Healing Magic

[requiem225]

Got into a discussion today about healing magic. Thought I would post it and here what others had to say.

For example:
What is the extent of what it can heal?
Can it heal scar tissue or just current wounds?
What is the difference of what Holy magic can do vs. Druidic magic?
among other things.

I would love to hear your thoughts.

[Reigen]

Honestly, it all comes down to user and receiver preference as everyone has a different opinion on it.

Here are my thoughts on it:

1: I think it can heal any flesh wounds if done right away, but would take a few sessions to mend a broken bone. [Holy and Druidic]
2: I don't think it can heal old scars unless they are super fresh. Anything past a year and it's likely a no-go. [Holy]
3: I think Druidism has the ability to mend old wounds no matter how old they are and is able to regrow things if the healer is experienced enough, where as I do not think the light can do that.

Once more, this is just my thoughts on it, I hope it doesn't turn into a debate on who's right and wrong like the last thread on it sorta did!

[flammos200]

For example:
What is the extent of what it can heal?
Can it heal scar tissue or just current wounds?
What is the difference of what Holy magic can do vs. Druidic magic?
among other things.

As Reigen said, people's mileage varies. But here's the way I treat it:

1. Any extent. Limbs can be restored, bones mended, people resurrected from the dead.

2. It can heal scar tissue and magical wounds. But not in the case where the wound/scar was caused by magic that did something to change the nature of the skin there - for instance, if a character was injected with Fel, the Light wouldn't be able to cure the wound/pox/boils/scaly skin/whatever formed at the injection site. Similarly let's say that the Character was exposed to a large amount of Arcane, enough to warp one of their arms. It can't be healed through magic, because it -is- magic.

3.Divine Magic(Holy & Shadow), I have always treated as simply doing the job it's meant to do. Heal. Like a minor miracle, divine healing happens nigh on instantaneously, bones are mended, limbs restored, tissue seals, etc, right before your very eyes.

Druidic and Shamanistic magic on the other hand, I treat as rapid regeneration. Rather than the healing coming from some sort of outside source, the body is invigorated and goes extremely quickly and thoroughly through the process of natural healing, cells dividing, bone mending, and even to normally impossible feats, such as the re-growth of a limb.

Arcane Healing(Evocation + Glyph or Runemaster healing), I treat as the literal conjuration of flesh/bone/sinew/limbs, or the resuscitation of a body by willing it to life, as the Arcanist imposes their will on the universe.

Unholy Healing(Death Knight Death Coils, Necromancer Death Coils), I treat quite similarly to Arcane healz.

Fel Healing(Fel Healthstones, Fel Armor, etc. and the like), I treat as drawing on demonic magic, via either warping a bit of their body to a demonic aspect(as in Fel Armor) thus giving themselves preternatural regeneration, or consuming a minor demonic artifact, and using its energy to spur on natural healing(Consuming a Healthstone).

Potions work fine too, although their effect is not instant. Also, since Undead don't have a metabolism, I have them rub the potion onto the afflicted bodypart for it to actually work.

The effect is the same, mostly. The means are different.

[requiem225]

Oh, didn't know there was already a thread on this... sorry for the double post.

[Reigen]

Oh, the last one was a lot more specific [Can the light regrow limbs was the subject], so it's not a repost!

[Arricar]

If I search through my derpadin head, I can find the answer. I do not believe the light can fix broken bones, or "reform" limbs, only mend what's left of the limb. As form tissue, I do believe so yes. It is a very tricky thing, and it depends on the person. Tirion can break himself from a thick block of ice and revive a whole 25 man raid in less than 10 seconds. The light is a tricky thing. It depends on your faith, your power, and how grave the wound you're healing. I know nothing of Druid healing besides they can turn into trees. And regrow stuff.

[Bovel]

Healing scar tissue? What do you mean?

[requiem225]

Healing scar tissue? What do you mean?

Just that. Will either holey or druidic magic erase scars.

[Grakor456]

For most intents and purposes, I presume that the different forms of healing are equivalent to one another in the final product that they can achieve. They may go about it differently, but I've seen nothing at all to suggest that, say, one type can regenerate limbs but the other can't. The only difference is in their method and the "cleansing" spells that they respectively have (cure poison, cure disease, etc.)

I also wouldn't be too hasty in linking shamanistic and druidic healing too much. The two end up being very different. Druidic healing is very "regrowth" and "regeneraton" themed with all the HoTs that you stack, but shamans don't have that same theme. Cataclysm also changed the shaman healing animation to what is probably closer to the original intent, that shaman are healing with power from the water element, rather than raw life energy or whatever it is druids are using.

[Dae]

To me, healing magic can typically heal only what is already there or, in more severe cases, restore someone to the form dictated by whatever depicts their true form. You cut your bicep, it will heal the damaged tissue. Logically, if there's space between muscle or space between skin, then when healed, muscle like what is around it will form. Same with the skin.
But, say, a finger is chopped off, and you use magic to "Regrow" it. The magic will cause a finger to reform according to what would form according to genetics- muscle tissue, bone, ligaments, etc. As there is no surrounding tissue to dictate what its like, it will be a functional finger, but incredibly weak and need to be developed back to a useable condition.

This is why I think light can heal undead, although painfully. Their true forms have been changed by whatever means were used to bring them to unlife, but now that THAT is who they are, they are healed back to that state... More or less? Its pretty fuzzy there. Either way, ICly, just be sure the dead guy you're healing with light likes you.
A lot.

[Bovel]

Healing scar tissue doesn't make sense cause it's already healed. Removing scar tissue would have to include time-centered healing powers (like in Bleach) or first destroying the more fibrous tissue and replace it with the normal state of flesh.

[hiddengecko]

I'm actually of the view that healing magic can heal scars, old or new. 'Twould require first destroying the scar tissue, though. It's not a part of the patient's "code," as it were; simply a hasty "emergency fix" done by the body to prevent bleeding and infection. I suspect it would be quite painful, but by no means impossible.

And as for the magic injuries, I disagree that they're all mutation. Arcane causing mutation of the fleshy sort is from an optional and decanonized rule from the D20, and it's supported nowhere else. There is also mention in lore of the Light curing mutations, and drawing remaining magic out of a wound seems difficult but possible in most cases. Certain exceptions appear to be total transformations such as with Broken and Undead - and the latter case has been cured once by a sword empowered by a mere shard of a dead Naaru.

Of course, I plan on having Antia find a way to heal such unhealable things in time, so I'll admit openly to a degree of bias.