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Otodetu
2009-11-27, 11:12 PM
Question
So we are a bit unsure in our group just exactly how fast healing works, some mean that as an extraordinary ability it works at negative hp, and others mean that it stops working at negative hitpoints.

I myself see the logic that you should heal with fast healing even at negative hit points, your body have been healing at a silly speed earlier after all.

But the wording can imply the opposite it seems.

Fast Healing
A creature with fast healing has the extraordinary ability to regain hit points at an exceptional rate. Except for what is noted here, fast healing is like natural healing.

At the beginning of each of the creature’s turns, it heals a certain number of hit points (defined in its description).

Unlike regeneration, fast healing does not allow a creature to regrow or reattach lost body parts. Unless otherwise stated, it does not allow lost body parts to be reattached.

A creature that has taken both nonlethal and lethal damage heals the nonlethal damage first.

Fast healing does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation.

Fast healing does not increase the number of hit points regained when a creature polymorphs.


From the srd
A character who becomes stable on his own (by making the 10% roll while dying) and who has no one to tend to him still loses hit points, just at a slower rate. He has a 10% chance each hour of becoming conscious. Each time he misses his hourly roll to become conscious, he loses 1 hit point. He also does not recover hit points through natural healing.

Even once he becomes conscious and is disabled, an unaided character still does not recover hit points naturally. Instead, each day he has a 10% chance to start recovering hit points naturally (starting with that day); otherwise, he loses 1 hit point.

A stable character who has been tended by a healer or who has been magically healed eventually regains consciousness and recovers hit points naturally.



Stable Characters and Recovery

On the next turn after a character is reduced to between -1 and -9 hit points and on all subsequent turns, roll d% to see whether the dying character becomes stable. He has a 10% chance of becoming stable. If he doesn’t, he loses 1 hit point. (A character who’s unconscious or dying can’t use any special action that changes the initiative count on which his action occurs.)

If the character’s hit points drop to -10 or lower, he’s dead.

You can keep a dying character from losing any more hit points and make him stable with a DC 15 Heal check.

If any sort of healing cures the dying character of even 1 point of damage, he stops losing hit points and becomes stable.

Healing that raises the dying character’s hit points to 0 makes him conscious and disabled. Healing that raises his hit points to 1 or more makes him fully functional again, just as if he’d never been reduced to 0 or lower. A spellcaster retains the spellcasting capability she had before dropping below 0 hit points.

A stable character who has been tended by a healer or who has been magically healed eventually regains consciousness and recovers hit points naturally. If the character has no one to tend him, however, his life is still in danger, and he may yet slip away.
Recovering with Help

One hour after a tended, dying character becomes stable, roll d%. He has a 10% chance of becoming conscious, at which point he is disabled (as if he had 0 hit points). If he remains unconscious, he has the same chance to revive and become disabled every hour. Even if unconscious, he recovers hit points naturally. He is back to normal when his hit points rise to 1 or higher.
Recovering without Help

A severely wounded character left alone usually dies. He has a small chance, however, of recovering on his own.

A character who becomes stable on his own (by making the 10% roll while dying) and who has no one to tend to him still loses hit points, just at a slower rate. He has a 10% chance each hour of becoming conscious. Each time he misses his hourly roll to become conscious, he loses 1 hit point. He also does not recover hit points through natural healing.

Even once he becomes conscious and is disabled, an unaided character still does not recover hit points naturally. Instead, each day he has a 10% chance to start recovering hit points naturally (starting with that day); otherwise, he loses 1 hit point.

Once an unaided character starts recovering hit points naturally, he is no longer in danger of naturally losing hit points (even if his current hit point total is negative).

arguskos
2009-11-27, 11:19 PM
If Fast Healing is treated as normal healing, and normal healing doesn't work while unconscious, then BAM! No fast healing while unconscious. Seems somewhat clear to me.

infinitypanda
2009-11-27, 11:33 PM
Fast Healing
A creature with fast healing has the extraordinary ability to regain hit points at an exceptional rate. Except for what is noted here, fast healing is like natural healing.

At the beginning of each of the creature’s turns, it heals a certain number of hit points (defined in its description).

So if you're unconscious, you still recover hit points because it applies its effect on every single one of your turns. I think that's where the ambiguity comes in.

erikun
2009-11-27, 11:43 PM
If Fast Healing is treated as normal healing, and normal healing doesn't work while unconscious, then BAM! No fast healing while unconscious. Seems somewhat clear to me.
I'm pretty sure that if I'm knocked unconcious, I still recover as if I was simply sleeping. :P Otherwise, nobody would ever recover from subdual damage. (or 0 abilities, or negative HP and stabilized, etc.)

Otodetu
2009-11-28, 11:46 AM
Being knocked unconscious is not the factor, it is the "dying" state you enter at negative hit points

Dying
A dying character is unconscious and near death. She has -1 to -9 current hit points. A dying character can take no actions and is unconscious. At the end of each round (starting with the round in which the character dropped below 0 hit points), the character rolls d% to see whether she becomes stable. She has a 10% chance to become stable. If she does not, she loses 1 hit point. If a dying character reaches -10 hit points, she is dead.

Otodetu
2009-11-28, 12:11 PM
So if you're unconscious, you still recover hit points because it applies its effect on every single one of your turns. I think that's where the ambiguity comes in.

I looked at this too, is there any official errata or ruling on the matter?