Warlords Heal?

[HeavenShallBurn]

But he isn't a supernatural being. He's an extraordinary being. He's used training and skill to attain that level of badassness. He's not flush with magical power. He's simply highly skilled. I don't think this accounts for anything, either way.

HP doesn't become more realistic if it's just a matter of being physically difficult to damage. If a Fighter can get that physically tough through training, then I fail to see why HP can't represent the martial spirit, staying power, skill, and luck. HP is an abstraction no matter how you interpret it.

I think I didn't articulate my point well enough so I'll try again.

The problem is that people are using realism as a basis when HP represent something inherently unrealistic and fantastic in nature. They look at a 15th level fighter and see "so he doesn't use magic" then assume it means he must correlate to reality. So for them HP can't represent actual damage because in reality being shot with ten or twelve arrows is fatal, instead it has to be an abstraction. Yet reality has seen nothing even remotely similar to a 15th level anyone, such a character can do things which defy the laws of physics and physiology without any "magic" at all.

So clearly a 15th level character does not synch with realism thus as a criteria to evaluate the characteristics of such it fails spectacularly. Once you've accepted the fantastic nature of D&D as opposed to reality then you run into these same issues brought up by Beregar.

After all, if it's basically your morale, will to fight, luck etc then why don't spells like bane, crushing despair, ray of exhaustion and fear do hit points damage? They are reducing your will to fight and are an opposite to inspirational boosts.

Furthermore, shouldn't spells like bless, good hope and prayer give you extra hp to reflect inspiring presence of divine? They are giving you "morale bonus" after all. Shouldn't they be able to heal as well as "cure light wounds" spell can?

That being mentioned. Why is cure light wounds able to cure all hp damage if some of the damage is supposed to be representing bad luck, bad morale and exhaustion with real physical damage coming into play only when you are really low on hp? If it's the inspirational boost coming from healing, shouldn't spells like restoration also heal?

And in a mechanical context these issues clearly delineate morale and luck as seperate from HP. Otherwise they would affect HP, so if it isn't morale and luck and being struck with weapons reduces it HP must represent actual physical damage. Now this is inherently unrealistic but as a factor that's also coming into play at a level by which game play is modeling something more like comic book superheroes than anything remotely plausible. The problem of versimilitude from people who have to tie mechanics into a reality they aren't intended to model is what caused the bit about "abstraction" to pop up.

 

[BASHMAN]

Hrm. How do you explain an elephant being able to take less damage than a 15th-level fighter?

Brad

Poor game design

 

[Riley]

Have you ever watched The Princess Bride? There's a scene in it where Inigo Montoya has been stabbed repeatedly by the Six-Fingered Man. He's in pain, bleeding, on the way to death. Then, her remembers his mission, and begins to repeat, "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." He rises up, an returns to the duel.

With each repetition, Inigo gains strength and speed. He's just as physically wounded, but he's up and fighting again.

In this case, Inigo inspired himself, but the same idea operates about as well if someone else reminds you of why you are there, what you're doing, and what it is you've got that's worth living for...

Thanks, Umbran. I've been trying to work my head around Warlords' healing abilities, and how the Cleric's strike against the Dragon (in the DDI teaser encounter description) was supposed to increase the hit points of his comrades.

Might be a good idea to not call it 'healing,' but rather to call it 'restoration.' Wait, that term's used. 'Inspiration.' Nope, bard's got that - wait, the bard is dead, but inspiration sounds like breathing. Precision in naming can be so difficult.

Can we call the Warlord's ability "Inspire Strength Fortitude Stamina Perseverance"?

 

[Riley]

Then I give you the iconic Warlord for 4e-

Good idea for a boss enemy.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

Poor game design

I can accept that as your opinion, but at the same time what you see as poor game design I see as one of the prime draws in why I play D&D. It's one of the key features that makes the game D&D to me. If I wanted something where that issue didn't come up I would play GURPS or use the mortal rules from Exalted or half a dozen other games that I could play. In short I see it as a crucial feature that makes the game distinct and don't want it to go away.

 

[Irda Ranger]

Warcoach

One! More! Poll!!

C'mon people, what's the harm??

 

[Fishbone]

They should just get it over with and call them drill sergeants.
I can just see a gnome saying something like this...
"Come on, you freaking shammer! Get up! I took a hit from that Ogre and I'm still standing and I'm 237 years OLD!!!!!"

 

[Wormwood]

Good idea for a boss enemy.

Maybe in Exalted.

 

[YourSwordIsMine]

Poor game design

QFT

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Like I pointed a page ago, it feels a bit strange spells like good hope, bless, prayer or bard songs don't heal at all since they, too, uplift the spirit.

Similarly by this logic, you would expect spells that actually mess with your emotional state deal hp damage. I.e. fear, crushing despair, bane, doom and so on.

Well, we don't know how these spells will work in 4e. Maybe they will have an effect on HP.

Someone mentioned the 4E bloodied status and that perhaps that's the point where you actually start suffering physical wounds. So second wind abilities and such can only affect you up to this point maybe? Ditto with "morale healing"?

That is what I think, but we won't know until we get to see some details, so probably not until June.