PF2e is designed around the idea that the party will be mostly or fully healed every fight. This benefits the Martials more than the Casters, who lose slots no matter what (a design inconsistency), but also leads to infinite healing situations. The pf2e balance for this is that it usually takes a bit of time to use heal features (“short rest” of 10 minutes for things like Treat Wound), and that you could roll a random encounter as GM if the PCs become “abusive”. In reality, most GMs (I suspect) don’t do this. They handwave it as a full heal each time. I think 4e’s healing surge system goes a long way to solving this issue:
- Restores martial/magic healing balance: martials are no longer endlessly sustained via Treat Wounds or lay on hands loops.
- Creates decision tension: “Do I spend a surge now or risk waiting?”
- Prevents infinite healing: even a party with 3 healers can only do so much per day.
- Feels like a shared resource: the healer enables, but the injured chooses to heal.
- Promotes a bit more tactical and strategic thinking: For example, with healing surges it makes sense to try and focus the damage on the fighter/martial as their surges heal more efficiently for the same amount of damage than a caster.
- Opens up design space to allow the use of healing surges in different ways (eg a monster may drain healing surges as an attack).
- Re-introduces the “pushing your luck” of older editions when in a hostile environment like a dungeon.
PF2e Healing Surges – Integrated Model
All HP healing requires the target to expend a Healing Surge—no surge, no healing. Healing becomes a shared responsibility between healers and the wounded, not just the healer burning spell slots.
Healing Surge
- Uses per day: X + CON modifier. Where X is your class Base Surgers per Class (table below).
- Toughness feat grants 1 extra healing surge.
- Dwarves can add their CON modifier as bonus healing to each healing surge they expend.
- Treat Wounds: When making a skill check that is Expert or higher, when spending surge, include the bonus healing from the skill check.
- Healing Amount: When triggered, the character regains 25% of their maximum HP
| Class | Base Surges |
|---|---|
| Cleric, Druid, Inventor | 7 |
| Fighter | 9 |
| Paladin (Champion), Barbarian | 10 |
| Ranger, Investigator | 6 |
| Rogue, Swashbuckler | 6 |
| Warlock, Witch, Alchemist | 6 |
| Monk, Kiniticst, Bard | 7 |
| Wizard, Oracle, Sorcerer | 6 |
Healing Triggers
- Spells like heal, soothe, or lay on hands
- Battle Medicine, Treat Wounds, and similar feats, skills and abilities
- Magical items like potions, elixirs, or scrolls
Exception
Temporary HP, fast healing, and regeneration effects don’t require surges.
Surge Recovery
Full recovery of all surges with an 8-hour rest (Daily Preparations, aka “long rest”) in a safe haven (usually some form of civilization like a city, a roadside tavern, an established base/castle owned by the PCs, etc).
When resting in a Wilderness environment (which includes any non-civilized area like a forest, or swamp, but also includes dungeons, the Underdark, etc.), you only recover one surge for a long rest. At the DM’s discretion, campfire activities can increase the recovery by an extra surge (example, cooking a hearty meal, being warm, and telling an inspiring campfire story, etc.)
