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

[ruleslawyer]

Is the Bard's ability to heal a new development in 3.5? Or could they heal in version 3.0 too? (I don't play 3.5.)

3.0 bards have healing, too.

 

[Remathilis]

Psions specializing in Psychometabolism can gain abilities that heal damage. Such as Body Adjusment (1d12 hp, augment for more) and Empathic Transfer. They even have a psionic power that brings back the dead (Psionic Revivify) but it only works within one round of the subjects death.

Its no where near as efficient as a divine cleric or druid, but its something.

Bards had Cure Wounds Spells in 3.0, check out the PH.

 

[mmadsen]

I've played plenty of RPGs with no healing magic at all and they worked fine.

Certainly, but D&D's combat system is designed so that you're almost guaranteed to get hit, but you can survive many such hits -- at least at higher levels. Without healing, ablative hit points dwindle away -- even if you keep winning.

 

[JDJarvis]

Certainly, but D&D's combat system is designed so that you're almost guaranteed to get hit, but you can survive many such hits -- at least at higher levels. Without healing, ablative hit points dwindle away -- even if you keep winning.

There is a point where the victor has to stop pushing the assault lest they wish to no longer remain the victor.
Players in such a camapign have to plan recovery periods as part of a winning strategy so bases and allies become something for the players (and the DM) to foster and this just might draw everyone into the "reality" of the campaign a little more.
For the DM one doesn't need as many speed bump encounters to make an encounter with the big baddie meaningful.

 

[Dogbrain]

It would work, it has worked. I've done it. Make sure the players understand what's up. Allow for a lot of "down time" and make sure that the PCs' enemies also have to take that "down time". Likewise, make sure that the foes take their own greater mortality into account, too. Otherwise, it's just an excuse to hose the players.

Ransom and captivity were much more heavily used than in vanilla D&D. If a foe got a reputation of not taking prisoners, he tended to attract a lot of unwelcome attention.