Thread: HEAL spell?
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Old 08-09-2018, 11:15 AM   #295
Shadekeep
 
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Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Aerlith
Default Re: HEAL spell?

Weighing in a bit late on this, but here's my take.

Healing magic should be exceedingly rare, labourious, and costly. Instant healing is fine in video games, where frequent combat is often the raison d'etre and you can level up a character to the point where they can kill a dragon with a grapefruit spoon. But in a pen-and-paper RPG it should be much more realistic.

I would almost say that Master Physicker should be a prerequisite for Heal, as one would need to know how and where to direct the healing energies. Regenerating muscle tissue is very different than repairing nerves or organ damage. Critical failure could lead to permanent damage to the areas being repaired, with lose of function or attribute as a result. Select experts of this magic may also learn Regeneration, which allows restoration of lost organs or limbs. This spell would further be necessary to undo the effects of a Heal critical failure.

Lastly, Cure Disease and Cure Poison should also be separate spells. Cure Poison is probably the lowest and easiest to learn of these four, with no prerequisites apart from IQ. It could also be boosted by the Naturalist talent. Cure Disease is a targeted form of the Cleanse spell, and likely should require Physicker as a base so as not to damage the patient. Heal and Regeneration both require Master Physicker, with the latter also requiring the former.

The places one could obtain the services of a Healer at would need to be either well protected under the aegis of a strong ruler/government, or otherwise remote. The rarity of the art and the vitality of it would make true Healers very sought after, with some of them imprisoned by tyrants who desire to ensure their services for themselves.

As a final note, it's quite probable that Heal and Regeneration are intensely painful spells, or at least disturbingly uncomfortable, unless the patient is numbed or sedated. Otherwise they can feel their flesh knitting quickly, with all the accompanying sensory experiences of that.
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