Magic Healing on Dragon Earth

[mythusmage]

Reason: To give GMs and world designers ideas.

On the world of Dragon Earth magical healing works differently than in standard D&D. Instead of instantaneously the healing occurs over the course of hours, taking as many hours as it would days normally. The amount of healing is rolled for normally, than the standard healing rate per day is applied on an hourly basis until the rolled for healing is completedp.

Lets say a party is on a reclamation expedition into Southern China. (While relations between the U.S. and the Chinese Republic are strained, they do cooperate on reclamation efforts.) While checking out a village a few miles inside the Dead Lands they are attacked by a ghoul and their fighter (U.S. Army sergeant, fifth level) is serious injured. 22 points of seriously injured. The party cleric (6th level field physician, civilian contractor) applies a Cure Serious Wounds and heals a grand total of 20 points. Given the soldier's level it will take, at 5 points an hour, 4 hours at complete rest for the healing to complete.

The same rules for standard healing apply to magical healing. The patient must rest to some degree, with no strenuous activity. Meaning no combat. As you can see, this changes adventure dynamics a whole bunch. No more heal and continue; even if it's only for an hour or two the party must find a place to hole up until the injured party has healed. If they can most groups head back to town. When they can't, and they have no local allies, it could put them in serious danger.

Can't locate my copy of the PHB (3.0) so fine tuning of this scheme will have to wait for later. If you have (courteous) comments pro or con on this feel free to add them. Up next, healing potions (etc.) on Dragon Earth.

 

[mythusmage]

[H3]On Healing Potions[/H3]

Minor Healing

On Dragon Earth this potion most often comes in the form of a pill or capsule; sold in bottles or 20, 40, or 60 at pharmacies, apothecaries, or grocery stores. They're cheap.

(Since most anybody can be a low level cleric, the ingredients are very cheap, and magic theory is advanced over standard D&D magic theory, a lot of magic items are cheap on this world. However (and this is something I should've pointed out in the first post in this thread) healing magic can only be applied once a day. That means one healing magic period, not one of each. A person gets a Cure Minor when he needs a Cure Serious is poop out of luck until the next day. It means low level healing magic is only applied to seriously injured people when it is absolutely necessary and high level healing magic won't be available until too late.)

Cure Minor pills and capsules are most often used for scrapes, bruises, small cuts and minor injuries like that. They're also used for minor headaches and nosebleeds. They do take a full hour to affect the healing, so a number of pharmacies bundle bandages and large band-aids at a special price, just in case. Any brand of Cure Minor pills or capsules that promises rapid healing should be treated with suspicion. Same with those that don't register as magic with any version of a Detect Magic device. (If you're not sure, visit a chain pharmacy and ask to use their Detect Magic scanner. They're glad to do it. If the pills you bought don't register as magic be sure to inform the local authorities so they can get the fraud unit on the case.)

There you have a brief look at Cure Minor potions on Dragon Earth. Next posting we'll take a look at Cure Light potions.

 

[mythusmage]

[H3]On Cure Wounds Potions[/H3]

Cause Wounds Potions

(Little side trip here. Got this idea and thought I'd get it down in 'print'.)

Cause Wounds potions have a long history, going back to early medieval times in Europe, and even further back in China, where they appear to have been invented in their modern form. A powdery substance from the Chaldean period in the Middle East has been identified as a Cause Wounds potion, though it's also been identified as a cosmetic, a drink powder, and dried out rouge.

These days Cause Wound potions are most often used by despotic regimes for use in torture and punishment of prisoners. In the 1830s a group of physicians in London, England tried using Cause Wound potions in place of scapels to create initial incisions in surgery. The unpredictable nature of the working of Cause Wound potions put and end to that rather quickly.

More recently (1983) there was a short lived fad for Cause Wound potions in the American Sado-Masochist community. Apparently some victims of the syndrome thought the pain caused by the wounds would be 'pleasurable'. A number of people showed up in emergency rooms or called for medical assistance with mysterious wounds. Wounds caused by no known instrument and reacting to Detect Magic.

An investigation was made, and a small factory for making the potions was discovered. Along with an active, albeit small, sado-masochist community in North America. Since sado-masochism (along with scizophrenia and clinical depression) falls under what are populary known as "damn right you're getting treatment" mental disorders, the victims found themselves involuntarily hospitalized after their emergency room treatment.

The lastest incident (1996) involved a Hindu cult that used Cause Critical potions to show their devotion to the goddess, Kali. After a number of people died of their wounds Kali herself was persuaded to come talk with the survivors. Most were rather surprised to learn she is actually an agricultural goddess, and that claims she is a goddess of sexual torture and death constitute defamation of (divine) character. (Kali is still involved in litigation efforts against those who repeat the vile contumlies against her.)

(Next time, for real, Cure Light potions.)