CockroachTeaParty
2009-11-14, 08:35 PM
I've always liked the Healer class, from the Miniatures Handbook. Yes, I'm aware that it fails at its intended roll in comparison to the Cleric. The class, as written, is hampered by many unpleasant restrictions that make it inferior to just about any other divine casting class when it comes to healing, or anything else, for that matter.
I know that the 'quick n'dirty' fix for the Healer is to make it a spontaneous caster, with access to every spell on its list, not unlike the Warmage, Beguiler, or Dread Necromancer. However, I wanted to get a bit more in depth than that, so I went and made an entirely new spell list for the Healer, trying to keep to the original list as much as possible.
So, what do folks think about the following changes to the Healer class?
Hit die, skills, BAB, saves, weapon and armor proficiencies, and special abilities remain the same.
The maximum spell level a Healer is able to cast, bonus spells granted, and their save DCs, are based off of Wisdom (instead of split between Wisdom and Charisma).
The Healer's spell casting progression is the same as the Beguiler or Warmage. They are spontaneous casters, capable of casting any spell on their class list without preparing it ahead of time. (This delays their access to higher level spells, but the Healer gains access to several healing spells a level earlier than a Cleric, Archivist, or Druid would, so it balances out pretty well.)
Finally, here's my new suggested Healer spell list, with additions from the Spell Compendium, Player's Handbook II, and the Book of Exalted Deeds.
(The newly added or changed spells are bold.
0 Level Spells:
0: Create Water, Cure Minor Wounds, Deathwatch, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Light, Mending, Purify Food and Drink, Read Magic, Virtue, Resistance, Prestidigitation.
Just a few minor additions. I wanted the Healer to be better able to prevent injury, so the inclusion of a few new abjurations (such as Resistance, here) are a common occurrence. I figured Prestidigitation would be useful for keeping tools, healing kits, clothes, and patients clean and in good spirits. The Healer's access to Deathwatch as a 0th level spell is too funny to correct (it's an Evil spell, technically, but for the purposes of this class that could easily be waived).
1st Level Spells:
1: Bless Water, Cure Light Wounds, Goodberry, Protection from Evil, Remove Fear, Remove Paralysis, Sanctuary, Speak With Animals, Endure Elements, Unseen Servant (?), Delay Disease, Healthful Rest, Lesser Vigor, Invest Light Protection.
I'm not sure about Unseen Servant, but I figured it could be a useful aid at a hospital or medic's camp. The rest are pretty straightforward. The Vigor line is a no-brainer, and the Invest Protection line from PHB II is a strange but thematically appropriate addition.
2nd Level Spells:
2: Calm Emotions, Cure Moderate Wounds, Delay Poison, Gentle Repose, Remove Blindness/Deafness, Remove Disease, Lesser Restoration, Bear's Endurance, Consecrate, Resist Energy, Shield Other, Status, Close Wounds, Healing Lorecall, Stabilize, Vigor, Ease Pain, Remove Addiction, Refreshment, Remove Nausea, Invest Moderate Protection.
I decided to include some energy resistance spells in order to help prevent injury and take some of the pressure off the party Cleric, Druid, or Wizard a bit. Also, the Healer's access to Status and Close Wounds was originally as 3rd level spells, but they're harmless enough that I thought they warranted earlier access. A few more status-removing spells were in order as well. Note that the Healer gets earlier access to Vigor earlier than normal. This reflects the slightly hastened access to the Mass Cure spells, as well as a few restorative spells (and even Mass Heal).
3rd Level Spells:
3: Create Food and Water, Cure Serious Wounds, Neutralize Poison, Remove Curse, Restoration, Create Food and Water, Daylight, Dispel Magic, Magic Circle against Evil, Protection from Energy, Speak with Dead, Plant Growth, Quench, Mass Resist Energy, Mass Lesser Vigor, Remove Fatigue, Healing Spirit.
Healer's get their first Mass healing spell in the from of Mass Lesser Vigor. I also continued their anti-Evil theme, and tossed in Speak with Dead, Daylight, and some more Druid spells in for flavor. Things like Plant Growth and Quench would allow them to serve a community protector role, preventing fires and helping crops during droughts, etc.
