Ideas for a non-cleric healer

[Balor01]

Hello,

We are playing a low-magic game, meaning many of standard classes are banned. So far we have in our team a warblade and a scout, but two of us have not yet decided what exactly we should play. We know we need a healer in our party, but since clerics are banned ...
I know non-caster healer would be perfect and aproved ith no restrictions. Are there any such in 3.5? Healers that do not draw healing spells from gods/divine spells? I guess bard could be a good-ish choice(is sort of a caster, but still divine based). What feats would be good for bard healer?
Also, I would appreciate an idea for fourth character.

thanks :smallsmile:

[ILM]

Actually, Bards are arcane casters, not divine. They just get access to Cure spells.

[Diarmuid]

Favored Soul?

[Sgt. Cookie]

Healer? As in, the actual class?

[Answerer]

We know we need a healer in our party,
No you don't. Healers are unnecessary; in-combat healing is a bad use of actions anyway (at least, until you get Heal). A Wand of Lesser Vigor or a Wand of Cure Light Wounds is the most efficient way to keep your party healed between fights, so all you need is someone who can hit the DC 20 UMD check.

However, since you have a Warblade, it's worth pointing out that Crusaders get some pretty decent healing, that actually is efficient for in-combat since they're simultaneously making attacks. Also, Crusaders are awesome.

[prufock]

Dragon Shaman could work. There is an aura that grants healing up to half HP. It also gets some other semi-useful auras and abilities. Not generally regarded as a particularly strong class, but seems like it would fall into the sweet spot for your party.

Also, there's this (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19871786/A_Players_Guide_to_Healing_%28And,_why_you_will_be _Just_Fine_without_a_Cleric_to_heal%29), which may give you some ideas - though most are magical.


A Wand of Lesser Vigor or a Wand of Cure Light Wounds
In a low-magic game, it's not safe to assume such items will be readily available. They might be, but it doesn't sound like the type of setting that will have a Magic Mart on every corner.

[Prime32]

Just put ranks in Use Magic Device, and buy a lot of healing wands. (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=2710)

EDIT: Blah, ninja'd.

[Roguenewb]

As other people sad, healing on combat time is a trap. If you are in a setting with no tier 1 casters *and* no magic items....well, you're in for a world of CR based pain, my recommendation would be bard, or a charismatic paladin at low levels can provide enough healing to get you through. Isn't there a feat/ACF out there that lets you healing everybody with a bardic music?

[Diarmuid]

Favored Soul?

[Balor01]

Thans guys. Bard it is I guess and a lot of Rods of CMW. Also this:



Isn't there a feat/ACF out there that lets you healing everybody with a bardic music?

I googled, but failed.

[gorfnab]

Thans guys. Bard it is I guess and a lot of Rods of CMW. Also this:
I googled, but failed.
Healing Hymn (CC) is the only Bardic music that sort of heals. It's actually quite nifty especially if you use it on lower level Cure spells.

[Slipperychicken]

Bard with Healing Hymn (ACF Complete Champ 47). When you cast a healing spell, you can use a Bardic Music to add your ranks in a perform skill (level +3) to the amount healed by the whole party for 5 rounds.

Pop it on a Mass Cure X to multiply the healing.

EDIT: Swordsage'd

[Randomguy]

You can pick up the Touch of Healing reserve feat when you gain the ability to cast level 2 spells. It lets you heal at will, as long as you have a level 2 or higher slot uncast. The amount is piddly, and you can only heal the target up to 1/2 hp, but it's still a decent source of out of combat healing.

[Fyermind]

A crusader provides in combat healing the way that doesn't eat the action economy. A bard provides out of combat healing. If you want, crusader/bard isn't a bad option.

[Feralventas]

Of course no one mentions Truenamer despite the fact that it could probably heal pretty well both in and out of combat in addition to being a research buff and combat-support character, but since you're in a low-magic (and therefore probably not getting your wealth-by-level) it would quickly be more and more difficult to get to work.

