D&D (2024) Should healing word require hit dice?

[ChameleonX]

I don't think Healing Word is the problem, it's the fact that healing magic in general is garbage in 5e.

It's just not worth burning a slot to heal a piddly amount of HP, just so the monster can smack it all off in one attack. It's just more efficient to wait until they drop and pop them back up.

That's why I like 4th edition healing surges. You always get a fixed amount, and it scales with your max HP so it's always relevant.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

I don't think Healing Word is the problem, it's the fact that healing magic in general is garbage in 5e.

It's just not worth burning a slot to heal a piddly amount of HP, just so the monster can smack it all off in one attack. It's just more efficient to wait until they drop and pop them back up.

That's why I like 4th edition healing surges. You always get a fixed amount, and it scales with your max HP so it's always relevant.

I do think the 4e method of using surges for most healing was better. It opened up a lot of design space lost when it was dropped.

But I disagree withany here who say it's always better to do post KO healing instead of preemptive. Sometimes it might be, but in many situations a character going unconscious means they lose additional resources beyond just HP.

Examples include concentrated spells, barbarian rages, dropped weapons and items, loss of opportunity attacks and reactions, grapples, auto-failed saves, etc...

 

[ChameleonX]

I do think the 4e method of using surges for most healing was better. It opened up a lot of design space lost when it was dropped.

But I disagree withany here who say it's always better to do post KO healing instead of preemptive. Sometimes it might be, but in many situations a character going unconscious means they lose additional resources beyond just HP.

Examples include concentrated spells, barbarian rages, dropped weapons and items, loss of opportunity attacks and reactions, grapples, auto-failed saves, etc...

True, but that's not going to be the case in every fight. There are going to be situations where you really don't want to drop, but it's generally better to pop up from 0 for most characters in most situations.

Once you get past the early levels, things like Barbarian rages and concentration are going to become less valuable than a spell slot large enough to actually heal off the damage of an average monster.

It's better to just spend a first level slot to HW the Barb back from 0 and have him burn another of his four or five rages for the day then use your only 6th level spell slot to heal him up to half full.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

True, but that's not going to be the case in every fight. There are going to be situations where you really don't want to drop, but it's generally better to pop up from 0 for most characters in most situations.

Once you get past the early levels, things like Barbarian rages and concentration are going to become less valuable than a spell slot large enough to actually heal off the damage of an average monster.

It's better to just spend a first level slot to HW the Barb back from 0 and have him burn another of his four or five rages for the day then use your only 6th level spell slot to heal him up to half full.

A vast majority of games are played at lower levels before barbarians have too much rage or spellcasters aren't affected by losing their initial concentration spell slot.

Pop up healing might be the meta at your table, but it isn't strictly better. I have laid out multiple cases where it isn't.

One of my current characters is an 8th level Hill Dwarf 20CON Arcana cleric. I use my giant stockpile of HP (more than the front line) to power an occasional Life Transference spell which gives a massive 4d8X2 healing. Usually one casting is all I need to prop up a character for the entire combat.

A barbarian would optimize better although we don't have one. I take 18 damage to heal them 36 which actually absorbs 72 because of resistance.

I'm not even playing a healing domain cleric to be in combat effective, I'm also a fill-in wizard.

 

[MichaelSomething]

How about having monster that gain a powerful bonus whenever they knock a foe down past one hp. Now playing wack a mole gives the monsters an advantage too.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Reading through the One D&D Paladin and Druid playtest, I saw this and laughed thinking of this thread.

SPARE THE DYING
0-Level Necromancy Spell (Divine, Primal)
Casting Time: Action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
You touch a creature that has the Dying condition. The creature regains 1 Hit Point.

 

[James Gasik]

Reading through the One D&D Paladin and Druid playtest, I saw this and laughed thinking of this thread.

Ok then, apparently we're doubling down on "pop up" healing instead of, you know, fixing healing.

 

[mellored]

Reading through the One D&D Paladin and Druid playtest, I saw this and laughed thinking of this thread.

To make things more awkward.

If you succeed 3 times on your death save, you no longer have the dying condition, and can no longer be revived by spare the dying.

Your cleric has to first punch you to get you back to dying, then wake you up.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

To make things more awkward.

If you succeed 3 times on your death save, you no longer have the dying condition, and can no longer be revived by spare the dying.

Your cleric has to first push you to get you back to dying, then wake you up.

Divine triage. The gods got people who are literally dying to save!

 

[Bacon Bits]

To make things more awkward.

If you succeed 3 times on your death save, you no longer have the dying condition, and can no longer be revived by spare the dying.

Your cleric has to first push you to get you back to dying, then wake you up.

"Trust me, just kick him in the head for me and he'll be on his feet in no time."