Healing Surges innate Blessed band aids

[Majoru Oakheart]

As in, my character fell down the stairs, was 'hit' by three arrows, poisoned, in the middle of a fireball, and mauled by a bear over the course of the day. I could describe that character as bleeding out his eyes, holding his guts in with one hand, and barely able to stand. But, since I used my healing surges to get back up to full, none of those wounds have any effect on my character.

But, that kind of 'narrative control' is better?

Yep, you could describe it any way you want to, such is the great part of hitpoints. Mechanically, they are needed in order to give the combat a sense of urgency(Only 27 more points of damage and I'm down!). However, role playing wise that exact situation can be described a number of ways.

Those 3 arrows managed to graze you, putting small cuts in your arm and torso. No big deal, it'll clot up in a couple of minutes. The falling down the stairs didn't do more than give you a small bruise as you rolled down in such a way that didn't twist your arm or hit your head. You dived to the ground as the fireball hit, rolling and coming up into the position you started in, scorch marks on your face and arms but no permanent damage. The bear hit you mostly with the side of his arm as he mauled you and mostly took a blunt heavy hit to your armor. It knocked the wind out of you for a second, but you are ok. One of the arrows was poisoned and you felt a little bit dizzy for a while but you managed to ignore it and keep going. At the end of the combat you shake off all pain you are feeling, clear your head an move on to the next danger. You are battered and bruised but nothing that won't be all but forgotten tomorrow morning. Each of those wounds COULD have been life threatening, but because of your luck as a hero none of them were.

The game mechanical description of everything that happened to you is that you lost 75% of your hitpoints, you spend a second wind, got hit a couple of more times until you were down to 2 hitpoints, then spent 4 healing surges at the end of the combat to get up to full.

 

[Storm-Bringer]

The snark and sarcasm level in here is creeping toward the unacceptable. Let's tone it down, please.

I apologize, for my part. I think further inquiry in this topic would be fruitless for me.

 

[Ingolf]

If you were playing in my campaign and described your wounds like that, I would expect you to roleplay the effects on your character, not handwave them away.

As in, toss the character sheet in the trash and ask for a new blank one, I'd imagine.

 

[Storm-Bringer]

The game mechanical description of everything that happened to you is that you lost 75% of your hitpoints, you spend a second wind, got hit a couple of more times until you were down to 2 hitpoints, then spent 4 healing surges at the end of the combat to get up to full.

I see what you are saying, it's just a bit too... forced? artificial? I guess what I am seeing with this and the skill challenges is the rules poking through the description, or the description not being solid enough to maintain the veil over the rules.

No biggie, it looks like something you (and others) have been waiting for, so happy gaming!

 

[Ktulu]

Famous Heroic Surges in Movies:

Lord of the Rings:

Boromir - After taking an arrow directly to the chest, he somehow manages to still get up and continue to fight, hoping to save the halflings. In the end, too many wounds would still best him.

Aragorn Vs Lurtz - After being beaten around and headbutted to the ground, Aragorn comes to quick enough to avoid the dagger being thrown at him and defeats Lurtz. Moments later, after a pep talk w/ Gimli & Legolas, he is off running at full speed to rescue Merry & Pippin.

Serenity:

Zoe - A reaper sliced her back open dropping her to the floor, requiring assistance from Jayne to get behind cover. A quick stitch from Simon and she was back up in the fight.

Malcom vs The Operative: The operative beat the snot out of malcom, then stabbed him and attempted to use his nerve stun against him. However, he paused just long enough for malcom to take a breather and get the drop on the operative.

The Princess Bride:

Inigo Montoya: Has a dagger thrown at his stomach, and is stabbed twice before regaining enough strength to see his vengence through and kill count Rougen. After the fight Wesley comments on his wounds and Inigo shrugged and said he was fine.

Star Wars TPM:

Obi-Wan vs Darth Maul: After being beaten and knocked into the pit, obi-wan uses a healing surge and leaps out of the pit to finish off darth maul (yeah, this one sucks...but so did the movie, so, nya)

Crank:

Pretty much the entirety of crank is one, long healing surge.

Ktulu

 

[Dr. Confoundo]

Or take a look at 'Die Hard'. John McClane (Bruce Willis) is the walking embodiment of the Healing Surge in action.

 

[Vaeron]

I really have to see this in action in 4e Modern...wow I took 3 M16 rounds...but I'm ok now! Come on....

I think maybe you missed the part where adventures in 4E aren't ordinary people, they're "points of light" in a darkening world. Levels 1-10 are Heroic levels. An ordinary soldier falling off a roof could die or be in bed for weeks. A Hero falling off the roof could hurt themselves but recover quickly. Why don't the townsfolk grab up their weapons and go rescue their friends from the orc encampment themselves? They'd be cut down! They're no match for ferocious monsters. They need heroes!

A hedge wizard who practices all his life might be able to make a light appear, or sounds come from nowhere, but he'll never be able to toss out spells like a hero can. Why isn't old John down the road a 20th level Farmer by now? Because he's not a hero, he's an average person. There are no level 20 Farmers!

So your d20 Modern example isn't totally 4e compatible. In 3.0 and 3.5 everyone and everything had a class. That's just not so in 4e. Wizards are special. Fighters are special. They're heroes. And heroes have powers above and beyond normal humans. For example: Magic missile.

And accelerated healing.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I could, grudgingly, accept this logic.

Except for all the Cure X Wounds spells, and Heal, and others, that seem to cure my stun.

One or the other have got to give.

Either damage is wounds, and cured by Cure X Wounds, or damage is stun, and cured by Cure X Stun.

But not one of each.

It's hard to suspend disbelief and get immersed in the cinematics, when clerics keep casting spells that defy that immersion.

It's why I hate monks in 3E. Every time someone uses the Deflect Arrows feat to deflect a thrown dagger, it kicks me completely out of the immersion.

-Hyp.

 

[qstor]

Rolemaster... concussion hits heal very fast. Fighters with high con easily heal 1/8 of their hp in one hour of sleep.

I have to admit in all fairness I've never played Savage Worlds, Rolemaster, M&M or Hero 5e. Its as a friend mentioned D&D 4e is more cinematic now than 2e or 3e with hero points and healing surges.

A portion of post deleted You probably saw that I've already addressed that comment. don't throw gas on a fire. ~ PCat

 

[Henry]

Y'know, eventually, if used enough, the words "John Maclane" in 4e forums the world over will start causing epileptic seizures in people who don't like the 4e healing surges.

I started looking at it, and remembered all my balking at how horribly unrealistic 3E healing was. Without so much as a stitch of magic, not even a single cantrip, mind you, a character taking a full day's bed rest under a competent healing receives FOUR TIMES HIS CHARACTER LEVEL IN HIT POINTS EACH DAY.

Let me repeat this: Four times his character level in hit points each day.

The 10th level Barbarian with an 18 CON and 130 hit points (well above average, I note), will regain 40 hit points per day of good care. In three days, he's almost completely healed. He could have fallen off a cliff, been chewed on by a demon, and had an Owlbear of Legend hug him to pieces, and he's almost brand-new in three days.

Heck, a 1st level barbarian with 16 hit points will be brand-new in four days. Wizards and rogues? they'll be healthy in one-third that time. That 10th level wizard with a 14 CON and 46 hit points is back to snuff in a single day of being mangled.

healing surges aren't realistic, but they're not that much different from the insanity of everything after Original D&D.