It’d make sense for out of combat healing, kind of like taking 10. But for in combat, I think it represents how chaotic things are.
I don't really see any other way to do it after the first few levels.
You're down 42hp. You've got a wand of cure light wounds. You *could* be up to full in as few as 5 charges. You *might* need to use as many as 21.
If you're really concerned about getting the biggest bang for your charge, You figure out the minimum number of charges you need to spend, roll the dice, figure out your new total and the new minimum you would need to roll, continue until you're satisfied with your current level of hit points.
...or save yourself the tedium, declaring that a wand of cure light wounds heals 5.5hp rounded up and be done with it.
It’d make sense for out of combat healing, kind of like taking 10. But for in combat, I think it represents how chaotic things are.But you've actually tried it?
There’s not really a need to try it. On average the rolls will be average. All the change does is remove some randomness.
But I'm checking to make sure that doesn't have any unfortunate mechanical implications.
There are none in my experience. Players dislike terrible rolls significantly more than they enjoy crazy high ones.
If you have access to an online dice roller it works just as well.
I'm not a big fan of taking 10 and average rolls, but I know they have their place.
I've done it, but I've done it with reasons.
Potions: Always heal the maximum amount. They're so rarely used and can be such an issue to use in combat that a few extra hit points won't hurt anything. (In-world reason: Potions are more distilled and concentrated so the potion maker is able to create them to perform as well as possible.)
Spells: The PCs home-base town was attacked near the end of an AP. One of my players, being a life oracle, spend the day healing everyone he could and created a few permanent Symbols of Healing on the main church door and around town at key areas. He also burned through all of his spells to heal as many people as possible, including things like life-link and then using Heal on himself.
I allowed him to take Healer's Touch, which is a feat he didn't even know about so it's not like he was angling to get it. Having his healing spells maximized makes his healing quicker and people are even more excited about it. (Especially when they all realized that "Breath of Life" is a conjuration (healing) spell. (He also never attacks so I'm confident that he healed over 1,000 hit points to other creatures using just his spells, even taking into account the damage he's done to enemies.)
Out of combat "wanding" (or "feel good stick") can really be sped up with taking average, rounded down. (CLW wand at 5 per, for example).
If I told my players "hey, instead of all that tedious rolling that will eventually average out to 5.5hp per charge, do you want to just say it heals 5hp every time?" I'm pretty sure they'd feel at least a little cheated. I round up to 6 so they feel like they're getting a deal, the game runs smoother and a wand heals 300hp instead of 275hp.
The situation is already that in combat healing is generally regarded as something of a fools game...I don't see allowing the average amount to be healed in combat to really unbalance things and it strikes me as the type of change that would slightly open up alternate approaches to combat and increase the breadth of viable tactics in combat...
Yes. This. All of this.
Potions: Always heal the maximum amount. They're so rarely used and can be such an issue to use in combat that a few extra hit points won't hurt anything...
I do this as well. And potions are a move action to drink (we don't use traits, and even if we did "accelerated drinker" just...yuck But the mechanics are undeniable).
I do this as well. And potions are a move action to drink.
I might try that one... Move action seems like a good idea.
If I told my players "hey, instead of all that tedious rolling that will eventually average out to 5.5hp per charge, do you want to just say it heals 5hp every time?" I'm pretty sure they'd feel at least a little cheated. I round up to 6 so they feel like they're getting a deal, the game runs smoother and a wand heals 300hp instead of 275hp.
Yeah, I went the same way and my players appreciated it.
If I'd go for 5 instead, at least some players might roll, just for the small advantage in average. I see a small argument in favor of using 5, though: It makes mental arithmetics easier. Bob needs 62 HP? Give him 2*6=12 charges, and another one.
Random afterthought: A GM could slightly lower the price of a CLW wand which always heals 5 HP. Or make them have 60 charges.
My group does 11 per 2 charges (and roll the odd one if applicable)
Wow. Is your group unusually mathematical? Thats probably the most precise way to handle it, but it doesn’t sound very human friendly.
This was the out-of-combat policy our GM used during Curse of the Crimson Throne: Anniversary Edition. All healing spells and items healed the average amount, rounded down (e.g, a bog-standard wand of cure light wounds healed five hit points per use). He probably would have let us roll instead, but nobody ever bothered.
In combat, we still had to roll.
It worked fine.
I don't remember. Might have.
Great idea for a devilish curse. all random results are instead 6.
No fumbles or crits. All healing potions they drink heal 6s plus the level bonus. Rod of wonder, always fairy fire. You could not allow it to work on magic missile, but I would.:)
Out of combat I just have healing items/spells do full healing, since when you aren't distracted you can focus on using (insert item/spell here) in the right way to maximize it. It hasn't broken anything yet and it makes it way easier to math.