Favored Soul kinda works, but is still Divine. Mystic is a better way to avoid deities and still get divine spells. Bard works, and a Paladin that optimizes its Lay on Hands wouldn't be too bad. Shugenja, Spirit Shaman, both from Complete Divine can work for it. Psionic classes can heal, Egoists by taking damage off of people and then absorbing it, as well as by just giving them temporary (imaginary) hit points. Ardents can actually heal with the right mantle.

[erikun]

Bard is an okay choice, both for getting Cure spells and putting ranks into Use Magic Device for other types of healing. Note, though, that their spell progression isn't very good; you don't get first-level spells until Bard 2, will need to wait until Bard 7 for third-level spells, and so on.

Doesn't the Dragon Shaman from PHB2 have an aura that grants fast healing 1 to allies, up to half HP? That would save on some healing spells out of combat.

I seem to recall someone mentioning a Binder ability that could heal as well, but am not familiar enough to know which one.

[Greyfeld85]

If you want to play a healer, want to stay Divine, and want to be around tier 3, crack open Complete Divine and play a Shugenja (Water Focus). For that matter, you don't even need Water Focus, as long as you don't go Fire (since fire focus means you can't take water spells).

The Shungenja gets left out in the cold quite a lot because it's basically a limited cleric. But it's a solid T3, and its spells are fueled by Charisma (instead of the Favored Soul's awful Wis/Cha combination).

There's also a healing reserve feat called Touch of Healing that lets you use a standard action to heal somebody you touch for 3 hp per spell level of the highest Conjuration (Healing) spell you have available to cast. You can only patch somebody up to 1/2 their maximum HP, but it's decent resource-free healing for a dedicated healer.

[Thomasinx]

Keep in mind that the cure spells are also in the Ranger spell lists. (Although at higher spell levels)

While the vanilla ranger is probably a pain to do this with, you could do pretty well with the mystic ranger variant. It would give you access to healing spells (and since you max out at 5th level spells, it wouldn't step on the DM's toes with 'low magic' either).

Besides, caster rangers are fun to play when done right.

[panaikhan]

The healer in one of my groups is an Ardant (actually an Ardant / Quori Nightmare) with Life as a primary mantle.

[gooddragon1]

Dragon Shaman. 1 level dip for draconic aura of vigor gives fast healing 1 up to half HP.

Or a blatant oversight by the game developers could be used for full healing out of combat... (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232171)

[Psyren]

My suggestion (if your player really wants to play a non-divine "healing class") is to port in one of the choices from PF. Vitalist, Hedge Witch, Chirurgeon Alchemist, and Songhealer Bard all make decent "healer+" options that can be useful when healing is not required.

Item-based healing is the best choice as others have stated, but some players genuinely want to be the "healer" and if that is the case for yours, let them enjoy themselves while still being somewhat effective.

If you go item-based though, there are great choices for that healing style; Incarnate works quite well as an item-based healer that can do other things. Binder and Dragon Shaman are good for out of combat purposes.

[Eldariel]

Thans guys. Bard it is I guess and a lot of Rods of CMW.

Wand of Cure LIGHT Wounds is preferred since it's much cheaper and eminently available; while it's ultimately consumable, the prices are very low. Also, Healing Belt [Magic Item Compendium] for everybody.

[Dimers]

I'll suggest one viable alternative. Once a paladin gets the ability to turn undead, she can use the feat Sacred Healing (Complete Divine) to grant fast healing 3 to all living creatures in a 60' burst for a few rounds. With Charisma 18, that can be as much as 105 hp for each character every day! Cha 20, 144 hp per person per day! Cha 16 is "merely" 72 -- still way more than most parties need. Of course, this requires character level 6, because that's the first time you get a feat after gaining Turn Undead as a paladin.

I say paladin because, while divine, it's not a major spellcaster and this method doesn't rely on spells at all (and it's definitely not high-tier). You could take an ACF to remove spellcasting altogether, too.

[prufock]

Or a blatant oversight by the game developers could be used for full healing out of combat... (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232171)

Amusing concept (:smalltongue:), but to tap allies with the flat edge of your sword hardly seems to equal "cleave through your foes, each ferocious attack you make lends vigor and strength to you and your allies."

