I seem to have hit a nerve.
Really, I'm just curious if you've used the 5E variant, and what you thought of it.
Yes. I don't appreciate it when people are mislead, even just vaguely and unintentionally. I'd like the facts to be present. Shocking I know! You didn't describe the system so they'd have to look it up to know how inaccurate what you were saying was. I have corrected this issue!
I considered them, but like the rest of the alternate healing rules in the DMG, I found them to be a slapdash and obviously untested approach that needlessly grouped a bunch of rules together. Also it's weird because a "Healing Surge" isn't a thing, whereas a "Second Wind" is. Why not give them a proper name? Just more slapdash-ery. HD are a bad mechanic in 5E to start with, they're a half-finished mechanic, which was clearly a nod to 5E-style healing surges, but which doesn't interact with anything (it can get stuff added to it, extremely rarely, that's it). They weirdly stack on top of other healing methods, unlike 4E healing surges. If you go without healers in 5E, HD feel insufficient, but if have strong healers, they seem over the top. This is why we were discussing spells spending HD earlier.
4E-style healing surges would probably be doable in 5E, though. Let's see:
0) Get rid of HD.
1) Each class has 6 healing surges that fully refresh on a long rest (there's little reason to vary this in the way 4E did, and 4E had too many). Definitely do not add CON bonus to this number.
2) Healing surges are worth a fixed value, let's say 1/4 of your max HP, minimum 5HP (so they're a bit more useful at low levels).
3) Once per combat you can activate Second Wind to use a Healing Surge as an Action (so it doesn't work whilst unconscious), which will cause you to regain 1/4 of your max HP. Fighters get an extra use per combat at level 2, and maybe at level 7 and 14 they get an extra Healing Surge per day.
4) If a healing spell/power that heals at least 1HP is cast/used on you, you can use a Healing Surge as a free action once per round. Obviously it still costs you.
5) Outside combat you can you can freely spend healing surges. They still heal you for 1/4 of your HP. If something added a bonus to HD healing, like Bards, add the bonus to EACH HS used.
Tadaa! There I've solved all the world's problems.
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