Touch of Healing/Hustle/Force March

[d(sqrt(-1))]

Here's something interesting that only just occurred to me: A PC in my game has Touch of Healing as a feat (Complete Champion). The characters may soon be in a situation where they need to cover some distance (about 16 miles) to get to safety before some bad guys catch up with them. I was originally thinking that it might be interesting if they had to trade off speed vs problems from hustling or force marching. However, it seems that Touch of Healing means that you can ignore any penalties for either, as it heals hp damage, which also removes an equivalent amount of non-lethal damage.

So, for a party of 6 at 5th level, if they hustle for 4 hours, they would normally take 1+2+4 = 7 hp nonlethal damage and be fatigued. To remove the fatigue they would have to rest for a bit (regain 1 hp/level/hour), or use up some healing spells. However, with Touch of Healing, they stop for 6 rounds (= 36 seconds) once per hour, and the guy with ToH heals 9 hp each and they continue on. Ok, the hustling hp damage continues to double for each extra hour (?), but even so, it doesn't take long to remove the nonlethal hp with ToH, and since they haven't actually been reduced by any lethal hp, it could be construed that ToH will always heal you of nonlethal hp, without the limitation of only taking you back to half hp as for normal damage.

Any thoughts? It seems useful, but kind of removes any problems with marching for hours non-stop. Of course, if you keep going long enough, the doubling will start racking up, but even if it gets to 128 hp/hour, that's still only 15 rounds of ToH to remove it.

Similar applies to force marching, of course.

cheers,

Mark

 

[Gloombunny]

I don't have Complete Champion and don't know the exact text of the feat, but it doesn't seem unreasonable to rule that Touch of Healing can only heal nonlethal damage up to 50% of their hp total, just like it heals lethal damage.

edit: That is, if their max hp is 50, then Touch of Healing can't reduce non-lethal damage below 25.

 

[Ceska]

Please take into account, that Touch of healing just works on characters under half their hitpoints. That also applies to nonlethal damage.

 

[d(sqrt(-1))]

I don't have Complete Champion and don't know the exact text of the feat, but it doesn't seem unreasonable to rule that Touch of Healing can only heal nonlethal damage up to 50% of their hp total, just like it heals lethal damage.

Sure, that's one thing I was thinking, but if (say) the non-lethal damage accrues for 1 hour (=1 hp), you heal that. Next hour, you accumulate 2 hp, you heal that, next hour 4 hp, you heal that, etc. Ok, at some point you're going to be picking up lots of nonlethal damage, over half your hp, but with a 3rd level spell in reserve that means you can hustle for about 5 hours with no problems. The feat wording doesn't mention nonlethal damage, but I would be tempted to assume that it works as you say. Maybe it's not really a problem, and it just lets people move a lot faster than they otherwise would.

(The feat basically lets you heal by touch as a standard action 3hp/level of highest healing spell available, up to half max hp).

thanks,

Mark

 

[Gloombunny]

Sure, that's one thing I was thinking, but if (say) the non-lethal damage accrues for 1 hour (=1 hp), you heal that.

You can't heal that 1 point of nonlethal damage, any more than you could take just one point of lethal damage and then heal back to full. Is what I was suggesting.

 

[d(sqrt(-1))]

Please take into account, that Touch of healing just works on characters under half their hitpoints. That also applies to nonlethal damage.

It does, but you basically just stop for a few rounds each hour to heal the nonlethal damage. This removes the associated fatigue as well.

I don't think it's a huge problem, but it does seem to remove any possibility of the need for hustling (well, except over huge distances), or force marching (which is only 1d6 nonlethal if you fail the CON check), which seems a shame.

cheers,

Mark

 

[d(sqrt(-1))]

You can't heal that 1 point of nonlethal damage, any more than you could take just one point of lethal damage and then heal back to full. Is what I was suggesting.

Hm, I see what you mean - interesting - I hadn't looked at it that way, because nonlethal hp accumulate differently to normal hp. Good thought, I quite like that, thanks! I shall ponder further on it!

Mark

 

[d(sqrt(-1))]

You can't heal that 1 point of nonlethal damage, any more than you could take just one point of lethal damage and then heal back to full. Is what I was suggesting.

Here's an example: PC with 50 hp. Takes 20 hp lethal damage, now down to 30 hp. Then takes 15 hp nonlethal. Still conscious, as 15 < 30. Can you use ToH on him or not? His lethal accrued damage is < half total hp, so no, but his lethal+nonlethal damage is > half damage (=35), so yes.

Hm, given that ToH only mentions hp damage, it could be that it doesn't heal nonlethal hp at all, if you are above half normal hp. If you are below, then it will heal you up to half hp, and an equivalent number of nonlethal hp. Aha!

Mark

 

[Gloombunny]

Hm, good point.

I guess I'd suggest that if the sum of lethal and non-lethal damage is greater than 50% of max hp (but neither one is over 50% by itself), then you can heal the non-lethal damage until the sum drops below 50%.

 

[d(sqrt(-1))]

Hm, good point.

I guess I'd suggest that if the sum of lethal and non-lethal damage is greater than 50% of max hp (but neither one is over 50% by itself), then you can heal the non-lethal damage until the sum drops below 50%.

Sure, that sounds ok.

I'm also thinking that as the feat only mentions hp, that could be the requirement for healing, e.g. if you have 50 hp, take no lethal damage and accrue 20 nonlethal, then ToH can't do anything for you. If instead you take 30 lethal and 15 nonlethal, then ToH can heal 5 lethal to take you to 25 (half hp), and this will also heal 5 non lethal, but no more.

Mark