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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Akhena" data-source="post: 6367301" data-attributes="member: 9152">Personally I prefer the idea that the rules applying to the players are separated from the rules applying to the NPCs (rest of the world). I don't like to have crippled PCs running around unless it's something I want to do for a particular adventure. But for NPCs? Sure! Whatever needs to be done to drive the story forward. Say I need this dying NPC to give his last bit of information before passing away. He's a commoner with 4hp. Already the problem arises as how many hp he's got left. At 1 he should not be on the ground incapacitated but fully functional. At 0hp he should be dead (as an NPC) or for special NPCs he could be dying like any PCs. But he is then unconscious. Huh. Can't talk! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> But I'm the DM, so I over rule this and say he's dying at 0 hp, but barely conscious. Just enough to talk a little before dying.Now the cleric casts healing word. It should work, right? He should heal by 1d4+prof bonus. He might be back to full hp actually. But this does not serve my story. Sometimes it's nice that PCs surprise me with some magic / class features. But in this case I know I will never ever be able to set up a scene with a dying NPC giving his last words of advice.So I prefer in this case to describe the body as beyond any possible healing. He's just too wounded. He's literally bleeding to death and no magic won't be able to save him. I would not be mean to let the cleric waste a level 1 slot spell on this. I would just point out that it won't help in this situation.D&D 3 / 3.5 was more trying to have one set of rules for everyone. I feel that with 5th I can reasonably go away from that, and make better stories without the sort of problems you just described (the tortured prisoner fully healed the next morning). I want to have NPCs with broken arms, leg injuries, etc. I don't want a cure wounds spell be the ultimate solution.Coming back to the original topic, the March 2013 playtest packet had optional rules for healing. My understanding is that the survey showed that there was not one strong preference for one style or another. So they came up with some sort of middle ground and the DMG will provide alternative healing rules.I also don't like that much the full hp after a long rest. But I'm still trying to figure what would be my preferred method. One alternative method was that you regain no hp at all but all your HD after a long rest. Another version (very very gritty) was that you would regain no hp and a number of HD equal to 1 + Con modifier. But what if your Con modifier is negative? ... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f641.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":(" title="Frown    :("  data-smilie="3"data-shortname=":(" /></blockquote>

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