleric is famous for using the divine power source to channel positivity, but also has several spells relating to the psychology of Morale, such as Hope, Heroes Feast, etcetera. Fey creatures within the ethereal spirit world of the Feywild, as personifications of fate and nearness to the Positivity, are also sources of this miraculous energy. There is even a "Positive Material Plane" as matter itself is made out of Positivity, and leaks it ambiently, along with special locations where this profusion of Positivity gushes up in a wellspring of lifeforce.

Morale is interesting because it is something that the "nonmagical" martial power source can also do. It relates to action hero scenes where the hero starts a battle with a pep talk and a battle cry, presses on in the face of adversity, ignores the pain of a serious injury, and during a near death experience decides to live. Morale cannot resurrect the dead, but it can be a factor while making death saves, and even the effect of the Revivify spell seems about the borderline of what Morale might or might not be able to do. Morale is a main aspect of shamanic healing techniques.

Hit points are an abstraction of many different factors, mostly intangible: paying attention to avoid incoming strikes, stamina, skill, training and experience, will, resolve, hope, courage, luck, fate, miracle, magic. Damage to the upper half of hit points is almost entirely intangible before getting fatigued and sloppy. The lower half of hit points is visible, and is going to hurt tomorrow, but is still superficial and nonlethal. Only reducing to zero hit points can be a deep, potentially fatal injury. Even at zero, an attacker can refrain from inflicting a deadly injury. Zero hit points is a state of almost total vulnerability to an attack. From maximum hit points to zero, the diminution of hit points is mostly intangible.

Constitution is the default for hit point bonuses, because it represents both intangible stamina and tangible toughness in the sense of attacks bouncing off, with bodily resilience during death saves.

All methods of healing - Shapeshift, Morale, and Positive Energy - can heal, award temporary hit point "vigor", increase hit point maximum, and so on depending on the intent and application of the method.

But these methods of healing differ significantly, and I want to exp!ore what the strengths and weaknesses of each might be. For example. Positivity would interact with undead in special ways, but Shapeshift might not. Perhaps some applications of Morale might be vulnerable to fear effects or oppositely immune to fear effects. A Shapesift effect might grant soft regeneration in the sense of half damage, but be vulnerable to psychic damage. Or so on.

What might the mechanics for these different flavors be?

Fourth edition actually had this codified in the rules as "Power Sources".

Yes, I know everybody hates 4e, but I feel the need to mention it whenever I have the chance. Sorry.

 

[Iry]

Yes, I know everybody hates 4e, but I feel the need to mention it whenever I have the chance. Sorry.

No shame. 4E did a number of things right, and made some big advancements in game design.

 

[Minigiant]

You forgot Time Magic

In my Urban Magic ruleset, these are the types of healing magics​

• Transmutation and Transformation healing: You transform the body to another healed version of itself.
  • Pro: Simple
  • Pro: Cheap
  • Con: Must directly compete with any magic on the person (hard to heal accursed or magic resistant)
  • Con: Caster must know knowledge of anatomy equal to the severity of damage.
  • Con: Very inefficient at healing mental damage.
• Morale Healing:You cause the body and mind to ignore injuries
  • Pro: Very Cheap
  • Pro: Can be boosted with illusions or enchantments
  • Con: DOESN'T ACTUALLY HEAL PHYSICAL INJURIES.
• Chronomagical healing: You accelerate natural healing or revert the body to post injury states
  • Pro: Require no knowledge of medicine whatsover
  • Pro: Can heal "anything" with enough magic
  • Con: Can't heal injuries born with
  • Con: Accelerated natural healing lowers lifespan
  • Con: Body reversion requires a healed body state and causes some memory loss.
  • Con: HANDS UP! THIS IS THE TIME POLICE! BANG BANG! ZAP! ZAP!
• Invigoration:You restore stamina directly to the body to keep up top level defense
  • Pro: Best healing for fighters
  • Pro: Comes with natural buffs
  • Con: Worse healing for non-fighters
  • Con: DOESN'T ACTUALLY HEAL PHYSICAL INJURIES.
• Luck Healing: You stop all incoming damage via luck back probability
  • Pro: lol Immunity to damage
  • Pro: OP
  • Con: Expensive as a top class escort
  • Con: DOESN'T ACTUALLY HEAL PHYSICAL INJURIES.
• Life Magic: Everything else and a combination of all of the above
  • Pro: Zero side effect
  • Pro: Zero restrictions
  • Con: Zero additional bonuses

 

[Yaarel]

It seems to me, the various decriptions of healing organize as follows.

this is hard to do without taking temp hp into account. I can't remember how RAW defines temp hp, but they act as some kind of ablative armor (figuratively speaking). You can only have so much, and when it's gone, it's gone. This works perfectly for arcane armor/fortification, but it also represents morale best IMO. For this reason, I'd leave morale under the purview of temp hp and not "healing". Encouragement fortifies, but it doesn't heal in a D&D sense.

I agree there is a correlation between Morale healing and temporary vigor.

There can be other Morale effects as well, like damage resistance, ignoring pain etcetera, tho this is kind of healing is temporary too.

