Newbie Healing

New Players
1

Greetings one and all,

Im looking to book my first event and due to a sporting injury will be a non combatant ( no the missus wont let me forget :open_mouth: ) and was wondering if those in the know could shed some light on the pros and cons of Magician, Ritual and Physick healing, without breaking any game or forum rules ofcourse :wink:

Is perhaps one slightly more forgiving for us newbies or does one age better with time played ?

Ill be along for the role play too ofcoures, however .. If I cant fight .. well I may as well keep them on their feet who can :smiley:

2

Now as a first quick point if you are going for a completely dedicated healer there is really no good reason not to take Magician and one healing spell, except flavor and not getting to wear armor. It can be combined with every other healing build. Same with the Chirgeon skill.

Physick Healing
Base cost: 4 exp
**Pros: **
Cheapest way to get the ability to heal everything
Gives access to free - but incredibly time consuming healing (That can’t be used on the battlefield.)
Fast
Can wear armour
Cons
Weirdly combines worse with apothecary than the magical healing options
Requires herbs (Which probably means your resource slot)
Most phys-rep intensive to do well (Surgeons tools, herbs, bandages)

Potions
Base cost 3 exp
Pros
You don’t have to actually be near the injured party so good for noncombatants
Probably the most marketable of the skills.
Probably will get you out trading for herbs
Can wear armour
Cons
Requires herbs (Which probably means your resource slot)
Takes twice as much herb for the healing
You need to predict ahead of time what healing

Magical Healing:
Base cost: 3 exp
**Pros: **
Doesn’t require materials to use (So you can take any personal resource)
Fast
Can take Mend as a spell (For an extra exp)
Can be combined with other options
Probably the simplest to roleplay, just come up with a few lines and say them
Cons:
Has three spells needed for 'full coverage, so in total the full set brings you to 5 exp Purify (venom/Weakness) Heal (Heal hit-points - which brings someone off deathcount) and Restore limb (heals broken limbs)
Can’t wear armour

**Sidenote: ** Fast heal, at twice the personal mana cost fast heal lets you heal someone while they are still fighting in combat as long as you are touching them with your casting stick. Fastest healing available.

Direct Healing Rituals
Base cost: 3 exp
Pros:
Theoretically the most efficient way to use resources to heal.
An excuse to roleplay
Cons:
Requires the finding of a ref to use
2 minute casting time
Can’t wear armor
Requires crystal mana (Which probably means your resource slot)
Requires at least 2nd rank in a lore to make worth while (I could spend 1 crystal mana to heal 1 person in 2 minutes, doesn’t compare to I can spend 1 mana to heal someone in 10 seconds.)

Shouting at people aka Healing with Hero points
Base cost: 2 exp
Pros
Good Fun
Adds healing to a character you don’t want to feel like a healer or a mage (say a blacksmith)
Can be done in Armour
No personal resource required
Cons
It’s one point to either get someone off the ground, OR heal them 3 hits
Less uses than magical healing (2 at base rather than 4) and the rapidly increasing cost (2 for the 3rd etc)

Illuminate the Higher mind - Day magic, education aint it a wonderful thing
Base cost: 4 exp (If you use the ritual circle)
Pros
Okay this option works by temporarily teaching another mage with a spell that you already know
Compares favorably to the pure healing
Lets you enjoy the ritual casting
Requires the healing spell you want to grant, but you can still use this spell
Cons
Requires you to have learnt the spell in question.
More efficient at level 2 (Two mages with spells for 3 mana rather than 1 for 2)
Requires a mage without spells to be most efficent.

3

WOW Thank You !!

If your reply and helpfulness is the norm for this system .. I think Ive found my new hobby home. :smiley:

A massive THANK YOU, Ive been reading and re reading the various ways to heal ( and only peeked at the resources ) and your breakdown is fantastic, simple and informative.

Guess I best go make my mind up on what Im gonna do.

My thanks again

Ian

4

Don’t for get to add into the mix: Magic Item Healer.

If you take artisan [4pts] you start with 4 recipes and 3 of those items.

Those items can replicate many of the things above.

5

Thanks Jason .. I hadnt even looked into that side of the game .. yet more to think about. :laughing:

6

No problem, I can’t speak for the entire field, but there are some very helpful and friendly groups kicking about on the field.

Magic Items
Base cost 4 exp (But that gives access to 4 items)
Generally magic items are very good for spreading healing around, but due to the fact you can only carry one magical rod or wand and a robe and that using most of them probably require magician (So at least 6 of your 8 points). (At the time of writing RAW you could use some of the items without it, but I suspect that may be an omission that is cleared up before the next event.)
On the other hand if you wanted to pack the most magical healing on one character possible the build would probably involve artisan.

Healing Wands/Rods
Apprentice level
All the apprentice level items take 2 months but no raw materials, There are 5 variants of these relating to the 4 healing spells and mend. Most are in the wand section.
Pro’s
Another free option in terms of resources (If you went for mostly apprentice items, it would be possible to do an artisan build with a mana site or a Herb garden.)
Grants use of a spell
Item lasts a year and can be moved between people.
Good Trade item
Con’s
Would need magician skill to use them yourself
The best candidate has magican but no actual spells, and in some nations it may be very hard to find a candidate that fits that bill. (Purify,restore limb and mend are probably the better options because dabbling in the heal spell seems likely to be more common.)

