The lore behind it is inconsistent. Do your characters have easy access to it? How effective is the healing? Are there any limitations, or conditions for a powerful spell?
So, the lore is inconsistent as you already know. So, it comes down to generally just being polite in roleplay.
I have my own headcanons for how my characters heal and what they can accomplish, but I always go with the headcanon of the character being healed - I like to think that a skilled healer can patch you back up, no scars, no fuss, whatever, but if this player wants their character to be missing an eye/have massive scars/still have the wound but not be actively dying, I go with that.
So, to actually answer your questions instead of going on about RP etiquette.
Depending on the character and the magic, generally. As a Light user, Rufaic here has fairly easy access to the Light for healing. It’s pretty effective at that - it’s generally an instant or near-instant “fix it” cast.
Limitations generally come in terms of my character’s limitations rather than limitations from the magic - primarily because the limitations of healing just aren’t really defined. My character can’t really heal what he doesn’t know is broken - a flesh wound is fairly easy, but he’ll have to check you out to determine if you’re bleeding out internally or something. Additionally, healing is very draining. He just can’t do it all the time, so instead of a perfect fix all the time it ends up being “you’re not dying, but I’m not fixing you all the way so I can keep healing other people that need it.”
As for conditions, not particularly. As long as the body isn’t completely dead/past repair/in pieces/soul has moved on, there’s probably something that can be done. But there’s obviously some magic stuff that resists healing and whatnot for narrative reasons, so that happens.
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Having been reunited with one of my favorite fantasy series, I look at healing as both something of the healer and healee, only in different ways per healing magic types. Please note this is majority headcanon.
Holy light (Priests, Paladins): Faith made manifest at its most basic form. Miracles can happen, with someone being completely healed because both they and the healer believe in it strong enough. However, beyond this, the magic of the light can only do so much, and what it does accomplish is based on the strength of the faith of those involved.
Nature magic (Druids): I remember from reading the War of the Ancients that a lot of the healing from there involves taking the life from nature around yourself, such as grass, bugs, etc. and channeling it into the injured party.
Nature magic (Shamans): Based on the strength of the elements of earth and water involved and how well they answer the shaman’s call. Because of the give and take involved, this can be more draining on the healer than others, except the druid one if they choose to give some of their nature into the healing.
Chi (Monks): Using mists and their rejuvenating nature, monks use this to realign the chi of the injured party, helping their body to return to a balance of being alive and uninjured.
All of those methods of healing are great and can be a lot faster than good ol’ first aid and science (aka what we have now), but obviously it has its limits, as cancers, illness, disease, and other problems are constantly relevant. Any wound inflicted can be recovered from to a point (limb regrowth/organ regeneration are a no go). I will say at the end of the day, it is up to those involved how long/slow the process will take for healing, and if multiple visits to a healer are required. I personally do not have any healer characters (mostly because I suck at it), but I imagine healing from a dedicated healer type will be stronger than healing from someone who knows a few spells (read, prot paladins versus holy paladins, shadow versus disc/holy, any druid and shaman not resto versus resto, mistweaver v. the others).
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My belief is that healing magic is determined by the element, person receiving, and the degree needed.
Healing magic isn’t as readily available as WoW seems to make it as. Which why first aid, doctors, medicine, and the like all still exist. Natural medication and medical practices exist to make up for the rarity of magical healing being so readily available to the masses. You can’t wave a hand away to all magic either otherwise the body cannot build immunity.
I tend to go off the element of magic and what abilities are available to determine what each element is capable of.
Holy Magic:
Dispelling magic of high degree, and curing most diseases. Holy Magic is pure and holy. To heal someone with this, gives a warmth that soothes and comforts. Can elicit feelings of euphoria or joy when used.
Holy Magic however is pure, and does not tolerate impurity. Undeath, Void, and corrupt essence is harmed, undead will writhe in pain, while Void may either result with explosive, or high degrees of burns if such magic is applied to them.
Shadow Magic:
Painful, but effective. Capable of healing normal mortals and corrupt beings. Those who aren’t made of corrupt essence will experience moments of pain or a drawback. Whether its temporary weakness, pain, nausea, or mental strain. Shadow magic is perverse and will harm those of holy element.
Chi / Spiritual Magic:
Using the essence of spiritual magic; It can dispel magic and curses. This sort of magic brings strength to the spirit and the body. Capable of lifting ill omens and restore bone with enough power. Spiritual Magic however is an energy in its element and can leave the user feeling drained as they use their own power to heal another.
