PFRPG Healing

[Jerell]

Does everyone pretty much let the priest class in PFRPG have unlimited ability to use healing touch? In others words, no limit on how many people, or how many times someone can be healed by the same priest? I was just wondering about that, and if other GMs use the system like that or have their own house rules on it...

[sasha]

Last time I ran a game with a priest, 3x daily... I think.

[Jerell]

I would hate to limit it that much. The only time it annoys me is in a dungeon setting, where the priest plus up everyone after every major encounter. But I guess that's the benefit of having one in the party...

[Entiago]

sad to say, I have only ever had 1 Priest in any game session. He palyed it great tho. At first, I too was dismayed at the ammount of healing even at every other round. So I was ready to degrade this a little too, but then the Priest suprised me (as a player I am not used to). After the adventure he went into a temple dedicated to his god and donated all of his gold findings, including a magical weapon he could not use.

At first I was wondering what he was up to, but then he continued to do so everytime he came into with money, just dontated it to his church. He even converted 2 other party members to his god and a good few of NPCs encountered along the way. Then once during an adventure when the fighter needed to be resurected, the god had no problem helping him out.

That was such a cool character and concept. Now imagine if the player was selfish and didnt donate money to his/her church, and didnt try to convert people, or even bad-mouth their god....Penalties would ensue from restricting powers (even healing) to possibly withholding experience! ( like you go back a level or 2 until you seem worthy again).

[Jerell]

Yeah, I keep thinking about limiting it, but my priest player also does a good job at it. So that why I've kept it as written all these years, and in all likely hood will.

However, I think I may have healing make the priest very, very hungry from now on if I ever feel an execive amount of healing goes on. That should make things interesting, you know, he'll kind of have to repenish his energy, maybe he uses some of his own calories to channel the gawds powers when it's done a lot in rapid succession? I'll play test it, when I get home...

[bigbobsr6000]

Just started my 1st PFRPG. After reading through this thread, I think I'm leading toward the Priest/Cleric will be limited to using healing powers only to save life or stablize the PC. In other words, if the PC looses all SDC and/or 1/2 HPs or more, as example, only then will his healing powers be able to help. And to add some randomness, the healed person can only get healed by the same Priest/Cleric 1d4+1? +2? times a day.

This rule does not apply to say children and maybe animals?

What do you all think?

[Natasha]

I like Sasha's 3x daily rule. I think the most holy of holy weapons can't do better.

[drewkitty ~..~]

PFRPG 2nd ed
Once every other melee round, but never on themselves.
The clergy can offer it for free or charge of fee for the healing, between 5 gp and 1d6x100 gp, with he average being about 25-30 gp.

So if the idiot tend to stupid stuff the priest can start charging increasing amounts for healing him.

[bigbobsr6000]

PFRPG 2nd ed
Once every other melee round, but never on themselves.
The clergy can offer it for free or charge of fee for the healing, between 5 gp and 1d6x100 gp, with he average being about 25-30 gp.

So if the idiot tend to stupid stuff the priest can start charging increasing amounts for healing him.

That's sounds good.

[drewkitty ~..~]

PFRPG 2nd ed
Once every other melee round, but never on themselves.
The clergy can offer it for free or charge of fee for the healing, between 5 gp and 1d6x100 gp, with he average being about 25-30 gp.

So if the idiot tend to stupid stuff the priest can start charging increasing amounts for healing him.

That's sounds good.

Just make shure you make theidiot to pony up the cash before the healing, ppl tend to 'forget' IUO's.

[Reagren Wright]

When I played a priest I found myself turned into one the priests from
Warcraft, standing off the side healing everyone during mid combat, for
the good of the party . Later when I started being a G.M., I started
thinking these priests are not unlimited healing recharge stations, and
telling members of the party that you going to start charging them extra
to heal while they fight off a band of trolls seems kind of...counter
logical I believe is the term I'm trying for. Therefore I decided that priest
can heal individuals 10x in a single day. The healing can be done
once every other melee. Those who follow the same religious faith as the
priest receive 2D4+4 hp/SDC. Everyone else will only receive 2D4.
However, should a priest of light attempt to heal anyone who oppose the
faith of the priest (i.e. he tries to heal a miscreant demon worshipper), he
can only heal 1D4. This way some are rewarded extra by following the
path of the priest and other do not. And the priest is nothing an ever filling
healing potion to be used after every fight.

[Xynar]

Remember if the party member that needs healing is not a follower of the priest's god, the god can deny the healing. Or if he's doing it for selfish reasons, denied! Priests are the most GM controlled player character. They are also the most powerful, but GMs get to control that power. If you the GM (as the priest's god) think that the priest is abusing his/her powers, take them away until the make penance.

[Natasha]

Priest would preach about abuse of power.

[bigbobsr6000]

"I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a healing today." A 'Whimey' PC.

W.C. Fields feelings on the matter of payment.
"Come over to my place on the 12th, I'll pay you then."
"Why the 12th?"
"I won't be there, not get away kid you bother me."

Of course the payment could be something other than gp's. I remember one movie where the new preacher (priest?) in town couldn't get most of the town folk to sunday sevices. As he made himself useful around town, helping farmers, do for others, etc. His required payment was a "month of Sundays" in his church. That's 30 Sunday morning meetings in a row. (In case you city slickers didn't know ) How would that be for payment, one hour of worship in the Cleric/Preist's temple for each healing.

[Natasha]

I thought it was the 12th of Never

[Noon]

Such a player should be OOC smacked for such metagaming.

This is divine power we're talking about; not a band-aid. No matter how available it is, it should never be treated as such a commodity or a crutch. No priest, even a good aligned one, should allow his God's power to be put to such frivolous, wasteful use.

Sure; the good priest might not refuse to heal such an idiot of a warrior, but he doesn't have to use his God's power to mend the result of the man's own stupidity.

Joe-Cleric: Oh wow; that was really moronic, you know? I think you need a lesson in humility and temperance. So instead of an instant fix healing touch, I'm giving your broken leg a splint and a couple bandages. Walk it off.

Magic healing, especially divine healing, even if available to that extent, shouldn't be treated like a bottle of Tylenol.

~Yours
~TWP

The problem is, if you know how the healing should be used, then you as GM should take control of it. There's no point it being in the players hands if your going to go 'No, not now...okay, maybe...actually, no, not this time'. You may as well just control when he heals, or control when it actually works and when he just goes to touch.

[Cinos]

The system I made did place a limit on healing, and priest abilities in general, requiring a pool they would draw on, restored only by donating to the church, gaining followers, and doing acts of worship (sacrifices to the gods, prayer, fasting, different of course on the religion).