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I don't get the dislike of healing surges
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<blockquote data-quote="billd91" data-source="post: 5698195" data-attributes="member: 3400"><p>I think you don't really need to narrate a heck of lot of detail when a PC drops due to hit point loss. Chances are good that most other characters aren't in position to see much detail other than the hit landing. You can include more detail as another character approaches to do something about it.</p><p></p><p>I use comments like "The giant's sword hits hard, Laerin collapses in a heap and doesn't move."</p><p>Then when Gil the cleric heads over to offer some assistance, if she's deep in negatives I can say that blood is running everywhere. If not (perhaps still near 0), she's unconscious but the wounds aren't terrible. She will surely die if not given assistance.</p><p>But if she uses her own healing (somehow), she can pick herself back up, shrugging off the pain.</p><p></p><p>Critics are right that, to a certain degree, the wounds are more ambiguous since they heal themselves, non-magically, so fast... or don't... depending on whether or not the PC can burn a healing surge. I agree that can be a problem depending on your narrating style. I just think there are styles that can minimize the issue.</p><p></p><p>I'm starting to come around to the idea of having some hit points auto-restored at the end of a fight given breather time - through healing surges or not - because of their abstract nature. I'm thinking it might work if PCs could recover half the damage they sustained during a fight. Every attack then becomes half temporary, half persistent. Characters bounce back a little but are definitely wearing down. Healing item needs are reduced a bit. They should get this even without having to spend a healing surge (for 4e players). Additional bookkeeping would be required - at least keeping track of damage received in the current fight - but I don't think that would be hard.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="billd91, post: 5698195, member: 3400"] I think you don't really need to narrate a heck of lot of detail when a PC drops due to hit point loss. Chances are good that most other characters aren't in position to see much detail other than the hit landing. You can include more detail as another character approaches to do something about it. I use comments like "The giant's sword hits hard, Laerin collapses in a heap and doesn't move." Then when Gil the cleric heads over to offer some assistance, if she's deep in negatives I can say that blood is running everywhere. If not (perhaps still near 0), she's unconscious but the wounds aren't terrible. She will surely die if not given assistance. But if she uses her own healing (somehow), she can pick herself back up, shrugging off the pain. Critics are right that, to a certain degree, the wounds are more ambiguous since they heal themselves, non-magically, so fast... or don't... depending on whether or not the PC can burn a healing surge. I agree that can be a problem depending on your narrating style. I just think there are styles that can minimize the issue. I'm starting to come around to the idea of having some hit points auto-restored at the end of a fight given breather time - through healing surges or not - because of their abstract nature. I'm thinking it might work if PCs could recover half the damage they sustained during a fight. Every attack then becomes half temporary, half persistent. Characters bounce back a little but are definitely wearing down. Healing item needs are reduced a bit. They should get this even without having to spend a healing surge (for 4e players). Additional bookkeeping would be required - at least keeping track of damage received in the current fight - but I don't think that would be hard. [/QUOTE]
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I don't get the dislike of healing surges
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