Healerin

[Zombulian]

Hey guys, if you've seen me around you may now I'm a bit of a budding optimizer. You may have also picked up that I have a soft spot for underdog classes (Knights, MoI, Hexblade), and once again I have turned my focuses to the Healer. I like the idea of playing one, in a group where combat is almost the entirety of our gaming sessions, having different roleplaying and combat roles in general is quite refreshing.
Now there are a few things about the Healer. For one thing, they are better supports than Druids ajd Clerics... Until about level 7, where the versatility of those classes takes over. A few other pros for Healers is their list of SLA's they get, one of note is Greater Restoration that they get once per day, with a standard action casting time, and no xp cost. Then there are the cons; having their casting ability be split between Wisdom and Charisma, having such a limited spell list but still having to prepare the spells, and no one likes alignment restrictions, even if it wouldn't make sense for your healer to be evil :smallmad:.
So I've come here with a few proposed fixes or even just ideas for builds to overcome the Healer's troubles.
1. The Dynamic Priest feat changes all casting to Cha.
2. Domain Idols? I don't know how they work.
3. Spell Compendium proposed an expanded spell list in the very vague way that most expansions from SpC are.
4. Maybe turn Healer casting to sort of like Warmage or Beguiler? They have a tiny list, but can cast all of them whenever.
5. I know the Contemplative PrC is a favorite because of the extra domains it grants, but what about Sovereign Speaker? That has domains out the wazoo.
Anyone have any thoughts to add/critique?

[Tsuzurao]

Maybe it's just me, but every time I see someone suggest making the Healer use Warmage/Beguiler/Dread Necromancer-style casting, it makes me wince a little, if only because it completely casts aside one of the things that seems almost perfect for Healers to use.

Sanctified Spells (see 'Book of Exalted Deeds' and 'Champions of Valor') are special spells that are restricted to Good-aligned prepared casters - you need to enter certain prestige classes just to allow spontaneous casters to access them. They usually come with an additional 'Sacrifice' component that generally involves taking some ability damage (usually a small amount of Strength damage) - something that is of relatively minimal concern to a Healer, given their ease of access to Restoration-series spells.

The effects of Sanctified Spells can range from utility, to conjuring allies, to blasting, to protection.

[eggs]

The specifics you're referencing make it look like you've read the Healer's handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=6849.0), but in case you haven't, it directly addresses most of the things you're proposing:

Dynamic Priest consolidates casting stats, which is good (saves are relevant when you start dipping into Sanctified Spells).
Domain Icons are items of a specific deity and a specific domain (eg. Pelor and Sun domain). If you worship that deity, when you cast spells, it lets you spontaneously cast spells from those domains a few times per day. It's basically just a way to expand your spell list.
Sovereign Speaker is useful - better spells are way more worthwhile than more of the Healer's usual (even the high-level Sanctified spells are pretty lacking).

On the spontaneous casting, it wouldn't be unreasonable, but it would ruin their Sanctified Spell access, which is where most of the class's versatility comes from.

Generally, what you're probably going to want more than anything is bonus domains. Just shifting this in here from the lists of stuff (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=1412.0):


Bonus Domains

Church Inquisitor 1, ecl 4, Complete Divine – Inquisition
Contemplative 1, 6/10, ecl 11, Complete Divine – Any one
Divine Oracle 1, ecl 6 Complete Divine – Oracle
Radiant Servant of Pelor 5, ecl 11, Complete Divine – Glory or Purification
Rainbow Servant 1, 4, 7/10, Complete Divine – Good, Air, Law (in that order)
Seeker of the Misty Isle 1, 7/10, Complete Divine – Travel, Magic
Temple Raider of Olidammara 10, Complete Divine – Luck
Warpriest 1, ecl 6, Complete Divine – Glory or Domination
Holt Warden 1, ecl 5, Complete Champion, plant
Ordained Champion 1, ecl 5, Complete Champion, war domain or any other by your deity

