Hi, everyone!
My friend and I came up with an idea for the healing mechanics. I guess I would have to explain why we adjusted the system…
Well, nowadays when you heal , as I understand the system, it’s the same amount of ticks of a clock to heal just a minor injury than to heal a severe wound. You start your clock, and when it’s completed, done, you are OK to go to kick some more ass. Also, mechanically, you go from 0 to 100 when your clock its completed. One day you have penalties from your wounds and the other, when you tick that last segment, done, fresh, no matter how bad you were.
This doesn’t reflects much “process of healing” to me, it’s like black and white with no grays.
So, here is the idea:
Make the healing clock a 4 segment clock. When you fill a clock. All your damage goes down 1 level (severe to moderate, moderate to lesser, lesser heals completelly). If you fill the clock and have some ticks left, you mark those ticks in the next clock to continue your healing (if there is damage left). If you receive any damage, reset your clock.
Here is an example:
http://i.imgur.com/nEMfuHY.jpg
This way, the severe harm takes longer to heal (you need three 4-segment clocks) but the lesser heals faster, and the -1d from moderate goes away after one clock, when that damage goes down.
Also, I feel like the healing is more like a process and not something that goes from 0 to 100.
¿What do you guys think?
I like it!
I would like to also include the mechanic of action while healing reopens wounds. It’s thematically apt. You tear the stitches or equivalent. So possibly if you spend stress you uncheck or reset a healing clock. Possibly not for flashbacks.
Reopening wounds sounds like a complication using the normal system
Thanks for sharing: your way offers a solid alternative for those seeking a bit more fidelity to the healing process.
I houseruled mine too, but in a different direction. Severe harm is still an 8-clock, but I reduced the healing clock length for moderate to a 4-clock or 6-clock (if 2 moderate harm). So there is a bit more fidelity, but still clears in one clock.
Devil’s bargains always seem to come up for healing characters in our games….
‘Oh so you can have an extra die if that wound is a little worse than it seemed? Infected maybe? A little adrenaline rush now and a little sepsis later’.
Absolutely perfect.
Really nice and elegant. I’ve been playing with a similar idea about reducing harm levels based on the recovery roll result, but without a clock; I think I like this better. The clock reducing all harm is really smooth.
Thank you, I’m glad you like it ! I have to test it more, but so far so good, it seems to work.
John Harper Nice! do you think this system is fine as is it ? would you change/tune something?
Peter Cobcroft yes, you can definitely add some details like that, depends on what “difficulty level” you want for your game. We just reset the clock when you take damage. Uncheck a tick every time you spend stress sounds good, I will give it a try.
Mark Cleveland Massengale yeah, our first approach was a lot like yours. But I like the “elegance” of having all clocks 4 ticks, so you don’t have to think too much, and simply push all your damage one level below.
I don’t think I’d change anything. It seems solid to me.
In fact, I might like this better than my current system. I’m gonna seriously consider changing it.
I like this system — it makes more narrative sense for harm to gradually get better instead of being the exact same severity until it suddenly disappears.
One question for everyone here, though, because I feel like I missed something: you claim this would make lesser harm go away more quickly. Ummm, what? From the ‘Recover’ action in downtime, under Rules Reference 2: “Get treatment to unlock your healing clock. Remove all level 1 harm”. Lesser harm goes away when you take the Recover action to unlock your healing clock. You only actually need the clock for level 2 or 3 harm. Right? Or did this change somewhere and not get updated in the reference?
I wouldn’t object to lesser harm taking a 4-segment clock to remove, though. As is(or at least as I’ve been doing it, according to the rule quoted above) it seems fairly inconsequential(though that’s not necessarily bad either).
Yeah! that would be great 😀
When I made my comment, I misspoke. I edited it to reflect that I don’t handle lesser harm any differently than 7.1 advises.
Nihzlet not on v7.1
Leandro, I copied that line directly from the 7.1 pdf. 😛
Nihzlet yes; you only need a clock for moderate or severe (level-2 or -3) harm. Lesser harm goes away when you take the recovery action, which is also when you are stabilized, and which creates the healing clock to recover those level 2+ harms (but does not advance it just yet)
Nihzlet I read all the sentences on healing in v7.1, and cannot find that line. Its in another part of the book?
[Edit] just found it, is under the rules reference 2, on downtime actions.
Yes it is, was just about to clarify. Sorry about the misunderstanding, I thought I said where it was the first time! 😛
Anyhow as I said, I wouldn’t mind lesser harm needing a clock — it would make it feel more meaningful.
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