The Healer; A question about its shortcomings

[ngilop]

Hey everybody.

I have decided to tackle the Healer and do a re-tooling for it.

my questions are many and my own elf answers are as follows.

1) what exactly is lacking with the healer and his heals?

1A) I suspect it that they heals they do is just not enough to compensate for damage being dealt

2) Does the healer really have any out of combat usefullness
2A) I honestly don't know LOL

SO here are my musings on what I cna do to prettify up the healer chassis

a) steal a page from pathfinder and let the healer do some d6s of healing in an AOE X times per day
b) get rid of that no shield and no metal armor crap.. healers are druids they are healer foo!
c) have their casting me like a warmages POW spontaneous and knowing their full list
d) make the unicorn companion come at 5th level
e) finagle the spell list to make Heal a 5th level spell
f) buff healing hands to be per die not total.
g)make effortless healing cast cure X wounds as swift actions instead of that no AoO crap.
h) make the various cleanse abilities usable more than once per day.
i) add more spells to the spell list including the vigor line and other defensive oriented and buff oriented spells

would these 9 things be enough to create a healer that is desireable to play over a cleric in terms of healing and I guess bump it up to 'tier' 3?

[tyckspoon]

Healers are already better at healing than Clerics, between Healing Hands and getting status-healing spells as bonus spell-likes (note that these are the ones a Cleric could *not* spontaneously convert to, and so would normally have to prep or carry around as scrolls in order to have them on hand.) If you want improvements from there, I would consider something like:

A: Give them Turn Undead.
A2: Give them access to a select pool of Divine feats as bonus feats, such as Sacred Healing and the other healing-related ones (I know there are a few more)
A3: Broader powered, just let them take Divine feats as bonus feats at every (4th/5th) level.

B: Give them a 'domain' slot and borrow a page from the Radiant Servant- healing spells they cast out of that extra slot are automatically (Empowered/Maximized/Quickened) as they gain levels.

C: If you want to break them out of the 'I heals and all I do is heals' trap,

i) add more spells to the spell list including the vigor line and other defensive oriented and buff oriented spells
This is really all they need. The Healer's primary problem is it has an intensely focused spell list that can't do much beyond healing (until you hit 9th level, where for some reason they have Gate and Foresight, probably because there isn't much call for 9th level healing spells.) Expand their spell list, even with just things like clerical buffs, and they should be able to get to tier 4ish pretty easily.

[Flickerdart]

Even if healers could heal damage as quickly as it was dealt, they'd still be frightfully boring. When your thing is dealing damage, you get to deal it to different guys with a variable chance of success. When your thing is healing damage, you heal it to the same guys and it always works. When your contributions to combat could be replaced with a single macro, you know you've got a lousy class on your hands.

[Gavinfoxx]

There were a few rewrites that added spells to the Healer's list... maybe you should look into those?

[8wGremlin]

This was a build I had converted over from a played character in another thread, it showed that Healers could be made to be effective Tier 5 characters, pulling them up, to a higher tier.

It adds spells to the healers list in a number of ways, SPC has suggestions, as well as BoED. I also added in Gold Dwarf Dweomercrafter, as I've wanted to do that for a while...

anyhow I give you

Dorydd and Company

Dorydd and Company, is a unit of Healers, come to help out the stricken The Village of Highpass, they are devoted followers of Galaeros

From out of the near by woods, robed figures appear. Each wearing a wooden masks of the green faced man with sad looking eyes, and each carrying a quaterstaff.

The slow as they some to the main gate, a lone dwarf female removed her mask and call out a welcome,

"We are here to lend you our assistance"

Dorydd

Trans "Red Queen", NG Gold Dwarf, Female

Dorydd is a worshipper of Galaeros, the wood god, but an unusual one as she is a dwarf

Dorydd is a healer, she is a very charismatic individual, and as such has a number of followers.

Gold Dwarf: +2 Con -2 Dex, medium, 20 ft., fighter, humanoid (dwarf), dungeon master's guide pg.171

Stats: STR: 8 DEX: 10 CON: 14 INT: 10 WIS: 18 CHA: 14

@4th +1 Wis




Healer 1 - Craft 2 Ranks, Diplomacy 4 ranks, Knowledge(Nature) 2 ranks, Knowledge(Planes) 2 ranks Perform 2 ranks =16pts

Healer 2 - Craft 3 Ranks, Diplomacy 5 ranks, Knowledge(Nature) 2 ranks, Knowledge(Planes) 2 ranks Perform 2.5 ranks = 3

Healer 3 - Craft 3 Ranks, Diplomacy 6 ranks, Knowledge(Nature) 2 ranks, Knowledge(Planes) 2 ranks Perform 3 ranks = 2

Healer 4 - Craft 3 Ranks, Diplomacy 7 ranks, Knowledge(Nature) 2 ranks, Knowledge(Planes) 2 ranks Perform 3 ranks = 1

Healer 4 - Craft 3 Ranks, Diplomacy 8 ranks, Knowledge(Nature) 2 ranks, Knowledge(Planes) 2 ranks Perform 3 ranks = 1

Mystic Wanderer 1




feats


Circle Magic @1st
Gold Dwarf Dweomersmith @3rd
Leadership @6th




Glory of the Divine(Su): The mystic wanderer who wears no armour gains a sacred(or profane if her deity is evil) bonus to AC equal to her charisma bonus.

Bonus Domain: If you are a cleric, you gain the Charm Domain as a third domain. If you already have the Charm domain, you can instead choose any other domain granted by your deity as your third domain. If you have no cleric levels,you can add the Charm Domain Spells to your class spell list,but you do not gain its domain ability or any extra spell slots for domain spells.


