KotS Healing Potions

[hong]

It's a bit odd that potions should heal a fixed amount rather than scaling. All the arguments for (and against) healing scaling with level should still apply to potions.

 

[Rechan]

Given that KotS is only levels 1-3, these may just be the lowest end potions. There might be higher end potions.

Also, while there may not be "magical shops", I can honestly see churches making healing potions. Same reason why churches sell vials of holy water.

 

[Sojorn]

It's a bit odd that potions should heal a fixed amount rather than scaling. All the arguments for (and against) healing scaling with level should still apply to potions.

Seems especially weird seeing that the utility prayer "Cure Light Wounds" heals one surge worth with no surge spent.

The difference between a character skill and a one-shot item that used to have exactly the same effect I suppose.

 

[keterys]

Eh, cheap potions shouldn't give you free surges.

I was expecting it to be a lot simpler - more like it just letting you spend a healing surge, done.

Then again, I didn't expect it to be a minor action. That makes it much easier to drink a potion every other round if you need to.

 

[AtomicPope]

There are quite a few things that are being grossly overlooked:
1) Healing has changed so the rules need to change.
2) If the potions were as good as clerics (like a Wand of CLW in 3e) then no one would bother playing them (again, like in 3e)


Many 3e groups I've played in didn't have clerics, just Bards and the occasional Druid or Paladin. A Bard with a CLW wand is better than a cleric in terms of overall usefulness. Way better buffs, decent healing (or take Hymn of Healing for uber-healing, even with Cure Minor), and better skills. Getting away from having items replace classes is a good step, design and balance wise. It makes the classes retain their usefulness.

 

[Christian]

Many 3e groups I've played in didn't have clerics, just Bards and the occasional Druid or Paladin. A Bard with a CLW wand is better than a cleric in terms of overall usefulness. Way better buffs, decent healing (or take Hymn of Healing for uber-healing, even with Cure Minor), and better skills. Getting away from having items replace classes is a good step, design and balance wise. It makes the classes retain their usefulness.

That Bard works great for after-action patching up. When you're in a pitched battle with a bruiser at mid-levels and the fighter's hit points are down in the teens, he's not looking for 1d8+1 from the Bard's wand--he's looking for 4d8+9 from the Cleric's Cure Critical Wounds. Or hopefully, a bit more ...

 

[keterys]

So, the economy excerpt gives some cost ideas:

Potions of ...

Healing 50g
Vitality 1000g
Recovery 25000g
Life 100000g

 

[Lurker37]

So 4E Healing potions work a bit like like Earthdawn booster potions, that use one of the drinker's daily recoveries but increase their recovery step...

ZOMG 4E is Earthdawn!!

 

[MindWanderer]

So, the economy excerpt gives some cost ideas:

Potions of ...

Healing 50g
Vitality 1000g
Recovery 25000g
Life 100000g

Those are the numbers I came up with, too.

It's going to be hard to make myself willing to actually consume a potion worth 100 grand. That's 8% of the total wealth earned for that level--three of those per level and you're down about a quarter of your wealth.

 

[cdrcjsn]

It's a bit odd that potions should heal a fixed amount rather than scaling. All the arguments for (and against) healing scaling with level should still apply to potions.

Not really. Even at high levels, the number of ways to trigger surges during encounters that give full value is almost the same as the lower level values (leader healing, second wind, various class abilities).

At low levels, 50 gold is an investment, but worth it to gain significant healing during an encounter. You wouldn't be able to afford burning a lot of them on a regular basis.

At high levels, 50 gold is trivial. It wouldn't be fair to have 10 full value healing surges available during an encounter for the relative price of the cost of a torch at 1st level.