Making spells "Mass" or "AoE" - and Healing on-hit

[krlsmnk]

Hi there! I've been playing many editions of D&D for many years and my group has finally swung back around to my personal favorite: 3.5. Since we're all open in admitting that we know a pitiful amount about the entirety of the rule set (despite having nearly all the books on pdf): we are all eager to learn and find new RAW that lets us have a starting ground for new mechanics. Rules aren't typically 'set in stone' but we try to stick to them whenever they aren't absurd.

This being said, my current group is exploring group buffing/ full-time support role characters for the first time. We have a Bard and an Artificer who are both infatuated with Unfettered Heroism (and for good reason). The Artificer has found her fix by crafting a Schema, but the Bard is wondering if there is a way to confer the buff to an ally (since its range is personal) or if there is a way to make the spell "Mass" or "AoE". Bunko's mentioned Unicorn Horn, but upon examining the reference material the consumable makes the spell a ray, not a cone or area as advertised. What methods to dedicated buffers use to quickly prep the party when surprise combat begins?

On a side note:
Our newcomer is interested in providing healing to the group, but only if he is doing damage at the same time. I quickly led him to the Tome of Battle - Crusader and he's thinking that's something along the lines of what he wants to do. He wants to do more, though. The 2/HP per hit from Martial Spirit Stance and Revitalizing Strike aren't quite where he'd like to see his numbers. The Augment Healing feat doesn't work with these abilities, but is there anything that does? Or are we simply approaching the problem from the incorrect starting position? He considered taking Monk levels to capitalize on Martial Spirit, but at 2/Hit this entire concept is going to peter off quickly. Perhaps there would be a way to transfer HP from Wrathful Healing Weapon(s) to an ally?

For Clarification: DM is allowing everything, including Dragon Magazine, so long as it is not excessively cheesy to the point of not making sense, and does not severely rend the major points of the game (no damage immunity / immortality / infinite anything, ect). You can be obscure, just not obtuse. We will not likely get above ECL 15 in this campaign before starting anew to learn more things.

[Requiem_Jeer]

Well, there's the higher level devoted spirit maneuvers, I think the AoE one is a 5th or 6th level one...

The best way I know of to heal and hurt at the same time is to have a party that's healed by negative energy and then take advantage of that with Lord of the Uttercold, assuming you use Mass Resist Energy (Cold) to make sure you're actually healing them.

[Uncle Pine]

Regarding using Unfettered Heroism on other people, even if it's less awesome with buffs with small duration you can enchant one of your weapons (or better, a freshly bought +1 shuriken) with Spellblade (Player's Guide to Faerun, +6,000 gp). This way, whenever you'll cast Unfettered Heroism on yourself, the weapon will automatically absorb the spell and on your next turn you'll be able to redirect the spell against someone else as a free action - even though it's normally a Personal spell! The only downsides is that you can only redirect the spell on your next turn and that if you are wielding the spellblade you can't affect yourself with Unfettered Heroism. For the former check with your DM if since Unfettered Heroism has a casting time of 1 immediate action, casting it right before the end of the turn will allow you to immediately redirect the spell; for the latter, you can solve the issue by enchanting a weapon that you aren't always wielding like a dagger or a shuriken (I initially suggested shuriken because shurikens are enchanted as ammunitions and thus a spellblade +1 shuriken would only cost 220 gp and 2 sp by RAW, but this may or may not fall into the "excessively cheesy to the point of not making sense" category). Even if the spellblade shuriken is ruled to not cost 1/50 of the price of a single magic weapon, it may be worth anyway because drawing ammunitions is a free action even if you lack Quick Draw.

[Fizban]

Fair warning, the Unfettered Heroism spell is completely broken: whoever wrote it apparently forgot there are ways to convert action points into more spells. Specifically the feat that lets you activate a wand or staff with an action point, which you use to activate a staff that includes Unfettered Heroism, and woo infinity. Not that you can cast Unfettered Heroism unless you have an action point, which requires them to be in general use in the campaign.

You can boost the effect of healing maneuvers or any other healing with the Therapeutic Mantle soulmeld from Magic of Incarnum, but only on yourself, and only if you can survive the other posters all showing up to argue about why they think it shouldn't work. A relaxed DM should be just fine with it, but again the boost only helps yourself. With a ton of investment it can slightly boost healing spells you cast, but it's not worth it.

