Why do potions heal a static number?

[Dayspire]

I'm thinking about fleshing out healing potions for my campaign, but before I do that, I thought I'd post this query here. What is the purpose for 'heals 10 points of damage and you spend a healing surge?' Can it be a random number? (Such as 1d6+4, for example) I see no obvious reason why not. In my game, there will be traveling alchemists that sell 'tonics', 'elixirs', and 'restoratives' - snake oil salesmen, in other words. Some of them work fine, others not so much. Thus the thought about some slight randomness to the healing.

And while I'm at it - there's no longer a bull's strength effect, so should I be worried about putting in potions that modify strength/dexterity/etc?

 

[Deltran]

The short answer is it was done to help simply the system to a point that things are predictable. 4e loves that, and it had to shave off a lot of corners when you compare it to 3rd Edition.

If you have your healing potions random, depending on the range, they will become sub-par to healing surges and may lead to a 'hidden' 3.x problem where drinking a potion may have been a waste of time. Also, it's much easier to record a static number than it is to roll a number, remember what modifier it is, add it, then record it.

By itself, there isn't much of a reason why you couldn't house-rule potions in that way. As long as you don't go crazy with the idea of randomizing everything that has a static value/number and you set a "you pay what you get for" scheme (for most purchases), I think it would be fine by the numbers.

Mostly the same reasoning applies to the stat-raising buffs. It is simpler on the numbers to not worry about a potion that increaces strength, which means X attacks get a + to hit, Y Attacks get a + to damage, these attacks don't get this, these attacks don't get that, and don't forget your skills and other class abilities linked to that stat... Once again, if you keep such items to a bare minimum I don't see an issue with it.

Anyone else agree?

 

[Simplicity]

Two reasons:

(1) Because spending your action to heal your ally, and then having it do nothing isn't fun. It's annoying.

(2) Because the D&D designers finally considered the implications of their rules to computer versions of D&D. Randomized potion drinking and randomized hit point gain every level just causes frustrated players who reload their game to get more optimal results.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I'm thinking about fleshing out healing potions for my campaign, but before I do that, I thought I'd post this query here. What is the purpose for 'heals 10 points of damage and you spend a healing surge?' Can it be a random number? (Such as 1d6+4, for example) I see no obvious reason why not. In my game, there will be traveling alchemists that sell 'tonics', 'elixirs', and 'restoratives' - snake oil salesmen, in other words. Some of them work fine, others not so much. Thus the thought about some slight randomness to the healing.

I don't know why it is fixed, but it might be related to the fact that "basic" healing is always a fixed number (1/4 your hp) in 4E. If you wanted, you could make it a random number that averages around the given value. (so, if a healing potion heals 10 hitpoints, your potion could heal 2d6+3 hps...)

And while I'm at it - there's no longer a bull's strength effect, so should I be worried about putting in potions that modify strength/dexterity/etc?

You should worry in the sense that ability modifying effects no longer exist in 4E. If you want something like it, a Potion of Bull's Strength might grant you a +X bonus to Athletics check (X being a number that appears reasonable within the rules framework and suits parameters like cost, level, duration)

 

[Cadfan]

The real reason is that you buy potions. Suppose they gave you a healing surge- then a potion would be equally useful at level 1 as it is at level 30, but still cost the same. If you put the potion's cost at a level that makes sense for a level 1 character, the level 30 character will buy himself a bag of holding and carry around hundreds of thousands of potions. If you put the cost at a level that makes sense for a level 30 character, the level 1 character can't have them, ever.

So the cost has to change over time. The easiest way to do that is to make potions consume a healing surge to power themselves, but then heal an amount which depends on who crafted the potion, and the strength of the potion itself.

 

[rkanodia]

Potions to increase your stats will be a bad, bad idea. The 4E designers are absolutely right about ability boosts and ability drains being overpowered time-suckers.

If I were going to add a potion of bull's strength, I'd make it be a minor action to drink, and consume a healing surge in exchange for a +2 item bonus to damage rolls for melee attacks until the end of the encounter, with +4 and +6 equivalents for paragon and epic tier.

 

[doppelganger]

If you have your healing potions random, depending on the range, they will become sub-par to healing surges and may lead to a 'hidden' 3.x problem where drinking a potion may have been a waste of time. Also, it's much easier to record a static number than it is to roll a number, remember what modifier it is, add it, then record it.

The potion as is heals 10 points plus whatever the healing surge heals. Rolling for amount healed in addition to what is recovered from the healing surge would not normally make using the potion a waste of time, because of the hit points gained by the healing surge. It would be a problem if the potion user was out of healing surges and rolled low on the extra hit points. This would have the effect of making the potion only suck when you need it the most. This is why I would recommend not rolling dice for it.

 

[Mort_Q]

The potion as is heals 10 points plus whatever the healing surge heals.

This is incorrect. It heals a flat 10 HP instead of normal HP you'd gain.

 

[Masquerade]

I like the OP's idea of a less-than-reputable dealer selling 1d6+4-point potions as 10-point potions at suspiciously reduced rates, but I would make it the exception rather than the norm.

Also, while I wouldn't have potions affect ability scores directly, there's no reason you couldn't. I certainly wouldn't make such potions commonplace. What about a potion that lets you spend a healing surge to gain, say, a +2 bonus to damage with any feat that deals STR-based damage for the remainder of the encounter? Or a potion that lets you spend a healing surge to gain darkvision for a few rounds? Those, I think, fit 4e a bit better.

 

[keterys]

I don't think drinking potions for buffs fits 4e at all.