Healing optimization

[Qc Storm]

What are some ways to make cleric healing more efficient? I know it is generally regarded as a poor tactic mid-combat, but one of my players really wants to do that.

He intends to play a Cleric 4/Crusader 1/Ruby Knight Vindicator. These classes are miles above what others are playing, so he is willingly taking a more supportive role to heal and stuff. However, resources for suck optimization are rare.

What are his options?

[Eldariel]

Well, Radiant Servant of Pelor and Divine Metamagic can enhance healing quite a bit. Divine Spell Power/caster level boosts too to a degree. Since he's already RKV, I suppose some kind of a metamagic setup to enhance healing spells, maybe Quicken, Twin, Empower or so, would be his best bet.

[Silva Stormrage]

One of the combinations that is of questionable validity but is very effective is soul of light + DMM persist mass lesser vigor.

Soul of light increases the amount of healing a spell does by double the spell level.

Mass lesser vigor heals 1 hit point, each round. If you want to rule that it increases the amount healed by 6 he can give fast healing 7 to all party members. That can add up REALLY quickly and DMM is good for a ruby indicator anyway and it requires little investment spell slot wise.

[Cavir]

DMM Reach... Heal your buddy at range... or Heal that undead at range before it can come touch you.

Touch of Healing feat- to save on spells.

[Metahuman1]

1: Build a cleric of Pelor.
2: Take spontaneous Domain AFC form PHB II and Healing Domain.
3: Take Touch of Healing Reserve Feat.
4: Take Augment Healing Feat.
5: Take Reach Spell.
6: Take DMM: Reach Spell.
7: Take Craft Wondrous Item and Item Familiar.
8: Craft a bunch of *Your alignment* *Your Race* *Cleric/Radiant Servant of Pelor only* with Curses like can't get rid of them or get zapped by magic missals on them Night Sticks so that you can craft them as dirt cheaply as possible and never have to worry about not being able to DMM reach every healing spell you have.
9: If feeling particularly through about it, as do DMM Chained Persisted lesser Vigor at the start of the day.

[Nihilarian]

There's an ACF in Complete Champion called Pool of Healing that basically gives you Lay on Hands.

The Combat Medic from Heroes of Battle will let you spontaneously cast Heal.

[Red Fel]

First, behold the handbook (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=2710.0).

Now, onto mechanics. Revivify, Revenance and Delay Death, as the handbook suggests, are excellent ways to keep your party upright long enough to get more effective healing in. That said, I think you're overlooking something.

He's taking a level in Crusader.

You heard me. Crusader is one of the best combat healers around, thanks to Devoted Spirit. He can be healing every round thanks to stances and maneuvers, and can do so without provoking attacks of opportunity, and can do so while wailing on the enemy. It's win-win!

Alternatively, instead of Cleric, you could take Paladin. Hear me out. Paladins can take the Battle Blessing feat, which allows Paladin spells to be cast faster. That means you can cast Cure Light, Moderate, or Serious Wounds as a swift action instead of a standard action. Alternatively, take a level of Prestige Paladin, and add Paladin spells to your Cleric list - the feat, by RAW, should still apply (although only to those spells on the Paladin list). Being able to throw out heals as a swift action mid-combat is great. Now, add to it RKV's Divine Impetus ability, and you can be throwing out heals even when you've already used a swift action that turn.

[Eldariel]

Alternatively, instead of Cleric, you could take Paladin. Hear me out. Paladins can take the Battle Blessing feat, which allows Paladin spells to be cast faster. That means you can cast Cure Light, Moderate, or Serious Wounds as a swift action instead of a standard action. Alternatively, take a level of Prestige Paladin, and add Paladin spells to your Cleric list - the feat, by RAW, should still apply (although only to those spells on the Paladin list). Being able to throw out heals as a swift action mid-combat is great. Now, add to it RKV's Divine Impetus ability, and you can be throwing out heals even when you've already used a swift action that turn.

I do think an actual Healer would never want to give up spell progression, access to the "Heal"-spell and such tho.

[OldTrees1]

Dvati(+1LA) Crusader 1 / Cleric 4 / Prestige Paladin 1 / Ruby Knight Vindicator 10

Feats: Battle Blessing, Touch of Healing, Extra Granted Manuever, Quicken Spell, Divine Metamagic(Quicken)

Every turn you:
Body 1
Move: Move to a foe.
Standard: Hit someone with a Crusader strike manuever to trigger your Martial Spirit stance to heal an ally. If the manuever was a healing maneuver like Crusader's Strike then you also heal an ally.
Swift: Do nothing so other body can cast a spell

Body 2
Move: Move to injured ally.
Standard: Use Touch of Healing
Swift: Cast a Cure spell as a swift action via Battle Blessing + Prestige Paladin (since it is a Paladin spell and you are a Paladin)
Alt Swift: Use DMM Quicken to cast a Cleric spell like Delay Death or Revivify

If you were counting that is 4 bursts of healing per round.

[Chronos]

I'm a fan of the feat Initiate of Ilmater, which lets the surplus healing from Cure spells turn into temporary HP. That way, good dice rolls never go to waste, and you can use pre-combat actions to give them a nice comfortable buffer.

What level are you? If you're high enough, you'll want to look at the spells Stalwart Pact and Fortunate Fate, both of which can also be cast before combat for use when needed.

[Chronos]

Alt Swift: Use DMM Quicken to cast a Cleric spell like Delay Death or Revivify
Note that even without metamagic, Delay Death is already an immediate action. Which is really, really nice.

[watchwood]

Take the Mystical Healer feat. It's from Pathfinder, but it's a nice boost that scales with level.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Mastery of Day and Night auto-maximizes your heal (and inflict) X spells, it does have maximize spell as pre-requisite, so it might be hard to fit in with other suggestion, though I think it would work really well with the Disciper of Ilmater feat, but sadly MoDaN is an Eberron feat while DoI sounds like a Faerûnian feat.

[OldTrees1]

Note that even without metamagic, Delay Death is already an immediate action. Which is really, really nice.

Oops I was looking at the Races of Destiny version by mistake. Immediate action is nice.