Should something like a Heal skill actually heal?

[Kobold Avenger]

One thing I never liked was that having a skill in healing/first aid never really recovered any hit points ever before. And I think it was something tied to niche protection of the Cleric being the only valid healing source.

Though 4e did try to alleviate some of this by having the leader role, and things like second wind. But since I suspect 5e isn't going to strongly have things like class roles anymore, even if the Bard might get more healing powers thanks to the influence of it's 4e counterpart, I think there might be the necessity of being able to apply first aid to recover some hp, and not having to stock up on potions or wands with healing spells.

 

[BobTheNob]

I once had strong views on this, but Im not convinced any more. Healing HP is a combat function. It can be argued that it is more encompassing than that, but at its core the reason we want to heal is to be ready to get into the action. Its a kind of "enabling" function.

Even if healing skill was relegated to a out of combat usage, it still enables.

D&D(3.X and 4) delineated skills from combat to a large degree, then placed little exceptions in (e.g. Using bluff in the middle of a fight, or KNowledge checks), but I was never quite a fan of that either. It always felt to me that there had to be a greater consciousnesses that separating skills into a differing mechanic from combat application seemed a bad idea and that there had to be a way that we didnt treat the two differently.

Which is where my issue with healing skill lies. Its a skill in that "non-combat" area (we used it mostly for "Help the dieing peasants", "Save that guy who had ciritical information"...more story elements that mechanics) and to allow it to heal HP moves it into that wishy-washy area in between.

I guess that's my take. Im ok with the idea, but I wish that differentiation between combat abilities and skills didn't exists (i.e. there was one consolidated methodology that both complied with) so it didn't have to be in that middle ground/exception area.

 

[Aramax]

Big Yes!

 

[El Mahdi]

Absolutely!

 

[Paraxis]

Out of combat a big YES. How I would handle it is something like spend a surge or the equivlent and recover your surge amount or the total on the heal skill check.

 

[Stormonu]

I've always modified the skill through the various versions it showed up in so that it could heal HP damage. So, yes. And if it doesn't, I'll do it anyways.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Depends somewhat on how the health system works. Healing lethal damage in combat? No. Healing lethal damage outside of combat better than before? Maybe? Healing nonlethal/vitality/etc. damage in combat? Maybe.

There's some potential to make things better, but a lot of potential to screw things up by messing around with healing. It has to be handled carefully.