Can a warlord "heal" an unconscious character

[Nifft]

Yeah! Games that require people to have an imagination bother me, too.

Everytime I fall to negative HP or unconcious, the only things that get me up are magic, too. Why shouldn't the same be true in fantasy?

Here, have a Potion of Coffee.

It's bitter... LIKE MY SOUL.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Nail]

In 4e, can a Warlord bring you back from death with a few encouraging words? Yep.

In my group of friends, does that bother a few of them? Yep.

The issue isn't whether or not you can make it work in your game. The issue is how hard you have to work to bring everyone along. That's why 4e is such a tough sell.

 

[Tale]

In 4e, can a Warlord bring you back from death with a few encouraging words? Yep.

In my group of friends, does that bother a few of them? Yep.

The issue isn't whether or not you can make it work in your game. The issue is how hard you have to work to bring everyone along. That's why 4e is such a tough sell.

It's not that hard. Simply by accepting the fact that 0 HP != dead. The rules don't even remotely imply that it does. You're not dead until you need the resurrection ritual.

It's not even a great leap to say someone can be talked away from the brink of death. Unless you've never read a book or watched TV. "GET UP SOLDIER! I DIDN'T GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO LIE DOWN!"

If the image of a battle hardened commander grabbing his shell shocked soldiers and hoisting them on their feet to send them back into battle is a tough sell, the person simply doesn't want to be sold.

 

[blargney the second]

"It's just a flesh wound."
-blarg

 

[pemerton]

You could also take this as the demeanor of the Warlord and the respect he engenders having an influence on the character:

As your consciousness fades and you feel your life ebbing away, you think of <the Warlord>, that noble warrior and tactical genius that has seen you through so many conflicts in the past. You think about how you might be letting him down if you were to die right here in this moment, still so far from your party's goals. Hanging from a final thread of conscious thought you realize that you cannot allow yourself to fall here, no matter how much you might hurt, because you cannot bring yourself to disappoint <the warlord>.

More of an inspiring presence, really, but other than flavor text there's nothing to say that the healing word has to actually be words.

Excellent stuff!

 

[HighTemplar]

Warlords are magical creatures.

 

[wedgeski]

I allow it without question. I don't really want to see the Cleric put too much distance between himself and the Warlord when it comes to healing power, and it's pretty easy to justify in the game world if you just consider negative hit points to mean incapacitated rather than unconscious.

 

[robertliguori]

Warlords are magical creatures.

Or even more interestingly, heroic PCs are magical creatures, and warlords have the ability to tap that magic. He's not healing you with Inspiring Word, he's letting you see how to heal yourself.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Well, PCs can heal themselves just fine ... just gotta break out the deckchair.
Warlords just get them to do it faster.

 

[Obryn]

The issue isn't whether or not you can make it work in your game. The issue is how hard you have to work to bring everyone along. That's why 4e is such a tough sell.

I dunno, once you can establish that "Unconscious" is a condition that might encompass any number of narrative states (see also: Dazed, Stunned), it's a pretty easy jump.

-O