Fast Healing in Modern Games

[Izer]

Possible solutions Un-nerf guy with the the healing spell, dropping the wis damage, and scaling back the sub-dual damage. Now everyone starts combats with full hitpoints.
2: Less frequent combats. What the heck is the party /doing/ in a modern setting that involves routinely getting into serious fights several times a day anyway? Even swat-teams and spec-for ops do not as a rule engage in that much violence. Again, this gives the rest of the party time to heal up.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Hrm. Thanks for all of the replies, guys. I figured there'd be some nice suggestions from the peanut gallery.

We had a talk about it at the table again today and I laid it out that I didn't much like the second character concept and that retiring a PC for one over-powered ability getting nerfed was below him. Which, honestly, we all agreed with, even him.

Eventually we reached a comprimise. I downsized the penalties on Healing Touch of Asklepios to 1 Wis Damage and 1d3 Subdual. Rightly, however, the Mythos Occultist doesn't like to pull out the forbidden knowledge dredged from unspeakable texts if it isn't direly required.

I decided I didn't want to totally nerf his Fast Healing, as he paid quite a few points for it (rightly so) and it DOES reduce the overall amounts of damage he deals (which is, 1d8+1d4+2 or, average, 8-9 points).

The Fast Healing IN COMBAT definately wasn't the problem, and I thought it was a great concept. Y'know, the action-movie star that gets beat down and beat down and finally left unconcious who then stands up a moment later, gets a "Second Wind" and wades back in. It was the fact that he started EVERY COMBAT with full HP while the rest of the party limped along that was the problem.

So we decided to make his Fast Healing triggered, and only active during combat rounds and for 1d6 rounds after. He's still farther ahead than others, but at least rarely at MAX from 4 hp after 4 minutes.

I'm going to look into a super-science gadget of some sort to offer additional healing between-combats, perhaps ... something for a little downtime juice. We often have 2-3 combats per In-Game Day, which is where the problem came in. I'll have to think of some way to keep that balanced.

It would be fine if we were playing just a "d20 Modern" game or just "Blood and Vigilance", but about 1/3 of the stuff we've got is totally house-rules. Quite difficult to make sure things maintain the right FLAVOR (which is my major concern) and make sure they're balanced and fun (which everybody is certainly having).

Edit: As to why so many combats. They're pulp heroes, and prone to huge amounts of violence. Between the gang war, the super-villians, demons, cultists, super-science storm troopers, and the halloween candy force-feeding itself to them, they're usually getting scrappy several times a day during an adventure.

--fje

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

Wow, lots of calls for "NERF HIM! NERF HIM!" in this thread...

I wonder how many of them are actually "Wolverine" fanboys though?

See, the guys with fast healing is the guy who CHARGES the guys with Machine Guns, who has Full HP each combat so he can get up close and personal and hammer the others down. He should be the one to charge the emplaced heavy weapon, who leaps into the crowd of guards, he leaps through the energy barrier, etc etc etc.

If the other players have no problem with him playing a Wolverine Concept PC, then take a page from Marvel Comics and beat him into the dirt.

A lot.

Give him a Fast Healing weakness. Maybe his fast healing doesn't work for magic/psionic s and stuff like that, but he can come back if he's dead, etc.

Geez, at the first sign of trouble, the common screech is "NERF HIM!"

I'm glad you guys aren't my GM...

 

[The Grackle]

I'm a Wolverine fanboy... I like the old-school brown suit the best.

If this were an X-men level game I'd say, no problem, but for a low level supers game using D20 Modern as a base, that's different. I read a little bit of Heap's story hour so I kinda' know what he's going for as far as feel and power level.

And I GM a MnM game where the brick has max ranks in regenerate. He can fully recover from being disabled in a couple of rounds! But he's fighting along with other Justice-League level supers against potentially Earth destroying threats, not Serbian gangsters.

It's a matter of keeping things balanced in the party so everyone has a chance to shine.

