Healing Surges innate Blessed band aids

[D'karr]

If this healing surge thing works like we think, It is truly a black mark aganst the new edition, ( in my book anyway, for the reasons sighted above)

what mysterious power lets ALL PCs recover fully from 1 hp without magic?

I've got it! Everybodys a CLERIC!

Yes, that's it. Everybody IS a cleric. You can put your black marker down now.

 

[Zil]

If this healing surge thing works like we think, It is truly a black mark aganst the new edition, ( in my book anyway, for the reasons sighted above)

what mysterious power lets ALL PCs recover fully from 1 hp without magic?

I've got it! Everybodys a CLERIC!

I've been trying to think of some kind of in-game justification for this particular healing mechanic and the only thing I've been able to come up with is that it is somehow tied to the inner strength of the individual. When a cleric is involved, all they are really doing is serving as a catalyst to somehow convince the wounded to "heal thyself". No longer are clerics just channeling the power of their faith into healing. Paladins are a bit different, but even they are not channeling their faith into healing, rather they seem to be transferring some of their own vitality (reducing their surges).

I still don't like it...

 

[D'karr]

I've been trying to think of some kind of in-game justification for this particular healing mechanic and the only thing I've been able to come up with is that it is somehow tied to the inner strength of the individual. When a cleric is involved, all they are really doing is serving as a catalyst to somehow convince the wounded to "heal thyself". No longer are clerics just channeling the power of their faith into healing. Paladins are a bit different, but even they are not channeling their faith into healing, rather they seem to be transferring some of their own vitality (reducing their surges).

I still don't like it...

On the other hand, I've had no problem coming up with in game justifications for what the effect represents.

When the ranger was on the ground unconscious and the paladin stepped up to him and used his Lay of Hands power, the ranger felt the divine power of faith that the paladin projected and was able to see that the situation was not lost and he was inspired (he recovered hit points). He got back up and kept fighting. The next time when he was unconscious on the ground and rolled a 20 on his recovery roll, he opened his eyes from unconsciousness and saw that his friends were in dire need of him, as they were getting their asses handed to them. The anger at the situation triggered his Second Wind, which he had not used yet, and he got back up and continued to fight on, saving the day.

So I still like it...

 

[pawsplay]

4e is defining hit points as your current degree of script immunity, not physical wounds taken.

That seems rather at odds with the name Healing Surge.

 

[Zil]

On the other hand, I've had no problem coming up with in game justifications for what the effect represents.

When the ranger was on the ground unconscious and the paladin stepped up to him and used his Lay of Hands power, the ranger felt the divine power of faith that the paladin projected and was able to see that the situation was not lost and he was inspired (he recovered hit points). He got back up and kept fighting. The next time when he was unconscious on the ground and rolled a 20 on his recovery roll, he opened his eyes from unconsciousness and saw that his friends were in dire need of him, as they were getting their asses handed to them. The anger at the situation triggered his Second Wind, which he had not used yet, and he got back up and continued to fight on, saving the day.

So I still like it...

It's still essentially the same thing as my earlier example. The power to heal a person is coming from within the person being healed. The divine influence of a cleric's healing spell or touch is now just a catalyst (or inspiration). And as such, it represents a radical departure from past versions of the game; it diminishes the role of a cleric to heal based on channeling the power of his or her god. Whether or not you like this I suppose depends on how attached you are to the idea that a cleric's healing touch/spell really is divine energy passed from a god/pantheon/faith.

If this is really how healing works in 4E, the big healers in a group should be the 4E bard because they are all about inspiring others.

 

[Zil]

If this is really how healing works in 4E, the big healers in a group should be the 4E bard because they are all about inspiring others.

Yes, I am quoting myself , but I couldn't help but think of Elan from the Order of the Stick singing one of his inspirational songs "Heal, heal, heal today, time to get up again to play" or some such to inspire Roy and company to "heal".

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

If this is really how healing works in 4E, the big healers in a group should be the 4E bard because they are all about inspiring others.

Well, as far as we know, Bards will be "Arcane Leaders", and all Leaders are supposed to have healing abilities.

 

[Imban]

Actually, healing surges are one of the things I can't find a match for in games (video or table top). I've seen something similar in sci-fi and fantasy novels though.

Healing surges are dependant on the character itsel being healed. Presumably, if you are out of healing surges for the day, your body simply won't accept anymore healing magic. This doesn't occur in any game that I know of which I'm somewhat surprised more people haven't picked up on.

In novels though, I've read settings where character's have an inherent limit to how much magical/technological healing they can take in a day

I've seen it in a few games, but only in plot scenes where suddenly nothing works like the actual game mechanics any more. This is probably why it's so jarring to some of us (and I'll tell you - usually I seem to be the one hating on 4e mechanics in my group, but I was surprised by the fury with which healing surges were hated by my group), because it doesn't actually work like any game mechanic we've ever seen.

 

[DandD]

Then your group clearly played too few video-games, like the Final Fantasy Tactic series, or the Tactic Ogre-spinoff to Ogre Battle, or plain old RPGs like Wild Arms 3, and so on.

 

[Imban]

Then your group clearly played too few video-games, like the Final Fantasy Tactic series, or the Tactic Ogre-spinoff to Ogre Battle, or plain old RPGs like Wild Arms 3, and so on.

Er... what?

In Tactics Ogre, I can smash someone into the ground and heal them and I pay out of my MP pool. I can do this... forever really since TO starts you with 0 MP and has you recover it during combat.
In FFT, I can smash someone into the ground and heal them and I pay out of my MP pool. I can do this until I run out of MP.

What are you talking about?