Where wounds can be inflicted, they can also be healed either through natural or supernatural means. The following rules apply to healing wounds and status effects.
Natural Healing
While magic tends to be ubiquitous in the world, access to a priest might not be. Heroes may need to treat their own wounds over time. Luckily, most seasoned adventurers and champions have the Vigor to see their own wounds healed. A good night of rest will see a number of wounds healed equal to your Vigor value.
This assumes some minimal care is given — binding open wounds, regularly changing bandages, and keeping nourished. The DM may decide that the narrative demands more difficult access to healing if this care isn’t taken. As for scratches and bruises, they’re healed automatically over the course of a day. They may leave scars and signs of wear, but many, including the common folk, regard these as trophies well-earned.
As an alternative rule, the DM is free to allow all wounds to heal with a single overnight rest. While the game is not balanced for this, it should present an eased difficulty curve for player parties that are looking for that type of game.
Magical Healing
Each source of magic offers its own method of wondrous healing.
- Arcane magic utilizes the power of heat and cold to mend what wounds it can. Warmth can urge the body to mend itself while frost can place the body in healing stasis. These spells are few and far between, however. This source of magic has the least capability for mending wounds.
- Draconic magic takes power from the Dragons and blesses the body and spirit of the afflicted. Though it works quickly, something must be taken in the exchange — it exhausts those that receive its gifts, leading to a greater need for rest.
- Eldritch magic offers a sinister solution, taking life force from one creature or entity and using it to sustain and mend another. Often, dark magicians will take the flesh of others and graft it onto open wounds to close them quickly. It is said that these Eldritch ways scar the spirit.
- Wild magic accelerates natural healing processes by taking organic material and converting it into what the body needs to restore itself. Wounds are healed over hours instead of days, and there are few lasting effects other than the loss of materials used in the spells.
For specific rules on magical healing, see the individual healing spells for each source of magic.
When Heroes Fall
Characters can die. It happens in even the greatest tales. When a hero falls from battle, illness, falling rocks, or for some other narrative reason, it’s important that everyone in the party is on the same page as far as what happens next.
It’s the Dragonmaster’s job to make sure everyone knows what character death means for their game. Maybe it’s the type of game where everyone has a backup character ready to go, sheet already filled out. Maybe it’s the type of game where character death has a massive narrative impact — a rare event that shakes the foundations of the story. Maybe it’s somewhere in between. As long as everyone knows what to expect, the only surprise should be where the dice fall.
It’s also up to the DM to determine the narrative consequences of any remains. Is equipment lost when a hero passes on? Is it distributed to the rest of the party? Is it willed to the character’s successor, if there is one? Do circumstances determine events? The DM should ensure that everyone understands what will happen to avoid any squabbles that might arise.
To set expectations, DMs should choose one of the following paradigms for character death. Alternatively, they can take pieces of each one and mold their own experience for the players when heroes fall.
Hardcore: In a Hardcore game, character death is a very serious affair. What’s lost is lost, and all will return to the stars whence they came. No resurrections under any circumstances. Players must create a new character when their current one dies. It’s up to the DM to determine the character level of any new characters. See Optional Gameplay Rules for options on making the game extra challenging for this paradigm.
- All character resurrection is disabled.
Dangerous: Games using the Dangerous character death paradigm can expect death to be a massive hurdle, and indeed, inexperienced heroes have no hope of returning to a glory they never held. Those who have the power, fame, or estate to seek out legendary artifacts may see the lives of those lost returned, however.
- Player and NPC resurrection spells require a special component to cast in addition to listed components. This new component, the nature of which is decided by the DM, may be purchasable for an exorbitant sum (between 10000 and 50000 gold, usually) or by completing a quest. The DM can decide that one, both, or neither of these options is available in the game, instead choosing to allow resurrection scrolls only.
- Resurrection scrolls may not exist, per DM’s fiat. If they do exist, they should be exceedingly rare and valuable.
Normal: The Normal paradigm leaves everything as intended. Characters at low levels will have a difficult time finding resurrection, though the wealthy might find succor in large cities with powerful priests and clerics. Players can resurrect fallen allies with the right components.
- Player and NPC resurrection spells are unchanged, requiring the listed components in their various spell entries.
- Resurrection scrolls are somewhat rare, but not unheard of. Their value is set to 5000g.
Relaxed: Using this paradigm, character death is more of a speed bump than a hurdle. When heroes fall, the narrative likely won’t suffer. It may require that the group find a powerful healer and pay for a resurrection or purchase a Scroll of Resurrection from a town sorcerie. A small monetary penalty in place of what might otherwise be a disastrous turn.
- Player and NPC resurrection spells are unchanged, requiring the listed components in their various spell entries.
- Resurrection scrolls are not rare at all. Their value is set to 1000g.
No Death: In a game with no character death, the stakes are low. Heroes can’t permanently die. If they go down in combat, they’re usually healed up right after. In this type of game, when a character would normally die, they instead fall unconscious until they rest overnight. A good night of sleep will see them spring right back, using the normal healing rules listed above.
- Player characters cannot die.
- Resurrection scrolls are common. Their value is set to 1000g to use as narrative tools for resurrecting NPCs.