Necrodemus's page

I need some advice guys.
I have a mystic healer in my party who is having the worst time playing. He basically feels completely superflous and useless, and I really can't find any way to fix it.

So what seems to be the problem?
He's a Priest themed mystic healer, and basically wants to serve as the party healer as we know them from other games, so he took the healing connection. They are currently level 2, so any advice about high level play and what feats to take on level 7 etc. is not going to help. This guy needs help NOW.

Basically he feels that his healing is useless, as he has to wait for everyone to drop below stamina, and even then, they have to drop to almost dead before his healing has any worthwhile effect (paying a resolve point to heal 1-2 hp is not a good deal). And even then, he can only heal them to "half" health. We know and understand how stamina works, and that it's basically a way to not require healers in the party. But it feels like that design decision made the healer redundant.

He currently has 3 spells per day (one of them a heal) so any sort of magic dependence is weak at best. 2 rounds of combat casting spells, and he's out for the day, while the others keep on trucking.

He has a laser pistol and no interest in diving into combat feats to boost his weapons going forward. He want's to be a healer. Not a fighter who is a backup combat medic.

So he has almost no combat ability, and no spells. Healing - his main focus - requires him to wait for most of the combat before everyone is through their stamina before he can do anything, and even then, he needs to wait for them to almost die, and can only heal them to half power. And it only got worse when they leveled from 1 to 2. As now they have twice the amount of stamina, so now he needs to wait even longer before his healing is required.

How do I help this player? He really likes the game, but is darn near to quitting, and just make another character. And I don't think anyone should be forced to make a new character because the character they want to play - as presented in the rules - is useless.

So.. What are we missing? How do we make him the best healer in the galaxy?

We have some house rule ideas, but I'd like to use that as a last resort, so I won't present them here unless we hit a dead end.

Thanks

Coming from D&D and their short rest/long rest, I consider the 10 minute break as any short moment of safety where the PCs can catch their breath and discuss how to proceed.
It's a standard trope of many tv and movie fictions as well. Usually accompanied by the comment "we should be safe here for a moment".
The same goes for long rests/ 8 hour rest. It requires safety. Standing in the middle of a dungeon/evil lair or whatever, is not a place where you can get a good night's rest.

My favorite ways to get my players over losing SP include comparing Stamina Points as "shield points" for their real HP. Players savvy to that mechanic from a bajillion other games don't sweat it so much of they're not "at full health". Also, explain that your SP is more like how tough you FEEL. Would you go to the ER if you feel run down? No, you go there so they can address damage to your bodily health (hp). You call up your buddy, the Envoy to psych you up when you feel down! Now your feeling like your old self again, and while you're at it, GET EM!! :)

That's actually a good perspective. I think that will jive with my players.

I'm working on a d100 table for random encounters to throw in once in a while during our upcoming campaign. These are some of my ideas so far:

1) Drift wraiths.
The undead spirits of hapless creatures sucked into the drift as a result of ships jumping through the drift, assault the PC's ship.

2) Derelict.
The PCs come across a massive lifeless spaceship, drifting powerless through the drift. What potential secrets does the derelict hold of its horrible fate?

3) Fire storms.
The PCs pass through the wild and uncontrollable remnants of a shattered piece of the Fire Plane, that was drawn into the drift. Can they navigate the fire storms safely.

4) Lost city.
A broken piece of some planet contains a domed city with a marooned population. Can the PCs help save the people of the lost city, or does the domed city contain some dark secret?

5) Drift raiders.
A group of pirates have made a base on a large piece of drifting planetoid debris within the drift. From there they launch raids on innocent drift teavellers.

6) Drive malfunction.
A sudden burst of strange energy rips through the ship, overloading systems, and disabling the drift drive, tearing the ship from the drift. The PCs are now stranded somewhere in unknown space without a drift drive. Where are they, and what is that strange planet off the starboard window?