Spiritual Magic may find itself less effective against the undead, void-addled, and corrupt beings which feeds on spiritual energies.
Natural Magic:
The energies and elements which bring life. This power uses life energy found in the natural world to bring healing and restoration. Capable to dispel minor magic and curses, Natural Magic is most effective in its environment. Calling upon the energies of water or plants around to close wounds and soothe pain.
These sorts of magics are less effective in desolate or dry lands. Where such natural life energies are scarce.
These elements all have different effects and are more effective given each various situation. Magic can’t be used to always solve every situation as even the most powerful healers have to exert a large fond of magic to heal broken bones or grevious wounds. Magic is the best solution to stabalize till one can focus on more direct attention.
I always push that healing doesn’t make you good as new. Like a cut that just got sewn together, exert yourself and you’ll tear the wound open. If you broke your arm and healed it together, too much pressure and you’ll break the bone again. Give yourself time to let the body heal itself and let the healing set in place.
I also assume that Resurrection Magic is one of the most powerful, and most difficult magical acts to preform. You can resuscitate people with magic, but to truly resurrect someone without being extremely powerful, having powerful relics, or there’s enough healers present to preform said magic. A singular person cannot just resurrect a fallen comrade.
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I try to avoid letting healing magic serve as a quick-fix for serious problems, because I think that makes danger and bravery kind of meaningless. Something like a character jumping into danger to save others doesn’t mean as much if the character knows that even if they’re used as a chew-toy by a corehound, they can still be back on their feet the next day.
I tend to imagine that the degree to which an injury can be immediately healed is roughly proportionate to its severity. Sealing a clean, shallow cut isn’t hard for my experienced healers. A deep gash can be closed, but it’ll take time to heal up properly. A snapped leg is not going to be usable for several weeks, even if the healer exhausts themself working on it.
Also, like Rufaic said above, I assume the healer’s ability to keep healing to be limited – if my paladin is in a field hospital with wounded soldiers pouring in, he’s not going to do any more than the minimum required to keep each one alive, so that he’ll be able to keep as many of them alive as possible. At some point, he’s just going to be too drained, and will have to rest.
In the realm of what I think you mean by “conditions,” I don’t think I’ve codified a lot of them for myself, but I headcanon a few things:
- The stronger the magic required, the less healing you’ll be able to keep doing – and the longer you’ll have to rest after the fact.
- Druidic healing requires life energy to be channeled into the patient from somewhere else, such as from surrounding plants or from the healer themself. Taking too much from the self or from any other living thing is harmful and potentially fatal.
- Shadow healing the undead works great. Shadow healing the living can get the job done, but it’ll probably also make the patient pretty sick.
- Resurrection can happen, but it takes a lot of energy, a lot of skill, and a lot of focus – and you can only do it if the patient has been dead for less than six to ten minutes.
All that said –
When my character is healing a character that belongs to someone else, I’ll play it more or less however that player wants it played. Its their character taking the consequences, not mine.
This though. As a healer, and as someone that gets healing sometimes, there is nothing more disappointing than when I am miracle healed.
Also, I like natural healing. Like salves, potions and things! I like to think that NATURAL healing heals better than magic in the long run. Allowing the body to mend itself vs forced. You know?
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I meant to mention this too!
To fill the gaps in what they can reasonably do with healing magic – or to avoid having to use it when it’s not necessary – both of my dedicated healers make extensive use of tinctures, salves, poultices, and teas, mostly herb-based.
I like to see this sort of thing – it’s relatable, and sort of grounding.
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Or even to ensure that the magic takes… like, put this oil on twice a day type thing.
I like you new elf friend. <3
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Ultimately, healing is a means to keep the story/action going, so I let it work as well/quickly as is required and don’t really care about the inconsistencies. One person got back into the fray while the other was laid up for a while because Reasons.
That said, every class has its own flair and that’s fun to play with. Part of why I like paladins so much is because of the altruistic theme of spells like Blessing of Sacrifice and Light of the Martyr. Abilities like Spirit Link Totem and Guardian Spirit are ripe for IC interpretation too. It can be annoying when you do something big and flashy and the patient doesn’t really respond to it, but they’re the one calling the shots.
As much as I love playing and RPing a healing spec…I…I don’t actually heal in my RP lol.
Though my headcanon is that healing efficiency is all about time. So if someone had a wound for, lets say, 10 min without proper care or minor healing, it’ll take more focus. Additionally, healing can’t stop a wound from scarring. If someone got a chunk ripped outta their cheek, no amount of healing magic is gonna fix the skin.
