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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Deodanth" data-source="post: 4345400" data-attributes="member: 69243">Preventing total healing -- another ideaThis is a great & meaty thread, along with the parallel threads on other boards, and I'm just now catching up on them.  I share Strike277's sentiment about 4e parties being able to miraculously recover to full health every day. Part of me misses the tradition of the party resting in town a few days to heal their injuries and sickness, or of them making the harried trek through the wilderness while nursing painful wounds. These scenes are all but gone from 4e. Aside from HP, we don't even have ability damage, which was another feature of 3e that I was fond of. Limiting the PCs to one (maybe two) healing surge after an extended rest, seems fair and quite reasonable. Problem is, what's to stop them from spending more healing once they get going again. Even if it takes a new encounter, or a cleric to unlock healing surges, they will find a way to use those surges and top off their HP. How about tagging a certain amount of damage as being long-term, or persistent damage which can't be healed by normal surges? (similar to fire damage to a troll.) Here's an idea borrowed from the old Arduin Grimoire game rules, which I see fitting with 4e in a number of ways: Critical damage is persistent damage. [sblock="Concept"]Concept: The majority of a character's Hit Points are not flesh-and-blood, physical health. HP are largely a measure of a hero's ability to endure weapon and spell combat through fighting skill, spirit, endurance, luck, and other intangible factors. Most damage simply represents fatigue and the depletion of those factors in battle, and healing surges represent a chance to refresh them. However when the character takes significant damage, such as from critical hits, ongoing damage and sneak attacks, some of that is actual blood loss and trauma to the PC's physical body. This is real injury, which is more difficult to heal.[/sblock][sblock="Mechanics"]Mechanics: Part of the total HP damage to a character will be labeled Injury Points. You count IP as part of regular damage, but also keep track of IP separately.  When you take a critical hit, the standard crit damage (max dice + bonus) is counted as regular damage, but any damage from dice rolled on top of it (for high crit, magic weapon, sneak attack, etc) is also counted as Injury Points. In addition, on any turn during which you take 5 or more ongoing damage of any type, you count 1 as an Injury Point. When using healing surges, and when healed by powers that trigger healing surges, normal damage is restored but IP are not. Your "temp max health" is equal to your total maximum HP minus your injury points; this is the maximum you can reach via normal healing, i.e. surges. Injury Points can only be restored in one of three ways: 1. Prayers with the healing keyword, which provide HP die rolls instead of or in addition to healing surges. The amount shown on the die, including any ability bonus for the caster, is subtracted from your IP. 2. For each healing surge you use as part of an extended rest, you subtract 1 IP. 3. Certain divine rituals will provide critical healing and thus target IP. (To be determined!)[/sblock]The above rule makes combat inherently more dangerous, but not overwhelmingly so, IMO. By preventing total healing between encounters, PCs will gain more respect for critical hits, and the danger level of an adventure in general. Does this complicate the game, yes, a bit. Does it enhance the enjoyment and excitement of the game? Please comment.</blockquote>

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