by D.F. Fjellhaugen
Arcane Lore
Time heals all wounds (but these spells help)
 

-	-	Notes	-	-
Dragon magazine	-	Dragon #134	-	1st Edition AD&D

Presented here are 4 new clerical
spells, all of which deal with regenerative
healing: regenerate light wounds, regenerate
serious wounds, regenerate critical
wounds, and regenerative heal. They are
very similar to the three cure wounds
spells and heal, but instead of receiving
the healing all at once, the spell recipient
slowly regenerates hit points at the rate of
a few hit points each round. This, coupled
with the fact that regenerate wounds
spells heal less total damage than cure
wounds spells of the same level, makes
these newcomers to the cleric?s arsenal
less desirable than the older standbys,
except for one thing: The regenerate
wounds spells may be cast before the
party encounters danger. This is helpful,
especially to smaller parties, because it
allows the cleric to fight or cast other
spells in combat. At worst, the cleric will
be free for a few rounds because the
wounded will not need attention as soon.
These spells also allow solo adventurers
and parties without clerics to enlist the aid
of friendly clerics (for a price, of course)
before the adventure begins.

In adventures lasting more than one day,
the cleric with these spells is faced with a
choice: He must choose many cure
wounds spells for the next day?s adventuring
(and return to playing a roving combat
medic), or pick more regenerate wounds
spells and continue with a more aggressive
role in combat situations. Many players
find the second option to their liking.

Only NPC clerics with the utmost confidence
in the party and its goals will provide
regenerate wounds spells (and then at
a great cost). Unlike cure wounds spells,
the regenerate wounds spells do not simply
restore the party members to good
health; they strengthen the PCs. This is
not to imply that regenerate wounds spells
increase a character?s maximum hit points.
However, in most cases, a character who is
the recipient. of a regenerate wounds spell
effectively has an additional number of hit
points for a few days.

The costs for an NPC to cast regenerate
wounds spells are listed in the table with
this article. These prices may be lowered
if the PCs' quest will benefit the cleric?s
deity or church. If the party is undertaking
the adventure solely for the cleric or
his church, the spells may be provided
free of charge, but this may lessen the
reward the party receives when it accomplishes
its mission.

Regenerate wounds spells make NPC
clerics stronger foes, as they will almost
certainly have the most powerful such
spells available and cast prior to combat.
These spells also make NPC clerics stronger
leaders, as they can strengthen their
subleaders and followers, although chaotic
and evil leaders will do so to a lesser
degree so as not to unduly strengthen
untrustworthy servitors. The reverse of
these -- the degenerate wounds spells --
are favorites of clerics who worship gods
of deception or trickery.

There are several ways to fight users of
regenerate wounds spells. The most obvious
tactic is to do only a slight injury to
the user (hitting him with a low-level spell,
for instance) and waiting for the injury to
heal, dispelling the regenerate wounds
dweomer. Another is to cast a healing spell
on the user, which will also dispel the
regenerate wounds spell. This latter action
will not dispel a regenerative heal spell
unless the recipient has not yet been
injured; otherwise, it returns him to 4 hp
or less of his hit-point maximum. And
don't forget dispel magic as a possible
form of attack.

DMs should note that most stupid monsters
will not even realize that the regeneration
of the PC is taking place, much less
take logical steps to stop it. NPCs, on the
other hand, especially high-level ones, will
probably take very effective steps to
negate regenerate wounds spells.

As a final note, none of these spells will
work for a PC who has been slain. HP
recovery is possible if a character
has fallen into the negative hit-point range
(down to and including -9 hp), but if a PC
falls below -9 hp or is struck by a magical
effect (like symbol of death) that slays
him outright, all regenerate wounds spells
previously cast upon that person are dispelled
at once.

Regenerate Light Wounds
(Necromantic)
Reversible

Level: 1
Range: Touch
Duration: See below
Components: V, S
CT: 7 segments
ST: None
AE: Creature touched

Explanation/Description: This spell is
much like the first-level clerical spell, cure
light wounds. When it?s cast on a wounded
individual, he regenerates 1 hp per round
for 2-5 rounds. If the recipient of the spell
is at full hit points before the regenerate
light wounds spell is cast, the spell has no
immediate effect. Instead, if the individual
is later injured (suffers at least 1 hp damage
within the spell's duration), the regeneration
"waits" to take place at that time.
When the individual reaches his maximum
hit points or has regenerated the full 2-5
hp, the spell dissipates. If the spell recipient
has a subsequent curative spell (including
another regenerate wounds spell) cast
upon him, drinks a potion of healing, or
uses other magical healing powers, the
original regenerate light wounds spell is
dispelled, although all healing already
gained from the spell is retained.

