Jacob Marley
Adventurer
Let's see, ways to handle "healing" without resorting to Healing Surges or Wands of Cure Light Wounds...
Second Wind
Damage Reduction
Heal skill
Healing Kits
Long-term Care
Herbal Healing
Spiritual Healing
Medicine
Temporary Hit Points
Lay On Hands Ability
Healing Crystals
Healing Prayers
You can split these abilities up between races and classes so that each character has their own unique/flavorful method of healing.
Perhaps, a barbarian could have a "rage" power that grants X temporary hit points at the start of combat. Meaning, he "heals" by not actually taking physical damage to begin with. Whereas a ranger may have access to certain herbal remedies and his natural heal skill. A psion would have access to special crystals. A warforged character may "heal" via their damage reduction; that is, they just are too hard to damage. Etc. Maybe every character has a second wind ability?
I trust the designers can work out "the math" so that each method is balanced well with the others.
We can do so much better than Healing Surges and Potions/Wands of Cure Light Wounds (the latter of which I would still like to see in some form; maybe not as cheap as it was in 3rd Edition).
Second Wind
Damage Reduction
Heal skill
Healing Kits
Long-term Care
Herbal Healing
Spiritual Healing
Medicine
Temporary Hit Points
Lay On Hands Ability
Healing Crystals
Healing Prayers
You can split these abilities up between races and classes so that each character has their own unique/flavorful method of healing.
Perhaps, a barbarian could have a "rage" power that grants X temporary hit points at the start of combat. Meaning, he "heals" by not actually taking physical damage to begin with. Whereas a ranger may have access to certain herbal remedies and his natural heal skill. A psion would have access to special crystals. A warforged character may "heal" via their damage reduction; that is, they just are too hard to damage. Etc. Maybe every character has a second wind ability?
I trust the designers can work out "the math" so that each method is balanced well with the others.
We can do so much better than Healing Surges and Potions/Wands of Cure Light Wounds (the latter of which I would still like to see in some form; maybe not as cheap as it was in 3rd Edition).