Looking for alternatives to divine healing

[wedgeski]

Hi folks. I'm working on a campaign world for a new game starting in a few weeks, and it is one in which there are no Gods (in D&D terms) at all. None. Zip. Now obviously this has implications for divine magic, which doesn't exist, but it's divine healing that I'm specifically looking for alternatives to at this point in time.

I would still like supernatural healing to be a mechanic of some kind, something with a cost in terms of combat actions and so on, and whatever I decide on I will probably mix with the likes of Reserve Points to round out the solution. RP's don't solve my problem in and of themselves because as I understand them they're purely a 'range: self' type of mechanic. I would like something which allows one PC to heal another in some way.

Has anyone got any existing d20/OGL sources they can suggest? Many thanks!

EDIT: This may well be the wrong forum having actually written the post. Mods feel free to move!

 

[diaglo]

Recovering with Help
A dying character can be made stable by the use of the Treat Injury skill (DC 15).
One hour after a tended, dying character becomes stable, he or she makes a Fortitude save (DC 20) to regain consciousness. If successful, the character becomes disabled (see above). If the character remains unconscious, he or she makes the same Fortitude save every hour until he or she becomes conscious. Even while unconscious, the character recovers hit points naturally, and he or she can return to normal activity when his or her hit points rise to 1 or higher.

Healing
After taking damage, a character can recover hit points through natural healing (over the course of days) or through medical technology (somewhat faster). In some campaign settings, magical healing is also available. In any case, a character can't regain hit points past his or her full normal total.

Natural Healing
A character recovers 1 hit point per character level per evening of rest (8 hours of sleep).
A character undergoing complete bed rest (doing nothing for an entire day) recovers 2 hit points per character level.

Healing Ability Damage
Ability damage returns at the rate of 1 point per evening of rest (8 hours of sleep). Complete bed rest (24 hours) restores 2 points per day.

you could substitute technology with alchemical or other sources. make potions available that are from nondeity related sources.. like adrenanline inducing things to pump up bull str. or hallucination drugs to cause divination... etc...

 

[andargor]

Hi folks. I'm working on a campaign world for a new game starting in a few weeks, and it is one in which there are no Gods (in D&D terms) at all. None. Zip. Now obviously this has implications for divine magic, which doesn't exist, but it's divine healing that I'm specifically looking for alternatives to at this point in time.

If I recall, Ur-Priests cast divine spells that don't come from gods. The whole concept is self-taught divine casting. Might be an interesting twist, only being able to get healing from evil divine casters...

I would still like supernatural healing to be a mechanic of some kind, something with a cost in terms of combat actions and so on, and whatever I decide on I will probably mix with the likes of Reserve Points to round out the solution. RP's don't solve my problem in and of themselves because as I understand them they're purely a 'range: self' type of mechanic. I would like something which allows one PC to heal another in some way.

Has anyone got any existing d20/OGL sources they can suggest? Many thanks!

What about mundane healing? Complete Adventurer has mundane healing items, such as healer's balm (EDIT: actually this only helps the Heal skill).

BoED has healing touch, a Sor/Wiz 3 spell. Although this is HP transfer, and not true healing.

Complete Adventurer has healthful rest, Brd 1/Drd 1, doubles the healing rate during rests.

CW has Faster Healing, a feat to, well, heal faster when resting.

Do you consider a druid's spells to come from a god or "nature"? This is an option as well for healing.

I'm pretty sure there's other sources that use Craft (Alchemy) to good use...

Andargor

 

[Corbert]

You might want to let your players bump up their hit points. I allow my players to spend 50 XP per HP every time they gain a level to buy their HPs up to maximum. I got that from someone else's house rules, but don't remember exactly where right now. I know it doesn't deal with non-divine healing, but if the PCs are a bit tougher there's less chance of them dying so quickly .

 

[Bad Paper]

If I recall, Ur-Priests cast divine spells that don't come from gods. The whole concept is self-taught divine casting. Might be an interesting twist, only being able to get healing from evil divine casters...