If you want to heal the group while still attacking you should actually just stay Cleric, here's an introduction:
You want at least two feats to boost your healing, in addition to Augment Healing the easiest is Imbued Healing (Complete Champion), which can add extra temporary hit points to your healing spells if you have the Healing domain. Then you use the spells Close Wounds and Stabilize, both 2nd level spells from Spell Compendium with immediate and swift action casting times, as well as the spell Insignia of Healing from Races of Destiny which is Mass Cure Light but on all allies in Long range and at a lower level because Mass Cure Light sucks. Then you pick up a method of using touch range healing spells at range if needed, usually Divine Ward (PHB2) but possibly the Greater Status spell (Book of Exalted Deeds), or a store of Unicorn Horn Sliver spell components (CCh) and spontaneously cast a Cure Serious/Critical if one person needs a lot of healing right now. With that variety of mass and quickened healing you can match the amount of effort to the amount of healing needed, and spend whatever actions you have left piling on attacks or magic items or spells. The Touch of Healing reserve feat (CCh) combined with Wands of Lessor Vigor (SpC) keep your between combat healing cheap. If you're no good with a weapon, you could use a reserve feat for that too: Complete Mage has the straight offensive options and a Cleric can support them via the Energized Shield/Lesser spells (SpC), allowing you to take whichever one you wish even if there's not a normal clerical blasting spell of the energy type you want. It seems I was mistaken, if you don't choose the energy type until casting it doesn't count. You can still find a spell every few levels that will serve whatever energy though.

That's a lot of feats, but you don't need every single one. You might be able to get your DM to give you Augment Healing in place of the normal cruddy +1 caster level. Augment+Imbue is enough to boost the main spells, Touch of Healing is convenient but not neccesary, If you're attacking in melee range with Clap of Thunder you might not need Divine Ward because you're already next to the guy who needs healing, etc. The main point is that Augment+Imbued [healing domain] combined with Close Wounds/Stabilize lets you do just as much or more hp as you'd get from Crusader. Using spells like Spiritual Weapon, Cloud of Knives (PHB2), or Stars of Arvandor (BoED/Champions of Valor) let you keep attacking even if you cast a standard action heal, while spells like Ice Axe/Darkfire (SpC) and Firey Eyes (Shining South) gives you re-useable standard actions during a fight, or reserve feats give you a less potent action useable all day.[/spoiler]
As for Mass spells, depending on the spell anywhere from +1-3 spell levels is appropriate. WotC is certainly inconsistent about it. Two more spells a clerical buffer should have ready are Mass Resist Energy and Mass Shield of Faith (SpC): casting Mass Resist on the whole party for the right energy type will neuter any themed energy monster for a single 3rd level spell, while MSoF is basically the only mass AC buff that lasts more than 1 round/level. If for some reason neither of them seem appropriate, you can spontaneously convert them to Cure Serious/Critical anyway.

Finally, you can just use War Weaver (Heroes of Battle), a prestige class that allows you to make single target buffs affect your whole party. It's for arcanists, so Bards are doable.

Edit: oh, I forgot about Chain Spell (Complete Arcane). Since buffs don't usually deal damage or impose saving throws, it's effective "Mass" Spell at +3 adjustment, but the spell needs to start with greater than touch range. You'd combine that with a trick for getting the spell non-personalized (I can never remember them, probably because I think most of them are bogus) and giving it some range and then a bunch of metamagic reducers and end up with it lower level than it started, if you're into that sort of thing. Or just buy a stick Metamagic Rod [chaining], which now that I look is insanely appropriately expensive.

[tyckspoon]

Crusader's abilities do scale, but it's not as quick as actual spells; IIRC, their 8th or 9th level strike casts Heal along with the smack. Is the player interested primarily in actual making-hp-numbers-go-up healing, or might they be interested in more general absorbing damage for the party tactics? Things like Shield Other or the psionic power Empathic Healing (and Share Pain, which is Psionic Shield Other) combined with temporary HP sources and the Crusader's delayed damage pool feature let them take damage from other people and soak it on their own HP and ability to heal. Suggest the player looks at taking a level or two of Cleric or maybe Ardent and then prestige in Ruby Knight Vindicator or an appropriate psi/maneuver using theurge class (if you can find one. I don't know of one, but Dragon might have covered it.)