Help me optimize the Healer!

[Menteith]

I'm joining a fairly low power game with some real life friends who've never played in 3.5 before, and I've decided to play the Healer (Miniatures Handbook) for them. It's appropriate for the power level of the game, and I've always been interested in trying to optimize the class. Still, I'd like to be the best possible Healer out there, and if anyone has any decent suggestions for how to boost my power a bit, I'd appreciate it. We'll be starting at level 11, all sources are open (I'm already using two sources from Dragonlance). Here's what I'm looking at so far;

NG Human, Healer 5, Healing Hand of Mishakal 5 (Dragonlance - Holy Orders of the Stars p43), Contemplative 1 (Taking Sloth Domain)

Feats;
Level 1: Dynamic Priest (Dragonlance - Legends of the Twins p12)
Human Bonus:Skill Focus: Heal
Healer Bonus: Maximize Spell
Level 3: Mastery of Day and Night
Level 6: Augment Healing
Level 9: Magic of the Land

All healing spells are Empowered and Silent without a change to level or casting time; additionally, Cure Spells are automatically Maximized. Charisma to determine bonus spells/day and spell DCs, and I add twice my Cha bonus to all healing spells. All healing spells will heal an additional 4 HP/spell level, and I do not provoke AoO by casting healing spells. Is this about as good as I'm going to get the class, or is there a decent boost out there that I'm missing?

[eggs]

Needs more Corrupt/Sanctified spells. Those are a big part of the class's playability.

[Menteith]

Needs more Corrupt/Sanctified spells. Those are a big part of the class's playability.

Yeah, but I pick up all of the Sanctified Spells without an investment. I mean, I could dip and Bind Naberius, but outside of that, there's not a whole lot of optimization around them, is there?

[Kazyan]

If you're willing to dip, Bard with Healing Hymn will let you add your ranks in perform to the amount you heal. Probably not worth it until the second half the game, though, when you already have the spell Heal proper.

[Snowbluff]

Seconding the Corrupt/Sanctified Spells.

Getting more spells will move you up on the Tier list rather quickly. As good as you can get would be using feats and PrCs to increase your spells known. The wording in MHB is rather... bad. It says they take their spells from the Healer Spell list, but not if they know their spells. Things that add to your list should work, but it's not as good as Bequilers (they know every spell on their list). Talk to your DM.

If you are focusing on healing output, take Reach Spell and Quicken Spell.

[Karoht]

The auto-maximize sounds fun. Does it apply to spells such as Lesser Restoration?

Are you working in buffs as well? Persisted Vigor and whatnot?

As fun as it is to heal, I go out of my way to try and prevent damage where possible, especially if you can fill holes in the parties weaknesses.

[eggs]

Well, Sanctified spells give Healers actual useful spell effects, which make normal caster tricks more worthwhile (cranking spells out fast and efficiently with various metamagic, boosting up CL and DCs), with an emphasis on anything that extends durations. But if the goal's to get healing numbers as high as possible, that's true that Sanctified spells wouldn't change the build much.

[Menteith]

Quicken Spell

I just want to point out that Close Wounds should be healing for about 46 HP (2d4+36 *1.5, with a 24 in Cha) already, as an Immediate Action. I don't have the raw feats or class features (no turning pool) needed to make Quicken halfway decent, and I'm planning on just relying on Close Wounds for my Swift/Immediate actions. I'd really love a way to get Chain Spell functional, but Practical Metamagic isn't (easily) going to fit into the build, and it's a multi-feat investment (Chain Spell + Easy Metamagic + Practical Metamagic/Metamagic School Focus).

The Maximize comes from Mastery of Day and Night, which automatically applies Maximize to all Inflict and Cure spells you know. I can really mess up Undead too, I suppose, with a free Maximize and Empower on all my Cures, but it unfortunately is limited to the Cure line, rather than Conjuration (Healing) spells.

EDIT

Sanctified Spells (and the Sloth Domain I'm picking up through Contemplative) give some actual options beyond healing. But I don't want to overshadow the rest of the group, who are pretty unoptimized. The only other character I know for sure is a Dwarf Fighter/Dwarven Paragon/Dwarven Defender, but most of the rest should be about in that power range.

[Snowbluff]

I just want to point out that Close Wounds should be healing for about 46 HP (2d4+36 *1.5, with a 24 in Cha) already, as an Immediate Action

EDIT

Sanctified Spells (and the Sloth Domain I'm picking up through Contemplative) give some actual options beyond healing. But I don't want to overshadow the rest of the group, who are pretty unoptimized. The only other character I know for sure is a Dwarf Fighter/Dwarven Paragon/Dwarven Defender, but most of the rest should be about in that power range.

Okay, I was going to suggest using Quicken Spell with Cure Light Wounds for fast heals, but I wasn't in the know about Close Wounds.

