[3.5] Unconventional healing

[Flickerdart]

Nobody likes playing healbot. Combat healing is generally inefficient, because it doesn't outpace enemy damage and so is a waste of actions. But beating that inefficiency (either by healing a ton, such as with the spell heal or using Healing Blast with Eldritch Glaive, or by healing at the same time as doing other things, such as Tomb-Tainted Souls fighting alongside undead with Destruction Retribution, or that Spellguard of Silverymoon build that drops a ton of buffs whenever it heals someone) makes healing worthwhile, and also more fun.

What other ways of keeping up party HP without standing behind them and zapping them with cures are there?

[Dayaz]

In PF the Vitalist, a psionic healer, can take a feat to force an unwilling creature into it's collective. The trick I always enjoyed was forcing a creature with fast healing/regeneration into my collective and stealing it's fast healing to heal the meat shields.

[The Ravensong]

A while back I ran a Cleric/Winterhaunt that focused on Conjure Ice Beast in the first few rounds so that later on I could heal and still roll some d20s with the rest of my party.

[Feralventas]

Truenamer

*Dodges the books and tomatoes*

Doesn't actually have healing spells, but can grant Fast Healing, scaled per level, for 5 rounds at a time per use of its utterance. This allows for some rejuvenation, but demands additional time taking actions to buff or protect your subjects so that the healing has time to do its job in combat.

So,

You drop a heal on someone this round.
Buff their AC next
Debuff the enemy after that.
Take one round to augment your own defenses.
And Seek The Sky just because before healing again to keep the fast healing going.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Tired of wasting your actions healing everyone? Try DMM Party Buff time! Mass Lesser Vigor + Soul of Light = Fast Healing 7 for everyone means that you can spend your actions doing something interesting!

Just three easy payments of feat slots, and we'll throw in Righteous Wrath of the Faithful for super party attack buffing! Your meat shield will never whine at you again!

[thethird]

A Crusader / Hellreaver (from fiendish codex II)

Is surprisingly fun, front loaded and competent at healing people while kicking ass. A level of binder for easy healing of con damage, or the use of strongheart vest is also really helpful.

---

The spellguard of silverymoon is always a great option as in the OP

In recent times I've been tickling with a build that combines favored soul, spellguard, war weaver and geomancer. And I know it's been around for some time, but it is so bonked its fun.

[Feytalist]

Dragon Shaman's aura of vitality. It's not the best option, but hey, it's still an option. Works only while the character is at less than half HP.

Also at middle levels a simple mass vigour dropped at the start of the battle should work well enough. Buffed, as someone else mentioned, by Soul of Light or some other options. Healing Devotion, and there's another similar feat. Augment Healing? Something.

Or, of course, the Crusader and his various healing strikes. There's also a druid ACF that does... something that gives fast healing to your allies. Gives up spontaneous summon? I forget.

[Big Fau]

Here you go. (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=1520)

[Person_Man]

Off the top of my head

IIRC, one of the splat books had a listing for unskilled laborers for 2-ish copper pieces plus food per day per person. (Or free, if they accidentally get killed). One of them follows each party member from 30 feet away at all times, while the others make camp outside of the dungeon. Have each of them carry a tower shield, take no hostile action, and generally hide in full cover and around corners whenever possible. When you need healing, you yell at your follower (Free Action) to use his turn to walk over to you and pour a healing potion down your throat.
Frostrager + ally with Energy Substitution (Cold) Feat
Tomb Tainted Soul + ally with Lord of the Uttercold Feat
Stone Power Feat: Good source of temp hit point at low level.
Minor Shapeshift Feat: Swift Action to gain temp hit points equal to your caster level. Good choice for some Gish builds.
Claws of the Vampire Power: Classic King of Smack.
Vampiric Weapon Power: Less broken King of Smack.
Nychyaella’s Healing Spear: Vampiric touch (3/day?)
Hellreaver: 10, 20, or 30 points of healing per round to you or any Good ally as a Swift Action every round.
Mechanatrix (Fiend Folio) is healed by Electricity. Ally with Energy Substitution (Electricity) or Shape Soulmeld (Lightning Gauntlets).
Soulspark Familiar soulmeld makes a little glowing follower with Fast Healing. Beat him with a Vampiric non-lethal attack for unlimited out of combat healing.
Amulet of Retributive Healing (2000gp, MiC Page 69) heals you by the same amount of any healing effect 3 times per day.
Phoenix Belt and Dragon Mantle soulmelds offer you personal Fast Healing 1 with caveats, but require high level chakra binds, so they're not worth it.
Theraputic Mantle soulmeld increases ANY healing effect by 2 * essentia invested, which allows you to dramatically improve most of the above effects.

