The missing Role: speculation on Healing rules

[Paraxis]

If I were in charge of 4e, I would just end the double-personality of HP. I would say, flat out, that HP loss is fatigue, loss of nerve, battle confusion, bad luck/'your number coming up', loss of support from your god, whatever, but NOT physical injury (physical injury would be rare for PCs and tracked separately from HP). Therefore, you don't need to 'heal' back your freshness, mental composure, fate, etc. A few minutes rest and you go back to full HP--no healing required. You catch your breath, shake off your fear, etc. and you're back to full HP (or maybe 80% if you're a realism freak).

If a character does happen to take a physical injury during a fight, then she'll need a healer, but this will normally happen after combat, or be a very dramatic event during combat, so there's no need to worry about the healer not having cool stuff to do during combat (because his healing powers are either used after the fight is over, or constitute a cool event in and of themselves during the fight).

Just my .02. And for all my wishing, I'm pretty sure it'll never happen.

In my current game we are using something like this. The spell point system from UA is used (so cure light wounds is 1 spell point) wich is almost like unlimited down time healing. But to represesnt actual wounds, when HP = 0 all further damage is Con damage this gives everyone a cushion of extra damage they can take, wich helps at low levels. Healing the Con damage follows normal rules, so you need restoration spells for it.

It has worked out amazingly well, makes everyone happy in our group atleast and everyone understands that hit points do not equal taking a stab in the gut or an arrow in the shoulder that is what happens when you start to lose Con.

 

[loseth]

In my current game we are using something like this. The spell point system from UA is used (so cure light wounds is 1 spell point) wich is almost like unlimited down time healing. But to represesnt actual wounds, when HP = 0 all further damage is Con damage this gives everyone a cushion of extra damage they can take, wich helps at low levels. Healing the Con damage follows normal rules, so you need restoration spells for it.

It has worked out amazingly well, makes everyone happy in our group atleast and everyone understands that hit points do not equal taking a stab in the gut or an arrow in the shoulder that is what happens when you start to lose Con.

Cool! I use the same system, but with STR instead of CON. I'm trying to figure out something a little simpler than adjusting ability scores, though, since it has such a knock-on effect on other stats. Lately I've been wondering if something like the SWSE condition track could be used to track actual physical damage after a combatant has lost all his/her HP.

 

[Wepwawet]

(...) and everyone understands that hit points do not equal taking a stab in the gut or an arrow in the shoulder that is what happens when you start to lose Con.

Hey! That really makes sense!
I think I'll use that idea in my 3.5 campaign... While I wait for 4th ed.

 

[Irda Ranger]

If I were in charge of 4e, I would just end the double-personality of HP. I would say, flat out, that HP loss is fatigue, loss of nerve, battle confusion, bad luck/'your number coming up', loss of support from your god, whatever, but NOT physical injury (physical injury would be rare for PCs and tracked separately from HP). Therefore, you don't need to 'heal' back your freshness, mental composure, fate, etc. A few minutes rest and you go back to full HP--no healing required. You catch your breath, shake off your fear, etc. and you're back to full HP (or maybe 80% if you're a realism freak).

I totally agree that the 4e designers should really come down and say what they think Hit Points are. It's too important a concept to be left unclear.

Not surprisingly, this is similar to what I do IMC. Everyone gets a number of HP equal to their Con, on top of any HP from your class & Con bonus. The HP you get from your class are exactly what you describe: luck, fate, divine favor, etc. Only the HP from Con (and the -Con below zero before you die) are "real" HP that need the attention of a Healer. Everything above that recovers at a rate of 1 per minute.

If I were running a grim & gritty campaign I would switch to Critical Hits going straight to the "real HP" (similar to WP & Vitality), but I don't. That's reserved for extra-special attacks from Undead or what have you.

 

[TerraDave]

Goken called it

Warlord=Healer

(?!?) They are going to need some good flavour text for this.

 

[Rechan]

Goken called it

Warlord=Healer

(?!?) Here they are going to need some good flavour text for this.

Among other things:

Reducing Damage Ability to grant temp-HP. Marshals and Dragon Shamans have auras that give Damage Reduction. Marshals also have AC and Ref save boosters, also helping lessen damage taken.
Non-combat Healing The Dragon Shaman has an aura that grants fast healing up to half HPs. The Warlord might also get a Field Surgery ability (like a heal check) to help recover HP.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Goken called it

Warlord=Healer

(?!?) They are going to need some good flavour text for this.

Only if they decide hit points are now only a gauge of physical wounds. I understand nearly everyone treated it that way, but hit points mean more than just ability to keep taking physical damage.

 

[Chocobot]

Warlord = Healer and Cleric = Healer makes a lot of sense if they finally go all the way in treating hit points as exactly what D&D has always said they are: a combination of physical resilience plus skill, luck and fatigue.

So the cleric can restore hit points by healing you of wounds and fatigue, or the Warlord can restore hit points by boosting your morale and sharpening your skills. Since hit points represents more than just wounds, it is logical to be able to restore HP by affecting the other factors as well.

 

[frankthedm]

I don't know what they mean to do with at will/per encounter abilities and healing, but it seems entirely possible that everyone is fully healed between every combat, every time. If you can heal 1d4 hit points at will during battle, what is stopping you from constantly using that when combat ends?

We have seen how. Dragon shamans and a feat from complete champion have 'unlimited curing' BUT only up to half HP.

 

[Gloombunny]

They might go even further. I mean, in 3e any party with access to wands has unlimited out-of-combat healing already, in exchange for a bit of their treasure. 4e may just build that into the game directly.