How do you handle PC healers who want to heal the party in moments of relative safety? When I first started playing DW I would have the healer role cast a spell and then roll the amount healed until everyone was healed or i got to make a move on the healer that halted the process. This turned out to be tedious and a complete game stopper. I then just have the healer make one roll and correlate the outcome to the fiction. Sometimes the whole team would be healed. Other times the healing process would be halted by a sudden door splintering entrance of an ogre. Seems to work out well. Just curious how others handle it or maybe even have an alternative suggestion.
How do you handle PC healers who want to heal the party in moments of relative safety?
How do you handle PC healers who want to heal the party in moments of relative safety?
I would steal the “Let It Ride” idea from BW here. One roll, whatever happens, is the result of the whole process. Roll hp for each character healed, but the outcome is based on a single roll.
I almost always make them roll each time.
Assuming you’re talking about the Cleric, Paladin, and Bard from core classes, they each have significant impacts on the 7-9, which is the most likely (or tied for most likely) result until you get +3 or above.
Cleric has to pick between attention , losing the spell, or taking an ongoing penalty. All relevant. If they pick attention, that’s basically asking for an encounter or at least something for the react to (and stop casting spells).
Bard using Arcane Arts… in relative safety, the only reasonable 7-9 result is “attract attention.” So that’ll end their healing real quick.
Paladin using Lay On Hands… the 7-9 means that the paladin is taking on the damage themselves, which is a pretty important (and costly) consequence.
You can also use those scenes as a time to ask questions and prompt/provoke party interaction. “Cleric, what do you make of how the Thief acted in that last fight? Do you say anything to him about it?” “Thief, you can tell the Cleric is quietly judging you as he tends to your wounds, what do you do?”
Make them roll for it. If you want safe and reliable healing, buy bandages. Magic should be risky and unpredictable.
As usual I agree with Jeremy Strandberg … it only becomes a “game stopper” if you let it. The 7-9 results on healing spells are there to evoke the vibe of wandering monster checks. If you skip them, you skip a lot of the 1E lethality that DW is aiming for. Time is their most precious resource. Even if they don’t provoke an encounter, you’ve got Fronts to advance!
Aaron Griffin what’s BW? Sounds like what I’m doing as one roll covers the whole scene. Seems like a lot of responses feel the roll after roll is the best approach but having gone both ways our group finds the single roll the preferred method.
Peter J trust me, one roll for the scene is far from safe and reliable! Seriously if I wanted that route I’d just say all players are healed, the end.
BW = Burning Wheel. I think you should make a custom move for this so it’s clear for everyone at your table.
Erik Buchanan If you’re finding that it works better for your table, that’s great. I’ve got all sorts of shortcuts I take to jump things along; I’ve just personally rarely found the “heal train” to be a problem because it pretty quickly generates a consequence that interrupts it.
I’m genuinely curious about the details!
What healer class(es) are in your party?
How do you determine who gets healed and how much? Does it matter if (e.g.) the cleric is using Cure Moderate Wounds vs. Cure Light Wounds? Or (e.g.) if the paladin has Hospitaller?
If there are multiple healers in the party, do you do an Aid or have some other way to resolve it?
Have you found that your players need/decide to Make Camp less often? About the same?
Jeremy Strandberg as far as healers, we have either had a bard or cleric. Sometimes both. As far as who gets healed and for how much it is a matter of the fiction and how much time dilation is involved. If it’s in the middle of combat or any other situation were time is of the essence I use rules as written. If they have several hours of down time then I open the fiction aparature up and go to one roll. On a full success I might have the healer roll their healing die and apply that to all players and describe a section of time as “you sit in the inn nursing your gear and your beers. The bard’s songs provide as soothing state to all your bodies and souls. A partial might mean only one player heals or all get a portion before a move is made. On a 6-, anything goes. Some healing may occur or the healer summons a healing demon whose drive is to collect blood for the nether armies. Basically I treat healing like hack and slash, pulling the camera in or out for whatever makes sense to the fiction, is fun for the group and keeps the action rolling. Its similar to make a perilous journey . Dont find it effects make camp, most players are banged up enough they still need to get that extra healing. Hope this helps and I suggest giving it a go at least once. Like I said about hack and slash, it’s all about how big a or small a slice of time you want to cover and just like H&S, you still have have a full pallet of options modified by the fiction.
Erik Buchanan maybe if you made this into a move could be useful to others that aren’t on here
Emir Pasanovic i dont think codifying as a move is the way to go. Its more about a system that allows individuals total freedom by letting go. Apocalypse Engine games are the equivalent of a psychedelic experience. Only when the ego is removed do all things become possible. The basic rules are your starting point but that doesn’t represent the end game. Let the rules evaporate behind the story. If everyone at the table is engaged and having fun then mission accomplished. This post started out of curiosity but not in judgement or as a tutorial.
Erik Buchanan wut
Erik Buchanan this is already a move, it’s just confusing as fuck:
“On a full success I might have the healer roll their healing die and apply that to all players and describe a section of time as “you sit in the inn nursing your gear and your beers. The bard’s songs provide as soothing state to all your bodies and souls. A partial might mean only one player heals or all get a portion before a move is made. On a 6-, anything goes. Some healing may occur or the healer summons a healing demon whose drive is to collect blood for the nether armies.”
You have all the conditions, you have the consequences, it’s just badly worded and needs what I’ve come to call “Strandberg’s Magic Touch”. But I agree, not everyone needs to play the game the same way.
Emir Pasanovic sorry i think you misunderstood my post. Yes its allready a move but with a focus on time dialation. The example i wrote was just that, an example. The original post was me being curious if others come to healing in unique ways. I wasnt looking for help on my part as the technique i use has been proven at our table. Seems that others have also misunderstood this post as asking for help instead of me just being curious. Still, thank you for taking the time to provide feedback.