As for relative optimization, you should be fine. If you want more healing, you could pick up Sun Domain to get into Radiant Servant of Pelor, which gives Empower Spell for free to all Healing Domains Spells.

[Zaq]

Basically, you have two optimizable class features: your spells, and your unicorn. Spells are a little more straightforward to optimize (most standard ways of increasing your spell list work, especially if they involve snagging domains), especially since Sanctified spells are low-hanging fruit. The unicorn . . . I admit, I haven't done too much research into what you can do to turbocharge a unicorn, but I'm confident that you can do SOMETHING, and I have a vague memory of seeing a build once where someone did exactly that. The details are long gone from my mind, though.

[Menteith]

As for relative optimization, you should be fine. If you want more healing, you could pick up Sun Domain to get into Radiant Servant of Pelor, which gives Empower Spell for free to all Healing Domains Spells.

I already have a free Empower on every Conjuration (Healing) spell, and a free Maximize on 8/9 of the spells in the Healing Domain. RSoP has some pretty nasty requirements to get into; Extra Turning - and by extension, Turn Undead are both tricky to get without just going straight Cleric or losing caster levels, and while the Sun Domain is easier to pick up, it's still going to eat feats. It's just not worth it as a Healer, that I can see.

For reference; Healing Hand of Mishakal 1 makes you no longer provoke AoO when casting healing spells, HHoM 2 adds Cha to healing (again, as the Healer already gets it), HHoM 3 gives a free Silent Spell on every healing spell, HHoM 4 lets you make a weapon you hold Merciful (meh), and HHoM 5 gives you a free Empower on every healing spell.

[Snowbluff]

I already have a free Empower on every Conjuration (Healing) spell, and a free Maximize on 8/9 of the spells in the Healing Domain. RSoP has some pretty nasty requirements to get into; Extra Turning - and by extension, Turn Undead are both tricky to get without just going straight Cleric or losing caster levels, and while the Sun Domain is easier to pick up, it's still going to eat feats. It's just not worth it as a Healer, that I can see.

For reference; Healing Hand of Mishakal 1 makes you no longer provoke AoO when casting healing spells, HHoM 2 adds Cha to healing (again, as the Healer already gets it), HHoM 3 gives a free Silent Spell on every healing spell, HHoM 4 lets you make a weapon you hold Merciful (meh), and HHoM 5 gives you a free Empower on every healing spell.

Sorry, about that, forgot you would need to dip for turning to get it.

Didn't see the Empower Spell either, I looked at what your Cure spells got, but not the part right before it.

[eggs]

Not super-relevant, but Sloth domain is the coolest domain. Anything that rewards a character for lying down as soon when the fight starts, is hilarious. Props for that choice.

[Menteith]

Not super-relevant, but Sloth domain is the coolest domain. Anything that rewards a character for lying down as soon when the fight starts, is hilarious. Props for that choice.

Combined with never provoking AoO, it's like a super defense against lockdown builds :smalltongue:. You can't trip me if I'm already prone, suckers. It helps that the spells are incredibly powerful (Slow alone is pretty sexy, but with Symbol of Sleep, Waves of Fatigue/Exhaustion, Shadow Walk, and Astral Projection on top of that? Yikes.)

[animewatcha]

Could you see if you can 'homebrew-adapt' the feat Devoted Performer with healing hymn bard for 1 level. Should help a lot with the healing.

[Akal Saris]

If it's worthwhile, I actually made a handbook on optimizing this class :P

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=6849.0

With that said, I think the build is as optimized at healing as one can reasonably be at that level, though perhaps the items list will be helpful.

After level 11 you could go for some levels in paragnostic apostle, though personally I'd probably just continue contemplative for another 5 levels.

[Menteith]

If it's worthwhile, I actually made a handbook on optimizing this class :P

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=6849.0

With that said, I think the build is as optimized at healing as one can reasonably be at that level, though perhaps the items list will be helpful.

After level 11 you could go for some levels in paragnostic apostle, though personally I'd probably just continue contemplative for another 5 levels.

Oh, I found (and greatly enjoyed using) your guide for this character. I appreciate the time you put into it :smallsmile:.

I've recently stumbled onto the feat Dragon Prophesier (Magic of Ebberron p50), which allows you to enter into prophetic favor, which in turn opens up access to a few different feats. The two that I'm seriously considering are Prophecy's Shaper (which allows you to automatically Empower a spell 1/round in prophetic favor, as long as the spell is 1 level below your maximum spell level) and Prophecy's Shepherd (which allows you to automatically Quicken any Cure or Inflict spell 1/round in prophetic favor). Is there a way to use Dragon Prophesier without it taking up a full-round action?

[Gavinfoxx]

I like making healers into Alchemists/Poisoner types. Give them some more offensive options, with a Prodd.