How can a party with no healers return a character from the unconscious/dying condition?

Question

The party I DM for has only three characters and they elected not to take a healer. This is fine with me as the DM, and they all seem to enjoy the characters they've taken. I try and hand out a few more heal potions than I normally would and with their damage dealing capability (two weapon ranger, fighter, and wizard) they handle most of my encounters fairly well.

The problem is, once one of the characters is brought below 0 hp, they are knocked unconscious and dying. It is very difficult to get them up again. The awake characters can use the Heal skill to stabilize a dying player. The dying character can get a healing surge on a death save of 20 (although I assume once you're stabilized, you stop saving). A heal check can trigger a second wind, but usually the dying character has spent his second wind already...

What options does the party have, or what house-rules could I create to allow the one player to reenter the combat if they fall early?

Answer 1

It is a standard action to administer a healing potion to an adjacent player, even an unconscious one. This will allow the fallen PC to pop back up. Its not much worse than a heal check (also a standard that required adjacency) in that it may (or may not) cost a minor to pull the potion, but at least its a RAW option.

You can also expend a standard action to make a DC 10 heal check to allow a character to expend their second wind (they don't have to be unconscious).

My real suggestion though is to have one of your characters MC healer. Its a bit of a feat investment, but in this party it is sorely needed. It is a fairly limited solution, but if your other characters have some personal healing effects (also a must in this situation) it can be saved for such a moment when a comrade has fallen and it is inconvenient to try another solution.

Answer 2

One option is the Battle Standard of Healing.

If one PC drops unconscious and is dying, they can be brought back to 1 hit point if someone else spends a healing surge in the zone. Note that all they need to do is spend a healing surge. This could be a second wind, Healing Potion, or any other number of powers/items that let you spend one.

For rules clarity, from Healing the Dying:

When you are dying, any healing restores you to at least 1 hit point.

Become Conscious: As soon as you have a current hit point total that’s higher than 0, you become conscious and are no longer dying.

Answer 3

As for house rule, why not water tossed in face, strong scent placed under nose, or even shaking the target? This shouldn’t revive all types of unconsciousness. I wouldn’t permit someone shaking someone out of a coma.

There should be a reasonable distinction between unconscious and comatose. My rule would be along the lines of ‘much harder to waken during combat’ though I’d probably give a small chance based on time spent. Once, combat is over, my personable preference would be that most unconscious effects should have a realistic duration. Simple unconsciousness lasting a few minutes if no strong reason for longer.

My view being just because we have magical means of dealing with some issue doesn’t mean standard real-world solutions can never work.

Sam inspired me to consider that this sort of house rule could have its own drawbacks. If you feel the need to encourage ‘proper healing’ or group usefulness, or purchasing of potions, you could have lingering negative consequences for not using standard practice (whatever standard practices you determine). For instance, if revived by water/shaking/salts/etcetera the player could be groggy. Could be slightly more likely to miss. Could get dizzy spells or fits of vomiting.

The key for me is to have some options so that play doesn’t come to a full stop.

Answer 4

Mage hand, the wild talent master feat, the unseen servant ritual, or anything else in that line should be able to administer healing potions at a distance. (will update answer when i have reak internets)

Answer 5

In one of your comments you mentioned an NPC cleric here and there.

Personally, I think it would be a wonderful story element to have this bumbling NPC cleric who always happens to show up at the end of battle, and whose spells just barely manage to stabilize the dying (provided they lived through the battle). How exactly he manages to get caught outside of battle (traps, encounters, falling and breaking his leg which he must mend himself, busy studying a rock he found, found a fairy and chatted with it) would make for a great recurring theme and gag plot. I know my group would fancy this kind of comic relief in our campaigns.

Answer 6

Another player can use the Heal skill to Grant Second Wind DC10 to the dying player character without taking an action, assuming they still have their Second Wind.

The point "without taking an action" is important as the dying player will have the Unconscious status, so they can't take any actions

UPDATE: see the Heal skill, p.145 of Rules Compendium, Dying status, p.231 and Unconscious, p.234

Answer 7

Start giving the players healing oil or somesuch, which need not be quaffed. You can decide how long it takes to apply in order to strike a balance between utility and lack-of-absurdity (having everyone throwing oil at each other during a fight is comical but probably not what you're after). I'd suggest that to maintain the downside of not having a healer that the oil take a while to apply (~1 minute), so that they couldn't get up during the fight, but could shortly thereafter.