Our first read of Heal seems rather limited as compared to other spells in BBF.
Heal (as written) - you get 2D X level per day - period. How you spend them is up to you - caster determines how many are spent on a given use of the spell, and it is possible to cast on a group (though no special rules for using on a group - and range requires touch).
Comment: This seems highly limited when compared to say, Offensive Strike, which can do 1D +1D X level every round, all day long, with no fatigue or drain. And special rules for half damage when applied to a small area.
Given that a PC has 25-30 BP, and one good hit from a weapon will do 1D to 2D damage, a weak magical healing leads to very short adventuring before long rests. At the same time, too much healing reduces all sense of risk or jeopardy.
How have the rest of you found Heal? Is it too weak? Or is it OK?
I am getting ready to start up a long-term campaign in BBF and want to have a solid answer on this before I start in late August.
Thanks for your help.
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We (me and my groups) are finding that the heal spell is very useful. The healer can charge up the tanks during furious combat and after combat, (don't forget that the party treats wounds to recover 5BP each) it becomes a simple matter for the healer to do a group heal to recover everyone.
I've run a couple of dozen games and it has worked out just fine. Treating wounds to recover 5BP takes care of the piddly stuff very well, saving the heal spell for bigger things.
I wouldn't equate the heal with offensive strike, since how many of those are the party actually going to face in every encounter and how many of those can be resisted etc? If a party gets hit with an offensive strike you can be certain they are going to immediately bring down the hurt on that spellcaster.
Same goes for those weapon hits on a player. If they are managing their multi-action penatly well, not many blows are actually going to land.
Also, it can be common for several players to be able to use the heal spell which then allows many to come to the aid of the rest. Add in some scrolls or potions of healing if things get tough, or even a magic item or two and you are all set.
What I am not familiar with is how this spell works at ranks 4 and up. That is many many games down the road. But I'll watch for it and try to remember to post here when it happens.
I would imagine its benefit increases substantially after 4th, because not only are characters harder to kill, healing hard-to-kill characters is usually groan-inducing to the opposing side.
Thanks guys - solid feedback which is exactly what I was looking for. I'll plan to run it as written and see how it goes.
Good question and answers.
The only thing I would add is that it doesn't hurt for the characters to try and avoid actual combat unless absolutely necessary - and then with a plan and tactics that put the odds in their favor if at all possible.
The only thing I would add is that it doesn't hurt for the characters to try and avoid actual combat unless absolutely necessary - and then with a plan and tactics that put the odds in their favor if at all possible.
+1
As short as the combat rules are, there are alot of dynamics that can come into play that make every combat different than the last. This is not a game of go up and wack each other until hp/bp run out. If you play that way, you will die. Often. Until you get it. :)
And if the enemy has ranged weapons, don't leave cover without a good plan. Or you will die. Again. Until you get it. :)
Something else to consider, what happens to the extra BP from Aid? We decided that it was temporary BP, thus after taking damage from those points, they didn't have to be healed after the Aid spell wore off as they just evaporated with the strength at the end of the encounter. That seemed the least complicated and least lethal way to deal with it, but that also made a good bit of damage have less impact. Thus far I can only recall once or twice (when we made some fairly hefty tactical underestimations) where one of the healers actually ran out of heals.
Hey Neolithicwolf - That is how we handle Aid also. Nice and simple.
So we have-
'Phantom BP" from Aid.
First Aid after combat.
Potions and Scrolls if an Enchanter is in the party (a good way to spend surplus funds, whether on your own Enchanter or when stocking up pre-adventure). Also, an Enchanter can keep one or more Healing Runes in reserve..
Resistance Roll on STR vs Death.
Cleanse Spell for those re-rolls on STR (AKA 'Come Back From the Light!!!')
Transform to turn a dying companion to an inert, 'unliving' form(stone, steel)until assistance can be found.
Armor, shields and or Protection spells (runes etc) to prevent some injuries in the first place
Tactics, common sense and diplomacy to minimize conflict or end it decisively with minimal injuries on your side.
You know, those PCs look pretty durable to me-LOTS of options. Now where did I put those Venomous Mutant Velociraptors? :D
order99 - awesome list and your Venomous Mutant Velociraptors comment made me choke!
But I had to look up Transform and the very last sentence of the spell says it can't be used that way. :(
That sentence probably should be at the beginning of the spell text, I'm thinking.
I think he was interpreting "dead" as "nonliving" (which should be hyphenated,) and using the spell for the purpose of preservation. GM's call perhaps?
I'm not putting words in his mouth. He said, "dying", not "dead".
But I like the idea of using it to preserver a body. That is clever Ascent.
Well, as far as "can't do that"-
If my players get clever enough to turn a dying (but still warm) companion to marble in order to preserve her 'last breath', laboriously haul a heavy statue across hill and dale, nearly lose her in a swamp, with the Spellcaster staying awake for THREE DAYS in order to reapply the spell constantly and falling into psychosis...and ending with the Thief breaking into an NPC Enchanter's home in order to wake the old woman at dagger's point, slip her every coin and gem at his disposal and offer her an indentured servitude of five years if she will just GET UP AND HELP THEM-while the now-psychotic Spellcaster screams at his long-dead father that it isn't fair that EVERYONE HE LOVES gets to die before HE does...
