Healing during a short rest with leader healing

[Magus Coeruleus]

I houseruled that when outside of an encounter, assuming the healer can access the recipient (i.e. touch), the PCs get the max roll value. Frankly, it doesn't make enough of a difference or advantage to bother me and at least it's easy as pie to figure how many Healing/Inspiring Words are needed to get people to full or desired hp where there's no uncertainty for rolls. Of course if they do this in a dangerous area they risk an encounter and having some expended already. While in practice one would use both of the 2 uses of Healing Word (to use that one as the example) at the beginning of a 5-minute block, I have no interest in rolling to determine when the encounter happens and saying they have 0 or 2 available, and would usually just say they have 1 available in that circumstance.

 

[Otterscrubber]

To the OP: I don't see a problem with this. In fact in the PHB there is a section on using encounter powers outside of combat, and the example power given is healing word. So it seems clear that this was intended by the designers. Obviously if this is distasteful from a bookkeeping standpoint in your campaign then chuck it, but it clearly seems in line with the rules at least. Clerics have been able to heal outside of combat in every version of D&D to this point so it seems natural that this should continue in 4e.

 

[balard]

I like this way. Outside the encounter, you can use as many healing words you wish, with the lowest value per surge. OR, you can use just 2 with their maximum values until the beginning of the next encounter.