Potion of Healing/Vitality/Recovery

[Mengu]

At 10 points per shot, the 20th level Fighter with 145+ hit points would have to suck down a lot of them to make a real difference.

5th level magic items aren't very useful to a 20th level Fighter. Why is this surprising?

At 5th level a rogue has around 44 HP's. Using a 5th level potion he can spend a healing surge to get just one less HP than a surge would provide him. Since healing the rogue is just about *never* a priority for the healers, that potion is pretty darn handy, I'd say levels 1 through 7 or so.

Also something to keep in mind is that whenever the party is hit heavily by AoE's, the healer is not going to be able to keep up by himself very easily, some people will simply have to use second wind and/or potions so they can stick around longer.

And when the healer goes down, someone has to shove a potion down his throat. There is no getting around that one.

I don't know if I'd call healing potions a *must* have, but having a couple in the party is very handy.

 

[ThirdWizard]

There are a lot of reasons to carry one or two healing potions on you.

- You don't want to spend a Standard Action on Second Wind
- You've already used your Second Wind and want some healing
- Someone is more injured than you and needs the healing more, but you want some healing, too.
- You're a 5th level character who got his hands on a Potion of Vitality
- You expect to take a lot of damage next round, so you bump yourself up with a Minor Action.
- Second Wind and drink a potion in the same round.
- Heck, Second Wind, drink a potion, and get a Healing Word in the same round!
- Everybody just got hit by an Area attack and lots of party members spending Standard Actions on Second Wind would be a bad tactical decision.
- The healer is down and you need to get him back on his feet.

That's off the top of my head. I'm sure in play you'll find plenty more uses for them! Even if it spends a Healing Surge, gaining back some HP with a Minor Action is good! That Healing Surge isn't going to do you a lot of good if you're dead, eh?

Forgoing potential resources for a price (in this case getting it now for less than more later) is a strategic decision that will sometimes be good and sometimes bad. It is up to you to determine when to make that decision and reap the benefits or deal with the consequences.

 

[keterys]

Once you get past Healing Potions - which are crazy cheap and quite effective for a number of levels even if they heal less since they're minor actions - the other potions all give you saves.

They're worth it for that alone.

Also, when you're 15th, a sword of the appropriate level is 25,000g. A potion of vitality is 1000g. Hence, why you can afford to keep some around.

It's hard to get around that minor action to use, though. I think even a mid level character will carry at least 1 healing potion (50g version) just for effectively free healing when you need to pop the healer up from unconsciousness or bolster yourself very briefly. Sure, it's 10 hp instead of 25 hp, but it's also basically free.

 

[Stomphoof]

See I was thinking of just having the potions allow you to spend another healing surge, and possibly add maybe a 1d6 or something. Much like a clerics Healign Word...

But I have yet to really see them in action...

 

[ThirdWizard]

See I was thinking of just having the potions allow you to spend another healing surge, and possibly add maybe a 1d6 or something. Much like a clerics Healign Word...

Bad bad bad baaaad idea.

It makes Second Wind teh suck for one. It also means that a 30th level PC can carry around 1000 of these things (bag of holding) and gain the full effect of a 30th level Healing Surge for 50 gp a pop! I'm not highfalutin statistician, but that sounds like a bit too good of a deal.

Nope. You're making a trade off. You can gain some hp for a healing surge as a Minor Action when normally you couldn't. You're making a trade: you lose efficiency while gaining expediency.

Say a PC has 60 hp. His healing surges gain him 15 hp. So he has important choices to make.

1) Use a Standard Action, and gain 15 hp and +2 to all defenses
2) Use a Minor Action, and drink a Potion to gain 10 hp and also use an Attack or Utility power, and have a Move Action.
3) Use a Minor Action and a Move Action to drink two potions, gain 20 HP (for 2 healing surges) and still use an Attack or Utility Power.
4) Use a Standard Action and a Minor Action, use Second Wind and drink a Potion to get back 25 hp and gain +2 to all defenses
etc etc etc

1) Use a Standard Action, and gain 15 hp and +2 to all defenses
2) Use two Minor Actions, pull out and drink a Potion to gain 10 hp and also use an Attack or Utility power.
3) Use all your actions to use Second Wind and pull out and drink a Potion to get back 25 hp and gain +2 to all defenses
etc etc etc

Basically, its all about trade offs and use of resources to get what you want. If you make Potions restore a Healing Surge worth of hp, you get rid of all these tactical considerations. With that house rule, the correct answer is always: Drink Potion.

 

[Stomphoof]

Good point! I hadnt really thought of it that way.

 

[Mengu]

1) Use a Standard Action, and gain 15 hp and +2 to all defenses
2) Use a Minor Action, and drink a Potion to gain 10 hp and also use an Attack or Utility power, and have a Move Action.
3) Use a Minor Action and a Move Action to drink two potions, gain 20 HP (for 2 healing surges) and still use an Attack or Utility Power.
4) Use a Standard Action and a Minor Action, use Second Wind and drink a Potion to get back 25 hp and gain +2 to all defenses
etc etc etc

You might want to adjust some of those actions since drawing a potion is a minor action too, unless you have quickdraw, in which case you can combine it with the drink minor action.

 

[Stomphoof]

Quickdraw is still in?

 

[ThirdWizard]

You might want to adjust some of those actions since drawing a potion is a minor action too, unless you have quickdraw, in which case you can combine it with the drink minor action.

True!

Quick draw is looking pretty nice, come to think of it, with the prevalence of Minor Actions in this edition.

In certain circumstances it would also be worth it to pull out a potion as a Minor Action one round, then drink it the next, keeping your Move and Standard Actions available for both rounds. This is, of course, when you have some warning that you'll need healing or aren't in a rush to get the hp back.

 

[KarinsDad]

True!

Quick draw is looking pretty nice, come to think of it, with the prevalence of Minor Actions in this edition.

However, just like 3E, there might be issues without Quick Draw.

Many combatants might not have a free hand available. A Fighter with Shield and Sword, but without Quick Draw would theoretically need to drop sword (free action), pull potion (minor action), drink potion (minor action), and pick up sword (minor action).

A Fighter with Shield and Sword and with Quick Draw would theoretically need to sheath sword (minor action), quick draw pull potion and drink potion (minor action), and quick draw pull and attack with sword (standard action). In this case, assuming the DM allows two Quick Draws in the same round (which I see no rules to prevent it), it would allow a Sword and Shield Fighter to get an attack in during the same round (or alternatively, drink potion and do Second Wind in the same round, but the sword is still sheathed in that case).

But without Quick Draw or a free hand available, drinking potions might be a bit problematic, even if it is a Minor Action.