Healing

[kennew142]

Just a few scattered thoughts

It seems that most of the fears folks have expressed over the coming of 4e have proven to be false. That said, there have been a few things posted since DDE that IMO represent real concerns over the rule set's compatibility with individual style of play.

1) Lack of rules for grievous or significant wounds.

This is not a concern that I have, since I usually find it annoying to have characters laid up for a long time recuperating. It's always been one of the problems I've had in modern games. It may be realistic, but it impedes the flow of the story - and in some cases can break suspension of disbelief. If one character needs several weeks of recovery, doesn't it make sense for the rest of the group to press on, without him (especially if time is of the essence)?

However, it would seem easy enough to house rule. I know that some folks will say why should I have to house rule X? IME most games use some house rules. The standard rules do not always reflect the exact style or flavor that a particular group is looking for.

Of the suggestions so far, I like the idea of tracking the HP from CON separately. Let it heal at a much slower rate, such as 1 point per extended rest (or day). You could even penalize the character by 1 healing surge per 2 points of such grievous damage. Magical healing could repair this damage normally. IMO character should only experience this kind of grievous damage once their other, more cinematic, HP have been lost. The old Chaosium game Superworld worked this way.

2) The designers have replaced the 15 minute day with four 15 minute days.

I believe that this could be a problem with some groups. If players like to expend all of their big resources early on, and refuse to continue adventuring until they have recovered all of their abilities, the result will be just what these posters fear. However, it would seem to me that the mechanics of the game no longer encourage or require this style of play for the average gamer. It was very difficult in earlier editions to (especially 3e) to play in any other way. We managed it (barely and sub-optimally) because we hated the idea of the 15 minute day. But there were few house rules that could be implemented (aside from re-writing the game system) that could remove the problem.

These are just a couple of examples, but I believe we're seeing less fear mongering and more reality based concern about how 4e will represent individual styles and tastes. That's good. Honest discussion of the rules and how they can be tweaked to suit gaming style is IMO what the 4e forum should be about.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

We never had a 15 min day, except in very special cases. And if you use random encounters after those 15 mins, characters easily die.

Now your options are bigger: if all characters expend their daily resources for nothing, just show them it was no good idea, because they won´t get their 6 hour break, and sometimes they won´t even get their 5 min break.

the nonserious wound problem however is a problem, but i saw a nice idea floating around: when knocked down, depending how much saving throws you fail, you get a more serious wound.
But just as a reminder: in 3.5 there also were no serious wounds at all.

What i rather would point out is:

3) Lack of rules to overcome a foe without shedding blood.

i.e.: no trip, no real grapple, no disarm.

I hope there are guidelines for unusual maneuvers. (I know, 3.e rules were clumsy and usually failed, but they really had a purpose...)

 

[Sir Sebastian Hardin]

I have a question I've wanted to asked for some time, and since this thread is called "healing" I think this maight be the right place
-Loosing hit points means something like "getting tired", right? This is why you can use a second wind to spend a healing surge once per encounter. I think this is good in general, but.
-What about when you are bloodied? Do you "close" your wounds with a second wind? To the guys that went to DnD XP is this how it works? If this is the case, I think it's ilogical... I would allow ending the "bloodied staus" only with magical healing or something...

 

[Incenjucar]

When I have a cut, it closes on its own.

It's called platelets.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

It is less being winded and more your being battered and bruised.

Once you reach bloodied that is when your whipping blood out of your eyes, your limping, can't hold your sword properly, etc.

If you heal beyond bloodied that be you mustering up the strength to keep fighting at your regular ability.

Second Wind would be where you essentially force your way through the pain, and fatigue and basically charge back in.

 

[Voss]

By the book, it appears, bloodied doesn't mean anything of the sort. It just means your character has been reduced to half hit points- there isn't really an logic associated with the actual meaning of the word, which I think is an overall flaw in 4e. Another example is that feats are all (or mostly), now, passive abilities- powers now encompass most of the active abilities. Its unfortunate, however, since it contradicts the more active standard English meaning of the word 'feat'.

But in general 4e wants you to think of hit points as solely a resource that you spend or regain. It doesn't represent wounds, or tiredness or anything at all. Its just a number you track over the course of the encounter, and the devil take believability.

 

[Kordeth]

Don't think of them as hit points, think of them as John McClane points. PCs in 4th Edition don't heal like Wolverine (not without magic, anyways), the have a remarkable ability to suck it up and keep fighting at full strength despite multiple contusions, hairline fractures, bruises, cuts, and the like.

 

[Henry]

I don't like the idea that a lasting rest (6 hours) will cure you of all your wounds... Or, rather, I would like for a way to simulate real wounds (critical ?).

This looks too much like "I know, I spilled my guts all over the wall when the ogre axed me, but I'm feeling better now !. It was nothing a good nap can't heal !"

Actually, we kind of left this when we left behind the "natural healing only heals 1 hit point per day" rules of 1e and 2e. In 3e, a character completely bed resting will completely recover from the nastiest wounds imaginable in a number of days equal to half his hit dice. A 9th level wizard will recover from -9 hit points to his max of about 27 hit points (average, no CON bonus) in TWO DAYS. A fighter will do it in 5 to 7 days, a barbarian in about 6 to 9. Under care of the heal skill? Even faster. That wizard under healing care, one day of complete bed rest, has gone from -9 to 27 hit points. Barbarian 9 with a 20 CON and 110 hit points can be back up and full within 3 days from -9. Not a twinkle of magic involved.


Contrast this to such a character in 2e needing a month to completely heal up. (rates accelerated after two weeks of bed rest.) So, characters healing up in a day's time isn't that much different from 3e.

 

[M.L. Martin]

Damn, I'm starting to like this. Bring on the social fu already!

As I said to Scott Bennie on RPG.net, "Welcome to the Light Side. We have nifty powers."

And did you notice that the bodak has abilities that can remove healing surges? That may be one of the slickest ways to handling 'life energy draining' I've yet seen.

 

[Lizard]

As I said to Scott Bennie on RPG.net, "Welcome to the Light Side. We have nifty powers."

And did you notice that the bodak has abilities that can remove healing surges? That may be one of the slickest ways to handling 'life energy draining' I've yet seen.

No, I didn't, but damn, that is nifty. Cleanrer than level drain and scary to players. Put a few in an early encounter and make the rest of the day a lot nastier...