D&D 5E (2014) barbarian damage reduction and combat healing economy

[Leatherhead]

You could just use more enemies that have riders on their attacks.

 

[PnPgamer]

Efficient magical in combat healing in 5e is all about Healing Word, you wait until your allies are dropped to 0 than you heal them up with a bonus action.

Why? A few good reasons.

There is no penalty for standing up besides a bit of reduced movement, there isn't a threat of an attack of opportunity for instance.

All the damage done to your companion that went over reducing them to 0 h.p is wasted damage you don't have to heal.

The healer doesn't have to be adjacent to the downed person with healing word, and all it takes is a bonus action to cast it so the healer can spend their action doing damage which in turn ends the combat sooner and reduces the amount of healing needed.

So don't heal the barbarian or anyone else until they drop to 0 in combat, it wastes actions and when they get taken down below 0 it is like all that extra damage is a waste, keep your allies hovering at or near 0 h.p.

Now as soon as the combat is over get them back up to max h.p as fast as you can with Healer feat, your sack of goodberries, or cure wounds spells.

Do note that combat order plays its part here. If you are after your healable buddy, he will lose a round checking for death saving throw.

 

[Paraxis]

Do note that combat order plays its part here. If you are after your healable buddy, he will lose a round checking for death saving throw.

Rounds don't matter, initiative is cyclic.

Fighter goes to 0 > Cleric casts Healing word > Fighter is conscious before his next turn.

Now if the cleric's turn is after an enemy that will attack the unconscious fighter we have a problem, or if after the cleric casts healing word an enemy attacks the now conscious but prone fighter and drops them to 0 h.p we have a problem, but that is another reason to use healing word as a bonus action so the cleric can do some damage and kill those enemies.

 

[PnPgamer]

Rounds don't matter, initiative is cyclic.

Fighter goes to 0 > Cleric casts Healing word > Fighter is conscious before his next turn.

Now if the cleric's turn is after an enemy that will attack the unconscious fighter we have a problem, or if after the cleric casts healing word an enemy attacks the now conscious but prone fighter and drops them to 0 h.p we have a problem, but that is another reason to use healing word as a bonus action so the cleric can do some damage and kill those enemies.

Sorry, meant turn.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Rounds don't matter, initiative is cyclic.

Fighter goes to 0 > Cleric casts Healing word > Fighter is conscious before his next turn.

One of several reasons we use a homebrew initiative system that is not cyclic: Precisely so situations of that nature aren't remotely so predictable. (And in fact, a few games ago we had our first PC death, and it happened in part because of the initiative system. The bard didn't get a chance to heal the rogue before it was too late; on a cyclic system, he would have. And yes, this is a feature, not a bug. )

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

As it is a high level barbarian can reliably butcher an ancient dragon before it kills him, but a fighter probably won't. At least straight classed. MC of course will give you better characters.

I call shenanigans. No he can't. I'll run the ancient dragon, you run the barb, and let's see who's still standing at the end.

 

[KarinsDad]

So the problem is: How can we allow the barbarian his "staying power" without making healing effectively twice as good?


Do you have another suggestion?

Attack the other PCs.

 

[Madeiner]

Solution A is the only one i'd consider. The other are too fiddly or complicated to manage or even remember each time.

It IS a nerf to the class. It changes tactics. If you are okay with nerfing the barbarian, i think solution A is the strongest one.

 

[Psikerlord#]

One of several reasons we use a homebrew initiative system that is not cyclic: Precisely so situations of that nature aren't remotely so predictable. (And in fact, a few games ago we had our first PC death, and it happened in part because of the initiative system. The bard didn't get a chance to heal the rogue before it was too late; on a cyclic system, he would have. And yes, this is a feature, not a bug. )

Yep definitely agree. We have switched to rolling initiative every round. Much more unpredictable and fun. If I could convince my group, I'd go to an initiative card deck, to REALLY keep things unpredictable (ie, you dont know who's next until you draw the next card...)

 

[Mouseferatu]

If I could convince my group, I'd go to an initiative card deck, to REALLY keep things unpredictable (ie, you dont know who's next until you draw the next card...)

That's kind of what we do. We roll init at the start of combat; winner goes first in every round, basically "anchoring" the round. But everyone else is 100% random. I just roll a completely unmodified d6 (or d4, or whatever, depending on how many people/monsters are left to go), rather than using a deck of cards, but it amounts to the same thing.