Re: (TFT) Healing Salves and potions

["Mack Brewer" <mbrewer@psphalifax.ns.ca>]

From: Dave Seagraves <dseagraves@austin.rr.com>
>HEALING SALVE: This is just like a healing potion but in an easy to
>   use cream - just rub it in.  This has the advantage of healing an
>   unconscious figure without the risk of choking them when you pour
>   a potion down their throat.

Yup. Use them all the time in my party's physicker kits.
I charge them 10% more for the salves vice the potions.
(not better, just the safety feature that if you trip/fall
etc and you break the vials, salve won't spill and be lost,
potions will)

>      The slight disadvantage is that the person doing the rubbing
>   (if different from the patient) is healed /first/ because the
>   medicine is absorbed by the palm of his hand. 
>   Second and later
>   doses in a single healing session will heal the intended patient.
>   Requires a healing potion, $4 in common ingredients, and 1 week.
>   Costs $200.
>
>Dave Seagraves

I disagree on this one.

Magic potions heal whatever damage you have, where ever you have it
when swallowed. It doesn't matter where the actual wounds are as
it flows thru your body and repairs the "weak spots".
(sort of like StarTrek's nanobots)
Potions are great to drink "on the run" during a battle for a
quick fix, but their full power takes time.

BTW- all my potions heal 1 pt instantly and the remaining
points(from stronger potions) work slower over the next hour
or so. This lets the party heal/recover rapidly AFTER a battle
but no AD&D-like "mortally wounded fighter drinks 2 healing
potions and bounces back into battle fully healed and ready
to go".
more like "mortally wounded fighter drinks potion with last
remaining strength and passes out but survives the battle as
bleeding stops and healing begins; or gets up slowly to his
feet and wobbly returns to battle partially healed"

Salves are "local". If you have a sword wound thru your left
shoulder and rub healing salve on your foot, you just wasted some
very expensive foot cream. Salves, in all my past campaigns and
in the AD&D magic item list and a few other systems, must be
applied to the actual wound in order to be effective.
OTOH- I let them heal their full ST immediately when applied 
directly to the wound. I also rule them as virtually useless
against bruising or internal damage and poisons.

So, a combination of salves for major wounds and potions for
slightly slower, more thorough healing works well for me.

P.S.- I love the Forgotten Realms series of books for the AD&D
universe but really hate the heroes wading into battle with
bandoliers of healing potions and drinking their way thru the
big battles. This was especially bad in the book "Spellfire",
but otherwise a very good story.

Mack Brewer




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