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Dr.Epic
2010-09-15, 07:16 PM
In the event a campaign doesn't have a healer and you're DMing, what would you do to help your players (assuming you aren't a jerk who would just let them all die for not thinking ahead that someone should have the ability to heal others)? I was thinking maybe give everyone one (maybe two) rings of regeneration. I know it's not much (in terms of HP restoring) but at least they're be (almost) at full HP when they wake up. My one thought is that they just pawn it for some other magical item but I could enforce some rule against that. Any other ideas?

Kantolin
2010-09-15, 07:20 PM
No divine caster, or no person capable of getting at healing at all?

Because between bards, rangers, paladins, and anyone with use magic device in class, healing becomes a fairly common option for someone in a party. Nobody can use wands of cure light wounds / lesser vigor? And then no binder, no crusader?

Healing belts from the magic item compendium can help compensate, but I'd just focus on giving them wands if they can use them. Expect them to put a chunk of their money into it, or at least heavily encourage they do so.

Dr.Epic
2010-09-15, 07:21 PM
No divine caster, or no person capable of getting at healing at all?

The latter.

Shenanigans
2010-09-15, 07:25 PM
I'll reiterate the Healing Belt suggestion. They're relatively cheap and highly reusable. Depending on the campaign and the party make-up, my characters will often have multiple belts, switching out as needed. They're often just carried around and used between encounters, then switched out for some other belt in combat.

Kantolin
2010-09-15, 07:26 PM
Is this for a particular party, or more of a thought experiment?

If the former, what's the party? That may help options.

Dralnu
2010-09-15, 07:26 PM
Most of my campaigns have no healers, but usually someone has UMD. To get around this, it's become a tradition for the characters to invest in healing belts (MiC 750gp I think) and then I usually drop wands of lesser vigor, possibly scrolls of restoration and the like if I know that I'll be throwing debuffs at them in the future.

Dr.Epic
2010-09-15, 07:36 PM
Is this for a particular party, or more of a thought experiment?

If the former, what's the party? That may help options.

More of learning from past experiences. I've been in a few (well, many) campaigns that lacked a cleric, druid, or character with good healing spells or abilities (or any at all) and I'm just wondering what I could do should I find myself in this situation again as a DM (as a PC I'm willing to just go druid or cleric).

lsfreak
2010-09-15, 07:37 PM
Tell them that it's going to be grittier than normal. Adopt a wound system. With no wounds, vitality heals at Con/rnd up to half hit points, and Con/min thereafter, but only when not exerting oneself (i.e. one full round of nothing but 5-foot-stepping would heal). With wounds or Con modifier or more, it drops to 1/rnd under half, 1/hour over half. The heal skill gains three options: full-round action (heal vitality or provide temporary vitality, only in fairly small amounts), 10 minutes (can heal a small number of wounds and most vitality), and long-term care (healing wounds faster).

If that isn't an option, give them a chump healer of some kind.

EDIT: For the sake of comparing a level 1 char with a level 15, limit healing to no more than level/<unit of time>. Thus a character with 18Con and 1/16 vitality will still only heal 1vit/round up to 8vit, and 1vit/min after that. Same stats on a 4th level character would be the maximum of 4vit/rnd.

Starbuck_II
2010-09-15, 07:48 PM
Use Iron Heroes mechanics?
They have 4Es healing surges thing kinda.
Reserve Points: Reflecting ability to recharge energy and shrug off minor injuries.
You have reserve points equal to Max Hp value.
When engaging in nonstrenous activity (like resting by a tree or walking around) you can convert them for a 1 for 1 basis per minute.

A Successful Heal check restores more from pool equal to Healers ranks in Heal.

Each day, you rest you restore Con score + level in reserve points.

Reserve points don't affect lethalness of a battle, but they help make you last longer for the next one (less needing to rest after a dangerous battle so less 5 minute adventuring day issues).

Tyndmyr
2010-09-15, 07:56 PM
Just suggest they consider some way of getting healing. Cross class UMD hurts, but with a bit of optimization, it's practical at mid levels. Healing belts are effective. Potions work in emergencies.

Or, you could play warforged, and have the arcanist heal.

Or take tomb tainted soul if you have someone capable of negative energy.

Or, you could buy a vampiric weapon, and beat up summons, or whatever other mostly harmless thing is around.

Or someone could take Extra Spell to add a healing spell to their spells known.

Or you could pay a nominal sum of gold for a NPC healer. Pay in advance, instruct him to stay in the back and take no aggressive actions.

Lots of options.