[Ernir]

I like trouser snake healing.

That is, you take the Poison Healer feat (Fiendish Codex I). Take the Steadfast Determination feat and get a Fort save modifier of at least +9. Find a tiny viper, piss it off, and stick it down your trousers. Each round, it's going to bite you for one point of damage, you succeed on your poison save, and heal a number of points of damage equal to your Con modifier.

(Not my idea originally. Don't know the link off-hand.)


Here you go. (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=1520)
That one mentions negating the poison donator's attack by DR, negates injury poisons (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#poison). An unfortunate oversight.

[thethird]

I also see a glaring omission in that list...

Wrathful Healing, from Enemies and Allies (pg. 20)

Wrathful Healing: This enchantment can only be placed on a melee weapon, creating positive energy that flows to its wielder. When the weapon deals damage to a creature, the wielder heals a number of hit points equal to half the damage dealt. If the wielder already has full hit points, there is no effect. Because the weapon channels positive energy, it damages an undead wielder instead.
Caster Level: 15th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, regenerate; Market Price: +3 bonus.

[Psyren]

Truenamer

*Dodges the books and tomatoes*

Just use a fixed version. I'm a big fan of Kyeudo's (link in my sig.) One of the nicer tweaks in it is that you get Speak Unto the Masses (and thus, AoE healing) at 13 instead of 17.

[morkendi]

Warlock/cleric/ eldritch deciple of a good god. Don't remember the exact feats as I am at work but I think some are wild talent, psy meditation to regain focus as a move action, psychic shot that let's you expend focus for more dice, improved psy shot for even more dice. Chain power shape to heal more than 1 person. Let's you use you blast to heal quite a bit. Blast is a good amount of damage as well. I just fly up and do my thing. Let's you use cleric spells for all buffs and other things. Very fun character.

[stack]

Back to the vitalist, using archetypes you can force someone into your collective, then just suck the health out of them, getting free power points when they die. (life leech/sadist)

[Dayaz]

Back to the vitalist, using archetypes you can force someone into your collective, then just suck the health out of them, getting free power points when they die. (life leech/sadist)

All while stealing their fast healing/regeneration

Vitalists: the jacka**es of the healbot world lol

[KillingAScarab]

There's also a druid ACF that does... something that gives fast healing to your allies. Gives up spontaneous summon? I forget.Spontaneous rejuvenation is the name of it. Yes, you lose spontaneous summon nature's ally spells, but you also have to use a spell in order it to power it. Use a 1st level spell, allies within 30' gain fast healing 1 for 3 rounds. Use a 9th level spell, allies within 30' gain fast healing 9 for 3 rounds. So, after three rounds, you spend another standard action on it. Other than getting multiple allies, you might be better with vigor spells early, both in level and when to cast in a battle.

Lesser vigor is available at first level and will last 11 rounds (15 at caster level 5), but it will only give fast healing 1. Vigor gives fast healing 2 for 15 rounds by the time you get it (maximum of 25 rounds). By this point, you could instead cast mass lesser vigor to affect two targets within 20' with fast healing 1 for 15 rounds (maximum 25). Greater vigor gives fast healing 4, lasts a maximum of 35 rounds.