Healing Surges variant
I'm interested in the concept of healing surges. It's a nice idea, to free hit point recovery from the shackles of magic and seems to promote a more heroic play style (instead of taking days of bed rest or chewing on the
CLW stick). 4E did and gave it the name (subsequently back-ported to 3.5 by several different homebrewers), and 3.5 itself was no slouch and tried something similar with UA's reserve points. Here's my shot at it.
In the end, what does this all mean? In the short term, it means that characters have a fair bit more stamina over the course of the day, or at least don't have to spend 750g on a wand of
cure light wounds or
lesser vigor. You should have enough healing surges to keep you going throughout one or two adventuring days, even at low levels (even first level characters will generally have between 2 and 6 healing surges, and are generally healing a greater proportion of their hit points due to rounding and the more favorable CL + Con formula). A character who goes down early in the fight (without dying, of course), will generally have most of his healing surges left, so he can be brought back easily with a DC 20 Heal check (not gravely wounded, just knocked out). Meanwhile, later on after multiple battles, that same hit point loss is a lot more serious, possibly requiring major surgery for the character to be brought back without magic or lots of bed rest.
That's the other thing. Healing surges replenish at a relatively slow rate, even though you can store up a fair number of them. You're still only getting back 1 healing surge per character per day when you're off adventuring (and only get 8 hours of rest), or 4 with someone who has invested ranks in Heal around and a full day's rest. For short adventures, characters will be full of vim and vigor, coming back easily even after hard fights. After a while, the battles will begin to take their toll, and characters won't bounce back quite as easily as their healing surges deplete faster than they are replenished.
Finally, surge feats bring a new resource mechanic to bear. Mundane characters can get some useful abilities, and even spellcasters can get in on the action (although generally not as well, since most spellcasters have poor Fort saves... Clerics/Druids excepted).
This variant would also work better if death comes a little further than -10. Dying at -10 or -1/4 your max HP (whichever is better) would give some opportunity to actually use those second wind while unconscious rules. Going all the way down to -1/2 max HP, or even full -max HP would do so even more, while also reinforcing the idea that running out of hit points doesn't mean you're on the brink of death, but running out of healing surges does. Any character with 4 or more healing surges (most adventurers at least by level 6, since who takes a Con score less than 14?) has as many or more hit points stored up in healing surges as in actual hit points.
Healing SurgesHealing surges represent the depths of your stamina and your ability to recover from extreme exertion and injury. Healing surges are most commonly used with the second wind action, enabling you to heal damage you have suffered.
The maximum number of healing surges you can have at any one time is equal to your base Fortitude save bonus + your Constitution modifier, minimum 1 healing surge. If your maximum healing surges are reduced, such as through Constitution damage or negative levels, you lose any remaining healing surges in excess of your new maximum. You do not, however, gain additional healing surges when your maximum increases.
Although you cannot normally spend more healing surges than you have, some effects may reduce your remaining healing surges below 0. While at negative healing surges, you are fatigued. If your negative healing surges are in excess of your normal maximum healing surges, you are instead exhausted.
Creatures that do not heal naturally, such as most constructs and unintelligent undead, do not receive healing surges.
Rest and RecoveryUnder this variant, you do not regain hit points normally through rest. Instead, you regain healing surges, which you can immediately spend to recover hit points through a second wind. Instead of the normal recover of 1 hit point per level and 1 point of damage to each ability score that you gain from 8 hours of rest, you recover 1 healing surge. Proportionately larger recoveries (such as for extended bed rest or with treatment and a successful Heal check) cause you to recover proportionately more healing surges. Any other benefits you may gain from rest apply normally.
Some effects and abilities cause you to recover from damage as though you had rested. This healing is likewise converted to healing surges, and enables you to take a second wind. (The druid's wild shape would be an example of this, except that this is a buff the ability doesn't need so it's been altered for this variant.)
Taking a second wind (see below) is normally a standard action. Whenever you regain a healing surge due to resting or effects that simulate the recuperative effects of rest, you can take a second wind. This does not take an action. If you regain multiple healing surges at once, you can take up to that many second winds. When you take a second wind in this way, you can only spend from the healing surges you were about to regain, and you spend those healing surges before considering whether they may be lost due to exceeding your maximum healing surges.
New Action: Second WindTaking a second wind is a standard action. You must spend 1 healing surge to take a second wind. Some effects allow you to take a second wind even if you don't have enough healing surges remaining, allowing you to spend healing surges you don't have, reducing your healing surges to a negative amount.
Taking a second wind immediately heals you for an amount of hit points equal to one quarter your maximum hit points, rounded up, or your character level + your Constitution bonus (if positive), whichever is greater. Like with magical healing, this also removes a like amount of nonlethal damage. In addition, you heal 1 point of damage to each of your ability scores.