I am ABSOLUTELY allowing it. A half hour of marking the marble statue in Cleanse runes and anointing her stony form with a dozen expensive healing potions, activating the Runes by moonlight-
- "CLEAR!!!!"-
- a STR resistance roll behind the screen-
-and the Scout wakes from her two week coma, barely able to stand, but able to eavesdrop on the Thief berating the Spellcaster for neither eating nor speaking the entire fortnight...now as to whether that little Transform stunt will ever work again, well there's only ONE WAY TO FIND OUT, isn't there, heh heh heh. Perhaps three Rank one PCs shouldn't have taken on the Gaunt Woman and an entire dozen zombies first time out of the village, Yeesssssss?? Or at least keep a few Cleanse potions on hand next time!
Much, much later the Players remember that Level One Transform can't turn a target into another substance,and I just remind them that strange things happen when you roll a '00'...they didn't think that rain of blood and ice was NORMAL when casting that spell did they? :) Maybe they owe some unknown being a favor, and later it might COLLECT...
I have Players that think WAY outside the box. Sometimes, I build a bigger box.
That is awesome order99. Thanks for writing that up. That is a great example of players using whatever they have to do something unique. I too allow stuff like this.
You were listing the common ways that player can heal/avoid damage. I didn't want to steer people off the core rules with it. That is all.
That's....probably wise, considering the way my players can break and bend rules systems-not to mention finding the holes in any rule and piloting entire Galleons through them!
Did I mention that until I houseruled the Guardian subskill to 'usable once per round' the Gang had our Dwarf Leader playing the Incredible Wall of Bodyguard, with the Scout using a bandolier of potions to play Healbot on the Dwarf, and the Spellcaster and Warrior Bringing the Pain with near-total impunity? All they needed was a Phantasy Star Midi for battle music....yeah, that's nerfed now.
Also nerfed-an attempt to find enough wealth to turn the Enchanter into a one-man Stark Industries(the argument being that the Enchanter can choose to 'Abort' the Work if the roll failed and waste the supplies rather than lose STR-nice try, but not BTB guys!)
ALSO nerfed-using the Leader subskill of Leader does NOT allow you to raise an army at Level 1 by 'talking to the entire village, one person at a time' No, no, no...
I'd remove the Transform option from my post, but subsequent posts would be pretty confusing...
New players, please stick with the Core Rules as written until you have properly gauged the amount of stress your poor GM can take-after you've determined his or her breaking point though, feel free to test the GM's sanity by arguing that an entire CASTLE counts as 'one item' for the Enchanter's Level 1 Illusion rune:
PLAYER-No seriously, check the description, the Range is 'sight'! I disguise the entire castle to look like a tunnel-can't WAIT until the armored cavalry hit that wall...
ME-AAAAAAIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
In short,New Players-my group are often the Bad Example...so play nice and don't break your GM.
OMG...I read all that and was laughing so hard. This needs to be on video. :) The antics of your players that is.
I think that a video consisting of several folk giving each other high fives while one man slams his face into a wall repeatedly in frustration isn't going to be amusing for more than a minute or three... :D
Besides, my Players have yet to top the Tunnels & Trolls campaign of two years past where they:
-Used deadly mind magic to Charm a Medusa into obedient servitude with no casualties-
-Used their newfound obedient slave to 'Scout' the entire dungeon, turning my deadly encounters into a handful of frightened, blindfolded monsters feeling their way to the exits of the PC new Sculpture Gallery-
-And ended with the PCs selling a certain 'exotic, veiled dancer' to the representative of a powerful foreign nation as a concubine. The aftermath of THAT little incident lead to a massive war between the PCs own nation and the outraged country whose entire Ruling Family had been 'targets of Wizardly Assassins!'...NNGGGRRRGGHHHH...
(hastily looks up rules for BareBones Charm Spell)
Yep, they could do it in Barebones Fantasy too. Time for the Red Pen again...
Sigh.
Oh Posters,
Just tell the New Guys
Not to do what my PCs have done
Drove their GM insane
Poured Bleach in his brain
In the House Where the Game is Run...
:$
+1 EPIC!
order99 - hugely entertaining stuff.
Perhaps you should consider padding the wall where you play to reduce damage to your long-suffering forehead?
Nah-my long-suffering forehead can crack cinder block at this point. : ) I sorta broke through an actual layer of plaster or two during my Masque of the Red Death campaign, wherin our Fearless Monster Hunters would 'adopt' small orphan children, load them up with lots of gun cotten and use them as highly explosive bait when hunting Vampires...sigh. Word got 'round eventually, leading to the most inexplicable behavior from local Undead Apex Predators such as:
L'il Lost Orphan Girl-Mister? Mister? I'm lost and I can't find my mommy-
Terrified Vampire-AAAAAAAAHHHH! Stay Away! I didn't DO it, I didn't do ANYTHING!!!
LLOG-But, but (sniff) I just wanna-
TV-Stay AWAY I said! Go find someone ELSE to ruin and destroy!!
LLOG-WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!
TV-Dear Dark Powers she's detonating!!! Must...outrun..the blast...
LLOG-iwantmymommeeee...
(Thought I was KIDDING about the Brain Bleach didn't you?) : D