Tips, Costume, And Guidance For Larp Healers

Written by Kyle in LARP

To mend the wounds you gather on the battlefield you need a healer of sorts – someone who funnels powerful healing magic capable of resurrecting dead players and healing the wounded. There are many different kinds of healers and ways of healing. Some depend on their spiritual bonds with mother nature or deities while others use medicine and herbs.

The ritual of healing another player usually requires the healer to stand near or be in concact with the wounded player while casting a healing spell. The spell itself is presented as a chant or a call to the gods – oftentimes, the healer holds a book or a symbol in his or her hands while chanting. For me, this is the standard way of healing players in larps – of course, other systems may do it differently.

I’ve received a lot of questions regarding healers – one of the most frequent ones being “How do I roleplay a healer?”. Truthfully, you’re not roleplaying a healer, you’re roleplaying your character who happens to be capable of casting healing spells – it’ll be easier for you to think of it like that.

To compensate for an incredibly boring answer, I decided to create a list of tips for players who want to try a healing type character. The list includes elements from character creation to accessories to etiquette.

From where does your character get his healing abilities?

Sometimes the lore of the event will decide these things – if not, you’re free to come up with the reason for your character’s ability to use healing powers. Is he a medic? Is he a shaman? Is he a priest? Are there any over-natural variables to his techniques? Is he using regular medicine? When you’ve settled that, you can get appropriate props for your character. For example, if he’s a priest he may be wearing a cross or a holy symbol of sorts, and if he’s a medic, a first-aid kit or a defibrillator to complete the character’s look.

Prepare a chant/ritual

The ritual of healing a wounded player usually includes a chant of sorts – it’s quite common for the healer to call out to whatever God he believes in while healing or resurrecting a player. The ritual may include dance, bandaging, surgery or other forms of physical contact.

Don’t let others take advantage of you

In games, the role of the healer is often a very supportive role. Because healers spend less time in the frontlines, advancing the fight, their work is sometimes taken for granted. In many situations, the healer can make or break the battle – make sure people understand that the ritual they have undergone is a majestic one that requires spiritual sacrifice. Let them know that karma may be a bitch but the Gods you have called upon to heal them are even worse. Don’t be a dick about it though. Try adding a humorous touch to your chant – it’ll be much appreciated.

I’ve been to a couple of larps where they have developed systems that reward the healers after each battle – kind of like how a waitress would get a tip for serving a company at their table.

I’m terribly sorry if this sounds like nagging. Trust me though, you’ll have a much better time healing if the players you heal really get into the ritual – if you like roleplaying, that is.

Costume for a healer

Dressing for the part of a healer is not any different from dressing your character as you would if he or she was anything else. What your character looks like will mostly depend on the setting of the larp (and the size of your budget…am I right?) and your personal preferences. Of course, the difference between two healers at an event will be significantly smaller than the difference between a healer and a brute at the same event.

With that in mind, I’ve gathered a couple of items that would look great on a healer. I’ve categorized them as I see fit, however, feel free to mix as you wish. Take the potion belt for instance: I’ve put it under plague doctor/apothecary but I can definitely picture other healers using it as well.

Props and costume for a priest

Props and costume for a plague doctor/apothecary

Props and costume for a medic

Props and costume for a tribal healer

Carry a pouch or a potion belt

Healers carry potions, oils, herbs, tokens, runes, pills, injectables, and more. Carrying a small pouch or potion belt is a great idea. I think it’s a great way to play strengthen the character – reach into your pockets for herbs and sprinkle them over wounds or serve them to your patients.

The more you perfect your character, the more of a show you provide for your fellow mates – I’d recommend putting labels on your stuff. Wouldn’t it be awesome if an alchemist brought a bottle of “Moon Dust” with a customized label?

Small things really add to the immersion and make the overall experience much better.

Find out why your character wants to be a healer

What’s the reasoning behind it? Does your character grow by helping others? To find their true motivation, ask yourself (the character) these questions. Did you want to become a healer..

  • to help others?
  • to feel needed by others?
  • because the human body fascinates you?
  • to mask traumatic experiences from your past?
  • to abuse vulnerable people at critical moments?
  • because you, secretly, love to see people suffer?
  • because you like to make people feel safe?

Find the thing that motivates your character to help others – use that motivational drive or obssesion and let it develop into something bigger.

Enjoy the battlefield!

Depending on your surgical skills, you may or may not spend time in a tent conducting surgeries on wounded combatants. Other scenarios will have you running like crazy back and forth on the battlefield to deliver potions and perform rituals.

As always, the system of your larp will decide what you’re allowed to do. The chapter that I play with has a wide selection of professions that your character can master – I’ve mastered alchemy, focusing mostly on restorative potions but once in a while I craft gun powder and poison too. In addition to my creations, I’m allowed to use a dagger or a staff to protect myself when attacked. The versatility is awesome.

I would recommend that you find something you can focus on and then complement that with other things. Being a master of self-sufficiency will isolate you from the group, instead, be great at something and know a little about other things. Enough for you to understand what others teach but not enough for you to be entirely independent of your group. That way, everyone in the group has something that gives their character an edge. Having unique talents makes sure that everyone gets their stage time on the larp, having a character that is a master of EVERYTHING makes for some boring monologues.

I hope you’ve found the things you’re searching for – if you need more specific information I suggest you contact the larp you frequent or plan to attend. They’ll have more information for you.

Kyle

Kyle was introduced to tabletop games at a young age and has loved them ever since. Starting a family hasn't stopped him from visiting his fantasy workshop. On the other hand, it has given him the chance to recruit developing players, also known as his kids.

Recent Posts