4th Level Spells:
4: Cure Critical Wounds, Death Ward, Freedom of Movement, Mass Cure Light Wounds, Panacea, Spell Immunity, Delay Death, Positive Energy Aura, Greater Resistance, Sheltered Vitality, Greater Vigor, Greater Status, Channeled Divine Health, Invest Heavy Protection.
More of the same, with some useful additions to give them something more to do than just heal the entire time.
5th Level Spells:
5: Atonement, Break Enchantment, Mass Cure Moderate Wounds, Raise Dead, Revivify, Stone to Flesh, True Seeing, Dispel Evil, Spell Resistance, Mass Sanctuary, Vigorous Circle.
Our choices are getting much more limited, but the Beguiler has the same problem...
6th Level Spells:
6: Greater Restoration, Heal, Heroes' Feast, Mass Cure Serious Wounds, Regenerate, Repulsion, Mass Bear's Endurance, Greater Dispel Magic, Word of Recall, Energy Immunity, Revive Outsider, Superior Resistance, Mass Restoration.
You'll note a few more advancement bumps, including Repulsion a level earlier than they originally got it. I tried to avoid any unnecessary delays, and tried to encourage a few spells with earlier access. The inclusion of Dispel Magic and its big brother is also useful, not just for removing hostile spells, but for debuffing enemies and giving the Healer a few technically 'nonviolent' offensive options.
7th Level Spells:
7: Mass Cure Critical Wounds, Resurrection, Mage's Magnificent Mansion, Mass Spell Resistance, Mass Deathward.
An unfortunate side effect of bumping certain spells down a level is that there are really few thematically appropriate spells at 7th level and above. I tossed Magnificent Mansion in there for laughs. It's got food and shelter, right? Those are an important part of the healing process.
8th Level Spells:
8: Discern Location, Holy Aura, Mass Heal, Holy Aura, Greater Spell Immunity, Mind Blank, Protection from Spells, Clone?, Temporal Stasis.
I considered bringing a few of these down to 7th level, but I wasn't sure. Mind Blank is an important spell to have. Maybe Temporal Stasis could be bumped down to 7th level. I mostly thought it would be good for preventing people from dying from curses or afflictions beyond the Healer's ability to immediately handle, but at this level, there's very little they couldn't cure... Clone is a strange spell, and perhaps a bit too Arcane to warrant inclusion in the list, but it's a preventative measure against death, and isn't that the Healer's greatest foe?
9th Level Spells:
9: Foresight, Gate, True Resurrection, Freedom, Time Stop.
I always thought it interesting that one of the weakest casters in the game got access to one of the most powerful spells (Gate). Why do they get Gate? I'm actually rather inclined to strike it from the list, leaving them with a whopping 4 9th level spells known. Time Stop doesn't help them heal, but it gives them time to buff if they need it, I suppose. They have so few offensive options, I didn't think Time Stop's inclusion breaks anything.
In general, I tried to not step on the Druid or Cleric's toes too much; summoning, planar and overtly alignment-based effects, and nature manipulation are their territories. I also avoided offensive combat spells and buffs, or anti-undead spells. This leaves the Healer with a few defensive buffs, spells to help them keep tabs on their party members, and of course, healing and affliction-removing spells.
I like the idea of the Healer not being tied to any particular deity, but rather channeling their magic out of compassion and a desire to ease the suffering of others. Even with this fix, they're still much worse than Clerics, Druids, or Archivists at pretty much everything, but I think it could be a fun class to play, especially for those keen on playing a non-violent character, or perhaps in busting out some Exalted Deeds goodness.
I'm not sure how I feel about the whole Unicorn companion thing, though. It's a bit odd. Also, I wasn't sure if maybe the Healer should get an Advanced Learning feature, like the Beguiler or Warmage, with the ability to add a divine abjuration spell to their spells known.