[gbprime]

I'll suggest one viable alternative. Once a paladin gets the ability to turn undead, she can use the feat Sacred Healing (Complete Divine) to grant fast healing 3 to all living creatures in a 60' burst for a few rounds.

That feat was replaced in Players Handbook 2 by one that is significantly less beefy. So unless you can use bluff or diplomacy on your GM, the Complete Divine version is no longer available.

The Draconic Aura Fast Healing 1 is also available to any 3rd level character who spends a feat on it. You can make quite the convincing Bruce Willis action hero out of it... Ranger, favored enemy "terrorists", healing aura (he's torn up, but always ready for more), and of course... Diehard. :smallamused:

[Loxagn]

I believe that there's a way to use your Eldritch Blast to heal as a Warlock. You need Turn Undead to power it, though. Perhaps Warlock with levels of Paladin of Freedom? I dunno.

[Andorax]

Well, since it hasn't been said yet...

Eberron halfling sorceror from house Jorasco with the "Dragonmarked Sorceror" feat from Dragon 351.

[gbprime]

I believe that there's a way to use your Eldritch Blast to heal as a Warlock. You need Turn Undead to power it, though. Perhaps Warlock with levels of Paladin of Freedom? I dunno.

Eldritch Disciple Prestige Class (complete Mage). But you need to be able to cast 2nd level divine spells as well as be a warlock. And if you're casting 2nd level divine spells already, then odds are you've already figured out the whole healing thing. And since you can use the healing blast a limited number of times per day (and since you lose 3 or 4 levels of blast dice to the divine caster requirement), odds are you'll be better served by just divine casting instead of zapping your friends for a few d6 of healing now and again.

[ILM]

The Draconic Aura Fast Healing 1 is also available to any 3rd level character who spends a feat on it. You can make quite the convincing Bruce Willis action hero out of it... Ranger, favored enemy "terrorists", healing aura (he's torn up, but always ready for more), and of course... Diehard. :smallamused:
I was under the impression that it was, in fact, not available via feat. :smallconfused:

[gbprime]

I was under the impression that it was, in fact, not available via feat. :smallconfused:

It can be debated, certainly.

The feat refers you to the page with the rules for Draconic Auras, not a list of which ones you're allowed to take. So you can take anything defined as a "Draconic Aura" with the feat. And there are Auras in the PHB2 as well as in Dragon Magic. So take the aura in PHB2 that gives you and your allies Fast Healing 1.

[Psyren]

Amusing concept (:smalltongue:), but to tap allies with the flat edge of your sword hardly seems to equal "cleave through your foes, each ferocious attack you make lends vigor and strength to you and your allies."

I believe that flavor text often conveys intent, myself.

[Loxagn]

Eldritch Disciple Prestige Class (complete Mage). But you need to be able to cast 2nd level divine spells as well as be a warlock. And if you're casting 2nd level divine spells already, then odds are you've already figured out the whole healing thing. And since you can use the healing blast a limited number of times per day (and since you lose 3 or 4 levels of blast dice to the divine caster requirement), odds are you'll be better served by just divine casting instead of zapping your friends for a few d6 of healing now and again.

Ah. Well, thanks for clearing that up. I wasn't terribly clear on the specifics.

[The Gilded Duke]

There is also the Shadow Sun Ninja from Tome of Battle should you want to punch people healthier. If one party member is a Tomb Tainted Soul and is healed by negative energy it can be effective as out of combat healing in addition to in combat healing.

[Fineous Orlon]

That feat was replaced in Players Handbook 2 by one that is significantly less beefy. So unless you can use bluff or diplomacy on your GM, the Complete Divine version is no longer available.

The Draconic Aura Fast Healing 1 is also available to any 3rd level character who spends a feat on it. You can make quite the convincing Bruce Willis action hero out of it... Ranger, favored enemy "terrorists", healing aura (he's torn up, but always ready for more), and of course... Diehard. :smallamused:

OK, I'll bite, what is the feat called, and where is it?

[gbprime]

OK, I'll bite, what is the feat called, and where is it?

The feat is Draconic Aura from Dragon Magic, page 16.