Is there an alignment restriction on the Ur-Priest? I don't recall that, but I do recall that they cast divine spells by "tapping into the flow" of divine magic, or some such nonsense, so there still has to be some god-priest magic connection somewhere in the universe in order for the Ur-Priest to do his thing. Of course, an arcane caster pretending to be an Ur-Priest would likely be a frightening thing...

 

[andargor]

Is there an alignment restriction on the Ur-Priest?

Alignment: Any evil.

I don't recall that, but I do recall that they cast divine spells by "tapping into the flow" of divine magic, or some such nonsense, so there still has to be some god-priest magic connection somewhere in the universe in order for the Ur-Priest to do his thing. Of course, an arcane caster pretending to be an Ur-Priest would likely be a frightening thing...

Yeah, you're right:

Ur-priests despise gods. However, a small number of them have learned to tap into divine power and use it for their own needs without praying to or worshiping a deity. Instead, each day they go into a trance and mentally steal the power that gods normally channel to devout clerics.

So that might not work, depending on cosmology and pantheon (or lack thereof).

Andargor

 

[cmanos]

Mystic from the Dragonlance setting is not religeously affiliated.

Eberron has Dragonmarks which allow their bearers to use healing abilities that are mystical in nature, tied in to the Draconic Prophecy. You could always look into those feats and and alter them enough to fit your world.

Increase the ability of the healing proficiency.

Use magical herbs like Rolemaster and MERP do. They aren't d20 resources and would need to be converted, but you can get some pretty serious healing from them.

Ur-priests cast divine spells by STEALING them from the gods. Without gods they would not have any spells to steal.

EDIT: Bards can cast healing spells and they are arcane users.

 

[TheGogmagog]

There are two kinds of clerics. Those that worship dieties, and chose domains that are granted by the diety. Then there are the clerics that follow an ethos. So in a world without dieties there isn't a reason to not have clerics.

If your cleric is not devoted to a particular diety, you still select two domains to represent his spiritual inclinations and abilities.

Given that 75% of DM's don't like the idea of dietyless Clerics. You then have druids and rangers which may also suffer from the lack of gods. Finally the last resort Bards, which suffer from the lack of players willing to play them.

Spellcasting aside, I like the idea of making a house rule for the heal skill. It would make sense that in a world without gods there would be more advancement in science, and you would have a greater knowlege of healing and medicines.

A heal check that exeeds the DC 15 first aid check heals the difference. You could also have healers kits that grant bonuses from +2 at 50 gp as seen in the PHB to 12.5* bonus squared, so +10 would cost 1250 gp and would be good for 10 uses. I might consider making the base DC 10 simply for easier math, or depending on how easy you want healing to be. You would need to prevent someone from just making checks after combat until everyone is healed. Either bring back the 2e restriction of one check per wound and the check needs to be made within 1 round (or 1 minute) of taking the damage, or limit it to one check per hour.

A similar rule for the long term care Exceeding the DC 15 check could 'D&D double' the healing rate. (DC 14+doubler squared) DC 15 doubles (2hp per HD for 8 hours rest), DC 18 triples, DC 23 quadruples, DC 39 quintuples and so on.

 

[LokiDR]

Rules-wise, there isn't much. Healing Salve, from Tomb and Blood healed alchemically. Restful Candle doubled the healing overnight. Polymorph will heal, and any con boost/false life can fake healing in several respects.

On the houserules side, I have a long running campaign setting where magic is considered evil by most. Bards get by beause they 'aren't casting spells, they just sing and you feel better'. From experience, with your primary healing comming from bards and potions, things won't be managable in standard D&D after a few levels.

I invented alchemical 'slap patches' (stolen from ShadowRun) that healed a certain amount, but had delayed side effects like damage, fatigue and possibly unconciousness. The delay got annoying. I also invented a surgeon feat for converting lethal damage to non-lethal. It was likewise cumbersom to use and inferior to magic.

If you aren't dead set on abandoning divine casting completely, give a look at the Dragonlance Mystics. There were set up for just those times when the gods WERE gone, and fill the gap in healing well. You could also organize religions based on gods that don't really exist, where the 'divine' spells are just a matter of devotion to the cause. This is the only way I can understand gods being clerics themselves, as many are.

Good hunting.

 

[werk]

Spellfire?