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

[Torm]

You could go midway about it: remove all divine casters. But you still have the Paladin, Ranger, and Bard that can cure, in effect these 3 classes would become the new mainstream healers (especially a high charisma paladin and lay on hands).

This is almost the route I have taken in the campaign I'm currently running, except I left the Druid in, but took away the Cure X Wounds spells except Cure Minor from their spell list. They still get Nature driven healing like Goodberry, though. There ARE priests and clerics, but almost none have any sort of divine abilities, and the few that do aren't PCs. (Distant gods, Low magic campaign.)

Of course, very soon you might find that your new healer (pally, ranger, or bard) picks up the craft wand feat to store some wands of cure light so that they can stay longer in a room to room adventure.

I also made item creation a bit different (skill based - no Craft Wands feat, for example, but instead ranks in the skill Craft (Wand) with failed rolls resulting in a failed product that may or may not have a wild magical effect, and it all takes much longer, AND I'm requiring special additional quest-able components), to allow for magic items being much rarer. I did take out the XP cost, though, so none of the players are complaining yet. <g>

 

[Pbartender]

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.

I'd also recommend S&B. Here are the basics...

S&B has healing magic, but magic in general is severely limited. Hit points are still hitpoints, but you recover them by the minute, instead of by the hour or day. Rate of recovery is based on your hit-dice type, level, and Con modifier, so characters with more hitpoints tend to heal faster than those with fewer (so that everyone is fully healed at approximately the same time). After hit points reach 0, characters take Con damage, and must make Fort saves to stay conscious. A 0 Con, you die. Con damage heals as usual... 1 point per day.

There are other bits like Afflictions (perment wounds possibly gained from Con damage that may give various bonuses or penalties), Rolling the Bones (a sort of 'action dice' type mechanic) and Lives (a dramatic means of avoiding certain death to make up for the lack of Resurrections and Reincarnations). They can be incorporated into the game, but are a little more specific to the setting and may remove some of the 'D&D' feel.

 

[nopantsyet]

As to no healing whatsoever, I've done it. Using the WP/VP system. It was fine, nothing spectacular. I wouldn't hold to it religiously.

As to parties with no healer, that's much easier for the players to adapt to.

Unless you don't have combat every session, in which case it will likely work just fine.

 

[Henry]

This is almost the route I have taken in the campaign I'm currently running, except I left the Druid in, but took away the Cure X Wounds spells except Cure Minor from their spell list.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

I thought he just didn't have it prepared! Oh, !

 

[LurkerFreak]

When the gods left Krynn (before the War of the Lance), could Wizards still cast spells? Can a DL fan clear this up for me?

The 3 moons stayed in the sky and wizards still had spells. Part of the reason wizards were so disliked is that they knew the gods weren't gone for good and gave people who turned away from them a hard time.

 

[JDJarvis]

I've played plenty of RPGs with no healing magic at all and they worked fine.
Players have to learn to have characters act like they don't want to die. The value of scouting and divination is increased, well actually it isn't: folks just have to realize they have to pay more attention to everything. Players might even spend a little more time roleplaying before the fight scenes.

I don't find it boring at all to have a group of PCs prevail against insane risks when there is little but skill and luck backing them up.

For picky encounter balance issues one probably should jack up the CRs for disease spreading, energy draining, paralyzing critters by a fair amount to reflect the added impact such creatures would also get a heck of a lot more attention from folks as they would be a major problem.

 

[Stockdale]

I currently play in a game that lacks healing magic (and magic in general is rare) and I find it absolutely entertaining.

I agree with the other writers in that the absence of healing magics (spells, potions, or otherwise) forces the players to use a different mindset toward standard D&D type encounters. I have found the major difference to be a greater importance on spot and heal skills and range and reach weapons. I should also note that we employ the alternative rule from Unearthed Arcana with regard to armor as DR.

If your players are willing to reset their thinking, this type of game can be a lot of fun. If their looking for the traditional fanatasy RPG experience, this won't work so well for you.

 

[Remathilis]

There is also psionic healing, if you prefer to go the XPH route...

To echo some of the other posters, if you plan NO healing other than natural healing, get rid of the following.

1.) All Evocation Spells that deal damage. There are a few non-evocation damage spells (acid arrow, etc.) Fireballs = TPK.
2.) Any monster will ability drain, energy drain, or non-curable diseases (mummy). One attack from these creatures becomes a death sentence.
3.) Dragons. All of them.
4.) Dungeon Crawls with lots of monsters. Or don't put a time limit on them.
5.) Easy on Posionous monsters.
6.) Save or Die Spells (Finger of Death, Power Word Die, Bodaks). If there is no coming back, it sucks to go out like a punk to a single die roll, esp. with full hp.

It will be a radically different game.

 

[Shallown]

My only concern is if there is still arcane magic why aren't there arcane healing spells. In standard D&D it is divided and not allowed or wanted to some extent. But if there is no Healing from the divine what stops some good low level transformation healings spells from being used. It doesn't make sense not to have some. Someone must have developed them at some point even if they come at some cost. I know it doesn't make sense for standard D&D it's just a D&Dism that sticks in most cases.

Later

 

[KB9JMQ]

Personally I think this is kind of a cool idea.
I would put just a bit of healing in the mix though just to see it play out.
Like the only healing is CLW Potions. These would end up being very expensive and rare.
This would cause the players to be very cautious in battle and may bring up morale issues when several players need that LAST healing potion at the same time.