New Action: RecuperateWhile you are at 0 or fewer hit points, have nonlethal damage equal to or greater than your current hit points, or have one or more ability scores reduced to 0 through ability damage, and have been so for at least 1 minute, you can recuperate once per minute on your turn, even if you are unconscious or unable to act. Recuperating does not take an action.
Recuperating functions as a second wind. However, when you recuperate, the maximum healing you receive is limited. Recuperating will never provide more healing than is necessary to restore you to 1 hit point, nor will it remove more nonlethal damage than is necessary for your nonlethal damage to equal your hit point total - 1, nor will it heal more damage to any ability score than is necessary to restore that ability score to 1.
As with any healing, recuperating causes you to become stable and stop losing hit points if you were dying or disabled.
Negative LevelsNegative levels reduce your maximum healing surges. For each negative level you have, your maximum healing surges is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1 healing surge. Negative levels also reduce the number of hit points you recover with a second wind by 1 (this replaces any change due to your reduced maximum hit points and level).
New FeatsSurge FeatsThese feats interact with the healing surge mechanic in some way. Many healing surge feats alter your second wind action. Some enable you to spend healing surges on other effects, exerting yourself for some benefit.
A fighter can select any Surge feat as a fighter bonus feat.
Surge Feats | Prerequisites | Benefit |
Back In Action | -- | Remove conditions with a second wind. |
Enhanced Recovery | Base Fort Save +3 | Regain level + Con mod extra hp with a second wind. |
Extra Surges | -- | +2 maximum healing surges. |
Extraordinary Healing | Base Fort save +6, 2 Surge feats | Regain 1 extra healing surge per day. |
Life Burn | Caster level 5th | Spend healing surge for +2 CL and +1 DC with a spell. |
Rapid Recovery | Base Fort save +3 | Take a second wind as a move action. |
Raging Recovery | Con 13, ability to rage, frenzy, or similar | Take a second wind when entering a rage. |
Resolute Recovery | -- | Second wind gives +2 to attack, AC, and saves for 1 round. |
Restoring Surge | Base Fort save +5 | Second wind heals more ability damage, ability drain, negative level. |
Resurgence | -- | Reroll previously failed saving throw with a second wind. |
Surge of Power | Con 13, Wis 13, Concentration 8 ranks | Spend healing surge in place of psionic focus. |
Surging Blow | Str 13, Power Attack | Spend a healing surge for +2 attack and doubled Str + Power Attack damage bonuses. |
Back In Action [Surge]Benefit: Whenever you take a second wind, you can stand up from prone as part of the action without provoking attacks of opportunity, and you can remove or reduce one of the following conditions from yourself: fatigued, exhausted (becomes fatigued), sickened, nauseated (becomes sickened), shaken, frightened (becomes shaken), panicked (becomes shaken), staggered, dazed, stunned (becomes staggered). If a continuous source of those conditions still affects you (such as having nonlethal damage exactly equal to your current hit points or having a negative number of healing surges, but not directly from an ongoing spell or effect), the condition is still removed or reduced for 1 minute.
Special: A fighter can select this feat as a fighter bonus feat.
Enhanced Recovery [Surge]Prerequisites: Base Fort save +3.
Benefit: Whenever you take a second wind, you heal an additional number of hit points equal to your character level + your Constitution bonus (if any).
Special: A fighter can select this feat as a fighter bonus feat.
Extra Surges [Surge]Benefit: Your maximum number of healing surges is increased by 2.
Special: You can select this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.
Special: A fighter can select this feat as a fighter bonus feat.
Extraordinary Healing [Surge]Prerequisites: Base Fort save +6, any 2 other Surge feats.
Benefit: You gain an additional healing surge every day, regardless of the amount of rest you get.
Special: A fighter can select this feat as a fighter bonus feat.
Life Burn [Surge]Prerequisites: Caster level 5th.
Benefit: Whenever you cast a spell, you can spend a healing surge to increase your caster level by 2 and the spell's save DC by 1.
Special: A fighter can select this feat as a fighter bonus feat.
Rapid Recovery [Surge]Prerequisites: Base Fort save +3.
Benefit: You can take a second wind as one action type faster. A standard action becomes a move action, a move action becomes a swift action, and a swift action becomes an immediate action.
Special: You can take this feat multiple times. Each time, the action required to take a second wind is reduced by one step.
Special: A fighter can select this feat as a fighter bonus feat.
Raging Recovery [Rage, Surge]Prerequisites: Con 13, ability to enter a rage, frenzy, or similar state.
Benefit: You can take a second wind as part of entering a rage, frenzy, or similar state. Use your newly modified statistics when determining the effect of the second wind.
Special: A fighter can select this feat as a fighter bonus feat.
Resolute Recovery [Surge]Benefit: Whenever you take a second wind, you gain a +2 bonus on all attack rolls, to your AC, and on all saving throws for 1 round.
Special: A fighter can select this feat as a fighter bonus feat.
