KotS Healing Potions

[FitzTheRuke]

So, Keep on the Shadowfell has a couple of Healing Potions appearing.

One of them says it's a minor action to use, the other says it's a standard action. (Yes, yet another editing snafu.)

They both do:

[sblock] Expend a Healing Surge, instead of receiving your normal healing amount gain 10HP instead.

Comment: So they get weaker as you go up in level? I wonder why they didn't just say "Heal a surge +4" or something?[/sblock]

I wonder which it is. Minor or Standard. Personally I think it should be TWO minors (one to get it out, and one to drink it, not to mention require a free hand, so you may need to spend another one to put something away....)

Any thoughts?

Fitz

 

[Cirex]

Ah, potions, at last.

These could be minor healing potions, that's why they heal 10 HP. Higher level (tier?) healing potions will probably cure more.

Compare to 3.5. A level 1 drinking a potion, healing himself 1d8+1 (a high % of his HP) and the same character, at level 6, drinking the same kind of potion. Maybe not even a 20% of his HP.

 

[Fiendish Dire Weasel]

I guess the reasoning for making them a Standard action is that what it costs to do a Second Wind (for non-dwarves, yeah yeah).

Saying that though, I don't think it matters much following this line of thinking:

Move or Minor Action to sheathe/unready a weapon/implement
Minor Action to "Draw/Ready" the Potion
Minor Action or Standard Action to "Use" the Potion.

This basicly takes a full round to use a potion, no matter the actual "use potion"'s action type.

The action type will only matter if you're willing to go more than a round or two with unreadied weapons/implements and such.

 

[Kahoots]

Since potions equate directly to your daiy healing surges, a couple of thoughts:

If you have already used up your healing surges for the day, your just plum out of luck... that potion doesn't do anything.
When you are out of combat, you can expend your healing surges fairly at will. Given this, potions (at least of this strength) should only be used in battle.

Thoughts?

 

[Shado]

Keep in mind, these potions are allowing access to healing in combat, above and beyond your 2nd Wind or other healing powers.

Even at higher levels, where 10 HP is less than your surge, it's still more healing than you would've normally had access to in combat.

If it keeps you alive, it's worth it.

 

[Rechan]

In 3e, a Cure Light WOunds potion only did a certain amount of healing, no matter your level.

When you are out of combat, you can expend your healing surges fairly at will. Given this, potions (at least of this strength) should only be used in battle.

Wait. Healing Surges are encounter based, not day based?

 

[Wolfspider]

One of them says it's a minor action to use, the other says it's a standard action. (Yes, yet another editing snafu.)

Hrrmmph.

Well, at least the adventure hints at what potions actually do, unlike the rituals that it lists.

 

[Delgar]

It's close to what I original thought they were going to be. I posted these in the orginal creation thread:

Potion of Healing (Level 1)
Use: Activate Healing Surge + 1d6 extra healing
Can only be used once

Personally, I'd just say it takes a standard action to use. Odds are you're going to have it in a readily accessibly place, no point making people waste actions grabbing a small vial. Just my opinion.

 

[Kahoots]

In 3e, a Cure Light WOunds potion only did a certain amount of healing, no matter your level.


Wait. Healing Surges are encounter based, not day based?

Healing Surges are daily based. (X per Day)

The Second Wind rules are that you can only use one Healing Surge per encounter. So, potions allow you to use more than one Healing Surge per encounter.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

All these editing snafus (and snafu is definitely the right term) remind me of Sunless Citadel with all its stat block errors. The designers/editors should have done better for the first product released, but managed to let us down anyway.

But if KotS turns out to be as good as Sunless Citadel, I'll forgive them.

Now - are there any other types of potions in KotS?