Are there some things magic can't heal?

[Katuchan]

I apologise if this is the wrong forum to post this in, as I seem to have misplaced the search form. >.>

Anyway. My players interrupted some creatures who had captured a blind Drow female. The creatures were removing her left leg to present to their God.

My players decided that, evil or not, they couldn't let this butchery stand, and slaughtered the creatures the moment they finished cauterizing the wound. When they escaped, they brought the Drow with them. One of my players is a Paladin, and he wants to see if there's some way they can make her whole again (keeping in mind that they did NOT take her leg with, and are now on a different plane of reality).

Now, I've all ready set the precedent for a wound that magic can't heal - my ranger was used in a ritual to resurrect an evil primordial, and the runes carved into her face and body will remain as scars due to the magical nature of the knives.

However, I did allow my players to use the Make Whole ritual to restore the broken horns of a Tiefling.

Now, I know that ultimately it's my decision, and I'm likely to say that they cannot regrow an entire leg when the wound is cauterized and the leg is being digested somewhere on another plane of reality...But I'd like to garner some opinions! Thanks in advance!

 

[Flipguarder]

I would say that a make whole ritual would work the same way regenerating the broken horns of the Tiefling did. Just think of it as growing back the leg rather than re-attaching it.

As for cauterization. I don't understand how that would have an effect on magic's ability to heal.

And at the end of the day:

Party's happiness > minute points of logic.

 

[Prestidigitalis]

I certainly hope so. My Fighter has a broken nose -- she just wouldn't be the same if it got fixed.

And one of these days, a few characters down the line, I'm going to play a Bard named (well, nicknamed) Scratch, because his voicebox is scarred from an accident. His scratchy voice is no good for singing but he is the world's best story-teller.

 

[Akaiku]

Now, I've all ready set the precedent for a wound that magic can't heal - my ranger was used in a ritual to resurrect an evil primordial, and the runes carved into her face and body will remain as scars due to the magical nature of the knives.

Magic can make a wound so powerful that even magic can't heal it. The only solution is more magic!

Magic is like Chuck Norris, it can do anything, including stop itself.

 

[Ryujin]

If you consider being crippled by a missing limb to be an "affliction", then have I got a ritual for you!

 

[Katuchan]

Magic can make a wound so powerful that even magic can't heal it. The only solution is more magic!

Magic is like Chuck Norris, it can do anything, including stop itself.

XD "Chuck Norris can create a rock so heavy that even he can't lift it. And then he lifts it anyways, just to show you who the Chuck Norris is."

Thanks for the ideas so far, guys. The saw used to amputate was not magical, though, so if I apply the same principles, I suppose it is possible that the leg could be regrown. As to the cauterizing - the way I picture it, is that a healing spell can mend an open wound, but cauterizing a wound is essentially "closing" it. A healing spell won't cause a half-orc's nose ring to be ejected from his septum, etc.

Ryujin - You do? Elaborate!

 

[blalien]

I'd think a tiny hole in the nose would be less than 1HP of damage, so you could be at full HP and still keep the piercing.

Here's your solution for everything: give the players what they want, but make them work for it.

 

[Katuchan]

Here's your solution for everything: give the players what they want, but make them work for it.

Good call.

 

[LightPhoenix]

First off, welcome to the boards!

Search is restricted to community members, since it is a significant load on the server. However, you can go to google and search with site:enworld.org for stuff.

As to your question: I would rule that Make Whole only works on objects, and not on creatures. Object has a very specific meaning different from creature in the rules; Make Whole indicates an object. I didn't see any rituals about regeneration, however I would generally house rule it as a ritual based on Heal.

 

[cdrcjsn]

What would be neat is if she gets a magical prosthesis instead.

Pick any of the magic boots that are available, reflavor it to "prosthetic leg" and there you go.

There aren't really any hard and fast rules for this - at least not til a Regenerate ritual comes up (Divine Power?). So it's up to the DM to just make stuff up.

I like the idea of the magic prosthetic though. It might even be a good incentive to take the Paragon path that gives someone warforged features.

Bionic (Drow) Woman!