Physician, Heal Thyself!

One major goal of player characters is to not die. (Think of that as every mortal's penultimate Bucket List entry.) In game terms, death usually only enters the conversation when HP are gone, so a recurring question is "How can my character get healed?"

Spells

Cure wounds is a 1st level touch spell that can be cast using a higher spell slot. The spell heals damage based on the level of the spell slot used as follows:

1. 1d8 + spellcasting ability modifier
2. 2d8 + spellcasting ability modifier
3. 3d8 + spellcasting ability modifier
4. 4d8 + spellcasting ability modifier
5. 5d8 + spellcasting ability modifier
6. 6d8 + spellcasting ability modifier
7. 7d8 + spellcasting ability modifier
8. 8d8 + spellcasting ability modifier
9. 9d8 + spellcasting ability modifier

This covers bards, druids, paladins, rangers and most clerics. Clerics of the Life domain get an extra kick in healing of (2 + spell level) hit points regained. Which raises a new question: does "spell level" refer to the level of the spell itself or the level of the spell slot used to cast the spell? Until I learn otherwise, I will allow the second interpretation, meaning that Life Clerics replenish hit points with cure wounds thusly:

1. 1d8 + 3 + spellcasting ability modifier
2. 2d8 + 4 + spellcasting ability modifier
3. 3d8 + 5 + spellcasting ability modifier
4. 4d8 + 6 + spellcasting ability modifier
5. 5d8 + 7 + spellcasting ability modifier
6. 6d8 + 8 + spellcasting ability modifier
7. 7d8 + 9 + spellcasting ability modifier
8. 8d8 + 10 + spellcasting ability modifier
9. 9d8 + 11 + spellcasting ability modifier

Healing word is another spell available to bards, clerics and druids. While the spell heals fewer points on average, it can be cast from up to 60 feet away as a bonus action! This magic also benefits from the use of highers spell slots:

1. 1d4 + spellcasting ability modifier
2. 2d4 + spellcasting ability modifier
3. 3d4 + spellcasting ability modifier
4. 4d4 + spellcasting ability modifier
5. 5d4 + spellcasting ability modifier
6. 6d4 + spellcasting ability modifier
7. 7d4 + spellcasting ability modifier
8. 8d4 + spellcasting ability modifier
9. 9d4 + spellcasting ability modifier

For Life clerics, use these numbers instead:

1. 1d4 + 3 + spellcasting ability modifier
2. 2d4 + 4 + spellcasting ability modifier
3. 3d4 + 5 + spellcasting ability modifier
4. 4d4 + 6 + spellcasting ability modifier
5. 5d4 + 7 + spellcasting ability modifier
6. 6d4 + 8 + spellcasting ability modifier
7. 7d4 + 9 + spellcasting ability modifier
8. 8d4 + 10 + spellcasting ability modifier
9. 9d4 + 11 + spellcasting ability modifier

Class Abilities

Fighters, paladins and clerics of the life domain all receive the ability to heal, but in different ways.

Second wind

From the very beginning, fighters gain the ability second wind. (PHB 72) This feature allows any fighter to use a bonus action to heal (1d10+fighter level) hit points. A fighter can use this ability in addition to taking a full complement of attacks and moves and actions. However, this ability only replenishes after a rest (long or short). Even at higher levels, a fighter can rely on this inner reserve of healing just once during a combat, regardless of their level.

Lay on hands

Paladins also gain a healing power at 1st level. (PHB 84) This ability requires the character to use an action, but a paladin can restore a total of (5 x paladin level) hit points. The paladin can divide this recovery several different times so long as all the available hit points have not yet been distributed. It takes a long rest to reset this power.

Additionally, this power can be used to cure a target from either disease or poison. This action uses up 5 hit points of available healing but does not provide healing other than removing the poison or disease.

Channel divinity

Finally, clerics within the Life domain can also provide healing up to (5 x cleric level), but only on the severely injured. (PHB 60) By taking an action to present a holy symbol, the cleric can restore hit points to any selected non-undead/non-construct within 30 feet. However, this healing can only bring each target up to half its maximum hit points. (Or "bloodied" for those still hungover from 4e.) This ability manifests at 2nd level and can be used once between any rest (long or short). (PHB 58-59) Starting at 6th level, a cleric can employ channel divinity twice between rests, and eventually gains a third usage at 18th level. So these are the total hit points that a life cleric can heal at each cleric level if channel divinity is used only to restore health:

1. ability not available yet
2. 10 total hit points
3. 15 total hit points
4. 20 total hit points
5. 25 total hit points
6. 60 total hit points
7. 70 total hit points
8. 80 total hit points
9. 90 total hit points
10. 100 total hit points
11. 110 total hit points
12. 120 total hit points
13. 130 total hit points
14. 140 total hit points
15. 150 total hit points
16. 160 total hit points
17. 170 total hit points
18. 270 total hit points
19. 285 total hit points
20. 300 total hit points

Potions of Healing

Potions of healing are listed in the Treasure section of the Dungeon Master's Guide on pages 187 & 188. These potions come in different potencies (and increasing recovery) as shown below:

The most common healing potion costs 50gp and weighs half a pound. (PHB 150 & 153)  The prices for superior healing and supreme healing are not canon but instead extrapolated based on the healing provided. All healing potions, regardless or strength, weigh 1/2 lb.

Healing potions are always available for sale.  Players with proficiency in herbalism kits and sufficient downtime days can make these potions as well. (PHB 154 & 187)

House Rule: If the players seek to purchase any of the other healing potions, roll randomly to see how many bottles are available from vendors that week. If the result is 0 or less, that particular potion is not available for the week. A new roll can be made next week.

• Greater healing: 1d10-3 bottles available
• Superior healing: 1d8-3 bottles available
• Supreme healing: 1d6-3 bottles available

Only one roll is made per week, and it doesn't matter how far into the week the adventure is when the original query is made. For consistency's sake, pick a day for the roll and don't change it. If the party goes a whole week without trying to obtain potions, then they don't get two or more rolls when they finally begin shopping. That week's opportunity is lost.

During rests

In addition to healing available during combat, characters also regain health during periods of inactivity. During a short rest, a player can choose to expend one or more hit dice to regain health. (PHB 186)For each hit die expended temporarily, the player rolls the hit die for their character's class and add the Constitution modifier. A barbarian with CON 16 would regain (1d12+3) hit points per spent die. A wizard with CON 9 that used a hit die in this manner would regain (1d6-1) hit points.

By taking a long rest, where the characters spend eight hours avoiding strenuous activity, a character regains all lost hit points, even if hit die have been expended. (PHB 186) Spent hit dice also return after a long rest; a character gains up to half their total hit die, with a minimum of one recovered. After a long rest, for example, a 11th level fighter would recover up to 5 hit dice. (11/2 = 5.5 which rounds down to 5 (PHB 7))

Note that while they can take essentially an unlimited number of short rests, a party can only benefit from one long rest every 24 hours. (The presumption being that similar to Earth, days on fantasy worlds last roughly 24 hours.) This rules contradicts what has been occurring in the swampy hedge maze, so for the remainder of the hedge maze, just say to yourself, "The old hag did it."

Hopefully this explanation gives you an idea of the most common forms of healing available to injured characters. There are lots more methods out there (vampiric weapons, regeneration rings, etc.) but we'll burn that bridge when we get to it.

Stay well!

~ Tidwin