- In standard AD&D it will cure 1d8 points of damage.
- In Swords & Wizardry Complete it will cure 1d6 points of damage.
- In Labyrinth Lord it will cure 1d6+1 points of damage or can be used to cure paralysis.
In D&D Next they don't have a Cure Light Wounds spell rather a Cure Wounds spell that is scalable, therefore can be cast at a higher level when the mage has high spell slots available. There is no need for extra names/spells such as Cure Serious Wounds, Cure Critical Wounds, or Cure Mildly Annoying Rashes. They are all covered in a single spell.
The standard healing of a 1st level Cure Wounds spell is 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. If the spell is cast with a higher level spell slot than the number of d8s rolled will reflect that. Example, if Cure Wounds is cast using a 4th level slot, the player would receive 4d8 hit points healed +the spellcasting modifier.
I like the simplicity of it. No need to remember all those spells. This is an increase in healing ability over the other systems. In D&D Next you get your next healing bump at 3rd level when a 2nd level spell slot opens up. And 5th level to access a 3HD healing spell.
- In standard AD&D your cleric needed to reach 7th level before getting the next level of healing spell. And 9th level for a 3HD healing spell.
- Swords & Wizardry Complete is the same, you need to reach 7th level before getting a 2HD healing spell. And there is no 2HD cure spell for LL.
- Labyrinth Lord is the same as S&W complete.
This is where the philosophy of your home-ruled game comes into play. This mechanic demonstrates that the builders of the system are afraid to have character die in game (I'll get into the saving throw mechanic of death in another time). To me, the fun of the game is the struggle of surviving a dangerous place, managing resources and hoping the next room has the treasure you're looking for. A short rest allow a player to spend their hit dice like a healing spell. So everyone in the party can recover from their wound by chilling out and grabbing a slice of pizza. An ogre just slices half of you off. No worries, I got a bag of Doritios and some Mountain Dew, I'll be fine.
This is just my philosophy on the rule. I don't like it. I think with the clerics new options and increased healing ability this mechanic seems redundant and harmful to the overall sense of danger to the game.
Oh, and do not get me started on that second wind crap.
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As a party without a Cleric I like the idea of the long rest mechanic but I would change it up as such (and have in my starter set game):
ReplyDeleteDuring a long rest the player can use his hit dice to recover lost hit points not exceeding his max. He regains his hit dice when he gains a new level.
This gives the players a life saver but doesn't max health loss a non-important, easily averted thing.
I guess the availability of healing potions would play apart in this. I'm running with a group that has no clerics and we're playing core S&W, so its gritty and dangerous. We get our healing by getting potions.
DeleteAnd really, this is all me reacting to a rule without using it in play. So I guess I'll need to see how it works in game.
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ReplyDeleteThe DMG will provide alternate healing potions for your game, this is the baseline from which to modify, so i guess effectively a compromise all round. Time will tell how modular all this stuff is.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. I'm curious to see what options they provide. And if nothing else, it's easy to eliminate the rule.
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ReplyDeleteDeleted my original comments because parts of it was too similar to Johua's and then hitting publish a bit too quickly on the second.
ReplyDeleteI'd add the old school idea that short rests are only necessary to combat fatigue penalties (the old school resting 1 turn in 6 idea). You could go even further and have a long rest heal 1HP per hit die. And all these changes do change the expectations for the adventuring day, but I'm guessing that's not an issue for you.
Second wind isn't something I personally have a problem with. If you buy into the whole idea that losing hit points represents a wearing down process then second wind is tapping a reserve that revitalizes the person. I feel like it's similar to hitting the wall when doing long-distance running. Second wind is pushing through that wall. But YMMV.
I would buy into that. The 1hp/HD concept. While that would prove helpful it wouldn't eliminate damage from a previous combat.
DeleteYour are right with the second wind, it's because I see it as physical damage, I don't see it working.
One minor quibble with your rant: "This mechanic demonstrates that the builders of the system are afraid to have character die in game..."
ReplyDeleteActually it reflects the concensus of the thousands of playtesters who wanted the game to be less deadly. Certainly you are free to houserule (or ignore aspects) as you like. But as far as healing and HP goes, it's a matter of how you veiw health. The "old school" view is that HP represent straight up health. However, many people feel that your escalating HP represents the fatigue from exertion and minor, superficial wounds. Your hyperbolic example of an ogre cutting you in half is not what is intended to be represented. in that instance, it would be clear that you would have suffered enough HP damage to be reduced to your max in negative HP, which would mean you were D-E-A-D.
The system isn't perfect, or realistic. But, name one thing in D&D that is? :)
Nooooo, thousands of playtesters who wanted the game less deadly. Bah! Play checkers instead! Ha. Seriously though, I think they made it less deadly already by increasing the cleric's ability to heal more and more often. And adding the rest element on top of it is too much. It's like bowling with those bumpers in the gutters. If you're going to suck, suck at a man's game!
DeleteBut if you decide to run me through a 5e game I won't make a peep about ;)
I also just assumed that the "long rest" included party members (especially the cleric) using healing kits and skills (and spells) to help everyone along. That's how we handle it in our 3E game. We just assume that those with the ability to heal are using those abilities during the rest period.
DeleteThe biggest concern I have with my plan to run a hexcrawl sandbox like Isle of Dread with 5E is the total recovery on a long rest. That means almost every random encounter will be faced at full health.
ReplyDeleteI can remember plenty of fun times as a kid playing that module, and trying to avoid any encounters until we could get back to safety because someone was badly wounded.
That is my concern also. The healing spells have already been increased I don't see the need to add another mechanic to ensure the character's safety. They are fighting monsters, going into horrible places with monsters and stealing from monsters in horrible places.
DeleteKeep in mind that you need to get through that long rest to get the hp back. Those random encounters, played in proper old school tradition, are going to wreak havoc with that.
DeleteAll in all, 5E isn't exactly the way we used to play it, no, but I'm willing to both play and run RAW for a while to see what I think before I start hacking into it. :-)
I think for 5E to work RAW, you'd almost have to track supplies and have a long rest be the trigger to use up supplies. Then you need to be more careful about how often you do a long rest.
ReplyDeleteAlso: Wandering monsters. They have a habit of interrupting long rests. Assuming you can find someplace to have one.
DeleteSecond wind, healing surges, bah I say! ;-) I loved having a player group desperately holed up in a dungeon nursing unconscious character back from the brink of death and hoping not to have any random encounters that wipe them out....and praying their food holds out while people heal up. Oh, and this was WITH a cleric in the party and using healing skills to the max.
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