Does clerical healing magic (e.g. cure light wounds) close wounds?

[IronWolf]

Really? How? And, more importantly, why?

PbP games are all about the descriptive element for me. So I describe battle scenes in more detail than just "you swing, you hit" or "you swing, you miss". I try to include some combination of swings, misses, dodges and wounds when they happen.

Likewise, when the healing begins I tend to describe the use of the wand or spell and the healing powers that come from it. This includes some description on how the wounds healed, the pain fades, etc.

 

[Hussar]

PbP games are all about the descriptive element for me. So I describe battle scenes in more detail than just "you swing, you hit" or "you swing, you miss". I try to include some combination of swings, misses, dodges and wounds when they happen.

Likewise, when the healing begins I tend to describe the use of the wand or spell and the healing powers that come from it. This includes some description on how the wounds healed, the pain fades, etc.

Oh, totally get descriptive combat. It's something that should be done. Turning combat into a rather complex form of Bingo calling is a bad thing.

OTOH, when you're healing outside of combat, IME, it's pretty much glossed over. PbP, I guess, I could see it more, since that is such a large part of PbP. But on the tabletop? I can see how it might come up, it just hasn't in my experience.

 

[Pentius]

Really? How? And, more importantly, why?

I've seen it done too, especially now that I'm getting back into face-to-face games after a few months of PbP only. Maybe I brought some of it with me after getting used to a more description reliant form of play. I like it, though, and my players are getting into it, too.

Anyway, the descriptions are about what you'd expect. Our group has a Warlord for a Leader, so we're getting pretty used to Rubbing Dirt In It instead of magic healing. Out of combat, I'll usually drop a line or two like, "You guys take a moment to catch your breath, maybe bandage a cut or two."

 

[Hussar]

I've seen it done too, especially now that I'm getting back into face-to-face games after a few months of PbP only. Maybe I brought some of it with me after getting used to a more description reliant form of play. I like it, though, and my players are getting into it, too.

Anyway, the descriptions are about what you'd expect. Our group has a Warlord for a Leader, so we're getting pretty used to Rubbing Dirt In It instead of magic healing. Out of combat, I'll usually drop a line or two like, "You guys take a moment to catch your breath, maybe bandage a cut or two."

Well, if that's the extent of narration, then I'm not sure where there'd be any problems in any edition. I was thinking that the narration would be actually fairly detailed. One liners though? Oh, sure, I've seen and done that.

 

[tuxgeo]

"Wounds" as such, are generally a flavor element in D&D, not a mechanical one. So, closing those wounds is similarly a flavor element. I do what makes for the best flavor at the time.

That's the way I take it: if you want there to be wounds, then magical healing can close such wounds as may occur. On the other hand, if you want to ignore wounds, then there's nothing to close, so you needn't worry about it.

As I see it, the closing of wounds isn't hard-coded into the 4E rules because wounds themselves aren't hard-coded in: "damage" merely means "loss of hit points."

 

[Squire James]

The names of the early divine spells "Cure X Wounds" all seem to imply that they're curing wounds. Then again, Disintegrate really only lives up to its name if it kills something, so it could be interpreted that "Cure Light Wounds" could really mean "Try to Cure Light Wounds". However, those spells stop Wounding effects in every edition of D&D that defines Wounding in terms of HP damage. So I don't see any reason why such spells would stop supernatural wounding effects but not mundane ones.

One of the things most Wound/Vitality variants of D&D don't ever seem to explain very well is how divine healing interacts with it. Every individual variant has their own set of rules at best - I've seen some that never mentions magical healing at all!

 

[Pentius]

Well, if that's the extent of narration, then I'm not sure where there'd be any problems in any edition. I was thinking that the narration would be actually fairly detailed. One liners though? Oh, sure, I've seen and done that.

As the DM, I generally try to keep my own descriptions of PC stuff(like patching themselves up) fairly short. I try to give the players a starting point, and often end a one-liner like the above with asking them to take it from there. It seems kinda "coachy" but, then again, I do have several tabletop noobs in my group, so they're still learning the ropes.

But yeah, I don't tend to have problems with the narration, even if I do make it longer.