When it comes to the Light I like to imagine the one having it case onto them gets a minor & brief experience of what it’s like to be touched by the Light.
I also like to imagine that Holy Priests/Paladins cast their healing abilities on the undead to inflict a large amount of damage on them. Like in most RPGs.
Nature healing stains your clothes.
This is why druids wear green.
I like to think that scarring and other lasting effects, such as chronic pain, are partly dependent on the severity of the wound, partly on the skill and energy level of the healer, and partly on what inflicted the wound in the first place. For instance, I have a character who has lasting scars and recurring aches in his leg due to it being clawed by a ghoul. I feel that the presence of necromantic contamination in a wound would be hard to get rid of, and prone to causing lasting problems.
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Hmm, right now since I have been RPing my Priest of the Red Crane I will say how I do healing magic with him. The Light he uses is drawn from his own positive emotions, if those falter it isn’t as strong and he might not even be able to draw it at all if he is completely out of hope.
When healing a wound, he is able to use light to sear it closed, and cleanse it of impurities. He then wraps it with bandages. The wound is closed enough to stop the bleeding, and is free from infection, but the body still has to do the rest. I also like to have it have a numbing sensation as he is healing, as well as feeling warmth. If he is pouring light into their bodies I also like to have them feel a bit of hope.
However not much can be done for fatal wounds. If the wound is severe there isn’t much he can do, expect do his best to bring them comfort.
The effectiveness of magical healing, for me, depends heavily on the situation at hand. If in the midst of combat, my character will do as much as he/she can to keep his allies alive without draining himself too much. He has to remain conscious himself to do said healing, yeah? The healing tends to offer a brief numbing as much as it does actually healing the wound itself, so people are able to ignore the pain to a greater degree while they fight.
As for out of combat healing, it depends on what the injury is. If it’s something mild that can be fixed with bandages or otherwise regular means, he’ll just do that - but if it’s severe enough (and time sensitive) he’ll break out the magic and drain himself as much as needed to fix the wound.
If it is severe, but not time sensitive, (in that the person can take time for bed-rest for a period of however long) then he’ll do what’s needed to ensure the wound will not cause the victim to bleed out. However, underneath the tissue will still be recovering to a degree - which means soreness. They wont die, but it’ll be unpleasant until their body handles the rest.
This way, the body does not grow too used to magical healing that may not always be available and grow unable to tend to itself as a direct consequence. Also, it saves energy in-case something more urgent calls for attention.
Edit --> Oh! I also wanted to address resurrection magic. For my healers personally, my general rule of thumb is thus - how long has the victim been dead, and how severe are their wounds? If gone for, say… 24 hours, the soul is gone. It’s passed on, no more can be done. If less than that, it can still be done, but it becomes more and more strenuous on the healer for each hour it took to get the body to a healer.
As mentioned above, the severity of the wounds also comes into play. If they’ve been dead for 23 hours and the body is mangled, the persons soul may as well already be gone. Stenar simply doesn’t have the strength to mend everything to a degree that the body can recover on its own, and then bring the soul back and restart the body.
This might be different for more characters of different strengths, mind, but as far as healers go Stenar is fairly average. If you press him too hard, he’ll grow weak and struggle. If continually pressed, he will eventually pass out - or worse. You don’t want your healer to drop dead because his heart gave out, right?
Etamalgren’s healing is enough to heal some minor wounds, but it would do little more than make an injury hurt less for more major wounds. It also mentally exhausts him quite quickly.
(His balance spells, on the other hand, end up doing more damage to himself than to an enemy.)
I RP healing magic to be pretty powerful, a bit more then most people do. I am talking straight up bringing back people from near death or even from being dead if it was soon enough, and everything in between.
However I always make it out to be the other players choice really, if they dont want there character to regain sight after being blinded then I word it in a way to make it just not work, but the offers on the table.
I am not a healer, nor do I play one on TV, so please take this with a grain of salt.
My own headcanon is that a spell or ability to either seal up a sliced artery, remove a blood clot, regenerate brain tissue… would be too complex.
I see healing as doing one thing, and one thing only: accelerating cell regeneration.
Whether the healer uses the Light, or Nature Magic, or whatever, I think what they are ultimately doing is accelerating the body’s natural ability to heal itself, because time is often of the essence.
That would also explain why healing could still result in scarring. The spells are precise, they are more of a boost to the cells to replenish themselves. No telling if they will reproduce the exact same genetic form from pre-injury.
Again, have never played a healer. Just what I always imagined.