Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > The Fantasy Trip > The Fantasy Trip: House Rules

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-24-2021, 11:12 AM   #11
phiwum
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
Default Re: Thoughts on a Healing Spell.

Quote:
Originally Posted by larsdangly View Post
The best way to cut down on healing time is to wear armor.
Well, or not fighting. Be a farmer or shopkeeper. The campaign goes a lot faster that way, too. The days fly by.
phiwum is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2021, 02:46 PM   #12
warhorse11h
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: Thoughts on a Healing Spell.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lordtarim View Post
I am Creating a Healing Spell to use in my campaign and potentially publish in a future supplment book expanding on various tallents like Preist, Bard, and Naturalist.

I have 3 variants I would like everyones opinion on, they have so far been untested in their present form.

Minor Healing: IQ 12 Thrown Spell

Version #1 - Cost: 2ST, 4ST, or 8ST
Heals target 1D6/2D6/3D6 points of Damage and/or Fatigue. Additional castings on the same target with in 24hrs adds a 1 die penality to the to hit roll for each extra casting ( 4D6 then 5D6, 6D6 ect...).

Version #2 - IQ 10 Touch only?
Heals target 1D6/2D6/3D6 points of Damage and/or Fatigue. Penality of one additional dice per extra 1D6 in healing on the to hit roll (2D6 healing = 4D6 vs DX, 3D6 healing = 5D6 vs DX, ect...) ST cost = 1/2 number of hits healed.

Version #3 - IQ 10 or 12? Cost: 2ST
Heals target 2 hits and converts all the damage they have taken so far into fatigue. Does nothing for fatigue only Damage (hits) and has no effect on additional damage taken after the spell is cast.

Let me know what you guys think, im trying to keep it low powered enough to fit in with the lethality of The Fantasy Trip.
This topic has been raised before, on more than one occasion.
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread...=healing+spell
warhorse11h is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2021, 02:57 PM   #13
hcobb
 
hcobb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
Default Re: Thoughts on a Healing Spell.

What's wrong with the IQ 14 raise the just killed and restore full ST spell at ITL 28?*

* - Some risks to yourself, your soul, and your loved ones apply.
__________________
-HJC
hcobb is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 03-24-2021, 08:05 PM   #14
David Bofinger
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sydney, Australia
Default Re: Thoughts on a Healing Spell.

If you are adding a healing spell to the game, the first thing you do is not to write a healing spell. It's to write down what you want the healing spell to be able to do, and what you want it not to be able to do, and why having a healing spell will make the game more fun than not having a healing spell. The actual spell should derive from the answers to those questions. Start with "why", not "what", let alone "how" or "who".
David Bofinger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2021, 09:40 AM   #15
larsdangly
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Re: Thoughts on a Healing Spell.

I think the rules governing creation of new spells make it clear that any player can declare they are starting to work on a healing spell; then it's up to them and their GM to negotiate the parameters of the spell (IQ requirement; ST cost) and for the GM to dictate what actually happens when the spell is finally completed and first cast. Following the 'yes...and' principles of good improv theater, if a player came to me with such a request I would certainly let them proceed, but give serious thought to any unintended consequences or mechanics. Given that a healing spell seems like a useful idea yet doesn't appear in the widely known books of spells taught by the guild, it stands to reason that many wizards have tried to make one but never came up with a functional formula that didn't come with some terrible unintended consequence.

E.g., what if a healing spell works in a way that sounds awesome (say, IQ 12 spell and 1 point of physical injury healed per point of Mana expended - a reasonable approximation of how healing works in many high-fantasy games). But then the discoverer of the spell learns that the effects gradually wear off, with wounds re-opening and bones re-cracking, at a rate of 1 point per 15 minutes. Or if the healed wounds return the subject to good functional health but leave them horribly disfigured or noxiously smelly, imparting a -1 reaction modifier every time the spell is cast on them. Or if a figure returned to health by a healing spell incurs some sorcerous curse, like they become a magnet for malign spirits?
larsdangly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2021, 06:30 PM   #16
David Bofinger
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sydney, Australia
Default Re: Thoughts on a Healing Spell.

The idea that a healing spell also inflicts a penalty is an interesting one. It would allow characters to be unhappy about being wounded, but still able to continue adventuring as long as others were willing to shoulder more of the load. That probably comes closer to satisfying the wound dilemma than most approaches.

