[3.5] A nondivine--potentially even evil--Healer?

[OttoVonBigby]

So I'm getting sick of my setting becoming overpopulated with clerics :smallsmile: and I think there ought to be dedicated healers... like battlefield healers, a la the one in the Minis Handbook, but more adaptable/useful. And so many healer classes I've found seem to have Good or at least Nonevil as an alignment requirement; how do the evil armies heal their living soldiers anyway? (I mean, obviously they don't care so much about attrition, but STILL. They have their elite squads too, and that's an investment worth protecting.)

I was just wondering if anyone could point me to a homebrew core class, or something from Dragon or PF, that suits this purpose and that I can use to replace & improve upon the Minis Handbook Healer without approaching the Cleric's tier. Kind of like a non-prestige Combat Medic, someone who channels positive rather than divine energy--or perhaps has some other means altogether of healing/protecting. Something that the player who says "I wanna heal really well, but not be religious" can use. And I am kind of insistent on the "Any" alignment requirement.

(FWIW my setting is slightly low-magic; magic items aren't super rare, but rarer than in a lot of settings, I think.)

[Psyren]

If you like psionics, the Vitalist (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/classes/vitalist) should fit the bill. They are excellent healers and can be any alignment. You can easily make them overtly evil via the Soulthief method, whereby the heal allies (and themselves) by draining life from their enemies.

I also wrote a handbook on their use, you can check my sig if you're interested.

[laeZ1]

Evil druids and evil bards can heal. Even though Druids are technically divine casters. The Dragon shaman from PHB2 has got a healing aura ability, and since you asked about PF, Alchemists can heal (though a healing alchemist is about the same as having potions you didn't need to pay for). Also, anybody who can use scrolls can heal.

Which brings up a question of my own: Is there a prestige class or feat set that improves using scrolls? (chances the scroll isn't used up, use two at once, mess with the cl/dc of scrolls you use, etc.)

[OttoVonBigby]

It's not that I don't LIKE psionics... it's just that I'm not USING psionics right now, and I'm not looking to integrate that system for the next several months at least.

Alchemist is a good call to fill this role--I was already leaning towards converting it to 3.5 anyway. I suppose I could use spirit shamans to fill the "healer in bestial evil armies" role and alchemists to fill the "non-religious healer, sometimes working in less-bestial evil armies" role.

Of course, neither of those are dedicated healer classes with some other stuff thrown in--more like the other way around. I guess I don't really NEED a dedicated healer class, but if there are any others out there I should consider...

[kardar233]

You could just play a Healer and ignore the alignment restriction. Use the Black Mage excuse that "every healing spell I cast sucks a little bit of positive energy away from all those god-bothering suckers who want to save their precious friends."

You're a reverse Malconvoker; you use positive energy for EEEEEEVIIIlLL ends.

[Aliek]

Which brings up a question of my own: Is there a prestige class or feat set that improves using scrolls? (chances the scroll isn't used up, use two at once, mess with the cl/dc of scrolls you use, etc.)

There's Unbound Scroll from some Eberron book, Dragonmarked I believe it is.

[Psyren]

Which brings up a question of my own: Is there a prestige class or feat set that improves using scrolls? (chances the scroll isn't used up, use two at once, mess with the cl/dc of scrolls you use, etc.)

This won't help much for healing, but there is a wizard archetype in PF called Scrollmaster. They can turn scrolls into weapons/shields (think a Paper Master from Read or Die) but the relevant ability is at 10th-level, when they can use their own caster level in place of a scroll's and use their Int modifier and even feats (e.g. Spell Focus) to set the scroll's save DC.

[Telonius]

Binder can get a modest amount of healing if they bind Buer. It's slow, but if you spend enough time between fights you can heal somebody up completely, one hitpoint per round.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Dread Necromancer + Undead or People with Tomb Tainted Soul= EVUL!!! Unlimited* Healing


*If a bit slow...something along the lines of 1d6+cha(?) per standard action... not that good on it's own; but you can use other ways to deal Negative energy For example Lord of the Uttercold makes every [cold] spell deal half negative damage... add a bit of Cold resistance or immunity to your minions and cackle maniacally as you drop Coldballs healing your minions and damaging your enemies with 1 spell.