Dr.Epic
2010-09-15, 07:58 PM
They have 4Es healing surges thing kinda.

I play only 3.5. Probably should have said that in the title or first post.

Gavinfoxx
2010-09-15, 09:08 PM
http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=8965.0

http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19871786/A_Players_Guide_to_Healing_And_why_you_will_be_Jus t_Fine_without_a_Cleric_to_heal

Vemynal
2010-09-16, 12:04 AM
My group doesn't have a healer in the short campaign I'm running

To cope with this (everyone is like level 4) I gave everyone 3 cure light wounds potions and a single cure moderate wounds potion.

I then for the second part of the campaign am introducing a npc paladin with a cure light wounds spell and the lay on hands ability

(I should note this is an unoptimized campaign since none of our players are that good and I kinda want to show them how much playing without a single healer will suck so i dont have to do this again)

cdrcjsn
2010-09-16, 12:16 AM
In combat healing is actually fairly rare I've found in playing almost a decade of 3e games. Most of the healing needed was done out of combat with the use of wands (cure light or lesser vigor, either normal wands or the eternal kind) and healing belts.

Very rarely, a heal spell would be required or some mass cures, but for the most part, fights usually ended in 2-3 rounds and the cleric's time was better spent throwing out attack spells.

I remember my cleric stocking up on 1st level pearls of power just for the purpose of cure light wounds.

The casters just need to take a proactive role with protection buffs (bonus to AC, resistances, etc).

holywhippet
2010-09-16, 12:32 AM
I was thinking maybe give everyone one (maybe two) rings of regeneration. I know it's not much (in terms of HP restoring) but at least they're be (almost) at full HP when they wake up. My one thought is that they just pawn it for some other magical item but I could enforce some rule against that. Any other ideas?

I think your math is a bit wrong. They might be at close to full HP when they first wake up at low levels. As soon as they gain a few levels though, unless they were really healthy when they went to sleep it's barely going to make a dent.

Honestly a pearly white ioun stone does the exact some thing at a fraction of the price anyway.

I'd say let them go as is. When they realise the lack of a healer = early grave they'll have to work out a way to fix it themself. Either via multiclassing, building a new char or hireing a cleric.

Kelb_Panthera
2010-09-16, 12:44 AM
While potions are easily the most inefficient way to restore HP. You could point out to them that they've nixed most of the other options. healing belt is also a good option. Also remember that if Magic of Eberron is on the table, potions of 4th+ level spells become available, through the alchemist savant PrC. They may be called something different though.

Kaww
2010-09-16, 12:58 AM
My .02 $: Well, your job is to point out magic items that are for sale, and make them available. The rest is up to them. Playing without a healer is just wrong. You have many classes that offer Band-Aids... If they knew what they were doing, they should know how to use what ever you would give them...

Nick_mi
2010-09-16, 01:14 AM
What are these belts you speak of?

olentu
2010-09-16, 01:23 AM
What are these belts you speak of?

Healing belt on page 110 of the magic item compendium. Gives several charges daily that can be used for healing.

Andion Isurand
2010-09-16, 01:32 AM
They could encounter a silthilar (Lords of Madness) and each could pay for a blood graft, or recieve one as reward for services rendered.

The party arcanist can summon a celestial or other creature with healing capabilities to perform the band-aid work.

Leon
2010-09-16, 01:49 AM
I made Alchemical healing salves easily avalible and then later on they procured the assistance of a low level cleric and were under very strict orders from the church that he come back unharmed or there will be hell to pay.

Lady Moreta
2010-09-16, 01:53 AM
My current group has no healer. We started out with one, but the cleric's player dropped out after only a couple of sessions.

We all have healing belts, but the NPC we're currently traveling with is a paladin, so he has access to restoration (which has come in handy more than once), and he has some fancy thing where he doesn't have a mount, but gets spirits of varying kinds instead. One is a Spirit of Healing, which has also come in handy.

As players, we were sensible enough to make sure we had our own healing available (and I at least have a couple of potions too). As the DM, he was nice enough to give us a convienent and helpful NPC :smallsmile:

averagejoe
2010-09-16, 01:59 AM
Maybe it's just my experience, but it seems that generally a healer is functionally someone who can use a wand of CLW between combats. So homebrew a wand of CLW that anyone can use, or perhaps members of certain non-healing classes can use. Price it similarly and call it a day.

Alternatively, some sort of staff containing the cure X wounds line that anyone can use, if your group does like to use those spells in combat.