Any thoughts, opinions? Does this seem too unbalanced? Really, with a class like Healer, it's kind of hard to overpower them too much, considering how very focused they are at an aspect of the game generally considered sub-optimal from a tactical perspective (killing things is better than in-combat healing, etc.).
I know that the 'quick n'dirty' fix for the Healer is to make it a spontaneous caster, with access to every spell on its list, not unlike the Warmage, Beguiler, or Dread Necromancer. However, I wanted to get a bit more in depth than that, so I went and made an entirely new spell list for the Healer, trying to keep to the original list as much as possible.
So, what do folks think about the following changes to the Healer class?
Hit die, skills, BAB, saves, weapon and armor proficiencies, and special abilities remain the same.
The maximum spell level a Healer is able to cast, bonus spells granted, and their save DCs, are based off of Wisdom (instead of split between Wisdom and Charisma).
The Healer's spell casting progression is the same as the Beguiler or Warmage. They are spontaneous casters, capable of casting any spell on their class list without preparing it ahead of time. (This delays their access to higher level spells, but the Healer gains access to several healing spells a level earlier than a Cleric, Archivist, or Druid would, so it balances out pretty well.)
Finally, here's my new suggested Healer spell list, with additions from the Spell Compendium, Player's Handbook II, and the Book of Exalted Deeds.
(The newly added or changed spells are bold.
0 Level Spells:
0: Create Water, Cure Minor Wounds, Deathwatch, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Light, Mending, Purify Food and Drink, Read Magic, Virtue, Resistance, Prestidigitation.
Just a few minor additions. I wanted the Healer to be better able to prevent injury, so the inclusion of a few new abjurations (such as Resistance, here) are a common occurrence. I figured Prestidigitation would be useful for keeping tools, healing kits, clothes, and patients clean and in good spirits. The Healer's access to Deathwatch as a 0th level spell is too funny to correct (it's an Evil spell, technically, but for the purposes of this class that could easily be waived).
1st Level Spells:
1: Bless Water, Cure Light Wounds, Goodberry, Protection from Evil, Remove Fear, Remove Paralysis, Sanctuary, Speak With Animals, Endure Elements, Unseen Servant (?), Delay Disease, Healthful Rest, Lesser Vigor, Invest Light Protection.
I'm not sure about Unseen Servant, but I figured it could be a useful aid at a hospital or medic's camp. The rest are pretty straightforward. The Vigor line is a no-brainer, and the Invest Protection line from PHB II is a strange but thematically appropriate addition.
2nd Level Spells:
2: Calm Emotions, Cure Moderate Wounds, Delay Poison, Gentle Repose, Remove Blindness/Deafness, Remove Disease, Lesser Restoration, Bear's Endurance, Consecrate, Resist Energy, Shield Other, Status, Close Wounds, Healing Lorecall, Stabilize, Vigor, Ease Pain, Remove Addiction, Refreshment, Remove Nausea, Invest Moderate Protection.
I decided to include some energy resistance spells in order to help prevent injury and take some of the pressure off the party Cleric, Druid, or Wizard a bit. Also, the Healer's access to Status and Close Wounds was originally as 3rd level spells, but they're harmless enough that I thought they warranted earlier access. A few more status-removing spells were in order as well. Note that the Healer gets earlier access to Vigor earlier than normal. This reflects the slightly hastened access to the Mass Cure spells, as well as a few restorative spells (and even Mass Heal).
3rd Level Spells:
3: Create Food and Water, Cure Serious Wounds, Neutralize Poison, Remove Curse, Restoration, Create Food and Water, Daylight, Dispel Magic, Magic Circle against Evil, Protection from Energy, Speak with Dead, Plant Growth, Quench, Mass Resist Energy, Mass Lesser Vigor, Remove Fatigue, Healing Spirit.
Healer's get their first Mass healing spell in the from of Mass Lesser Vigor. I also continued their anti-Evil theme, and tossed in Speak with Dead, Daylight, and some more Druid spells in for flavor. Things like Plant Growth and Quench would allow them to serve a community protector role, preventing fires and helping crops during droughts, etc.