Higher level
If the apprentice level are better for dedicated ritualists, these are better for magicans with a spell (The majority)
Pro’s
If used effectively good economy of resources.
Again can be moved between people.
Can be given to a battle mage without taking up their mana
Cons
Using this skill close to efficiency requires trade (Now on one hand that’s something to do, but it’s a matter of taste.)

Items
Blood silver spike -1 month, 10 resources - 1 fast heal for free a day
Bloodwoven braid - 1 month 15 resources - 2 heals for free a day
Redsteel Chisel - 1 month 15 resources - 2 mends for free
(There are few more high powered ones but they are less resource efficient.)

Mana Robes
These come in two varieties and a wand. (The robes can be stacked with a rod or wand the wand can’t)
Crystal tenders robe: 2 months no resources, allows conversion of 1 mana crystal to 3 personal mana a day.
Witchwood wand: 1 month 10 resource: 1 extra personal mana
Opaline Cloak: 1 month 25 resources, 2 extra mana a day (It’s only really worth it if the target has a lot of spells already though, as the wands and rods are just better value resource per mana.)
Now both of these items require them to already have the healing spell, but have non-healing uses.

Other Healing Items
Many of the other options are slightly situational, there are a lot of armours that either grant or improve the healing abilities of the wearer. I’m not going to go into them.

Actually the other thing I missed out on
Exorcism: Spiritual healing
Cost 3 exp
Pros
You could probably find a priest willing to trade things for Liao easier than the other options.
Cons
Malevolent auras is stretching the healing definition slightly
Can’t diversify into other areas of healing as easily.
Requires a resource

(There is also Fountains of Life, but honestly the Day ritual is probably just better.)

7

Again a massive thank you McGonigle, I bow to your understanding and knowledge :smiley:

Ive a lot to think about .. and if I can just make my damn mind up ill get on with my life .. haha

Cheers again

Ian

8

The Phial of the Sun is worth remembering. Costs 8 resources, so a starting artisan can have a two-season-duration one and has a decent amount of time to try to scrape up the resources to make another. Gives one free use of any one herb (decided at time of use) per day, and uses your talisman slot - pretty handy for a Physick! You could go with Chirurgeon, Physick and Artisan, take a Herb Garden, and walk around using those - and if the sporting injury clears up (if that’s possible with the one you have) you could add armour (possibly magical armour you enchant yourself!) and heal right behind the front lines.

9

My two penn’orth:
How non-combat will you be and for how long? Because there’s a difference between going onto the battlefield at the back and using the non-contact rules (profounddecisions.co.uk/empi … on-contact) which would make Stay With Me useful, and not going on at all. Several of the skills combine better with fighting if you are likely to later recover and want to do that. I agree with MorkaisChosen on picking whatever gives you the most fun to start with and saving XP to pick up more combat-related skills.

Apothecary isn’t that much of a game-maker unless you pick either Poisons or some less-brewed potions at another 1 XP. There are so many people who can make you an Elixir Vitae already that one more doesn’t have much of a market. There’s also no roleplaying involved, you just trade item cards at GOD.

Healing rituals are only useful if you have a ref trailing you around on the battlefield. Outside of fights, the most efficient way to heal is to wait a few hours. The second most efficient is to have everyone drink some Tranquil Nostrum (Make a big pot of tea, heal anyone who drinks it and doesn’t fight for 10 min).

If you want to craft things, Artisan gives you more income and demand, because each Artisan has a limited amount of time to spend making items each Downtime. That’s a resource you can sell. You don’t even need a Mine etc as an Artisan. Since only the cheap crafted items need all the same resource, you’re almost as well off taking a Mana Site or something else that makes things you can use your other skills on in uptime. Then make items for a commission fee + the resources required. All a Mine does is save you sourcing some of the resources.

Phial of the Sun is brilliant because you can use it to generate Cerulean Mazzarine, which is always in shortage.

For off battlefield fun, Magic gives you access to Rituals, magic plot etc. Though Rituals really need you in a group. If you went that way, I’d strongly recommend not spending XP on ritual skills until you’ve decided to commit to a group doing them, and then pick the ones they perform. Or you risk having skills you don’t have enough mates to use.

Physick is the only way to treat traumatic wounds, which tend to get handed out on battlefields or (Marcher football games), but treated on the main field. It’s an excellent way to involve yourself in healer RP because Physick’s limb restore and trauma treatment skills never run out of power. If you then go on the battlefield, you can also treat limbs given 2 minutes in the middle of a fight. I’ve done this, it’s great fun when you have to think “shit, can I finish treatment or do I need to slap a herb on them and leg it”. You can in fact fix limbs and remove trauma on a battlefield. You just can’t give PC hits back.

