Healing in RP can be a handy storytelling device or a cop-out.
If your character gets wounded or something in a battle or a fight, it can be a bit demeaning for them to have their woes waved away with the flick of a hand like it nothing, since it can basically reduce them to feeling like children who cry over scrapes. This isn't so bad if it really is a scrape, but I think in order for the danger of harm in the world to remain a danger, it can't be something that is always so easily dealt with.
When I did a lot of healing RP I could usually get a gauge of what the player wanted for their character - a quick patch up of some damage so they could go 'back' to their RP, or players who wanted to make RP out of the injury itself; go through a process of healing, recovery and rehabilitation and feel the consequences of it.Â
For the first, I'd just give them what they wanted and play out healing the damage. The second was a bit more fun, getting to tear away clothes or armour to assess the damage, clean out the wound with some disinfectant or whatever was on hand like alcohol. Then mend the necessary damage with magic and leave the rest to heal (my healer would often see to several injuries a day and so had to use their magic conservatively for the important work), apply some bandages and prescribe some painkillers or other medicine or something.
For combat situations I always thought of the heals as a sort of powerful but hastened form of healing - like plugging holes in a leaky boat, it's keeping the thing afloat but not solving the issues fully. As others have said though, it's good to leave it to the player receiving the healing how they want it to go.
If your character gets wounded or something in a battle or a fight, it can be a bit demeaning for them to have their woes waved away with the flick of a hand like it nothing, since it can basically reduce them to feeling like children who cry over scrapes. This isn't so bad if it really is a scrape, but I think in order for the danger of harm in the world to remain a danger, it can't be something that is always so easily dealt with.
When I did a lot of healing RP I could usually get a gauge of what the player wanted for their character - a quick patch up of some damage so they could go 'back' to their RP, or players who wanted to make RP out of the injury itself; go through a process of healing, recovery and rehabilitation and feel the consequences of it.Â
For the first, I'd just give them what they wanted and play out healing the damage. The second was a bit more fun, getting to tear away clothes or armour to assess the damage, clean out the wound with some disinfectant or whatever was on hand like alcohol. Then mend the necessary damage with magic and leave the rest to heal (my healer would often see to several injuries a day and so had to use their magic conservatively for the important work), apply some bandages and prescribe some painkillers or other medicine or something.
For combat situations I always thought of the heals as a sort of powerful but hastened form of healing - like plugging holes in a leaky boat, it's keeping the thing afloat but not solving the issues fully. As others have said though, it's good to leave it to the player receiving the healing how they want it to go.
