Healing too powerful?

[sfedi]

Whenever I prepare adventures I notice what an extreme weakness is to lack healing capability.

If a group/individual lacks healing capability he can systematically be beaten by hit and run tactics.

Unfortunately, this means that a "real" war would be determined much more by the healing capabilities of both bands.

Not only that, but Magical Healing, compared to Natural Healing, is extremely effective.


Do you share this view? Opinions? Solutions?

 

[Turjan]

Although I'm a big fan of verisimilitude, I'm not too keen on realism in my games. Although I see your point, my main goal is fun for players and GM. Fortunately, neither I nor anyone in my group is a fan of micromanagement, like constant weight checks or exact time measurements (except in combat). This also means that we don't have fun if the group is always low on healing resources. Yes, they have to rest and sometimes to restock their potions, but I don't let this bog down the game.

 

[sfedi]

I'm not sure how my post relates to micromanagement, or giving PCs less healing resources.

I'm talking about healing as a whole in a world, and the implications of it's mechanics.

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

I have noticed that healing could perhaps be considered too powerful if you don't have enough encounters in a day before the spells come back. Bumping up the EL's can help.

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

Magical Healing is nerfed a bit in the Iron Kingdom's setting by Privateer Press. Neat idea. The nations are poised for war too.

I think the meta problems you are bringing up for larger issue of fantasy world plausability are very hard to reconcile. The magic problem goes way beyond healing. Eberron has somewhat attempted to provide explantions for the role of magic in everyday soceity.

 

[sfedi]

The only thing I came up to nerfing magical healing is to drop all healing hit dice to 1d4s instead of 1d8s.

Note that Magical Healing is so powerful, that the Cleric's spontaneous ability is just to prevent Clerics to prepare only CLWs (which was the case in AD&D)

 

[Turjan]

Given the fact that healing is costly and the wealth level for commoners is relatively low, I don't see a vast influence of magical healing on the campaign world, except a somewhat lower mortality rate, which may be offset by the general prevalence of monsters. As far as armies are concerned, I have decided not to think too closely about this, because I don't deal with wars in my campaigns. All the complications magic brings to warfare and city design brought me to the conclusion that magical healing is the least problem in this regard.

 

[sfedi]

Yep. I most definetly agree.

I just want to tackle this particular problem, although as you point out, there are plenty of issues in regard of the impact of magic in a fantasy world.

 

[The_lurkeR]

I agree that healing is too powerful, but the rest of the game is designed around the idea that it's available.

If you get rid of it, you'll likely need to change to something like the Vitality / Wounds system in UA, to prevent people from waiting weeks after battles to recover. You may also add in the Treat Injury skills from D20 modern for some quick on the spot healing that effectively mimics low level clerical spells.

 

[Fingol]

Magical healing shouldn't be an issue for the world at large. For people who injure themselves the biggest problem is unlikely to be hit point loss. Concussion, amputated fingers, broken bones are likely much more of a disabler…specially as hit point loss does not impair any ability or skill as long as you have more than one hit point left. Even if they drop below zero, and as long as the bleeding is stopped they should be up and about again within a matter of days/ less than a couple of weeks. Which is not that big a deal for the majority of the population. (If no one can stop the bleeding…it will be over pretty quick…quicker than the average person can run to the local church and back again in rural settings where most of your populations live.)

Add to this that most people only have a handful of hit points I personally can't see a large demand for hit point healing for people other than the adventurers. So when an adventuring group rocks up into town I can't see the streets lined with those needing hit point top ups even if the group has lots to spare.

And other 'healing' spells like regeneration and raise dead are too expensive for anyone. Although I have toyed with the idea of having a group set up an 'insurance company'. If the game world has a middle class let them buy insurance. They pay small amounts of money a month. If they have an accident, them or their family make a claim. Instead of paying money back we regenerate that finger back on or we raise you; depending on your policy and accident.