4th Level Spells:
4: Cure Critical Wounds, Death Ward, Freedom of Movement, Mass Cure Light Wounds, Panacea, Spell Immunity, Delay Death, Positive Energy Aura, Greater Resistance, Sheltered Vitality, Greater Vigor, Greater Status, Channeled Divine Health, Invest Heavy Protection.
More of the same, with some useful additions to give them something more to do than just heal the entire time.
5th Level Spells:
5: Atonement, Break Enchantment, Mass Cure Moderate Wounds, Raise Dead, Revivify, Stone to Flesh, True Seeing, Dispel Evil, Spell Resistance, Mass Sanctuary, Vigorous Circle.
Our choices are getting much more limited, but the Beguiler has the same problem...
6th Level Spells:
6: Greater Restoration, Heal, Heroes' Feast, Mass Cure Serious Wounds, Regenerate, Repulsion, Mass Bear's Endurance, Greater Dispel Magic, Word of Recall, Energy Immunity, Revive Outsider, Superior Resistance, Mass Restoration.
You'll note a few more advancement bumps, including Repulsion a level earlier than they originally got it. I tried to avoid any unnecessary delays, and tried to encourage a few spells with earlier access. The inclusion of Dispel Magic and its big brother is also useful, not just for removing hostile spells, but for debuffing enemies and giving the Healer a few technically 'nonviolent' offensive options.
7th Level Spells:
7: Mass Cure Critical Wounds, Resurrection, Mage's Magnificent Mansion, Mass Spell Resistance, Mass Deathward.
An unfortunate side effect of bumping certain spells down a level is that there are really few thematically appropriate spells at 7th level and above. I tossed Magnificent Mansion in there for laughs. It's got food and shelter, right? Those are an important part of the healing process.
8th Level Spells:
8: Discern Location, Holy Aura, Mass Heal, Holy Aura, Greater Spell Immunity, Mind Blank, Protection from Spells, Clone?, Temporal Stasis.
I considered bringing a few of these down to 7th level, but I wasn't sure. Mind Blank is an important spell to have. Maybe Temporal Stasis could be bumped down to 7th level. I mostly thought it would be good for preventing people from dying from curses or afflictions beyond the Healer's ability to immediately handle, but at this level, there's very little they couldn't cure... Clone is a strange spell, and perhaps a bit too Arcane to warrant inclusion in the list, but it's a preventative measure against death, and isn't that the Healer's greatest foe?
9th Level Spells:
9: Foresight, Gate, True Resurrection, Freedom, Time Stop.
I always thought it interesting that one of the weakest casters in the game got access to one of the most powerful spells (Gate). Why do they get Gate? I'm actually rather inclined to strike it from the list, leaving them with a whopping 4 9th level spells known. Time Stop doesn't help them heal, but it gives them time to buff if they need it, I suppose. They have so few offensive options, I didn't think Time Stop's inclusion breaks anything.
In general, I tried to not step on the Druid or Cleric's toes too much; summoning, planar and overtly alignment-based effects, and nature manipulation are their territories. I also avoided offensive combat spells and buffs, or anti-undead spells. This leaves the Healer with a few defensive buffs, spells to help them keep tabs on their party members, and of course, healing and affliction-removing spells.
I like the idea of the Healer not being tied to any particular deity, but rather channeling their magic out of compassion and a desire to ease the suffering of others. Even with this fix, they're still much worse than Clerics, Druids, or Archivists at pretty much everything, but I think it could be a fun class to play, especially for those keen on playing a non-violent character, or perhaps in busting out some Exalted Deeds goodness.
I'm not sure how I feel about the whole Unicorn companion thing, though. It's a bit odd. Also, I wasn't sure if maybe the Healer should get an Advanced Learning feature, like the Beguiler or Warmage, with the ability to add a divine abjuration spell to their spells known.
Any thoughts, opinions? Does this seem too unbalanced? Really, with a class like Healer, it's kind of hard to overpower them too much, considering how very focused they are at an aspect of the game generally considered sub-optimal from a tactical perspective (killing things is better than in-combat healing, etc.).