Healing Hands

[Supplement Four]

I haven't quite decided yet, but I'm strongly considering adding a new feat to the game for my players to choose if, indeed, they'd like to have the feat.

I call the feat Healing Hands, and the prerequisite would be some ranks in the Heal skill.

Ownership of the feat provides bonus hit points when the Heal skill is used to restore hit points to wounded characters. Mechanically, the feat works like Power Attack. The character takes a negative on his roll to Heal, and if successful, gets that amount as bonus Hit Points when healing. The amount chosen cannot be more than the character has ranks in the skill.

For example, Daggeri is providing Short Term Care for Ruslan after a fight. Daggeri's Heal skill allows a +3 on the throw (from 2 ranks and a +1 WIS modifier). Thus, using the Healing Hands feat, Daggeri could take a -1 penalty on the Heal check, but if successful, grant a bonus HP for Ruslan's recovery.

Or, Daggeri could take a -2 penalty on the check (making the DC 15 Short Term Care throw become DC 17), and if successful, he would return 2 bonus hit points for Ruslan's recovery (which would total 2 points: 1 Ruslan's Character level -1 CON penalty +2 bonus).

Daggeri cannot take a bigger penalty on the Heal check because he only has 2 ranks in Heal.

 

[Supplement Four]

I am also considering adding a masterwork Healer's kit to the game that is appropriately expensive (and maybe has only 5 uses instead of 10), but provides not only a +2 circumstance bonus to Heal check but also a +2 HP bonus when those checks are successful.

 

[kintire]

Something like this does need to be done. The lack of healing in Conan can bring too many scenarios to a screeching halt, or worse, leave one player on the sidelines for most of an evening.

Personally, I'm going the whole hog and just healing the party after each fight. But if you prefer a more gritty style of play, something like this is probably better.

 

[sgstyrsky]

There's always the Healer class from Signs and Portents.

 

[Vortigern]

I can see the value for something like the bonus described, but I'd rather it simply be a direct reflection of the skill of a given healer. Personally I'd simply rule that a healer gives a healing bonus of perhaps 1/2 their healing skill ranks for the short term care without taking a check penalty or needing any special feat.

 

[Vortigern]

There's always the Healer class from Signs and Portents.

Evilness and Heresy!

 

[Supplement Four]

Well, I've added a little bit of healing to the game with these rules, and I believe the rules still keep the gritty and dangerous feel of Conan.



First off, a PC can use a Fate Point to gain immediate hit points. This I call the Second Wind option. Spending a Fate Point nets the character a number of hit point equal to one day's rest, that is: 3 + 1 per level + CON modifier, to a minimum of 1.



Next, the masterwork Healer's Kit can be used to gain the healer +2 on the Heal check and +2 recovery hit points when the check is successful.

So, after a fight, the Heal skill can be used for Short Term Care. This requires a DC 15 Heal check, but if successful, returns a number of hit points equal to the injured character's level + his CON modifier, to a minimum of 1. Using a master Healer's Kit on this check will boost recovered hit point by 2.

Masterwork Healer's Kits are expensive (100+ sp) and provide 5 uses (instead of 10 uses common with the standard Healer's Kit).



Third, this new feat as been added to the game. The feat's prerequisite is at least one rank in the Heal skill. The feat, Healing Hands, allows the healer to make educated guesses about treatment options, attempting different healing techniques that may or may not be successful.

In order to use the feat, the healer takes a negative modifer on his Heal check, but if successful, he provides bonus recovery hit points equal to the modifier. The modifier cannot be larger than the number of ranks the healer has in the Heal skill (mechanics are similar to the Power Attack feat).




Examples...

A 3rd level Soldier character has a +2 CON bonus and 25 hit points.

Second Wind: As long as the character has 1 hit point, he can use a Fate Point to return 8 hit points. He cannot use this method to boost his hit point total above 25.

Short Term Care: As per normal game rules, a wounded character can be attended by a healer once after each combat. This is a DC 15 Heal check by another character with the Heal skill. Success brings the Soldier 5 hit points.

Masterwork Healer's Kit: If a masterwork Healer's Kit is used with the Short Term Care option above, the healer gets a +2 bonus on the Heal check, and if successful, the Soldier recovers 7 hit points.

Healing Hands: Use of this feat depends on the number of ranks the healer has in his Heal skill. A healer with two ranks in his Heal skill would have two options of using this feat.

If providing Short Term Care, the healer can take a -1 penalty on his Heal check, but if successful, he would return to the Soldier 6 hit points.

Or, the healer can take a -2 penalty on his Heal check, providing the Soldier with 7 hit points if successful.

Using a masterwork Healer's Kit would improve these recovery options to 8 and 9 hit points respectively.

Once the healer put more ranks in the Heal skill, more options on using the Healing Hands feat would be available to him.

 

[Ichabod]

Current problem with Heal skill: There's no meaningful benefit to having better than a +14 skill check, while that +14 means you auto short term care (the important Heal ability)

This idea is one way to make the Heal skill more interesting, but I think there should just be some sort of base mechanic in the skill that rewards high rolls, like healing 1.5x with a 25+ result or whatever.

 

[kintire]

Current problem with Heal skill: There's no meaningful benefit to having better than a +14 skill check, while that +14 means you auto short term care (the important Heal ability)

Not quite my experience. We have had quite a lot of mileage out of the treat poison ability...

 

[Supplement Four]

Current problem with Heal skill: There's no meaningful benefit to having better than a +14 skill check, while that +14 means you auto short term care (the important Heal ability)

Note that your perceived problem evaporates if you incorporate the Healing Hands feat into your game. At +14, you can afford to take a lot of negatives and heal more points of damage.

In effect, the character has developed his own home recipes for healing.

Also note that the "+14" refers to the total bonus with circumstance modfiers and ability bonus while Healing Hands uses only the actual ranks in the skill.