Flaming Bat, Man!
- Thread starter Orryn Emrys
- Start date
Your initial reaction and the steps you followed were just fine.
Note that characters can use a Heal check to grant an ally a saving throw or a +2 bonus to their saving throw (PH 185).
There's a note in the MM (page 7) that points out that monsters also have healing surges - if the number of hit points matters, it's 1/4 of the normal total. The number of surges the monster has is based on its level.
Note that characters can use a Heal check to grant an ally a saving throw or a +2 bonus to their saving throw (PH 185).
There's a note in the MM (page 7) that points out that monsters also have healing surges - if the number of hit points matters, it's 1/4 of the normal total. The number of surges the monster has is based on its level.
TheLordWinter
First Post
Technically speaking from what Rodney Thompson had said before on the Paizo message boards, an encounter ends when you say it does: so if the PCs are still on fire when the monsters are dealt with, you can easily rule that a key part of that encounter (being on fire) is still going. Let your PCs either try to help put one another out (Heal Check DC 15) or to find water (automatic success on a save) or actively stop and roll on the ground (+2 bonus on saving throw). Those are just a few thoughts and aren't exactly how it has to go, and you could as easily say the encounter ends and they all dump their waterflasks over their heads.
On your second item, I would handle this with a heal check as well. I personally don't like letting Healing Word heal someone anyways, and I'm glad to know it isn't supposed to work this way or at low-level the adventurers could just push themselves long past running out of healing surges. In this case though, since your PCs want to spend some of their resources on the guy I say go for it. Just remember that NPCs do technically have healing surges, a number equal to their tier (I believe I came across this in the DMG, I can find a page reference if you'd like).
This can also be a situation where you can hand-wave it. Perhaps the NPC is dying but not "dying" as per the PHB entry and so when your PCs tend to him, it's enough to bring him back from the brink for story purposes. While it wouldn't work on their fellow characters, it's good enough for a plot NPC.
As for the other question which arose about the level of detail for NPCs, there isn't technically a right way or a wrong way - there's a very detailed way and a sufficient way. This time around, the DMG presumes you'll just do what is sufficient - if the NPC is going to be an enemy he'll have a couple of higher level powers and maybe an enchanted weapon and then he's good to go. If he's tougher he'll also have a template. You don't need every detail since more often than not every detail won't come up - will this NPC need the religion skill? Then he's got it. Will there exist the possibiliy that this NPC might need the religion skill? Then he'll have it or not as it turns up over the course of the story.
On your second item, I would handle this with a heal check as well. I personally don't like letting Healing Word heal someone anyways, and I'm glad to know it isn't supposed to work this way or at low-level the adventurers could just push themselves long past running out of healing surges. In this case though, since your PCs want to spend some of their resources on the guy I say go for it. Just remember that NPCs do technically have healing surges, a number equal to their tier (I believe I came across this in the DMG, I can find a page reference if you'd like).
This can also be a situation where you can hand-wave it. Perhaps the NPC is dying but not "dying" as per the PHB entry and so when your PCs tend to him, it's enough to bring him back from the brink for story purposes. While it wouldn't work on their fellow characters, it's good enough for a plot NPC.
As for the other question which arose about the level of detail for NPCs, there isn't technically a right way or a wrong way - there's a very detailed way and a sufficient way. This time around, the DMG presumes you'll just do what is sufficient - if the NPC is going to be an enemy he'll have a couple of higher level powers and maybe an enchanted weapon and then he's good to go. If he's tougher he'll also have a template. You don't need every detail since more often than not every detail won't come up - will this NPC need the religion skill? Then he's got it. Will there exist the possibiliy that this NPC might need the religion skill? Then he'll have it or not as it turns up over the course of the story.
On Puget Sound
First Post
Kordeth said:
Exception: if it's more fun or dramatic to have that not happen. I can see at least some good roleplaying coming out of dropping the enemy and then having to frantically rush to smother the flames on the character who is still running around in a panic.
If I did this, though, I would be flexible about allowing powers to be used that normally trigger on an attack (cleric's Sacred Flame, for instance), since there is nothing around to attack. Let the cleric trigger a saving throw without having to hit anything in this circumstance - assume he has time and freedom from distraction so that he can use the power in a way he couldn't during the fight. Or set an Easy Reflex score he has to hit to make it work.
MarkB said:
Not quite. As part of a short rest, you can spend healing surges.
That's a rule for PCs, though, and in any case I'm pretty sure an NPC on the side of the road, lying unconscious and bleeding waiting for a cleric to come along and heal him, doesn't qualify as "taking a short rest."
In any case, whether he had a healing surge remaining or not is irrelevant since, as balard reminded me, if a dying character has no healing surges left and receives an effect that would allow him to spend one, he is healed to 1 hp.
bardolph
First Post
Item 1: I wouldn't rule the encounter as over until the fire is put out. As several people pointed out, player actions are most likely going to be Heal checks at this point. I would assume that applying water or "stop/drop/roll" tactics are assumed to be a part of the Heal check (higher skill = better knowledge of what to do), but you can always use the "DM's best friend" of +2 for any good ideas that the players have.
Obviously, if it's not dramatic to keep the encounter going, then just end it and move on.
Item 2: You are correct that if the wounded man already used his Healing Surge, then he would not benefit from Healing Word. It is certainly possible that he already used his healing surge after his last encounter (using healing surges between encounters does not require any special powers to activate). However, a Paladin could easily use Lay On Hands, and a 2nd-level Cleric might have Cure Light Wounds as his Utility Power.
If you wanted to be by-the-book strict, the PCs best option in this scenario is to shelter the wounded NPC for a couple of days, which would allow him to "naturally" heal to his full hit points.
Obviously, if it's not dramatic to keep the encounter going, then just end it and move on.
Item 2: You are correct that if the wounded man already used his Healing Surge, then he would not benefit from Healing Word. It is certainly possible that he already used his healing surge after his last encounter (using healing surges between encounters does not require any special powers to activate). However, a Paladin could easily use Lay On Hands, and a 2nd-level Cleric might have Cure Light Wounds as his Utility Power.
If you wanted to be by-the-book strict, the PCs best option in this scenario is to shelter the wounded NPC for a couple of days, which would allow him to "naturally" heal to his full hit points.
Orryn Emrys
Explorer
Thank you, friends, for all of your help.
*bows*
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