Been thinking over the "magickal healing powers" of the bandage skill. What if instead of a pretty impressive immediate healing, the bandage skill set a "bandaged" flag on the character that would:
- allow healing at the normal, slow rate when below the "no healing" threshold.
- increased the healing rate like resting or sleeping (if high enough skill) even if you weren't resting/sleeping, and made real rest even more efficient when not badly hurt.
- revert back to "off" if the character took sufficient damage to go back below the "no healing" threshold?
Bit of a hassle, but a great aid to RPing out those near death experiences.
If the (albeit seemingly) wild random HP gains off bandaging were a bit more normalized, I don't think it'd be a problem. Healing for 20-30 points (for some, near a third of their life) should be something with the higher level bandages that are clean fabric and specially made. I've seen people with non-master skill using a scrap of cloth and getting 12pt heals, and the next try getting 3.
I would be ALL for someone taking the time to bandage themselves 2-3 times with high quality bandages and a mediocre bandaging skill to be back at fighting shape, if it just felt a bit more normalized.
I like the idea of a regeneration flag, but that would be (I'd think) a bit wonky because then, what if you're fully healed and the 'timer' for regeneration is still going? Maximum overheals, man.
I've seen PCs save the lives of other PCs that were at mortally wounded, with a bandage. Everyone took it properly seriously, and the wounded PC wasn't back to normal for a couple RL weeks. Zalanthan bodies > human bodies, etc etc. Zalanthan Herbs > Earth herbs. Dropping the equivalent of 200 coins on a BANDAGE, and then finding someone with enough skill to -probably- not kill the person... I think bandaging is fine. Save the random spread.