[RPG] How to non-magical healers be useful when magic healing is available

healingmagicsystem-agnostic

In many roleplaying games the prerequisite to perform magic healing is knowledge, and during action it is mostly limited by magic capacity and sometimes time. Meanwhile the prerequisite to perform non-magical healing (such as medicine, surgery, physical care, and other things that currently exist in the real world) is also knowledge, but often requires elaborated materials, more time and often includes a more severe chance of failure. Magic healing also tends to be more effective and complete, making it the better choice in almost all situations where body and mind need a fix.

From time to time, I play a character with some non-magical healing skill, but while his service is usually good enough for NPCs it is seldom requested by the PC group, making him kind of stand back behind the overall-well positioned magician, despite healing being his primary occupation.

How do you keep non-magical healers useful to the group and fun to play?

I'm also curious how specific roleplaying games solve this (e.g., perhaps magic is really expensive to cast; or magicians are allowed to perform in only one "school" of spellcasting), but that's secondary.

Best Answer

The best way to make healers fun to play is to make their profession matter in the culture of the setting and in the conflicts the group faces.

Is the character merely "Joe, with a Great-level Healing skill and a Good Herbalism skill"? If yes, why? Wouldn't it be more interesting to have the character be "Joe, an Adept of the Scarlet Order", with contacts in every city, a thorny relationship with ignorant village 'healers', and a respected profession that opens doors in polite society in ways a sinister sorcerer can't?

Make healers be more than just a skill. Tie them into the setting in ways that are distinct from the ways magical healers fit into the setting's cultures and society, and they'll be fun to play because they'll have opportunities unique to their status and reputation.

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