Is the "heal" skill useless?

Remove all ads!

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I NEVER put points in the heal skill. First off, you need the heal packs to use the skill, and there are so many other ways to regain HP. With all the potions, the Stone of Recall, and respawning, is there really any use for this skill whatsoever. Frankly, by not putting any points in that skill (whether it be a class skill or not), I 1. am able to put the points elsewhere, and 2. not half to worry about selling those darned heal packs. Just a thought, I was wondering if anyone actually uses the skill at all.......

Thanks,

 

They work great for curing poison and disease. Poison isn't that bad as there are potions but if you can't cast from scolls and hate having to run back to the temple all the time it's very handy.

 

As useless as they can get.

 

Useless? I think not. I have used them loads of times. If you just have 4 or 5 in the skill, when you aren't in combat, you can heal 24 or 25 points. That's quite a large amount. True, it will probably decrease if you use it in combat as you wil not just take 20, but that is whenn you can use potions if you really need healing. And the stone of recall costs money, and respawning removes money and experience.

 

Not useless, but not as useful as it should be. I'm a cleric, so I get loads of healing spells, which are of course free and regenerate, so I use them all the time, and end up with ridiculous amounts of healing potions and packs.

I think I've used healing kits about twice....

 

True enough, Wildfire. But if you're not in a battle why not just rest instead?

 

I use a lot of Healing Kits outside and between battles. Resting and recalling are not options for me since I deem resting in the middle of an adventure 'unrole-playing'. As for the Stone of Recall, I hardly use it for healing myself at the temple since I consider it 'cheesy' (no offence meant to anyone).

 

It may be useless for many of the classes, but I have 12-13 ranks in heal for my paladin class, and he generally can heal any disease and usually restores 32-52 hit points per use of the healing kits.

I've been playing a lot of this game solo now...without the use of a henchman, mostly because I can heal myself very well (healing kits plus a charisma score of 20 - which gives a huge bonus to the lay on hands ability!! I'm level 13 so LoH heals 65 hp's per day!!!)

The only things I can't really do are remove traps and unlock things. I have an elemental ring that usually lessens damage from traps, and I don't have much trouble bashing most locked chests...

Another perk to having high charisma is the wicked effect it has on the undead!!! I learned it in the Beggar's Nest - Now at 13th level, all but the most powerful of undead crumble before my onslaught!!!!

 

I use it when Tomi is to stupid to heal himself.

 

When you are too lazy to run back to the temple it is very useful, since stupid Tomi can't heal. All he does is get killed and pick locks.

 

I'm a cleric, so I have more heal spells than I know what to do with, and I have found use for this. I use it quite a bit whenever Sharwyn gets diseased or poisoned so that I don't have to use spell slots on these. I find more healing kits than I know what to do with, so why not use them?

 

So.....personal opinions aside (not wanting to rest, not wanting to use the stone, etc.) You've all convinced me that it is a completely useless skill, in the context of gameplay. I mainly wanted to know if it had ANY practical use in the game since there are all of those other options for healing oneself. You may not be comfortable with resting, but it is necessary for some characters to memorize spells. That's what I'm trying to say. With all of the OTHER forms of healing, skill points can be much better spent on other needed skills. I think it would've been a better skill had they not put in so many other forms of healing. I mean, spells are one thing, they're necessary at times, I believe that the stone of recall is the problem element, it sometimes makes it TOO easy. I have a monk character, they NEVER spend money, there is nothing to buy, so (without cheating) in the middle of chapter 1, I had like 153,000 GPs....from selling things I can't use (everything) and collecting coins. I REALLY didn't mind paying the 50 GPs to return to where I was. The EXP penalty for respawning made me think twice about doing it, so that's my last resort, but if you're not in combat and have the oppurtunity to heal, then really, why not just rest? It doesn't cost anything and you can refill all your feats and spells back up again. Besides.....the healers kit +1 COSTS 51 gold pieces.......you'd save 1 gold piece if you just used the stone.......although I'm sure most people just find them....but still.......anyway.....thanks for all the responses, I figured it was pretty useless, and as long as I don't get strongly opinionated about resting or useing potions then I guess it is.

Oh yeah...as far as the henchman aspect of this.....I don't use one, so there isn't anyone to heal. Besides, if they DO die, they go right back to the temple.....use the stone, go back and get them, and teleport right back to where you were BEFORE they died.....I think with my fighter (1st time I played) I got tomi killed like 15 times before the end of chapter one.......oh well I did the rest on my own, without the help of a hench.....

[This message has been edited by Atheris (edited July 08, 2002).]

 

I agree with Rythm about the role playing aspect. It doesn't feel like something you'd do - rest in the middle of a dungeon when there are still enemies about.

Yes. in chapter 1. In chapter 2, doing that is a loss of 99 gp. I would imagine that the loss increases in later chapters too.

And btw

There are tons of things to buy. Just click on the magic weapons tab or the weapons tab. There are generally lots of very good things to buy if you want to spend money.

 

I t depends on what calss you are playing; It can be very very useful if you are a fighter, or like one said, when Tomy forgets to heall, I use it with my Monk to cure Henchmen desease and poison.

 

I agree, just rest or use potions.

 

Whether it is useful or not is not all that important I think. Won't you all agree it's great that it is included? In most PnP rpg:s First Aid is the most important skill of all! While Newervinter Nights in itself may bathe in healing potions, stones of recall and whatnot, I plan on making mods in which magic items are scarce - healing potions will have to be saved for when they are REALLY needed.

 

Waezlur, You pretty much just said it in a nutshell....whehter you realize it or not. I'm not saying that the health kits are COMPLETELY useless in the game package, but in the game they are. I guess what I'm trying to say is that without the stone of recall, the health kits would be absolutely useful, saving on resting time (of which is ALSO necessary in PnP as well, if I remember correctly, been a while) But with the presence of the stone, healing yourself is not really an issue as far as being a critical part of the game (the kits)

As far as it costing more in the second chapter, I had about 15 health kits +10 by that time.....at 172 GPs each.....I saved 22 GPs by teleporting. Anyway, like I said before, opinions are opinions, but in all realty having the healing potential that this game provides, I'd be better off spending the skill points on persuade, lore, open lock, etc.

Thanks

 

Doesn't healing the undead actually deal out damage to them? I haven't tested it, but if you can use this skill on enemies, then spending points in it might not be such a waste. Someone with high skill points in heal and high wisdom (perhaps a monk?) would be able to dish out a lot of damage to the undead.

Also, I agree with Waezlur. I suspect that the majority of decent mods out there won't be completely littered with healing potions and some "stone-of-making-the-game-easy" items. If you play in a party with no cleric, then somebody will probably have to take up this skill.