On Unlimited Healing
Wednesday, March 29th, 2006
The magic system introduced in WFRPv2 is undoubtedly one of the strengths of the game, especially as developed in Realms of Sorcery. It is atmospheric, evocative, and addresses the main failing of the first edition, which is the lack of a coherent magic system consistent with the larger Warhammer world. But one of the quirks of being able to cast spells limited only by a desire to avoid Chaos manifestations is having access to essentially unlimited healing; this is especially true with inexperienced characters, when such manifestations are more likely to be minor annoyances than truly dangerous.
The potential of quick, limitless healing clashes with one of my favorites aspects of WFRP — the seriousness and lethality of combat. Combat in WFRP should be dangerous, fraught with peril, and seen as a serious undertaking for any PC. One of the differences between WFRP and other fantasy RPGs is that in WFRP, combat is rarely a first resort. PCs are much more likely to seek alternative solutions to a particular dilemma than rely first and foremost on strength of arm. Wound healing should also be a slow process; a quick route to restoring lost wounds mitigates the seriousness of combat and so should only be made available to PCs when it is offset by some sort of cost. Magical healing is quick, and therefore should never be free or easy.
So, with my biases revealed, onto one possible solution …
The magic system introduced in WFRPv2 is undoubtedly one of the strengths of the game, especially as developed in Realms of Sorcery. It is atmospheric, evocative, and addresses the main failing of the first edition, which is the lack of a coherent magic system consistent with the larger Warhammer world. But one of the quirks of being able to cast spells limited only by a desire to avoid Chaos manifestations is having access to essentially unlimited healing; this is especially true with inexperienced characters, when such manifestations are more likely to be minor annoyances than truly dangerous.
The potential of quick, limitless healing clashes with one of my favorites aspects of WFRP — the seriousness and lethality of combat. Combat in WFRP should be dangerous, fraught with peril, and seen as a serious undertaking for any PC. One of the differences between WFRP and other fantasy RPGs is that in WFRP, combat is rarely a first resort. PCs are much more likely to seek alternative solutions to a particular dilemma than rely first and foremost on strength of arm. Wound healing should also be a slow process; a quick route to restoring lost wounds mitigates the seriousness of combat and so should only be made available to PCs when it is offset by some sort of cost. Magical healing is quick, and therefore should never be free or easy.
So, with my biases revealed, onto one possible solution …
