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View Full Version : Healing addict -. 3.5/pf build advice



Heavenblade
2020-07-29, 09:14 AM
So Iv'e got this character concept, and I would really like to hear ideas about how to implement it mechanichaly.

Story wise, the character begun as a young and promising soldier, who had a very bright future ahead of him in the army.

One day, he was injured horribly, and had to get lots of healing magic over a long period of time (maybe he was bleeding out ability damage and had to get constant restorations or something, I dont know).

After he recovered, he was ready to go back to the army, and keep going on track to success. Problem is, soon enough he discovered that the long term healing magic affected him, and he begun craving more and more healing magic - which he didnt possess himself.

He started injuring himself on purpose in order to get small heals, diverting healing potions from large orders into his own stash, volunteering on suicidal missions in order to get healing spells afterwards...etc.

One day, he diverted a crate of potions away from where it was supposed to get - and when a group of special operatives of the army fought for their lives - there were no potions to be found in their supplies, and the entire squad was dead by the end of the battle.

He was banished in shame from the army after his crimes were discovered, and he became a wandering sellsword, selling his blade for healing potions. Eventually, he found out that his focus and attention span before he started showing negative side effects were too short for long missions so he turned to pit fighting, and purposefully hurt himself during battles in order to get heals afterwards.

After a while he was kicked out of the pit fights too when the owners realized how much money they wasted on healing him every night, and he rolled into the streets, starting brawls only to be cured after it by the constables or the priests that worked in the city prisons.

This is how he begins his adventure - lowest point in life, a miserable addict who is also a super trained warrior, probably recruited in exchange of shortened sentence in prison or more potions.


The question is - is there any material/feat/drawback/class/prc/race that could represent the long term effects of consuming healing in too large quantities when not needed?

Like, his body is overcharged with positive energy, or he gets really boosted up by positive energy, maybe he can drain spells that are cast near him...Im super open to ideas, I just wandered how to mechanichaly represent it.

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2020-07-29, 09:41 AM
A custom spelltouched feat (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/spelltouchedFeats.htm) would probably be the best way to represent that. Something, every time you're affected by a Conjuration [Healing] spell or effect, you gain +1 to attack rolls and saving throws and DR 2/magic for a number of rounds equal to the level of that spell, or for one round if it wasn't a spell.

Heavenblade
2020-07-29, 09:47 AM
That's a really good idea, actually@ I dont really like hb-ing if I dont have to...but maybe a celestial bloodrager of some sort will do? great idea anyway, thanks!

Palanan
2020-07-29, 09:49 AM
I would think this character would start to develop a tolerance for healing magic, in that it takes a greater amount of magic to heal a given injury. That would fit with his exclusion from the pit fights, since the owners realized he was requiring more healing effort than any other fighter for the same injuries.

As to how that could be represented, maybe -1 or -2 points per level from every healing spell cast on him?

Heavenblade
2020-07-29, 10:06 AM
Hmm...tolerance makes more sense, I suppose - and it is a cool idea for a hb drawback...but I reacall a few type-changing effects in the rules (templates and prcs and etc.), a refluff of warforged juggernaut could work (or maybe, his "Saviour" is a wizard who offered to cure his addiction by turning him into a machine - therefore, warfgored juggernaut levels etc.)

Palanan
2020-07-29, 10:55 AM
A baseline warforged only receives half the usual damage from healing spells, so maybe you could emulate that aspect without necessarily going the full transformation route.

I like this concept and think it's worth pursuing, but to me it's most effective when the character remains human.

Heavenblade
2020-07-29, 11:36 AM
I guess you have a point...
Meanwhile, I found the "bitter" pf drawback, but I wish it was somerhing a bit more "impactful"...like his addiction created some sort of an ability (such as draining magic or positive energy from casters/spells/magic items) which gives him an edge in battle - but this ability also fuels his addiction.

Darg
2020-07-30, 09:03 AM
Hmm, what about a custom passive fast healing 1 effect with a drawback that it prevents healing by 2 per point healed up to a maximum of your character level.

That should cause the addiction to go wild. The body starts to heal itself so he has to be faster and more reckless just to get his "fix."

This could be combined with DR and +ab to simulate the increasing reckless acts needed. These should last a total of 24 hours after getting magically healed.

Heavenblade
2020-07-30, 10:09 AM
Interesting idea - but Im looking formostly 1st party stuff though.


Ill definetly keep that idea in mind though..

Palanan
2020-07-30, 12:38 PM
I would think this individual has a greater than normal pain tolerance, given how often he deliberately injures himself. There may be a feat or a trait which could reflect that somehow.

Falontani
2020-07-30, 12:49 PM
masochism from book of vile darkness; and you could pull an addiction out from book of vile darkness as well. They even have withdrawal symptoms in the book. I would definitely agree that a spelltouched feat in addition to the above would be a welcome addition to such a character.

Zhepna
2020-07-30, 09:10 PM
He could develop an resistance to magic since he absorbed so much or it.
Depending of the prestige class, you could have 5/magic or 10/magic then eventually becoming immune but still addicted.

Being immune means that you become a god mage slayer but you cannot be buffed, healed or resurrected. I like your concept.

PoeticallyPsyco
2020-07-31, 12:48 AM
On the subject of tolerance, there's a flaw that's perfect for representing that:

Slow Healing
You do not heal quickly.
Prerequisite: Constitution 13 or lower
Effect: You do not normally recover hit points or temporary ability damage through natural healing. If you undergo complete bed rest for a full day. you may recover either I hit point or 1 point of temporary ability dam-age. In addition, any conjuration (healing) spell cast upon you works at only half its caster level. For example, a cure moderate wounds cast upon you by an 8th-level cleric would only heal 2d8+4 points of damage, instead of 2d8+8 points of damage.

From Dragon Magazine #328. And you get a bonus feat out of the deal.

Efrate
2020-07-31, 10:36 AM
You could put a spin on it with Path of War, having the character know a lot of silver crane and radiant dawn maneuvers but restrict their healing only to other allies, fluffed as spreading your addiction overflow around. Would fit the whole great warrior vibe, and gives an already established way to use 'pent up' healing energies to gain some benefit. That plus masochism from BoVD and the addiction rules should work.

There is a spell in the curse of the crimson throne adventure path that one of your enemies uses that does something similar, let me see if I can find it.

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/sadomasochism/

Might be worth looking into an item of that or somehow using it.

Elvensilver
2020-07-31, 11:06 AM
Seeing as you also look for pathfinder, I searched some feats that may reflect your character's addiction, or at least parts of it:

Somewhat weird, this basically gives you permanent minus on something, as well as situational boni, representing a somewhat esoteric injury you yourself caused.https://aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Agonizing%20Obedience
This one basically says: you heal faster. While maybe less in character, it doesn't seem bad. https://aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Fast%20Healer
While this is only a half-drow feat, it is not homebrew, and you could possibly ask your GM for it- it makes you fight better when under half your maximum hitpoints-could represent your expectation of being healed.
https://aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Strength%20in%20Defeat
The last one allows you to add excessive healing as temporary hitpoints-I suppose this could feel like a rush?
https://aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Lifebound