From: jdelisle@udel.edu (J. G. Delisle)
Subject: Re: No Healers
Summary: My party has no healers...
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: Boyz from the Dwarf
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 03:51:00 GMT

In article <1993Jan8.010719.9735@lclark.edu>, ross@lclark.edu (Anthony Ross) writes...
> 
>	I think the thread of "Walking Bandages" has been one of the
>best, most productive I've seen since I've been reading this group.  
>The party I'm DMing right now has one priest (with no access to healing
>spells), no one with healing/herbalism proficiencies, and no healing
>potions. Have others been in this situation before? If so, what are some
>of your expreinces, the advantages and disadvantages of lacking any
>healer, etc.. Thanks!

	I've been in the situation with two (very different) groups that I
DM'd. In the first one, which was a magic-heavy world, I gave out a ring of
regeneration, and one of the players used a wish to get another ROR. It works
well, if you still give out a couple healing potions, and _don't_ let the RORs
heal damage before the ring was put on (ie, don't let a wounded player put on
a ROR after being injured and have the injuries heal. It gets very munchkin
if you make that mistake. I know from experience :-).
	The other group was in a low to medium magical world (they had gained
quite a few levels before finding a magic item that wasn't a "one-shot"). To
make up for the lack of a cleric, I gave the wizard the Wound Closure spell 
(from the GNSB?), with a twist: it heals 1-4 hit points, but it effects aren't
cumulative. WC worked once, and wouldn't work again until the character was
injured again. Since it was a low-level at the time (3rd level, to be exact),
and the "wizard" was actually a necromancer (and could cast WC and extra time
per day), it worked fairly well. When the group needed more hit points, I
would let them stay in town for a few days and heal (none of them had more than
20 hit points, so a few days would do it).
	To sum it up... without some kind of magic, the group is going to need
to rest often, so the adventures will take longer. Depending on the level of
care, a character can only heal 1-3 hit points per day, so higher level 
characters could take weeks to be back at full strength. Players will be much 
more careful, but won't take any big risks and become picky about hit points. 
If my character only had X hit points, and no way to heal quickly, I know I 
wouldn't be a risk taker, and would be bitchy if the character lost them 
over something unpredictable (bad dice roll, trap, etc).
	My advice is let some other classes take over the healing chores in
a minor way (mages with Wound Closure and Vanquil's Cellular Regeneration
(both in the new GNSB)), and giving both upper level rangers and paladins
access to healing spheres would help balance things out. And without clerical
healing, players tend to appreciate the occasional healing potion you throw
them.

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