D&D with no Healing Magic! Would it work?

[ruleslawyer]

Arcana Unearthed is a ruleset with "arcane healing" (i.e. no distinction between arcane and divine magic, plus healing spells); if you removed the greenbond class, those rules could work fine.

However, it sounds like you'd want something closer to actual D&D. In that case, why not seriously consider VP/WP? The variant really does work fine in D&D (one of the reasons it made it into Unearthed Arcana); it might be nice to use limited healing availability (an in-game change) to lead to VP/WP (an out-of-game change).

 

[CCamfield]

There have been quite a few threads in the past, I think, related to improving the Healing skill to partly make up for the lack of healing magics, should one get rid of the latter. I used something in a short-lived campaign, along the lines of allowing 1d4 hit points to be healed if they were recently inflicted.

OGL Ancients has some pretty good mechanics for wounds. It's gritty, in that there can be grievous wounds that are hard to heal, but the basic healing mechanic is that each wound is separate and heals separately, at a rate of 1 point per full night's rest. Plus, Heal checks (DC 10 + wound size) can be used within an hour of receiving the wound, which heal 1 point from that wound.

For a heroic game, I think that LostSoul's suggestion of using subdual damage would be really good.

 

[S'mon]

The Conan RPG seems to handle it fine. 3e healing rate is 1-2 hp/level/day anyway, that's pretty fast. Let the Heal skill heal 1 hp/recipient level on a successful application, once/day or once/injury, and you should be fine. 4-party-CR encounters/day are out, of course, so dungeon hacks are problematic - as in our Midnight game or fantasy literature, battles should be much rarer, less than 1/day. This makes spellcasters more powerful, of course, since they can use all their magic in one battle.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

I think you're looking for Midnight sir.

Midnight has healing magic... it just isn't safe to use it (or any other magic for that matter) frequently as it makes you a target for Astiraxes and Legates.

Skull & Bones is a Pirate setting set in the real world Carribbean. If I remember right there is no magical healing in it but that is offset with a Vitality Point system where you heal VP's every minute. They also have a "Lives" system which reflects incredible escapes at the last minute.

 

[MonsterMash]

In some ways its almost 'not D&D' without the clerics and healing magic, but it would be good to make a break from the norm like that. You certainly would find that players couldn't use hack and slash tactics, but need to use planning instead, e.g. ambushes, ranged weapons, avoiding combat, far more than a 'standard' setting.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

Well, the way Midnight works, is the Paladin and Cleric spell lists are chopped off, and a special class can learn any other spell on any other spell list (except purely deity-divine magic). Since Druids and Rangers recieved their magic from "nature", and the planet still exists, those spells are still available. Basically, you lose out on raise dead and the better versions, and restorations about the lesser version. Plus you don't get healing as powerful, since clerics had the most powerful healing.

All the spellcasting classes were removed (including bard, ranger, and Paladin) as well as the monk. In their places are 3 new classes (Monk-variant, Ranger-variant, and the spellcaster, (which has 3 sub-types, you choose 1 of the subtypes). Anyhow, spellcasting is great at lower levels, but the caster gets progressively weaker later on, and all magic using people that aren't members of the BBEG god's religion, are killed on sight. (That includes people with magic items). Anyhow, it's a pretty grim world.

Calrin Alshaw

WRONG WRONG WRONG...

The only three classes available from the PHB are the Barbarian, Rogue, and Fighter. There are no Rangers, Monks, Bards, Druids, Paladins, Wizards, or Clerics in the game... at least in the traditional sense. The Ranger has been swapped out with the Wildlander which is basically a Non-Magical Ranger that I actually prefer to the PHB Ranger. The Monk was swapped out with the Defender, once again a martial artist without the pseudo-magical abilities of a Monk but with some really nice mundane abilities that make up for it. The Cleric was exchanged for the Legate which is a servant of the BBG. Wizards and Druids are now Prestige Classes and don't really resemble the basic classes in the PHB... the basic spell caster is the Channeller which while they have an impressive spell list you have to learn the different schools individually and with the way they are split up Magic Missile isn't even an option until 7th level.

Another thing you might want to know about Midnight is that they've incorporated a system called "The Heroic Path" which is similar to the Bloodlines rules in Unearthed Arcana except you don't have to pay for your bloodline with character levels. Each person can pick a Heroic Path and every level they gain some nice little ability which most of the time isn't all that dramatic but it is supposed to represent that "extra something" that makes the PCs the heroes of the campaign.

What makes me really like Midnight is that there are no Uber-NPCs around to save the day... it is all up to the PCs. There is no Elminster or Mordenkainen as all heros like that have been rounded up and slain or have gone into hiding and have no interest in making themselves a target again.

 

[diaglo]

you could try OD&D.


clerics don't get spells until 2nd lvl.

no bonus spells for wisdom.

and a very short list of spells to start.

however, clerics can research their own spells. much like magic-users do.

 

[Mordfane]

Hello All

In my game, a popular way of healing is by finding herbs in the wild. I play a classical medieval/fantasy style game, rangers don't cast spells, there are no clerics or paladins ( paladin replaced by knight class from mongoose publishing ). The only healing class in my game is the druid, but there isn't one in the group right now. Also, magic is rare in my game, so the pc's feel lucky when they find a healing potion. Other than the above, the only way of healing is to heal naturally.

Just my two cents
Fare thee well !

 

[pdkoning]

No magical healing can only be achieved by very tactical playing of the PCs. And maybe the use of herbs, or the healing skill.

In one of the parties I play in, I am a bard, and from level 1 to 7, I was the only one who could cast healing spells. We always survived by being sneaky and tactical.

In another pary I play a druid, and I am again the only one with healing spells. This also goes pretty well.

So you see, we don't need no stinkin' clerics

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I think the quickest fix is to use the "Armor as Damage conversion" rules from UA.

When you take lethal damage, convert a number of points equal to your armor bonus over to non-lethal damage.

Example: Fighter in chain shirt (+4 AC) is stabbed with a sword for 7 points. 4 points of that is converted to subdual, 3 points are lethal.

When you take damage from a non-lethal source, armor acts as DR.

Example: Fighter in chain shirt is punched (non-lethal) for 5 points. Chain shirt negates 4 points, fighter takes 1 non-lethal.

From there, you can use the Heal skill to pretty well patch up the characters in a hurry. (Non-lethal damage recovers quickly.)

Fights generally last the same amount of time, but when it's all over, most of the bodies on the ground are unconscious but still alive. Your players will have to deal with the repurcussions of that. (ie, do they go around and slit throats or let their enemies live another day).

Arcane magic is much more deadly-- I'd curb its use as well.

Creatures with negative energy attacks, poison or other ability damage/drain are trouble (as they should be, if you ask me).


Wulf