Heal/Regenerate Song of Song Mage

[Kinghawke]

in Rifter #18, page 52, it talks about the song of Heal/Regenerate. it lasts 1 round, effects only last while the tune is completed, 4 PPE for each song duration.
it regenerates at a rate of 30 HP per HOUR (1 every 2 MINUTES) plus 5 ISP &/or 5 PPE per HOUR while the song is played.

How is this supposed heal anyone?

[zerombr]

okay so lets see....1 per two minutes, so 4 ppe /rd this equates to 32 PPE per 1 HP healed.

If you keep using the song for a full hour, that's a total of 16 x 60= 720 PPE to actually play it for an hour.

So like most magic, tragically inefficient.

[eliakon]

okay so lets see....1 per two minutes, so 4 ppe /rd this equates to 32 PPE per 1 HP healed.

If you keep using the song for a full hour, that's a total of 16 x 60= 720 PPE to actually play it for an hour.

So like most magic, tragically inefficient.

Not really. This is one of the most efficient spells out there!
It is an area spell you see.
It heals everyone in a radius of 100' plus 25' per level.
So 125 radius circle at 1st level...

Add in that the PPE per round is low enough you can draw it off of a ley line and sing it indefinitely (and some games still let Ley Lines boost range!)

Put your medical center near a ley line, with a large room with bunks 4 or 5 deep and a chair for the musician....

This sets aside the fact that it recovers I.S.P. which is otherwise nearly impossible to heal!
AND that it restores P.P.E. to all those you are healing!

So no, this is probably one of the most powerful healing spells in the Rifter.

[Soldier of Od]

I think the spell costs 4 P.P.E. to cast, not 4 P.P.E. for every fifteen seconds.

It says you have to play the tune all the way through once to begin (so fifteen seconds and 4 P.P.E.), before the healing will take effect (so no H.P. recovery for those first 15 seconds), and then continue to play the song for the effects to continue. So the healing will continue for as long as the mage can play - it doesn't mention any further P.P.E. cost. Considering the very slow rate of recovery I think that is fine. Plus note that it only regenerates H.P. - once you get to S.D.C. the song doesn't appear to have any other effect (apart from the I.S.P. and P.P.E. recovery - which is slower than most psychic and magic O.C.C.s rates of recovery anyway, but might be useful to restore the P.P.E. of non-mages).

[zerombr]

You raise some good points

[eliakon]

I think the spell costs 4 P.P.E. to cast, not 4 P.P.E. for every fifteen seconds.

It says you have to play the tune all the way through once to begin (so fifteen seconds and 4 P.P.E.), before the healing will take effect (so no H.P. recovery for those first 15 seconds), and then continue to play the song for the effects to continue. So the healing will continue for as long as the mage can play - it doesn't mention any further P.P.E. cost. Considering the very slow rate of recovery I think that is fine. Plus note that it only regenerates H.P. - once you get to S.D.C. the song doesn't appear to have any other effect (apart from the I.S.P. and P.P.E. recovery - which is slower than most psychic and magic O.C.C.s rates of recovery anyway, but might be useful to restore the P.P.E. of non-mages).

Which makes it even *more* ludicrously powerful.
AoE spell that starts at 125' radius.
Costs 4PPE to cast
And regenerates HP, PPE, and ISP (and said recovery is in addition to what ever they are getting from their O.C.C. and if you have played a psychic you know how hard it is to get your ISP back)

Yeah... this is like the #1 healing spell in the game (if it weren't for being Rifter. As it is it is probably the #1 Rifter healing spell)

[The Beast]

Have you tried checking in any of the PB groups on Facebook to see if the author is a member of one of them and then asking him for clarification?

[Kinghawke]

okay so lets see....1 per two minutes, so 4 ppe /rd this equates to 32 PPE per 1 HP healed.

If you keep using the song for a full hour, that's a total of 16 x 60= 720 PPE to actually play it for an hour.

So like most magic, tragically inefficient.

Not really. This is one of the most efficient spells out there!
It is an area spell you see.
It heals everyone in a radius of 100' plus 25' per level.
So 125 radius circle at 1st level...

Add in that the PPE per round is low enough you can draw it off of a ley line and sing it indefinitely (and some games still let Ley Lines boost range!)

Put your medical center near a ley line, with a large room with bunks 4 or 5 deep and a chair for the musician....

This sets aside the fact that it recovers I.S.P. which is otherwise nearly impossible to heal!
AND that it restores P.P.E. to all those you are healing!

So no, this is probably one of the most powerful healing spells in the Rifter.

but it only lasts 1 round & the duration also only lasts 1 round while played. so you have to use 4 PPE per round each around in order to use it & it takes minutes before any effects are seen. if you're not near a leyline or nexus point, you won't make it to the Hour to see any real results. can it only efficiently be used on Leylines & Nexus Points?

[eliakon]

okay so lets see....1 per two minutes, so 4 ppe /rd this equates to 32 PPE per 1 HP healed.

If you keep using the song for a full hour, that's a total of 16 x 60= 720 PPE to actually play it for an hour.

So like most magic, tragically inefficient.

Not really. This is one of the most efficient spells out there!
It is an area spell you see.
It heals everyone in a radius of 100' plus 25' per level.
So 125 radius circle at 1st level...

Add in that the PPE per round is low enough you can draw it off of a ley line and sing it indefinitely (and some games still let Ley Lines boost range!)

Put your medical center near a ley line, with a large room with bunks 4 or 5 deep and a chair for the musician....

This sets aside the fact that it recovers I.S.P. which is otherwise nearly impossible to heal!
AND that it restores P.P.E. to all those you are healing!

So no, this is probably one of the most powerful healing spells in the Rifter.

but it only lasts 1 round & the duration also only lasts 1 round while played. so you have to use 4 PPE per round each around in order to use it & it takes minutes before any effects are seen. if you're not near a leyline or nexus point, you won't make it to the Hour to see any real results. can it only efficiently be used on Leylines & Nexus Points?

Um no.
The spell takes EFFECT in one round.
It will then continue for as long as it is played/sung... for one casting.
This is the same for all song magic spells and is quite clearly spelled out in the basic description of song magic on page 48.
Song magic is devastatingly powerful.
In my homebrew world there is a long history of "ballad rebellions" that resulted in some very strict music laws. Musical instruments that can be played indefinitely with needing to take a break (and thus stop the spell) are treated as weapons of war and when they talk about "The Army Band" it is a frontline combat unit.