Andion Isurand
2010-09-16, 03:41 AM
Maybe it's just my experience, but it seems that generally a healer is functionally someone who can use a wand of CLW between combats. So homebrew a wand of CLW that anyone can use, or perhaps members of certain non-healing classes can use. Price it similarly and call it a day.

Alternatively, some sort of staff containing the cure X wounds line that anyone can use, if your group does like to use those spells in combat.

time for Use Magic Device

Ricky S
2010-09-16, 07:43 AM
My dnd group all invested in belts of healing. They are cheap and we never ran out of healing. We are only 5th level though so at higher levels a belt of healing might not cut it. Our party consists of a ranged fighter, a melee rogue, a monk, and a wizard. Our Dm gives us the same encounters as he would if we had a cleric. I think out party actually works out better because instead of having to heal we are putting out massive damage so we kill things faster than a party with a cleric would.

panaikhan
2010-09-16, 07:47 AM
There's a feat in Races of the Wild, which adds a small amount of positive energy (2hp/spell level) to anyone effected by the spell on a successful Knowledge Nature roll.
If there is a 'buff' caster, have them take this.

Snake-Aes
2010-09-16, 07:48 AM
If you intend for healing to be scarce, then the players will have to play smart. They'll have to think of ways to take as little damage as possible so natural healing can take its course. Ability damage suddenly gets a lot more dangerous too, so poisons and undead become a much greater threat.
Generally speaking a long day should have a bunch of lower-cr fights, but I don't know many dms who grasp why that's better than a few appropriate fights.

Greenish
2010-09-16, 07:59 AM
I think out party actually works out better because instead of having to heal we are putting out massive damage so we kill things faster than a party with a cleric healbot would.Fixed that. Clerics are an awesome combat class, and having one to heal in combat is a waste. :smallamused:

Snake-Aes
2010-09-16, 08:03 AM
Your group should plan ahead a few tactics. If the fight is somewhere narrow, then the guys at the front could fight on the defensive and let the ones behind attack as usual.
If tricky monsters are involved (like ability damagers and anything that does aoe or enforce saves), use control spells on these (hold person/monster, charm, suggestion 'attackers might come from behind, go keep watch!'). Stuff like grease, entangle, black tentacles and fear become more useful too.

Person_Man
2010-09-16, 09:12 AM
Just use a variant healing mechanic. Hit points represent your ability to absorb pain, your stamina, determination, etc, instead of literal wounds. After 1 minute of uninterrupted rest, you recover all of them. You can do this Constitution modifier times per day.

Or you could invest 2 feats gets you the Martial Spirit stance, which grants infinite healing. But honestly, I hate "required" abilities and "feat taxes." In 3.5 D&D this includes healing, Trapfinding/Search, Spot/Listen, Sense Motive, Power Attack for most melee builds, etc. In many RPG video games it's even worse, with healing potions, mana potions, ammunition, lock picking, and computer hacking tend to be the biggest offenders.

Roderick_BR
2010-09-16, 12:18 PM
Seconding reserve points http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/reservePoints.htm
Then get some scrolls and wands with UMD. You won't get much in-combat, but you can get patched up after each fight. Also Healing Belt, as mentioned, from Magic Items Compendium, and maybe a few other quick healing items for quick in-combat emergency healing.

In short, other than reserve points, magic items. Potions are considered too costly for it's benefits, so wands using UMD are better (you just need to emulate 1 level casters, to use the cure light ones).

Psyx
2010-09-16, 12:28 PM
I'm just wondering what I could do should I find myself in this situation again as a DM (as a PC I'm willing to just go druid or cleric).


It was their choice. Would you go into an uncharted area of the Amazon without someone with medical training? I wouldn't. And I wouldn't expect there to be less poisonous snakes because of it! I always feel that creating a party is something that should be done together, and all classic bases covered, at least partially.

See; a paladin can lug around healing wands, as can bards. A party that has NO access to healing has done something pretty special to get in that boat. I'd make 'em sweat it.

I'd also say that the party would be very reliant on magic items. You could either make them available, or be mean and make them rue their poor planning!

As a side, my own campaign has NO magical healing. A decent healer can do a great job of patching the party up, but you have to make allowances and allow time for natural healing. Dungeon bashes become a little more rare, and something that is viewed with caution amongst players.

If the players are dumb enough to not have a healer and then have a frenzied berserker or two, or other characters that suck down tons of healing, I would certainly hang them out to dry for their mistake.

Starbuck_II
2010-09-16, 12:32 PM
I play only 3.5. Probably should have said that in the title or first post.

It was a simile (I'd used "like" so it couldn't be a metaphor) not actual mechanics.