Changing the way healing works.

[Old Gumphrey]

I don't think it would significantly effect game play except the characters will need to take a break every once in a while,

And except that you can't heal during combat which is generally requires the most immediate attention. If you can't truly restore HP in combat then life expectency goes down fast. Maybe you want that, but you should be aware.

 

[Treebore]

Yep, -8 HP converted to subdual is still unconcious and still unuseable in the current combat. Lethality in a "normal" adventure, say as presented in Dungeon, would definitely go up. The cleric needs to be able to get people back up and fighting when they go down.

The half subdual/half actual may help it work. Or say that any such healing actually heals HP up to your CON score + bonus, and then everything after that is converted to subdual. Or all HP gained due to your CON bonus are actually healed, + your CON score (for those characters without CON bonuses). Or some combination there of.

Personally, I would just leave well enough alone. When you mess with such a significant aspect of a game system you have to alter/tinker with a lot of other aspects. Often becomes a headache not worth dealing with.

 

[Liquidsabre]

I dislike the way that healing at the moment just heals you. And thats it.

I don't want to eliminate the standard spells completely, the idea of being able to heal party members is too iconic and otherwise combat could become dangerous.

What I wish to provide an option (rather then say we should/need to change something) so that standard healing comes in the form of improving the natural healing process, something like fast healing.

The Vigor spells from CD provide the fast healing special ability for a limited period of time. Sounds just what you might be looking for.

 

[green slime]

Yep, -8 HP converted to subdual is still unconcious and still unuseable in the current combat. Lethality in a "normal" adventure, say as presented in Dungeon, would definitely go up. The cleric needs to be able to get people back up and fighting when they go down.

Which would actually increase the value of feats such as diehard and remain conscious.

 

[JDowling]

Lethality in a "normal" adventure, say as presented in Dungeon, would definitely go up.

of course, and if you are making lots of changes to the rules for your game you should take them into account when you import of build adventures.

And except that you can't heal during combat which is generally requires the most immediate attention. If you can't truly restore HP in combat then life expectency goes down fast. Maybe you want that, but you should be aware.

again, of course, if you run everything exactly the same. Just as if you say, "there are no magic items," you need to alter encounters so here you'd need to alter them to fit.

The other side of the coin - if you knock someone out through non-lethal (or because someone turned some of your lethal damage into non-lethal), and there's still other people standing, do you stop to CDG the unconcious person, or do you try to down another? I'd think the person who is knocked out, but not dead, would fall off the "priority list of enemies" pretty quickly.

i think more people would end up unconcious, but I don't think it would increase lethality all that much (unless the entire party got downed and the NPC was a "take no prisoners" type, or if the healer was downed first and couldn't put a "buffer" on the other people getting hurt... but they would die just the same if the healer died first with normal healing rules so, meyh =).

just thoughts.

EDIT: typo, etc