An attempt at betterment

I agree with the examples you lay out, Dan, and it's very true all around. The only counterpoint I would include is that in all of the examples you give, all of those people have 100% of their environment properly phys repped and in character as it were, so they have no need whatsoever to take extra steps in order to try and pull the people around them deeper into the world they are attempting to create. It is much in the theme of people in the real world don't gesture quite so grandly nor move quite as deliberately as people on a stage in a play, but those who act know you have to in order to convey the moment and sell the scene to those in the back who can't make out their facial expressions.

The other point I'd make to all involved is the whole idea of suspended disbelief that is the basis of our build-bought rules system. No matter how many times someone points to B-o-b on a piece of paper, unless I spend the build on read/write I still look at it as squiggly lines. Same thing should aply to healing arts. I'd say yes, if a healer tells you "whenever you are down on the ground dying, if someone first aids you when you get up ask for a Cure Critical Wounds spell or potion" you can remember that, and you might even be able to make educated guesses on "I took this spell so I need this one to counter that much damage", but since Healing Arts is required to know for sure, and that costs build, then it still looks like squiggly lines.
 
Jeff makes a great point.

Until I read this post, I was in the "you know how much damage you've taken" camp. But having to spend build on the ability to check how much damage someone has taken, that's the kicker. If everyone just kinda "knows" how much damage they've taken, then healing arts is just a point sink. And that got me thinking...

If you cut yourself in the workshop (I'm sure you've had cuts before)
Do you know the answers to any of the following:
How long until it heals?
How long until it stops bleeding?
How many stitches will I need?
Will it get infected?

I'm sure there are many more questions you couldn't answer. With training, your paramedic or doctor could probably answer those questions much more accurately than you could. And once we get into bigger wounds, our knowledge gets even more vague. Would you trust a foot soldier to triage the wounded on the battle field or would you rather have a combat medic do it? Just because you've suffered wounds before doesn't mean you know exactly how wounded you are now.

Our system provides easy math, and it's everyone's job to know how much damage they took. But that's OOG knowledge, just like Jeff's illiterate character reading "Bob" on a piece of paper and pretending not to understand. You know exactly how much damage you've taken but you have to pretend you don't. Sure you know if you're close to dying, half health or barely wounded, but do you know exactly what spell will get you up to speed?

As for the potion point, that's a different story I think, seeing as it's you curing yourself, every gamer will do what is most efficient. That doesn't mean that it gives you the liberty to tell other people what would be most efficient in healing you.
 
I also think some role-playing of your damage affects should be there.

Sure, in the middle of battle, adrenalin going, etc, you can keep going full tilt until you're down or Status-ed.

However, if you're not actively engaged, or afterwards, I think limping, holding your side, etc when you are very low on body helps show the affect of battle. I mean, someone taking a couple axe blows to the side of the ribs isn't probably going to be skipping merrily off, even if their armor absorbed some of the impact.

I mean, it is a ROLE playing game, not a ROLL playing game.
 
Great fun, that, even if it does lead to people asking is you are okay OOG! ;)
 
Yup, I always try to RP being hurt, or even if I'm almost bleeding to death and then get 'Morted and suddenly *bing* perfect health, I'll usually grimace and shake my head a second because that should come as a bit of a system shock, magic or no.
 
all so be creative if you slip up and get cot...

I was trying to be funny IC and used a modern term "flat-line" referring to something IG dead...

Some one said IC "whats that mean?" and I had to think on my tows...

"Well they are there flat, and laying down waiting for a heal... so um Flat line?"

He LOL-ed and slip fixed...
 
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