Per Encounter Powers Outside of Encounters

[Green Knight]

In other words, taking a short rest the clerics healing words are irrelevant

Well, I wouldn't say irrelevant, as the Cleric adds to the amount of hit points healed through the healing surge. Which results in fewer healing surges being used up to heal back to max.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Well, I wouldn't say irrelevant, as the Cleric adds to the amount of hit points healed through the healing surge. Which results in fewer healing surges being used up to heal back to max.

Ok I'll give you that

 

[Xfer83]

Well, I wouldn't say irrelevant, as the Cleric adds to the amount of hit points healed through the healing surge. Which results in fewer healing surges being used up to heal back to max.

Word. In fact, on average healing word almost doubles the HP recovered... so far as the level one play test characters are concerned.

I'd like to believe the game was designed with this in mind, and it is an intended consequence of having a leader in your party that you heal more efficiently outside of combat given sufficient time to rest... in five minute chunks.

Unfortunately, approximately 50% of my groups official play test experience suggests that isn't the case.

The five minute rests between uses seems to be the rules as written solution, so far as the materials players had available to them at the D&DXP, but the GMs had more exhaustive rule guidelines at their disposals... which makes the inconstancy between games all the more confusing.