Healing and the Surgeless

[Caliber]

Hopefully someone can help me out here. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that if you were out of surges and received a healing effect (like a Potion, or a Healing Word) you still healed 1 HP. Is that true?

Also, if the healing was from a Healing Word, would you heal 1 + 1d6 + Wis HP?

I've looked all over in my books and couldn't find it!

 

[abyssaldeath]

If you have no surges you don't gain any healing from powers that require you to spend a surge. The one hit point thing comes from when you are dieing. If someone does a heal check on you to activate your second wind and you don't have any surges left you are put at 1 hit point. Note that this requires you to still have your second wind available.

 

[Bison]

I believe a healing potion will also do the same thing if you have no surges left.

 

[Syrsuro]

Actually, any healing that takes place while you are dying and which causes you to expend a healing surge gives you one point if you are out of healing.

Page 295, PHB, Under Healing the Dying/Healing a Dying Character/Regain Hit Points:


"if the healing effect requires you to spend a healing surge but you have none left, you are restored to 1 hit point."

Thus the healing skill is an example of this more general rule.

But I don't know anywhere that this general rule is extended to healing surges triggered by powers (either other players or your own). But you most definately cannot spend a healing surge you don't have, so no second winding or over-spending healing surges for extra points during rests.

Personally, I'd allow a minimum of 1 point to be gained from any power that triggered a healing surge (i.e. if it does healing surge +5, it does 5, but if it does healing surge only, it does 1) but only in combat, not during rests.

I don't know of any specific rule for a healing potion, but I'd say its reasonable there as well.

Carl

 

[Kordeth]

But I don't know anywhere that this general rule is extended to healing surges triggered by powers (either other players or your own). But you most definately cannot spend a healing surge you don't have, so no second winding or over-spending healing surges for extra points during rests.

Err, say what? The rule on p. 295 does apply to all types of healing that requires you to spend a surge. Why wouldn't it apply to powers?

 

[Syrsuro]

Err, say what? The rule on p. 295 does apply to all types of healing that requires you to spend a surge. Why wouldn't it apply to powers?

It applies to all healing when you are dying.

It does not necessarily apply to any healing any other time.

Sorry if I wasn't clear.

Carl

 

[Kordeth]

It applies to all healing when you are dying.

It does not necessarily apply to any healing any other time.

Sorry if I wasn't clear.

Carl

Ah--in that case, yes, you are correct. It came across like you were suggesting that healing from powers wouldn't benefit from the rule when healing the dying.

You are correct, there's no necessarily about it--you only get the 1 hp if you're dying and have no surges to spend. But allowing a character to receive one point of healing if he has no surges left, even if conscious, sounds like a fine house rule s long as you limit it to during encounters--and if an at-will power that lets someone spends a healing surge is ever published, you'd have to rule that out as well.

I'd also make sure to say it isn't a choice: if you have healing surges, you have to spend them or gain no healing--no choosing not to spend a healing surge to regain one hit point.

 

[Wolfwood2]

Page 295, PHB, Under Healing the Dying/Healing a Dying Character/Regain Hit Points:


"if the healing effect requires you to spend a healing surge but you have none left, you are restored to 1 hit point."


Personally, I'd allow a minimum of 1 point to be gained from any power that triggered a healing surge (i.e. if it does healing surge +5, it does 5, but if it does healing surge only, it does 1) but only in combat, not during rests.

I don't know of any specific rule for a healing potion, but I'd say its reasonable there as well.

Interesting. I note that the rule restores you to 1 hitpoint. It doesn't give you 1 hitpoint. So you can always get someone on their feet, but they're going to be very unsteady and will go down with one hit. Useful too after a fight is over.

I don't see what the point is of letting them regain 1 hitpoint if they're already above 1 hitpoint. I mean, it's 1 hitpoint! What's the point? Better to save the power or potion for if they go down again.

 

[Kordeth]

Interesting. I note that the rule restores you to 1 hitpoint. It doesn't give you 1 hitpoint. So you can always get someone on their feet, but they're going to be very unsteady and will go down with one hit. Useful too after a fight is over.

I don't see what the point is of letting them regain 1 hitpoint if they're already above 1 hitpoint. I mean, it's 1 hitpoint! What's the point? Better to save the power or potion for if they go down again.

It could come up, but in edge cases. For example, if you have 5 hit points left and are going to take 5 ongoing damage at the start of your next turn, a one hit point heal gives you one more round of action before you drop.

 

[DracoSuave]

The rule doesn't heal them one hit point, it sets them -at- one hit point. A big difference. Applying that rule to all forms of surgeless-need-a-surge healing will mean you take the ability.... and are set to 1 hp total.

Like, not healing.

You get more than enough healing surges for the day. Once you're out, take a damn extended rest instead of trying to push the envelope.

Seriously. It's a limited resource mechanic, when it's -empty- it is empty. It is a cost for benefitting from a power, can't pay the cost, can't benefit from the power. It's not difficult.