One of the things that I've been thinking about recently is magical healing in games like Pathfinder and D&D. It really quickly negates the utility and need for the heal skill. Why take ranks in heal when a potion can do more, quicker, and is pretty damn cheap? It's okay, ish, in the early levels, but by third level it's almost useless.
So I had a thought: what if magical healing didn't actually repair all the damage. It just kept you going for a bit longer. It stops bleeding, and it gives you a push to stay on your toes long enough to get out of danger. But, short of truly powerful magic like heal or regenerate, the feeling and capacity to protect fades after a period of time.
Alternate rules:
Cure spells, channel positive energy, and lay on hands stop all bleeding, and provide temporary hit points instead of healing damage, up to the maximum hit points of the targeted creature. A creature that is below 0 HP can be brought to 0 HP through these means, instead of temporary hit points being applied (no greater than 0 HP) These hit points fade after 1 hour per caster level of the spell or effect that caused the healing before fading.
Effects of this rule:
Combat is potentially more dangerous, and players must be more careful about engaging. They are not assured to be in full health before every encounter as well, which means that these encounters can be more dangerous to PCs. Natural healing is required to restore health, and recuperation periods are necessary between major events. It also eliminates certain nagging questions, like battlefield healing realities.
