D&D 5E An alternative to eight hour healing

[cthulhu42]

I'll readily admit I don't like the standard rapid healing rate, but I'm pretty enthusiastic about avoiding house rules. This isn't a panacea, but one solution is to focus on running episodic adventures book ended with long rests. The long rest healing happens off stage so it doesn't really disrupt verisimilitude.

Another solution is to make the rapid healing unique to the PCs for story reasons. I ran a game that began with the PCs being the sole survivors of a mad wizard's attempts to create a super soldier. The treatment imbued them with superior natural healing and would also function to explain the rapid growth in power experienced by PCs. Meanwhile, the rest of the world healed (and acquired power) at a more "realistic" rate.

Neither type of solution may work well for your game, but I thought they may be useful examples of a different way to approach the problem.

I've actually thought about doing something like this, and I might for future campaigns. This idea, or even the troll inbreeding idea that was posted earlier would satisfy the rational that I'm looking for.

I would like to have one solution to use in all my games though. The search for perfection continues.

 

[iserith]

But why wouldn't you describe a slashing blow from a slashing weapon, or piercing damage from a creature's teeth that does piercing damage?

I might, but then I don't have the same pet peeve you do.

 

[cthulhu42]

I might, but then I don't have the same pet peeve you do.

Touche.

 

[robus]

But why wouldn't you describe a slashing blow from a slashing weapon, or piercing damage from a creature's teeth that does piercing damage?

I've struggled with this too - as of course a poisoned weapon (or bite) does deliver its poison if it hits. What you have to get past is that the blow is deep - each hit can mean that the PC is physically hit but not in a catastrophic manner - it's scratches, bruises, shallow slices that might cause a bit of blood to show but nothing life threatening. In the case of poison if the toxin is potent enough then just a scratch is all that's needed to deliver it. The hit points are the PC battling to keep the damage minimal. It's exhausting always keeping your guard up (or dodging out of the way, or deflecting the blow so that you're barely injured). Eventually you make a mistake and when that happens you drop to 0 and need urgent help.

I've been trying to google Eric Pommer's excellent Wounds in 5e PDF that (in my opinion) improves the verisimilitude of dropping to 0 HP. You take conditions (paralleling to exhaustion) that being raised from 0 HP doesn't magically erase. So you can get back into the fight but now you've got to deal with disadvantage on ability checks etc.

Anyway if someone's google-fu is better than mine I'd appreciate a link (I do have a copy of the PDF at least).

 

[CapnZapp]

I'm certainly not saying you can't play without a healer, but it sure helps, and I think it's kind of assumed that a cleric will be on hand.

It sure was that way in d20. But it is not now.

But don't take my word for it - in fact, that would be useless, because you won't believe me until you see it.

So roll up a party with little or no combat medics, and give it a go. I guarantee you you will cope. Perhaps not at first, but you should soon adapt your tactics to not rely on a combat healer.

This makes it much more fun to play a cleric, since nobody is no longer taking your heals for granted.

 

[Gadget]

Another options I have not seen mentioned in this thread (forgive me if I missed it), but I have heard of several times: Change the time period associated with short and long rests. This may have other effects the OP does not desire, but if a 'long rest' is redefined as a few days (or maybe a week) convalescing in town or a comfortable sanctuary (not camping out on the Dungeon floor), and a 'short rest' is an overnight camp, then things might be a bit more palatable. This might dovetail nicely with the common occurrence less than suggested number of encounters per day that many have mentioned. YMMV, etc.

 

[cthulhu42]

It sure was that way in d20. But it is not now.

But don't take my word for it - in fact, that would be useless, because you won't believe me until you see it.

So roll up a party with little or no combat medics, and give it a go. I guarantee you you will cope. Perhaps not at first, but you should soon adapt your tactics to not rely on a combat healer.

This makes it much more fun to play a cleric, since nobody is no longer taking your heals for granted.

Actually I have done this. My first experience with 5E was as a player in a group with no healers, and yeah, it worked, especially with the 8 hour heal and short rests. But I still think it requires an adjustment on the DM's part. You just can't throw as much at a party without someone capable of healing, especially in combat. I know for a fact that the current game I'm running would look very different without the cleric. Not to mention the cleric's ability to raise a character from the dead.

But yes, it's possible. For that matter, it was possible in earlier editions if you didn't mind sitting around for weeks on end waiting to heal. That's the thing I really do love about the eight hour heal. It gives even healer-weak parties a chance to exist. That's why I don't want to get rid of it. I just want a better narrative rational.

 

[Tony Vargas]

I know for a fact that the current game I'm running would look very different without the cleric. Not to mention the cleric's ability to raise a character from the dead.
But yes, it's possible. For that matter, it was possible in earlier editions if you didn't mind sitting around for weeks on end waiting to heal. That's the thing I really do love about the eight hour heal. It gives even healer-weak parties a chance to exist.

It's always been possible, but it's only worked well when you could recover hps without the 'crutch' of magical healing (in 4e when you had the Warlord as a martial 'leader,' all PCs could Second Wind, and a short rest was 5 min). Before or since, the game has to be re-balanced to accommodate glacial non-magical hp recovery (pacing changed from minutes and hours to days & months) and reduce the danger posed by combat (by players avoiding combat if at all possible unless they had an overwhelming advantage, or simply by the DM softballing combats).

That's why I don't want to get rid of it. I just want a better narrative rational.

But, the rationale you've come up with requires a magical healer, so you're right back there, really. :shrug:

 

[cthulhu42]

True, but fortunately I have a player who enjoys playing clerics so it's not a big issue until we get into a campaign without a divine caster, druid, etc. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

 

[The Human Target]

Holing up for in a dungeon room for days on end doesn't make your eyes roll?