[Pathfinder] Cleric'less party + Dhampir

[Shivore]

Hey guys. I'm a new GM just starting a group with my friends. None of us have played any table-top RPGs before so obviously we're all in over our heads and trying to learn as much as we can.

We're almost ready for our first session and I think I have a good grasp of all the major rules and what I'll be doing but there's one issue I'm having a hard time with.

We only have 3 players plus myself as GM, and while I don't have all the character details yet I'm pretty confident we have no Cleric. We also have one guy who wants to be a Dhampir which would be fine except for their Negative Energy Affinity.

Best I think we'll have for healing is a Druid. They do get Cure spells but I don't see any Inflict spells so how would the Druid heal the Dhampir? I read about No-Healing parties and seems most deal with it by using a DMPC (no thank you) or potions of Cure XX Wounds (Potions of Inflict? not sure those would be very common), or magic items.

Best ideas I've had is either say this particular Dhampir doesn't have Negative Energy Affinity, or giving the party a magic item that can inflict negative energy on a target. I don't want to make the Dhampir a constant pain in the neck for the party, but I also hate just removing the affinity. I'd rather not just fix it with magic items as I like the idea of magical items being extra special and rare. Any advice?

[Mari01]

Hey guys. I'm a new GM just starting a group with my friends. None of us have played any table-top RPGs before so obviously we're all in over our heads and trying to learn as much as we can.

We're almost ready for our first session and I think I have a good grasp of all the major rules and what I'll be doing but there's one issue I'm having a hard time with.

We only have 3 players plus myself as GM, and while I don't have all the character details yet I'm pretty confident we have no Cleric. We also have one guy who wants to be a Dhampir which would be fine except for their Negative Energy Affinity.

Best I think we'll have for healing is a Druid. They do get Cure spells but I don't see any Inflict spells so how would the Druid heal the Dhampir? I read about No-Healing parties and seems most deal with it by using a DMPC (no thank you) or potions of Cure XX Wounds (Potions of Inflict? not sure those would be very common), or magic items.

Best ideas I've had is either say this particular Dhampir doesn't have Negative Energy Affinity, or giving the party a magic item that can inflict negative energy on a target. I don't want to make the Dhampir a constant pain in the neck for the party, but I also hate just removing the affinity. I'd rather not just fix it with magic items as I like the idea of magical items being extra special and rare. Any advice?

I say let them deal with it or offer custom items that are made for those with negative energy affinities (Belt of Inflict in place of a Healing Belt etc etc.). Might sound harsh but I don't approve of people taking things that look cool but then want an easy way out of the penalties.

[watchwood]

Frankly, I'd say that the Dhampir should expect the problematic healing going into playing that race.

That said, if your party is high enough level then you could always have someone spring a feat for Leadership, and get a cleric for a cohort.

[Blyte]

wand of inflict should cost the same as a wand of cure, assuming you have a PC with a decent UMD since it won't be on the druid spell list.

also there is a spell line that gives fast healing (undead still benefit from fast healing), that I believe witches and summoners have access to. I think it's "infernal healing", and you can buy wands of infernal healing. They are more cost effective for downtime healing, as a level 1 infernal healing wand heals for 10 hp a charge.

also the Dhampir might choose to play a class that has these access to these spells or a Sorcerer of the Sanguine bloodline so he can drink fresh corpses as healing potions. Can't get much more cold blooded than a Dhampir with the sanguine sorcerer bloodline.

edit: if he goes with the sorcerer bloodline, you might consider house ruling that the healing effect from drinking the blood scales with his level (perhaps like a cure light wounds 1d8+lvl), as it becomes more and more ineffectual with level.

[Crasical]

While Sanguine bloodline is -extremely- flavorful, the low heal amount and limited uses a day don't exactly spell viable to me for a two-feat investment.

[Blyte]

I wasn't suggesting a feat investment. I was suggesting actually being a sorcerer with said bloodline. I also included a caveat that he should consider increasing the effect, especially if that is the player's primary or sole healing source.

[grarrrg]

Best I think we'll have for healing is a Druid. They do get Cure spells but I don't see any Inflict spells so how would the Druid heal the Dhampir?

What Class is the Dhampir taking?
1 level in Inquisitor can give him Fast Healing 1 for one encounter per day.
4 levels of Inquisitor can give Fast Healing 2 for two encounters per day.

Is the Druid taking an Animal Companion or a Domain?
What archetypes is the Druid taking? (if any)

Goodberry (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/g/goodberry) is a level 1 spell, that makes 2d4 Berries 'magic', they each heal 1hp if eaten. BUT each character can only heal a max of 8hp per DAY this way.
The next lowest level spell would be Blessing of the Salamander (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/b/blessing-of-the-salamander), which is a 5th level spell, Fast Healing 5 for [caster level] rounds. When he gets it at level 9 it would heal 45 hp.

Certain Archetypes allow a Druid to take the Destruction Domain. The 4th level Domain spell is Inflict Critical Wounds.


Yeah. Looks like you're stuck UMD Wands, or just sitting around waiting to heal naturally.

[Benly]

As Blyte mentioned, Infernal Healing (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/i/infernal-healing) works equally well on humans and dhampir and is on a huge pile of spell lists, including ones you don't think of as healers (wiz/sorc, cleric, witch, summoner, magus). It gives more healing (on average) than Cure Light Wounds, and Extended it gives more than Cure Moderate Wounds. It has the (evil) descriptor, which is kind of a bummer, but if you've got any other major spellcasters than the druid it will do the job. And even if you do end up UMDing, at least this way it'll be a single healstick for the whole party instead of one just for the dhampir.

[Brendon]

There are a few things you could do, first of which you could make Life-Dominant Soul a special feat at a higher level (it lets you take half of the healing benefits) or give your dhampir one of two things a nerfed fast regeneration like say 1 HP per 2-4 rounds it could get better as you level up or he gets fast regeneration once a day if he goes below 0 hp you could toy with that or he could get a heritage spell like say because he was raise around demons and he gets infernal healing which gives fast regeneration 4 for 10 rounds so near 40 hp at level 4 (other classes get it) or when he drinks blood he gets back X HP it could be based on the size (although it may be annoying when you are battling in a different plane but that could make it fun since he would be healed a bit after each battle like 80% of his hp but this doesn't prevent him from dying in battle unless he kills someone and regains some hit points these could be some good alternatives the last of which seems to be the most fitting and by the time you are facing elementals he will have potions of inflicts moderate or light wounds and he should have fit into his role by them