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View Full Version : Apealing to the Crack Research team of 3.5 and PF



Grommen
2010-09-27, 11:43 AM
Ok so our new Druid player is very experienced in World of Warcraft, and he has gone and made him a Druid. We are useing Pathfinder Rules but I'll allow a vast majority of the 3.5 stuff, so long as it does not upset the balance of the game.

The druid, due to the death of the cleric in the group is now the party healer. Wile not very well suited for the task he is giving it a go. The concept of running up to players and touching them to heal. Very alien to him, as he put it. "Dude I have no AC, standing next to the bad guys and healing is going to get me killed!"

Aside from the various ways to make a druid a god (he will have to figure them out on his own) I seem to recall a feat that will let you take a touch spell and turn it into a ray, so you can use it at range. He is far more willing to heal people that way, and it seems like a good idea.

I can spend all day trying to find it in my books. Someone here, wile I go out to lunch, will know and tell me :smallbiggrin: Thanks for the help.

Zaydos
2010-09-27, 11:46 AM
That sounds like Reach Spell from Complete Divine page 84; ups the spell level by 2.

WarKitty
2010-09-27, 11:53 AM
You can reduce that cost with metamagic school focus.

Also, depending on his level, get some nice ironwood or dragonhide armor. Wild if you can. Or look up forms with high natural armor and/or dex.

Kylarra
2010-09-27, 11:55 AM
Healing in combat is generally a subpar use of actions, he might still be better off just healing people back to full between combats, rather than trying to heal during combat.

cdrcjsn
2010-09-27, 11:58 AM
1) Become Giant Octopus
2) Get 20 foot reach
3) ???
4) Profit!

cdrcjsn
2010-09-27, 12:00 PM
Healing in combat is generally a subpar use of actions, he might still be better off just healing people back to full between combats, rather than trying to heal during combat.

Totally agree. She's better off casting buffs before combat (barkskin, resist energy, etc) to prevent damage.

Actually, this applies to all casters. Buffing or Healing during combat is usually a poor choice of action.

Druids have so many terrain modification and battlefield control spells (walls, zones, summons) that they can be more effective in limiting which enemies can attack in a particular round.

Greenish
2010-09-27, 12:02 PM
1) Become Giant Octopus
2) Get 20 foot reach
3) ???
4) Profit!PF druid. :smalltongue:

WarKitty
2010-09-27, 12:06 PM
Take craft wondrous item and whip up a few healing belts, hand out for emergencies?

HunterOfJello
2010-09-27, 12:15 PM
Solution:

Urban Companion from the Cityscape Online Web Enhancment (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)

By taking this alternate class feature, the Druid will get a familiar like a Sorcerer instead of an animal companion. (With a few differences that are better than a normal familiar.)

Once the Druid has reached level 3, the familiar will be able to deliver touch spells, allowing the druid to easily use them on allies at a range.

~

I would suggest grabbing the Hawk familiar. It has a 60ft fly speed and high dex for more AC and attack.

~~

Also, as noted above, the best healing done in D&D is healing done out of combat. It's much more cost effective to spam cast a wand of Cure Light Wounds or Lesser Vigor than it is to use up spell slots for healing spells.

However, a high level healing spell or two can be very useful in combat from time to time. (Not to mention Cure Minor Wounds to stop an ally from bleeding to death.)

Telonius
2010-09-27, 12:19 PM
A bit more drastic of a measure, but if you can somehow get Knowledge Religion on you class list you can take a level of Hierophant for Divine Reach.

Note: this does lose you at least one (probably two, depending on how you get Know Religion) caster level, so it really isn't worth it. Just putting it out there as a way of getting the intended effect.

Kyeudo
2010-09-27, 12:21 PM
In combat, you should be focusing on PREVENTING damage, not healing. Kill enemies faster, disable those you can't kill quickly, and use battlefield control spells to sideline those enemies who you can't disable. AFTER combat, break out the wand of cure light wounds/lesser vigor/faith healing and patch yourselves up.

Rixx
2010-09-27, 01:25 PM
There's a feat in the Pathfinder APG which turns touch spells into range spells, and there's also a spell (which I think may be Cleric/Paladin only, but I'm not sure) which allows you to bond with one person and cast cure spells on them at any range.

Grommen
2010-09-27, 02:19 PM
1) Become Giant Octopus
2) Get 20 foot reach
3) ???
4) Profit!

One of the best soulitions I've heard to a problem in a long time ! :smallbiggrin: I'm just wondering how an Octopus breathes on land?

I have mentioned to them that if they are healing the tanks in the middle of combat, we are really getting boned. However theses guys, well all of us really, are MMORPG players. I see what he is attempting to do. Healing at range in combat is a normal MMORPG tactic. He does not know the game all that well so he is learning. Might be considered sum optimal, but when the melee dues are down to 30 HP's, they have all the buffs the players can think of, and the monster ain't dead yet. Run or Heal becomes a very good choice.

Does not help that the party leader insists on ramming though the campaign arc with blantent disregard to side quests and being the proper level for anything. At the close of the last module they are fully two levels below the minimum of the next module. So they are getting their junk stomped on.

Druids make horrible healers anyway, but he and the paladin in the group are making due.