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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Balesir" data-source="post: 5898362" data-attributes="member: 27160">Maybe it's because I run for seven players, so there are 140% of the "normal" number of monsters who can area effect/focus fire, but I find the amount of damage that can be incoming to a character in one turn is pretty high. Couple that with several nice bonuses that certain powers can grant for being bloodied, and we get quite a few heart-in-mouth moments.YMMV, but I'm just speaking from a personal experience perspective.In pretty much any challenge-based RPG, the characters have to face beatable (or escapable) opponents. If the chance of surviving even each level is ~50%, grinding through the ~1000 characters you'd need to get one to level 10 would be a real chore.Again, I can only say what I have experienced, but I find that is situational. The most important thing deciding whether healing will be an "essential tactical component" in 4e is whether or not the characters manage to take control of the encounter circumstances. To seize the initiative in a non-system sense.The other weekend, we had two combats particularly that were nominally the same level, but played out very differently. In the first encounter, the characters scouted out successfully, correctly assessed the situation going in and managed to gain surprise. The result was a real blow-through, for the party. I don't think any in-combat healing was used (although a few surges were spent in the ensuing short rest) and the monsters were hardly given a chance to apply their strength.The second encounter was totally different. The party walked in hoping to negotiate when a previous encounter had ensured that this would be a throwdown. They got bounced, and only just scraped out without loss. Given the start they got, they actually did really well - but they still got hit pretty hard. And in this combat, yes - in-combat healing was a major "feature"...Again - personal preference, but I find 4e does both. Hit points = tactical, healing surges = strategic.</blockquote>

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