The reverse of this spell, degenerate
light wounds, causes the recipient to suffer
2-5 hp damage at the rate of 1 hp lost
per round. This degeneration begins after
the recipient is subsequently healed (or
regains a hit point from resting) or gains
hit points by any means. The degeneration
stops when the spell has run its course or
the victim dies. The regenerate wounds
and degenerate wounds spells affect only
those creatures affected by cure light
wounds spells, and the healing or injury is
only as permanent as that provided by a
cure light wounds spell.

The ?waiting? duration of a regenerate
light wounds spell is 24 hours per level of
the spell?s caster; its healing effects are
permanent. The duration of this spell?s
reverse is equally long.

Regenerate Serious Wounds
(Necromantic) 
Reversible

Level: 4
Range: Touch 
Duration: See below
Components: V, S
CT: 9 segments
ST: None
AE: Creature touched

This spell is
the same as the first-level clerical regenerate
light wounds spell except for its duration
(48 hours per level of the caster for a
?waiting period?? with permanent effects)
and magnitude. This spell heals 5-11
(2d4 + 3) hp at a rate of 1 hp per round.
The reverse of this spell has the opposite
effect, as per a degenerate light wounds
spell.
 

Regenerate Critical Wounds
(Necromantic) 
Reversible

Level: 5
Range: Touch
Duration: See below
Components: V, S
CT: 1 round
ST: None
AE: Creature touched

This spell is
the same as the first-level clerical regenerate
light wounds spell, except for its duration
(72 hours per level of the caster for a
?waiting period,? with permanent effects)
and magnitude. This spell heals 9-18
(3d4 + 6) hp at a rate of 1 hp per round.
The reverse of this spell has the opposite
effect, as per degenerate light wounds.

Regenerative Heal
(Necromantic) 
Reversible

Level: 7
Range: Touch
Duration: See below
Components: V, S
CT: 12 segments
ST: None
AE: Creature touched

This spell is
similar to the first-level clerical regenerate
light wounds spell. When this spell begins
to heal wounds, it does so at a rate of 4 hp
per round and continues until the recipient
is 4 hp or less from his maximum hitpoint
total, regardless of how much
damage or healing the individual receives
before that time. In other words, if the
recipient is wounded again after receiving
the wound that triggers this spell, the spell
continues to heal the recipient until he is 4
hp or less from his hit-point total, at which
point the spell ceases to function. This
spell has no effect on disease, blindness,
insanity, loss of limb, or disabling spells.
The ?waiting? duration of this spell is one
week per level of the caster, with permanent
effects.

The reverse of this spell, degenerative
harm, causes 4 hp damage per round once
triggered by subsequent healing or injury.
This spell ceases when the victim has 4 hp
or less left, so it can weaken but not slay a
victim. It causes no other harm to the
recipient in the form of disease, insanity,
etc.

Notes
When the regenerate wounds spells
were first conceptualized (in the summer
of 1983), I planned to make the regenerate
light wounds spell a second-level clerical
spell, one useful for adventuring parties
but not meant to free the cleric for a more
offensive role in combat. It was only while
attending the GEN CON® 17 Game Fair in
1984 (where I played a warrior cleric in an
AD&D® game adventure) that I realized
how difficult a task it is for a cleric to add
measurably to his party?s offense. One of
the most valuable things a cleric can do is
to heal fellow PCs. Unfortunately, this
often becomes an overwhelming responsibility
and the cleric is often excluded from
doing all else to tend to the wounds of his
colleagues. This situation is only exacerbated
by the introduction of a second-level
healing spell, as the party members expect
the cleric to pray for a number of these
each day as well as for a number of firstlevel
cure light wounds spells. This obviously
reduces the number of hold person
and spiritual hammer spells the cleric can
gain. Make the regenerate light wounds
spell a first-level spell, and not only can
the cleric keep his party?s hit points up,
but he can participate in combat without
having to weave his way back and forth
through the group or abandon his spiritual
hammer spells to tend to the wounded.

The DM can easily create regenerate
wounds spells for druids as well. I recommend
regenerate light wounds be a
second-level druidic spell, regenerate
serious wounds be a fourth-level spell, and
regenerate critical wounds be a sixth-level
spell, each having the same effects as its
corresponding clerical version. I also recommend
no regenerative heal spell for
druids. Furthermore, all druidic regenerate
wounds spells require mistletoe in
order to be cast.

Optionally, the DM may require an additional
material component (such as trolls
blood) for the powerful clerical spell,
regenerative heal.
 

June 1988