Preserve Life: Problem with the wording for a non-English speaker.

[Tabris2k]

Hi.
First of all, I'm not an English speaker. Me and my playing group, we're from Spain, but due to Wizards not licensing any of the D&D 5e material for translation in foreign languages, we have been playing with the original rules, in english.

Overall, I consider my english pretty good, but I'm having problems with the wording in the Preserve Life feature, from the cleric's Life domain. So this is not as much as a rules question as a clarification on the feature's true meaning.

Preserve Life states that "This feature can restore a creature to no more than half of its hit point maximum."

What I want to know is: Does that means that I can't heal a creature for more than half its Max HP, o that I can't heal it over half its Max HP?

Example: A fighter has a max HP of 24, right now he is at 9 HP. The cleric can heal 15 HP with Preserve Life:
Case a) The cleric can restore just 12 HP to the fighter (half the fighter's max HP), so he will end with 21 HP.
Case b) The fighter can only be healed to 12 HP with this feature, so the cleric can only spend 3 HP in the fighter, bringing him up to 12. Meaning that, if the fighter is injured, but over half is max HP (for example, he has 15 HP), he can't benefit from this feature.

As you can see, it's a very simple question, so I'll appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.

[DeAnno]

Case b), the Fighter can only be healed to 12 hp, gaining 3. The "to" in the wording implies destination.

Case a) would be worded as "This feature can restore no more than half of a creature's hit point maximum."

[Arkhios]

Hi.
First of all, I'm not an English speaker. Me and my playing group, we're from Spain, but due to Wizards not licensing any of the D&D 5e material for translation in foreign languages, we have been playing with the original rules, in english.

Overall, I consider my english pretty good, but I'm having problems with the wording in the Preserve Life feature, from the cleric's Life domain. So this is not as much as a rules question as a clarification on the feature's true meaning.

Preserve Life states that "This feature can restore a creature to no more than half of its hit point maximum."

What I want to know is: Does that means that I can't heal a creature for more than half its Max HP, o that I can't heal it over half its Max HP?

Example: A fighter has a max HP of 24, right now he is at 9 HP. The cleric can heal 15 HP with Preserve Life:
Case a) The cleric can restore just 12 HP to the fighter (half the fighter's max HP), so he will end with 21 HP.
Case b) The fighter can only be healed to 12 HP with this feature, so the cleric can only spend 3 HP in the fighter, bringing him up to 12. Meaning that, if the fighter is injured, but over half is max HP (for example, he has 15 HP), he can't benefit from this feature.

As you can see, it's a very simple question, so I'll appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.

Preserve Life works like in the case b): A Fighter whose max HP is 24, and whose current HP is 9 can only receive up to 3 HP from Preserve Life, because it's enough to bring him up to 12 HP, which is half of his Max HP.

[TheFlyingCleric]

Preserve Life states that "This feature can restore a creature to no more than half of its hit point maximum."

To, not from. This means your 'Case b' is correct.

"Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to heal the badly injured." The point of it is to heal badly injured allies

[Arkhios]

To, not from. This means your 'Case b' is correct.

"Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to heal the badly injured." The point of it is to heal badly injured allies

Aye, also the name is kinda suggestive towards this.

"To preserve life is to prevent death."

[Tabris2k]

Ok, thanks all for the responses.

I suspected it was like that, but there's another person who reads English in my group, we had different interpretations and the doubt kinda arise from the discussion.

We have been using it like in case a, making it a more powerful feature than it should be. The thing now is: Should I be a good boy and tell this to the DM, or should I follow my chaotic neutral alignment and keep quiet about it? :smallamused::smallamused: Decisions, decisions...

[Socratov]

Ok, thanks all for the responses.

I suspected it was like that, but there's another person who reads English in my group, we had different interpretations and the doubt kinda arise from the discussion.

We have been using it like in case a, making it a more powerful feature than it should be. The thing now is: Should I be a good boy and tell this to the DM, or should I follow my chaotic neutral alignment and keep quiet about it? :smallamused::smallamused: Decisions, decisions...

while it is your dilemma, it's not the question. the questions (if it's truly CN you are), what's in it for you if you and what's in it for you if you don't?:smallwink:

I woudl recommend letting a few details slip and se what you might be bribed with...

[Arkhios]

Should I be a good boy and tell this to the DM, or should I follow my chaotic neutral alignment and keep quiet about it? :smallamused::smallamused: Decisions, decisions...

If there's even the slightest chance that your DM is also reading/stalking this forum with or without account... well, figure it out yourself :smallamused:

[djreynolds]

I prefer jelly over preserves, just heal what you want. I do not think I've ever been "called" out on it, and I play a life cleric. I won't say anything, if you don't.

The big thing is the paladin has to touch, or lay on hands, while you can just pull forth your symbol and there is "no distance" in the rule.