EDIT: Oh, yeah. I'm glad your player came to his senses.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

I'm glad he came-to as well. I think he was having a Wolverine moment ... he just got X-Men Legends and has been playing that alot, so I'm going to blame his momentary lapse on that.



But totally outside, non-game, things have crushed all enjoyment of my RPG hobby. The only visitors we've had over to the apartment in the last month have been the game group. Just this week two new people joined the crew, showing up Friday and tonight. We just realized that our new digital camera that was sitting near the TV is missing, and we last used it on Thursday. We've torn the house apart looking for it, but it's looking more and more like somebody has taken it. I'd say I know my core group pretty well (a little over a year), but I just met the two new guys and, as much as I hate to point fingers, I don't think the thing shuffled off to buffalo on its own.

First nice camera I've owned. Wedding present, worth about 600 bucks. More with the 256mb card that was in it. I certainly can't afford to replace it on a GTA's stipend, that's like a month's rent for us.

--fje

 

[C. Baize]

Aw, dude...
That sucks hard core.
There's not even anything to really be said about that except I hope it turns up...

That's really bad because I've found that for the most part, gamers in another gamer's home are usually VERY respectful of property and people.
Freakin' bad apple...

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Well, good news. Camera turned up.

We're still not sure how it got where it was. It was on the opposite end of the apartment in an (open-topped) box of stuff we never unpacked from a year ago when we moved in.

Very strange. I had looked EVERYWHERE before that closet. Even the fridge and the freezer (never know when you're going to have a rainman moment. I once found the remote in the freezer ...)

Now I feel bad I even suspected anybody. Been a poor weekend all over ... set fire to the microwave, nearly lost one of my sugar-gliders in the couch ... the camera was just the topping on the cake.

--fje

 

[ledded]

Wow Heap, sounds like you had quite a time of it lately.

Anyway, sounds like you have your problem wrapped up, but I wanted to chime in anyway .

I know we've been over this before, but this is one reason why I like VP/WP. See, VP return reasonably quickly anyway, so Fast Healing/Regeneration really just bumps that up. I ruled that WP return at the same rates as in the power description, except "per round" is "per hour". Sure, we have one character who can be just about killed outright and be back on their feet by the end of the day, but it hasnt thrown me for too much of a loop yet.

But that being said, I have had similar issues with other powers and have house-ruled things like Telekinetics having to make a ranged touch attack with their PP as the modifier to "grab" and move something that is attended or moving, etc. Sounds like you did the right thing though, and have it well in hand.

Also, I tend to set up fairly well-rounded mooks for the guys to hit; if he keeps taking the damage too well then switch the damage . Things that cause ability loss or call for Will saves aren't handled by the Fast Healer any better than anyone else.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Hoo boy a weekend. Had papers to grade, Sugar-Gliders on the rampage ... while cute, they're almost as bad as ferrets for finding interesting places to hide. Popcorn catching FIRE. Mysterious relocating electronics.

I'd use WP/VP but, eh ... I guess the recouping nature of them is something to look into. HPs stay static throughout the day. ... One day you may yet convince me to make the switch, but for now I'll try to stay with the transparency of HP. (Half of that being I don't want to explain a whole new system to my players and go about converting all of their guns and powers. )

This way will hopefully work for us. I gave him an AP for being such a good little patient while Dr. DM operated on his PC, so all was satisfactory in the end.

He's faced some foes that can get to him. He also has a little DR (2) that makes him pretty effective against most mooks ... not to give anything of the story away, but eventually they ran up against some Tesla Rifle toting baddies that nearly charbroiled his chicken for him. 3d6 damage, bypassing DR, got to him pretty quick. His AC is pretty low, so he depends on that DR and FH to keep incoming at a minimum.

There are some will saves coming up in his future, as well.

--fje

 

[C. Baize]

Now, see... there's a great reason to keep his regen as it is...
Those nasty nasty Will saves vs. domination and such...

He's the team's powerhouse.. He wades in....
"Why is he wading back out... why is he attacking us? Why won't he freakin' stay down???"


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Glad your camera turned up, man. That's great!