10

Remember if you’re not a battle mage you can pick up and use any kind of normal armour, a weapon up to 42" long and a small shield without any skills. So getting Artisan and tooling up for healing now, but investing in combat items with xp could get you set up for when you can fight later fingers crossed.

11

Thanks Jim and Mark.

Alas the sporting injury is a permenant one ( Broke my knee, pinned together, ripped tendons and ligaments .. had a few operations it works .. just not 100% ) so I dont want to be in the front line for my own safety and those around me better safe than sorry :blush:

Im not adverse to taking the field, just wont be near the pointy end of anything :laughing:

I appreciate the advice from you all .. .thanks again

Ian

12

If you want to get stuck in with the healing without tramping across a battle field you can take Physic and pitch in at the field hospital, who will be grateful for the extra hands. I would recommend adding an apron to your kit though as fake blood makes everything look better, but you probably don’t want it all over your costume. :smiley:

Having sprained my ankle in the summer I found the uneven and slippery footing in the woods difficult at the September event, although battles on the field were OK. Whatever happens battles involve a lot of walking in most cases so that may have a bearing, especially when you factor in going to battle as your character, even as a healer, does imply you will also be doing one as a monster (although there are some non combat roles for that - often as captives or slaves to be rescued).

13

You really want to think about the kind of roleplay you want from the character, as that will in most cases help to define the skills you end up taking and, just as importantly, what type of Personal Resource you will need.

On and Off the Field of Battle
The battlefield-medic doesn’t necessarily have to get into the thick of combat (people are generally pretty good at both protecting the medics and bringing those injured characters back to the medics from the frontline), but it can happen. More than once I’ve found a sudden surge forward by the enemy lines has resulted in my patient and I being a hell of a lot closer to the combat than we’d like. It’s great RP, but you may want to give this one careful consideration where your OC injury is concerned.
In battlefield medicine speed is often of the essence, so if this role appeals you’re probably going to want to warm towards taking the skills that allow for quick-fire healing.

If your OC injury doesn’t allow for gallivanting about on the field of battle, you can always go for the surgeon-character.
The Physick is an excellent all-rounder, allowing you to carry out healing on or off the battlefield, but also opening up the option of using herbs directly on a patient. Only the Physick is able to do this, which makes them a viable option for quick-fire healing as well, although this will use up valuable herbs.
As others have said, the Physick is also the only skill that will allow you to fix Traumatic Wounds, of which there are a fair amount dished out during most battles.
For surgeon characters, Empire has an in-game Hospital that is always busy post-battle, and a perfect place to engage in some M.A.S.H style roleplay if that’s your thing.

Healing Potions
Potion crafting is a great way to provide healing at a distance, but it has a natural tendency to evolve into a trading game as you source herbs. This is especially true of Cerulean Mazzarine, which is frequently in short supply.
Remember also that every apothecary can prepare the five basic potions of healing, so you’ll really need to spend further xp on extra recipes if you want to make this side of the game count.
Aside from the advanced healing potions contained in the Master Medicinal recipe, you may also like to think about the potions that don’t so much heal as buff. Those contained in the Tonics of the Deep Forest and Tonics of the Open Sky are especially useful for buffing combatants and, by extension, are often sought after pre-battle.

More Resources
Finally, there are a couple of resources outside of the Wiki that are available for healers.
First off, there’s a FB group dedicated to Empire healing that is extremely lively, so it might be worthwhile saying hi on that and getting feedback from other healers. That group URL is facebook.com/groups/102214859954151.
The second resource you might want to try is the website for the in-game Hospital. The site contains up-to-date news on all things healing, has a library of downloadable IC documents and a database that contains every scrap of information related to healing in the game. The address for that is anvilhospital.co.uk/index.php

14

Thanks Charlie and Aaron.

More information ( and lots of reading ) for me to get my eyes into.

Really appreciate your comments and links.

Cheers

Ian

15

I had the same problem about 2 months ago while rolling my character - I ended up going for Physick/Chirugeon/Apothecary, and opting for a more gross, surgeon-esque type character. Do you know much else about what sort of character you’re wanting to play? Nationwise, specifically! My character is a Dawnish surgeon, it’d be fun to have them know each other if you’d like to! This will be my first event, too :slight_smile:

16

Well Im still trying to decide .. LOL :confused:

The one person I know is in the Nevaar and I’m comming from south Wales so I’ve still some work to do.

However .. wherever I choose .. I’m sure we WILL meet on our travels :smiley:

17

Some very good stuff there. I think it may have been missed

Traumatic wounds:

Magical healing of a traumatic wound will fix the hit points but still leave the underlying problem.
Had this problem when a well meaning mage healed up someone from my nation who stumbled back from battle feeling fine apart from the effects of the traumatic head wound.

18

Many thanks Seren for the clarification .. oh so much to learn :smiley:

19

There is at least one coven out there that will cast the Fountain of Life ritual for cheap and sometimes for free - it’s very slightly more expensive than Illuminate the Higher Mind but it grants the ability to use the Heal, Purify and Restore spells to any mage. Works best if you have a whole coven to cast it on.