# Alternative Healing Rules



## Anon Dragon (Mar 19, 2003)

Hi EoM community,

	Real life has been interfering with my dnd life and the results have been...mundane.  Anyway, I was hoping to address a topic about the EoM that has had me concerned for since I read it...Healing.


	If we look at the Evoke Element lists we see that there are various trade-offs but while the elements are not equal in power they are in  the same magnitude of power. (We'll ignore he  present debate on touch, ray, missiles needing to be equalized more).  However there is one element that stands out, Life.  I tried to calmly think to myself and I realized that there is no reason a mage would not take Evoke Life, none.  It is one slot and offers a great benefit to the user, the ability to recoup any damage.

	For this reason (and flavor...I believe only a dedicated magic user should be a good healer) I've been considering a technique to
correct this problem.

	Recall a fire elemental.  If the fire elemental is hit with a fire ray, the fire elemental receives no fire damage.  But if the fire elemental is hit with a cure ray, damage is healed.  This leads to a divide in the manner in which damage is affected.  Pretend for a
moment that living creatures are life elementals and that evoke element works as other elements.  Then evoke life does no damage to the life elemental. 

Point 1) All living creatures have the [life] descriptor.


	Having restored consistency, we now have the problem that we would like to heal with these elements that we are using.  To
accomplish this I make use of boons. (The names need work any ideas?).


Point 2)Boons are needed to heal

Convert Damage for [Element] creature 
(minor boonrereqs Heal 4,evoke element)

This boon allows a mage to use [Element] to convert the damage of a creature with an [Element] descriptor to subdual damage.



Master Convert Damage 
(major boon: prereqs Heal 4)

A mage that select this boon has an innate knowledge of the life of all creatures.  When using an [Element] against a creature with the
element descriptor, damage is converted to subdual damage.

Heal Damage for [Element] creature
(medium boon: prereqs Heal 8(or first level and heal 4) and  (Convert Damage for [Element] creature or Master Convert Damage) and Evoke Element)

This boon allows a mage to use [Element] to heal the damage of a creature with an [Element] descriptor.


Healing Master
(major boon: prereqs Heal 10, Heal Damage for [Element] creature with
two elements)

A mage that select this boon has an innate knowledge of the life of all creatures.  When using an [Element] against a creature with the
element descriptor, damage is healed.



As we can see here, many mages may select a minor boon, but only a very dedicated mage will go much farther.  There remains one point
however.


We stated that living creatures have the life discriptor....this leads to abuse as most creatures have the life descriptor, evoke death
becomes vastly more effective since it now does double damage (or -10 saves in 3.5).  So we need to create a new elemental classification.

Point 3)minor element descriptors.

Creatures with a minor element descriptor are immune to the elemental damage and only receive a -2 to saving throws against opposing 
elements. 


I'm eager to hear feedback and ways to improve this.  I would also be interested in someone using these ideas to create a (core) healing mage class. (A weak-healing centered mage should be better at healing that a cleric that wears armor, fights well and calls on fire to destroy their enemies

                      --Anon Dragon


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## scholz (Mar 19, 2003)

No one in my game has the evoke life power. Maybe it is a problem, one idea would be to just get rid of the Life Element (or say that it does damage like any other element).

That seems like one easy solution, with a little modification the hast healing ability could replace the cure spell. 

Anothe rsolution would be to have evoke element cure elemental damage, but tie them together. So to cure fire damage you need evoke fire. (Or alternatively, you could use the opposed elements---evoke ice heals hire damage.) It has a certain sense to it. I think it woudl necessitate a new healing spell list. But that would seem quite natural.

0-Cure Minor
1-Cure Light
2-Cure Moderate
3-Cure Serious
4-Cure Critical
5-Heal
etc..


Peronally, I don't mind the Evoke Life.
Most people will wait to use it on the wounded, and go for the touch. (Rather than risk missing their buddy and wasting a spell). 

-Steve


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