Perhaps the natural implementation would be:
  • The healing spell changes a certain number of wounds into pseudo-wounds.
  • Pseudo-wounds don't affect DX penalties, whether you live or die, etc. But each <make up a number> of pseudo-wounds counts as a level of Curse.
  • If you get hit then you get extra wounds: pseudo-wounds aren't affected.
  • Healing repairs real wounds first, and then pseudo-wounds. Or perhaps they heal in parallel, so that it's faster.
  • Pseudo-wounds may have some distinctive look, like they've been stitched together by eldritch glow or whatever.
David Bofinger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2021, 06:39 PM   #17
amenditman
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Florida Peninsula, Earth, Sol Sytem
Default Re: Thoughts on a Healing Spell.

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Bofinger View Post
If you are adding a healing spell to the game, the first thing you do is not to write a healing spell. It's to write down what you want the healing spell to be able to do, and what you want it not to be able to do, and why having a healing spell will make the game more fun than not having a healing spell. The actual spell should derive from the answers to those questions. Start with "why", not "what", let alone "how" or "who".
^^^THIS!!!^^^
__________________
The first rule of GMing
"If you make it, players will break it"
amenditman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-29-2021, 09:40 PM   #18
JohnPaulB
 
JohnPaulB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Portland, Maine
Default Re: Thoughts on a Healing Spell.

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Bofinger View Post
The idea that a healing spell also inflicts a penalty is an interesting one. It would allow characters to be unhappy about being wounded, but still able to continue adventuring as long as others were willing to shoulder more of the load. That probably comes closer to satisfying the wound dilemma than most approaches.

Perhaps the natural implementation would be:
  • The healing spell changes a certain number of wounds into pseudo-wounds.
  • Pseudo-wounds don't affect DX penalties, whether you live or die, etc. But each <make up a number> of pseudo-wounds counts as a level of Curse.
  • If you get hit then you get extra wounds: pseudo-wounds aren't affected.
  • Healing repairs real wounds first, and then pseudo-wounds. Or perhaps they heal in parallel, so that it's faster.
  • Pseudo-wounds may have some distinctive look, like they've been stitched together by eldritch glow or whatever.
That pseudo-wounds could be simplified to:
You could allow the player to convert hit damage to temporary handicaps (TFT Companion P 17 and P 23). Just make the time duration last hours or days. No need for physicker.
The player suggests the temporary handicap and the GM approves it.
  • Someone takes a bash to the head, they can take 1 point (1 hour) of Hard of Hearing.
  • Someone takes a bash to the shield, they can take 3 points (3 days) of One-Armed.
__________________
- Hail Melee

Fantasy Chess: A chess game with combat.
Don't just take the square, Fight for it!
https://www.shadowhex.com
JohnPaulB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2021, 06:37 AM   #19
David Bofinger
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sydney, Australia
Default Re: Thoughts on a Healing Spell.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnPaulB View Post
allow the player to convert hit damage to temporary handicaps
Using handicaps instead of curses could be a good idea, it has more flavour.

You seem to be suggesting the conversion happens at the moment of wounding, rather than out of combat. Unless it's limited somehow the PC becomes immortal?

TFT doesn't usually tell you what happened in a fight so rather than use what happened to say where the wound is I would randomise the wound and use it to say what happened.
David Bofinger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2021, 09:36 PM   #20
JohnPaulB
 
JohnPaulB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Portland, Maine
Default Re: Thoughts on a Healing Spell.

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Bofinger View Post
Using handicaps instead of curses could be a good idea, it has more flavour.

You seem to be suggesting the conversion happens at the moment of wounding, rather than out of combat. Unless it's limited somehow the PC becomes immortal?

TFT doesn't usually tell you what happened in a fight so rather than use what happened to say where the wound is I would randomise the wound and use it to say what happened.
Actually I was suggesting that conversion happens at the moment of 'healing'.

8 ST Joe gets injured for 3 points in a fall. Joe already has 4 fatigue on him. There is no 'medic' around or healing potion.

After the 'combat' is over (or there is no other action to do), it becomes time when Joe's player decides he doesn't like 1 health point left going through this area. He decides to covert 2 of his injury points to temporary handicaps. Since Joe fell, the player decides his leg is hurting. Joe gains two hitpoints back and now has Lame for -4 MA for, say, 1 day.

For the storytelling fluff part, Joe could take 5 minutes to bandage his leg.

If the player was clever, he could have Joe create a crutch and reduce the lameness by half (-2 MA).

Note: The conversion of damage to temporary handicap needs to be equitable. If Hard of Hearing for 1 hour seems like giving damage points away, increase the time to 1 day, etc.

Since wounds are generic on the body (unless its a called shot), a random hit location could be used to help decide what handicap to take. Or perhaps just rolling for handicaps and rerolling those that are inappropriate.
__________________
- Hail Melee

Fantasy Chess: A chess game with combat.
Don't just take the square, Fight for it!
https://www.shadowhex.com
JohnPaulB is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:05 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.