In reallife, visualizing wellbeing is medically effective for healing, such as for certain kinds of cancer.

There is a mental Morale component in restoring lost hit points.

Also, a person missing a limb can still be at full hit points. So restoration to full hit points is nonidentical to being whole. There might still be other mechanics, like Exhaustion, that handle other effects separately from hit points.

Resolve / Reserves of Strength however "heals". The fighter's second wind is the best example of this, and I'd include the monk's self healing too. In a way, the barbarian's "come back to 1hp instead of 0hp" is also resolve. I'd even go as far as HD healing from a short rest is the same. I'd use resolve as the non-magical way of healing, with the caveat that only you can heal yourself.

The term "resolve" sounds mental thus Morale. It can be a specific use of Morale healing.

A Warlord might use Morale to heal someone other than self, in the sense of "Stay with me!" commands.

Another potentially nonmagical method is rapid rejuvenation (for lack of better term), as a way of healing yourself by the inspiration of something else. This is often used in fiction although it has few equivalent in D&D. See you friend die? hop, a little boost of health to make it worth. The kid is trapped in a car that's about to tip over the bridge? Get up and rescue them. Rivendell is so tranquil and restful? You regain in a day what would take a week otherwise. The bard's song of rest is the closest I can think of at the moment, but any kind of spend-inspiration-to-heal houserule would also fall in this category, as would any healing surge equivalent. Contrary to resolve, rejuvenation is only triggered by something outside yourself.

The healing by "inspiration", reminding me of adrenaline spikes during an emergency, can also be an aspect of Morale healing.

You forgot Time Magic

In my Urban Magic ruleset, these are the types of healing magics​

• Transmutation and Transformation healing: You transform the body to another healed version of itself.
  • Pro: Simple
  • Pro: Cheap
  • Con: Must directly compete with any magic on the person (hard to heal accursed or magic resistant)
  • Con: Caster must know knowledge of anatomy equal to the severity of damage.
  • Con: Very inefficient at healing mental damage.

Nice, this "transmutation" healing effect, sounds like what I call Shapeshift. I intentionally avoid the term transmutation because it often refers to elemental magic, like becoming a creature made out of stone or fire. Shapeshift specifically refers to animal anatomy, and includes living creatures like humans, beasts, lycanthropes, dragons, and similar. These anatomies have biological immune systems, and can be healthy or unhealthy.

It occurse to me, Shapeshift healing might cure a lycanthropy curse, or similar magical disease.

• Morale Healing:You cause the body and mind to ignore injuries
  • Pro: Very Cheap
  • Pro: Can be boosted with illusions or enchantments
  • Con: DOESN'T ACTUALLY HEAL PHYSICAL INJURIES.

Cool.

Because most damage is nonphysical (fatigue), or ignorable (bruise), Morale really does heal hit points.

But when reaching zero hitpoints, the physical injury becomes real and significant, and potentially life threatening. At that point Morale is less effective. It might restore minimally 1 hit point or grant temporary hit points, but it wont undo the physical damage, not immediately anyway. That said, 5e needs a mechanic to represent a lingering injury in the first place, to mechanically represent what it is that Morale might be less effective at.

• Luck Healing: You stop all incoming damage via luck back probability
  • Pro: lol Immunity to damage
  • Pro: OP
  • Con: Expensive as a top class escort
  • Con: DOESN'T ACTUALLY HEAL PHYSICAL INJURIES.
• Life Magic: Everything else and a combination of all of the above
  • Pro: Zero side effect
  • Pro: Zero restrictions
  • Con: Zero additional bonuses

• Chronomagical healing: You accelerate natural healing or revert the body to post injury states
  • Pro: Require no knowledge of medicine whatsover
  • Pro: Can heal "anything" with enough magic
  • Con: Can't heal injuries born with
  • Con: Accelerated natural healing lowers lifespan
  • Con: Body reversion requires a healed body state and causes some memory loss.
  • Con: HANDS UP! THIS IS THE TIME POLICE! BANG BANG! ZAP! ZAP!

This reverting to an earlier form or closing an injury more speedily, sounds like Shapeshift healing to me.



Transcending space-time might be more like Positive Energy healing, to manifest a transcendently ideal self. This seems to correlate with luck, fate, and blessing too. Positivity healing is holistic, healing factors that the patient and the spellcaster didnt even realize were a problem.

The Morale and Shapeshift healing are more targeted.

• Invigoration:You restore stamina directly to the body to keep up top level defense
  • Pro: Best healing for fighters
  • Pro: Comes with natural buffs
  • Con: Worse healing for non-fighters
  • Con: DOESN'T ACTUALLY HEAL PHYSICAL INJURIES.

Vigor in the sense of temporary hit points is often Morale healing. It can be Shapeshift healing too, such as Druid Wildshape that has an auxiliary living form take the damage, but not the primary form.



Relatedly, the False Life spell seems more like "transmutation" into an auxiliary nonliving form that takes the damage, thus in a sense resembles the Stone Skin spell.

Things effects like Stone Skin and False Life seem like prosthetics, rather than healing, per se.



A call out, 4e did many things well!