Spells

0 level:

create water, cure minor wounds, dawn, deathwatch, detect magic, detect poison, foraging charm, light, mending, purify food and drink, read magic, resistance, virtue.

1st level:

bless water, conviction, cure light wounds, delay disease, endure elements, faith healing, foundation of stone, goodberry, healthful rest, invest light protection, lesser vigor, protection from evil, remove fear, remove paralysis, resurgence, sanctuary, shield of faith, spell flower, speak with animals, touch of jorasco. bless weapon, magic stone, magic weapon, shillelagh,Charm Person,

2nd level:

benediction, body ward, calm emotions, close wounds, consecrate, cure moderate wounds, divine insight, divine protection, delay poison, ease pain, estanna's stew, false life, gentle repose, ghost touch armor, healing lorecall, protection from negative energy, protection from positive energy, remove addiction, remove nausea, remove blindness/deafness, remove disease, resist energy, shared healing, shield other, soul ward, stabilize, summon elysian thrush, lesser restoration. flame blade, Melf's acid arrow, spiritual weapon, Calm Emotions

3rd level:

antidragon aura, attune form, channelled divine shield, create food and water, crown of protection, cure serious wounds, energy aegis, heart's ease, invest moderate protection, magic circle against evil, magic vestment, mass conviction, mass lesser vigor, mass resist energy, neutralize poison, protection from energy, refreshment, remove curse, remove fatigue, restoration, safety, shield of warding, status, tiny hut, vigor. flame arrow, keen edge, Suggestion

4th level:

astral hospice, channelled divine health, convert wand, cure critical wounds, death ward, delay death, freedom of movement, greater resistance, healing spirit, mass cure light wounds, mass shield of faith, panacea, planar tolerance, positive energy aura, revenance, secure shelter, seed of life, sheltered vitality, stoneskin, sustain. greater magic weapon, holy sword, Good Hope

5th level:

atonement, aura of evasion, break enchantment, contingent energy resistance, dance of the unicorn, darts of life, greater status, greater vigor, healing circle, indomitability, invest heavy protection, life's grace, mass cure moderate wounds, mass sanctuary, raise dead, renewed vigor, revivify, stalwart pact, stone to flesh, true seeing, warding gems, Charm Monster

6th level:

energy immunity, greater restoration, heal, heroes' feast, mass cure serious wounds, regenerate, revive outsider, secure corpse, superior resistance, vigorous circle. blade barrier, spellstaff, Geas/Quest

7th level:

energetic healing, fortunate fate, mage's magnificent mansion, mass cure critical wounds, mass restoration, rejuvenating light, renewal pact, repulsion, resurrection, changestaff, Mordenkainen's sword, Insanity

8th level:

discern location, holy aura, mass heal, death pact, mass death ward, protection from spells, Demand

9th level:

gate, foresight, pavilion of grandeur, prismatic sphere, true resurrection, sublime revelry, undeath's eternal foe, Dominate Monster


Equipment

WBL: 13,000gp

Custom Item: Vestment version of a 'Domain Idol' of Galaeros (Faith of Eberron) (plant domain),



usable by Healers only ( -30% reduction in cost) = 7000gp

slot less to body slot.. 1/2 cost - Vestment (body) = 3500gp

taking this slot as is most in keeping to effect




Leadership

Leadership = cha (2) + stronghold (2) + fair & generous (1) + Special power(1) + level (6) = 12

Which gives me:

1 x 4th level cohort "Sir Cadus" is a 4th level Dwarven Knight

8 x 1st level Gold Dwarf Healers of Galearos, and all have the circle feat,



Gold Dwarf Dweomersmiths

You gain +1 caster level when casting a spell that creates a weapon or enhances an existing one. An 11th-level caster with this feat, for example, grants a weapon a +4 enhancement bonus when she casts greater magic weapon, not just a +3 enhancement bonus. This bonus caster level allows you to exceed the normal maximum effect allowed by a spell.

The tradition of gold dwarf dweomersmiths includes the following spells at each level:

1st--bless weapon, magic stone, magic weapon, shillelagh;

2nd--flame blade, Melf's acid arrow, spiritual weapon;

3rd--flame arrow, keen edge;

4th--greater magic weapon, holy sword;

6th--blade barrier, spellstaff;

7th-- changestaff, Mordenkainen's sword.



Other spells gain this benefit if they target a weapon. Additionally, any magic weapons you fashion cost 5% less in gold pieces to make. The experience point cost is unaffected

Build Concepts

Every day we performance circle, this gives me 8 spell levels, which she heighten one spell to 9th level! The rest she use to raise my caster level by 2
Every evening up leading up to the battle she spontaneously convert the heightened spell in to the 9th level Plant Domain Shambler This summons 1d4+2 shambling mounds, and if set to guard the city against attackers, they will guard for 7 months! This averages out to 4 Shambling mounds a night (4.5 x 7 = 31 Shambling Mounds), whilst in guard mode, they can only roam with in 100+ 10'/cl range (so 260 ft) from each specific guard point. The last 3 days I have them guarding me, and can roam freely, but it only lasts for 7 days

My cohort and followers will use any and all means to create defences,
They will create their own circles (if they have spells left to use)

[Talderas]

A: Give them Turn Undead.
A2: Give them access to a select pool of Divine feats as bonus feats, such as Sacred Healing and the other healing-related ones (I know there are a few more)
A3: Broader powered, just let them take Divine feats as bonus feats at every (4th/5th) level.

B: Give them a 'domain' slot and borrow a page from the Radiant Servant- healing spells they cast out of that extra slot are automatically (Empowered/Maximized/Quickened) as they gain levels.

If you give them domain slots then they qualify for the PrC anyway. If you do that you basically are turning Radiant Servant into a standard class... which might not be a bad idea.