Restoring Surge [Surge]Prerequisites: Base Fort save +5.
Benefit: Whenever you take a second wind, choose one of your ability scores. You heal all ability damage taken to that score and also remove 1 point of ability drain to that score. Further, you can make a saving throw against one negative level affecting you. Success immediately removes that negative level (as though 24 hours had passed), although failure carries no consequence (you are not at risk of permanent level loss).
Special: A fighter can select this feat as a fighter bonus feat.
Resurgence [Surge]Benefit: Whenever you take a second wind, you can choose an effect affecting you against which you failed your saving throw. You can make a new saving throw against that effect, against the original save DC. On a success, the effect's effects are reduced as though you had originally succeeded on your saving throw.
Special: A fighter can select this feat as a fighter bonus feat.
Surge of Power [Psionic, Surge]Prerequisites: Con 13, Wis 13, Concentration 8 ranks.
Benefit: While you are psionically focused, you may spend a healing surge in place of expending your psionic focus.
Special: This feat counts as the Psionic Meditation feat for the purpose of meeting prerequisites and other options.
Special: A fighter can select this feat as a fighter bonus feat.
Surging Blow [Surge]Prerequisites: Str 13, Power Attack.
Benefit: When you make a melee attack, you may spend a healing surge. If you do, you gain a +2 bonus on your attack roll and a bonus on your damage roll equal to your Strength bonus + the penalty you took on your attack roll with Power Attack.
Special: A fighter can select this feat as a fighter bonus feat.
New Flaws and TraitsFragile (flaw)
Your body doesn't recover as easily from injury. Your maximum healing surges are reduced by 3 (minimum 1), and taking a second wind is a full-round action for you instead of a standard action (the Rapid Recovery feat and similar effects reduce this to a standard action). In addition, you cannot recuperate while at negative hit points if you are dying (you must become stable first).
New and Expanded Skill UsesHeal (Wis)
Stabilize: When you stabilize a dying creature, if you succeed on the check by 5 or more, you can also allow that creature to take a second wind without spending an action on its next turn.
First Aid: As a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity, you can attempt a DC 20 Heal check to allow an adjacent creature to take a second wind without spending an action (assuming it has enough healing surges remaining). You take a -2 penalty on your Heal check if you do not use a healer's kit or similar tools.
Surgery: By spending 10 minutes tending to a creature, you can make a DC 25 Heal check to allow that creature to recuperate even if it doesn't have enough healing surges remaining. On a failure, the subject loses one healing surge. If the subject does not have any healing surges left, the DC of this check is increased by twice the subject's negative total of healing surges. If the surgery is interrupted (regardless of success or failure), the subject loses a healing surge and also takes 1 point of damage. You take a -2 penalty on your Heal check if you do not use a healer's kit or similar tools.
New and Modified Class FeaturesDruid
Under this variant, wild shape is altered.
Wild Shape (Su): Instead of healing you as though you had a night's rest, this ability allows you to take a second wind as part of transforming.
Fighter
Under this variant, fighters gain the stamina and bonus surge feats class features.
Stamina (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, add half your fighter level (rounded up) to your maximum number of healing surges.
Bonus Surge Feats: At 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter, you gain a bonus Surge feat that you qualify for.
Alternative Class FeaturesChannel Vitality
Level: Cleric 1
Replaces: You do not gain the ability to turn or rebuke undead.
Benefit: You gain the channel vitality ability.
Channel Vitality (Su): A number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier (minimum 1), you can channel positive or negative energy (depending on which you channel) in a 30' radius burst around you as a standard action. If you channel positive energy, creatures in the area that are healed by positive energy can take a second wind as an immediate action, and creatures in the area that are harmed by positive energy must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your effective turning level + your Charisma modifier) or lose a healing surge. If you channel negative energy, instead creatures healed by negative energy can take a second wind and creatures harmed by negative energy are at risk of losing a healing surge. You are never affected by your own channel vitality, for good or for ill.
Channel vitality counts as the ability to turn or rebuke undead for the purpose of feats, prerequisites, and other options.
Change Log
24/6/2020: Recuperating is once per minute and doesn't start until 1 minute after you're dropped so that players and monsters don't just pop back up whenever they're dropped repeatedly until they run out of healing surges. The stabilize use of Heal lets the second wind be performed if you beat the DC by at least 5 instead of deciding beforehand whether you're going to increase the DC to allow it. Nerfed wild shape's natural healing side-effect in this variant.
7/7/2017: First posted to
Min Max Forum. Revised capitalization of class and class feature names.
26/6/2017: Creatures that don't heal naturally no longer receive healing surges. They couldn't recover them before, anyways.
22/6/2017: First posted to
Min Max Forum storm shelter. Revised and improved. Reformatted to my current standards.
18/7/2012: Second draft.
21/6/2012: First draft in
1001 ideas.