Sovereign Speaker 1-9/9, ecl 6, Faiths of Eberron – *9 bonus Domains* (1 per level), selection restrictions, see text
Singer of Concordance 2, ecl 7, Races of the Dragon - choose from: dragon, healing, knowledge, magic, strength, travel, wealth
Cloistered Cleric 1, Unearthed Arcana - Knowledge Domain, plus any two others as a standard Cleric

Divine Disciple 4, ecl ?, Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (3.0) – any one of your diety’s Domains
Dracolyte 1, ecl 6, Draconomicon - Glory or Domination
Wavekeeper 1, ecl 6, Stormwrack, choose: Blackwater, Ocean, Storm or Water
Knight of the Raven 3, ecl 7, Expedition to Castle Ravenloft
Arachnomancer 1, ecl 6, Drow of the Underdark, spider domain
Swift Wing 1, ecl 5, Dragon Magic - Dragon
Earthshaker 1, ecl 9, Dragon 314 p.58, Earth domain

Faiths and Pantheons
Wearer of Purple 1 – one bonus Domain from the following; Death, Evil or Scalykind (requires Iron Will, Spell Focus (necromancy))
Gondsman 3 – one bonus Domain from the following; Craft, Earth, Fire, Knowledge, Metal or Planning (requires Craft Wondrous Item, Skill Focus (craft))
Horned Harbringer 1 – Death
Auspician 1 – Fate (requires Dodge, Iron Will, Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes)
*Windwalker 1 – Air and Travel Domain spell access only (do not gain Domain power or Domain slots, if you don’t already have them)
*Waveservant 1 – Ocean spell access only (do not gain Domain power or Domain slots, if you don’t already have them)
*Silverstar 1 – Moon Domain spell access only (do not gain Domain power or Domain slots, if you don’t already have them)


Special Mention
Planar Touchstone (Catalogues of Enlightenment), feat, Planar Handbook, gain access to a domain power and spells, see text
Heretic of Faith, feat, Power of Faerun (p.46), stray from your path, exchange domain spells, etc, see text

[nedz]

With their curing spells, it might be possible to make an anti-undead focussed build ?
Other than that, I tend to view this as an NPC class.

[Morithias]

I'll just put this here and let you figure out the rest yourself. I use it a lot myself.

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

Also look up "mastery of day and night" cure spells are WAY more powerful when they're maximized for free.

[nedz]

I do believe that you have been monked by eggs.:smallsmile:

[Zombulian]

I'll just put this here and let you figure out the rest yourself. I use it a lot myself.

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

Also look up "mastery of day and night" cure spells are WAY more powerful when they're maximized for free.


I do believe that you have been monked by eggs.:smallsmile:

Quite so. And to both you and Eggs, I've already read the handbook, and found it quite silly that Sovereign Speaker was not a recommended PrC.

Also Eggs thanks for that list of cool stuff! I like the idea of Heretic of the Faith for a Sovereign Speaker being of the mind that both the 9 and the Dark 6 deserve to be worshipped, as they represent all facets of life. But that belief is highly looked down upon by regular vassals.

[Morithias]

Crap! I missed the link in the first post! I'm so sorry! I just saw someone talking about healers and decided to post it!

Sorry....I'll be more careful next time.

[Kazyan]

Now, see, I read the title of this thread and thought you were asking about Healer/Prestige Paladin. I am disappointed, because that sounded like it had potential.

Great, now I'm thinking about special mount Unicorns.

[Zombulian]

Now, see, I read the title of this thread and thought you were asking about Healer/Prestige Paladin. I am disappointed, because that sounded like it had potential.

Great, now I'm thinking about special mount Unicorns.

AWWWWW YEAAAAA UNICRONS

[Flickerdart]

If giving them spontaneous casting spoils the fun, why not give them the something like Uncanny Forethought or Versatile Spellcaster? Let them prepare spells (for metamagic purposes, say) but expend either those prepared spells or slots they intentionally leave empty in order to cast spells spontaneously (possibly with some restrictions).