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Old 10-06-2020, 06:10 AM   #14
InexplicableVic
 
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Default Re: Purpose of Faith Healing

Faith Healing is pretty awesome. It's actually worth all 33 points. Yes, you pretty much need to choose between that and turning, initially. But it's a lot easier to build up points for extra Power Investiture, etc., than saving up 33 points for Faith Healing.

It really shines if you have SM+1 PCs, where healing spells cost double (Faith Healing does not). And it also is great when you have players with 20+ or 30+ hp. Examples:

Ulf Sigurdson needs to heal "Mild" Bruce McTavish, a SM+1 Barbarian who has 30 hp normally, but is now down to 0 hp. In this example, Ulf has Power Investiture 6. So:
  • Minor Healing: Base cost of 6 FP, which doubles because Bruce is SM+1, a discount of 1 for Skill 15+, costs him 11 FP net. Bruce heals 18 hp (6 multiplied by 3 for HP 30+). That's the most he can do with Minor Healing, and it's expensive.
  • Major Healing: Base cost of 5 FP, which doubles because Bruce is SM+1, a discount of 1 for Skill 15+, costs him 9 FP net. Bruce heals 30 hp (10 multiplied by 3 for HP 30+). Again, this is the most he can do with Major Healing, and while it's still quite expensive, it heals Bruce fully and is more efficient.
  • Faith Healing: Base cost of 5 FP, no reductions or multiplications, and Bruce heals 30 HP (10 multiplied by 3 for HP 30+). If Bruce were at -30 hp and had just survived a death check, in one second just by touching Bruce, he can heal him up to full--60 hp--by spending 10 FP.
This is more dramatic if Ulf does not have PI 6, and has, say, only PI 3. In that case he's limited as to how much he can heal with Minor Healing or Major Healing. But with Faith Healing, you can heal "any number of HP." It is not limited by PI.

It also allows for the healing of crippled (but not severed) limbs, as well as curing disease. And as someone pointed out, it's not affected by Sanctity levels. That can really come into play in a big way.

"Physician, Heal Thyself" does not apply, as that specifically applies to healing spells; Faith Healing is not a spell. That also makes it quite powerful.

Finally, it is -3 per successful use in the same day on the same subject, not per try. That is also a major distinction. Has Ulf Sigurdson used Faith Healing three times in one day on a fellow delver? You bet he has. With IQ 14 and PI 6, it's not that risky (roll under 20, then 17, then 14). As long as he doesn't critically fail, it's fine.

In the current campaign I'm playing in, Ulf's Faith Healing has been amazingly powerful and helpful. It's tough to spend 33 points on that to start, but it's even tougher to accumulate 33 points in play and save them up for that purpose.
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