Healing Domain?

[Teapot Salty]

Hey guys. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but a (3.5) good cleric can switch out a prepared spell for a healing spell of equal level. So wouldn't that make the healing domain kind off redundant? Just take a different domain and switch out the spells prepared there. Or am I getting something wrong? And as always, go nuts.

[Keld Denar]

Normally, clerics can't spontaneously cast their domain spell or off their domain list. There is an ACF and a feat that allow you to do that though. It wouldn't be smart to use one of those things on the Healing domain, no.

[Stoneback]

The Healing domain is really kind of horrible. Time, Travel, Trickery, Pride, Magic, Knowledge... All much better choices.

[eggynack]

Indeed, this is a bad idea in most cases. If you can come up with a way to incentivize having the healing domain, like radiant servant of pelor for example, then it becomes a somewhat better idea. It is a generally redundant thing though.

[Ellowryn]

Umm, yeah you have that wrong, clerics can spontaneously cast any CURE spell, not healing spell. So the healing domain gives you the Heal, Regeneration, and Mass Heal spells for your domain spot, plus you gain a +1 caster level for healing spells.

So being able to spontaneously cast heal would be rather useful, but there are only 3 ways to do that which i know of.

[eggynack]

Umm, yeah you have that wrong, clerics can spontaneously cast any CURE spell, not healing spell. So the healing domain gives you the Heal, Regeneration, and Mass Heal spells for your domain spot, plus you gain a +1 caster level for healing spells.

So being able to spontaneously cast heal would be rather useful, but there are only 3 ways to do that which i know of.
That doesn't make the domain stop being somewhat redundant. You're getting nine spells that you could already cast, three of whom you can't cast spontaneously, and a mediocre domain power. You can do better, by a lot. A good domain should be fundamentally altering the things you're capable of, whether it's adding wizard wand use with magic, teleportation with travel, a mass of new spells to prepare with spell, or planning for extend spell. Healing wouldn't even measure up if you couldn't spontaneously cast a single one of those spells, and because you can spontaneously cast most of them, it becomes quite possibly the worst domain in the game.

[Teapot Salty]

Normally, clerics can't spontaneously cast their domain spell or off their domain list. There is an ACF and a feat that allow you to do that though. It wouldn't be smart to use one of those things on the Healing domain, no.

So they can't convert the level one domain spell into a level one cure spell?

[Rover]

I've only ever seen the healing domain be used with Arcane Disciple in a group without a cleric.

[eggynack]

So they can't convert the level one domain spell into a level one cure spell?
Nope. For a citation, "The cleric can "lose" any prepared spell that is not a domain spell in order to cast any cure spell of the same spell level or lower." (PHB, 32)

[Teapot Salty]

Nope. For a citation, "The cleric can "lose" any prepared spell that is not a domain spell in order to cast any cure spell of the same spell level or lower." (PHB, 32)
And evil clerics for inflict?

[eggynack]

And evil clerics for inflict?
It seems to follow the same rules, so yes.