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Healing powers as rituals?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Zoxesyr
May 16, 2010 0:54:56 Has anyone else tried this? I remembered in all my past games and campaigns that we did the healing between the encounters more than during them.

In my 4e campaign I added a house rule that all clerical healing powers were also available as rituals at the same level.

The healing rituals take 15 minutes to cast, and require a heal skill roll. Example: The target number is 15+ for Cure Light Wounds, and go up from there.

I added the limitation that a healing ritual would only work once per day on any one "target".

The ritual does not change how the healing daily powers works.

This seems to be working pretty well. Since a character cannot rest and perform a ritual, this forces the cleric to choose between taking a short or extended rest or performing healing rituals between encounters.

#2
salla
May 16, 2010 1:23:09 Why would someone use a ritual to emulate Cure Light Wounds when they can spend as many healing surges as they want during a short rest?
#3
Fireclave
May 16, 2010 1:37:33 Seems unnecessary to me. PCs can already spend as many healing surges as they want between encounters without needing powers to do so. Likewise, leaders can use their healing powers outside of encounters when time allows, and PCs can take multiple short rests to get the most out of healing. There's even a feat in the PH2, Restful Healing, that maximizes the healing powers you use between encounters.

Thus, the 15 minutes you take to cast one of your proposed ritual powers could have been used to easily net at least 2, and likely more, uses of some per encounter healing powers and still have your class feature healing completely refreshed for the next encounter. The most I see this doing is increasing the number of surgeless healing daily power uses by a number equal to the size of the party. And considering that remaining healing surges is one of the more prominent limits on the "adventuring work day", that's a significant change.

Though really, if it seems that your party doesn't have enough healing, wouldn't it be simpler to just give your players a few more healing surges?
#4
bone_naga
May 19, 2010 17:44:20 Generally, the PCs can just spend however many healing surges they want between encounters. I could see a healing ritual that gave them a bonus, like +1d6 hp per surge used per tier, which might give them a small boost if they don't already have a leader. Otherwise you could use rituals to offer surgeless healing, but I would be wary of doing that. Surgeless healing is rare for a reason. I would make such a ritual fairly costly so the PCs use it when they need it, like during a particularly challenging adventure where they are almost out of surges but want or need to keep pushing onward. Make it too cheap and they will start to rely on it.
#5
Zoxesyr
May 22, 2010 20:17:25 Thank you all for the thoughtfull comments!
#6
therion666
Jun 12, 2010 12:04:41 Sorry but you use Healing Word and Second Wind between encounters, you've just got to have a Short Rest in between healing.

I don't like players using Second Wind between encounters personally.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Zoxesyr May 16, 2010 0:54:56	Has anyone else tried this? I remembered in all my past games and campaigns that we did the healing between the encounters more than during them. In my 4e campaign I added a house rule that all clerical healing powers were also available as rituals at the same level. The healing rituals take 15 minutes to cast, and require a heal skill roll. Example: The target number is 15+ for Cure Light Wounds, and go up from there. I added the limitation that a healing ritual would only work once per day on any one "target". The ritual does not change how the healing daily powers works. This seems to be working pretty well. Since a character cannot rest and perform a ritual, this forces the cleric to choose between taking a short or extended rest or performing healing rituals between encounters.
#2 salla May 16, 2010 1:23:09	Why would someone use a ritual to emulate Cure Light Wounds when they can spend as many healing surges as they want during a short rest?
#3 Fireclave May 16, 2010 1:37:33	Seems unnecessary to me. PCs can already spend as many healing surges as they want between encounters without needing powers to do so. Likewise, leaders can use their healing powers outside of encounters when time allows, and PCs can take multiple short rests to get the most out of healing. There's even a feat in the PH2, Restful Healing, that maximizes the healing powers you use between encounters. Thus, the 15 minutes you take to cast one of your proposed ritual powers could have been used to easily net at least 2, and likely more, uses of some per encounter healing powers and still have your class feature healing completely refreshed for the next encounter. The most I see this doing is increasing the number of surgeless healing daily power uses by a number equal to the size of the party. And considering that remaining healing surges is one of the more prominent limits on the "adventuring work day", that's a significant change. Though really, if it seems that your party doesn't have enough healing, wouldn't it be simpler to just give your players a few more healing surges?
#4 bone_naga May 19, 2010 17:44:20	Generally, the PCs can just spend however many healing surges they want between encounters. I could see a healing ritual that gave them a bonus, like +1d6 hp per surge used per tier, which might give them a small boost if they don't already have a leader. Otherwise you could use rituals to offer surgeless healing, but I would be wary of doing that. Surgeless healing is rare for a reason. I would make such a ritual fairly costly so the PCs use it when they need it, like during a particularly challenging adventure where they are almost out of surges but want or need to keep pushing onward. Make it too cheap and they will start to rely on it.
#5 Zoxesyr May 22, 2010 20:17:25	Thank you all for the thoughtfull comments!
#6 therion666 Jun 12, 2010 12:04:41	Sorry but you use Healing Word and Second Wind between encounters, you've just got to have a Short Rest in between healing. I don't like players using Second Wind between encounters personally.