Pathfinder 1E Are there healing surges in Pathfinder?

[Jhaelen]

It nearly never helps to use a standard or fullround action for healing... look at the spell lists and then on the damage an unoptimized frontliner does... just hold person the villain (law domain), coup de grace him. Then heal the fighter.

Well, then you should look for ways to heal with swift or immediate actions, right?

I've found hold person to be utterly useless. Targets are either invalid, immune, or have too good saves. I kind of agree in principle, though. there are often more effective actions than healing for clerics.

 

[Walking Dad]

I know it is a bad example, but I would really prefer if the cure spells would be a swift action to use.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Well, there's Close Wounds as a ranged immediate action. Paladin's lay on hands heals himself as a swift action (why don't monks get to do that?). Beyond that, there's MIC items for swift action healing. In any case, healing surges are standard actions (move for dwarves though, I think) in 4E anyway, so in either edition you can't really.

 

[billd91]

I can't say I detest healing surges completely, but I don't like most of the way 4e implements them (particularly using them for healing potions, UGH!).

But I like the way Star Wars Saga Edition introduced the healing surge - gaining a second wind. It's a once per day healing surge. You have to be at half hit points or below to take it and you regain a quarter of your max hit points as a swift action.

I like that it's a swift action and that you can do it only once per day (though there is a feat that will allow you to do it one more time/day, and a class has a talent that allows it as well). 4e sucks all of the drama out of them by making them too frequent. Shaking off a beating in a dramatic fashion rocks like Rocky Balboa making a comeback against Apollo Creed. But that's a once in a movie kind of thing. Do it too often and it's decidedly ho-hum.

 

[Walking Dad]

Well, there's Close Wounds as a ranged immediate action. Paladin's lay on hands heals himself as a swift action (why don't monks get to do that?). Beyond that, there's MIC items for swift action healing. In any case, healing surges are standard actions (move for dwarves though, I think) in 4E anyway, so in either edition you can't really.

But the basic healing powers of the leader classes are all minor actions.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

But the basic healing powers of the leader classes are all minor actions.

The 2/encounter ones? That also has the encounter limits and surge limits. Healing in 3E/PF is basically unlimited, but also usually takes your action. That's just the trade-off. If you want to simultaneously heal and damage things, you can always play a Crusader at least.

 

[Scott DeWar]

If pc's get healing surges, tyhen Npc's should get them too. That can make an ardously long battle even longer and may turn the event to a potential tpk.

"surgis? We don't need no steeking sergis."

 

[El Mahdi]

deleted

 

[billd91]

Why?

Because 3.5/PF aren't the games that blatantly play NPCs with different rules from PCs.

 

[Mark Chance]

Because 3.5/PF aren't the games that blatantly play NPCs with different rules from PCs.

Assuming that's correct: So?

There's nothing in rules of 3.5 or PF that requires PCs and NPCs have identical access to abilities, et cetera, and even if there were there's no reason to continue with such a limiting paradigm.

In fact, there are obvious exceptions to the "no different rules" pseudo-rule. For example, only PCs get full hit points for their first Hit Die.