Leeches -1

[loftar]

Also, maybe we can have a "healing" skill that we can level up? Someone who knows it can utilize different healing techniques, and better application of those techniques would mean faster recovery. I know that healers would be prized anywhere in Hearth right now.

We've been walking very carefully around that. Of course, we will add more kinds of healing as time goes by, but we want to avoid the only all too common situation where fighting parties "need" to have a healer among them or where the party with the most healing potions wins. The bandage and leeches and lack of anything to heal SHP [anything? really? ;)] are reflections on that.

Rather, we'll probably add skills like "surgery", which would take some time, not be possible in battle and perhaps only in sterile conditions; and some other kinds of skills enforcing the same non-battle-usable conditions. If we do add some healing skill which would be usable in battle, it would probably be a really mad high-level skill.

[Blaze]

Field Surgery: Death never stops to rest, neither can we.

In future updates, where other types of wounds may be implemented (Bleeding, lacerations, fractures, burns, frostbite, poison, disease, etc.), you could craft medic equipment (Field Surgery Kit, Medic Cap, etc.) which you can stock beforehand with sutures, bandages, ointment, antivenom, styptics, splints, etc.

I also dislike the idea of healing potions, we already have Loftar's Largely Luscious Loaf.

[sami1337]

That would be great.

[Peter]

I see what you're saying about removing "healers" as a class from combat squads. I would say that having the ability to specialize in healing is still a good idea, if it can be done so as to prevent TF2-style healing'em as they get hurt.

How about this; healing skill allows you to give someone long-term treatment by putting them into a bed or other item. The character then goes to sleep or something, and the player logs off for something like 8 RL hours, a full H&H day, while the character regains something like 10-25% of their hHP. During this time, the healer has to check on them occasionally or at least set them up in bed- someone just sleeping on a bed doesn't get nearly the same benifit.

It's absolutely useless for combat and exploration, since the bed needs to be indoors and may make the sleeper vulnerable to attack of some kind if not in a safe place. Despite this, anyone injured in combat will seek out a skilled healer and will most likely pay highly for the treatment.

Combine this with the healer's ability to apply leaches and bandages better and you'll have someone who is utterly unlike The Medic and far while still being powerful.

(Incidentally, this could be combined with Cannibalism- wait, hear me out. charicters with high life belief become the best healers, while those with high death belief gain the most from eating human hearts. In fact, it would make sense if Cannibalism healed hHP in the consumee (baised on the relative level of the previous owner of the hear, so that if you eat someone stronger than you, you get stronger, and eating weaker chars harms you.), making it an alternative for players willing to forgo normal healing.)

[Ferinex]

Loftar's Largely Luscious Loaf.

Combine this with the healer's ability to apply leaches and bandages

That idea could easily be expanded upon. Lay in a bed, :lo, character stays ingame. Doc can see your health bar, change leeches/bandages as necessary. : )

Of course, here we go with specifics. Loftar and Jorb are smart people. Mostly.