Arcane Healer

[BowStreetRunner]

Help me optimize this concept: an arcane caster who uses the Combat Medic prestige class.

So this started some years ago as a theoretical concept discussion regarding an arcane caster who could also handle the healing role for the party. One concept that was mentioned involved using the Combat Medic prestige class to give an arcane caster access to the Heal spell. However, we could never quite get it to feel right. The current form is explained below, but is far from optimized.


Race: Spellscale (to give access to Dragonblood Sorcerer Racial Substitution Levels)
At level 1 take the Dragonblood Sorcerer RSL with Dragon Heritage: Gold (gives Heal as a class skill to help with Combat Medic prerequisites), Combat Casting Feat (a prerequisite for Combat Medic) and the Shield Spell (a prerequisite for Abjurant Champion)
At level 3 pick up the Dodge feat (another prerequisite for Combat Medic)
At level 5 pick up the Domain Access Alternate Class Feature (which gives the Healing Domain to get cure light wounds as a prerequisite for Combat Medic)
At this point take levels of Combat Medic and Ruathar (for the martial weapon proficiency to fulfill the Abjurant Champion prerequisite) as desired, but hold off on Combat Medic 5 until level 12 since spontaneous heal uses 6th level slots.
By level 20 should have levels of Combat Medic (5 total), Ruathar (3 total), Abjurant Champion (5 total) and Sorcerer (7 total).


A few additional thoughts:

Spellscale is a good race for Sorcerer, with +2 CHA and -2 CON, low light vision, the blood quickening abilities
Dragonblood Sorcerer at 1st gives up the Familiar for the Dragon Heritage bonus feat. This allows the Heal skill as a class skill (by taking Gold dragon) and also opens up access to many Draconic feats. Draconic Legacy is an obvious goal for a Sorcerer, although the choice of Gold dragon limits this to adding Bless, Daylight, and Dispel Evil as known skills. Draconic Vigor for self-healing is an appealing choice. Draconic Knowledge would work well with Knowledge Devotion. The problem of course is a limited number of feats available, with the first two taken up to qualify for Combat Medic.
Dragonblood Sorcerer at 4th is tantalyzing with the chance to exchange two spell slots for a 3/day SLA. No vsm component or focus, no xp cost, cannot be counterspelled...which spells to choose?
Dragonblood Sorcerer at 7th I don't know about...instead of choosing a new 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level spell to add to my list of spells known I get bless (1st), fog cloud (2nd), resist energy (2nd), and fly (3rd). If I already have bless from Draconic Legacy I get to pick a different spell there instead. So net one extra 2nd level spell known, but my choices are made for me.
The Domain Access ACF I give up one spell known at each level but gain the domain power (healing spells at +1 CL) and can cast each available domain spell once per day. It fulfills the Combat Medic prerequisite, but gives up flexibility as I can't cast the domain spells repeatedly.
Combat Medic starts off weak, particularly because I am only casting 1 of each conjuration (healing) spell per day. Evasion is certainly nice. The key here is the ability to spontaneously cast Heal with a 6th level slot.
Ruathar isn't just a way to get a martial weapon proficiency to qualify for Abjurant Champion. It has d6 HD, 2/3 BAB, good REF and WILL saves, and 2 extra skill points per level, including some nice class skill options to use those extra points. I'll all 3 levels before I take another vanilla level of sorcerer.
Abjurant Champion is always a good caster option. Full BAB and d10 HD. A nice boost to the shield spell, extended abjurations, quickened 1st & 2nd level abjurations, are all great and every level is better than vanilla sorcerer.

I don't know if a wizard can get into Combat Medic any easier, but remember that the first few attempts turned out worse than the sorcerer build.

[CozJa]

Personally, I quite like this build:

Glimmerskin Halfling (for Heal as Class skill)
Halfling Wizard level 3 (From Dragon Magazine #337) to take CLW with ease.
You can trade the bonus feat at 5 to use a domain power and have your +1CL (but I don't think that's worth it)
Prestige classes to use: Combat Medic/Nosomatic Chirurgeon
Feats to take: Maximize Spell; Reach and Chain Spell; Mastery of Day and Night.(Spontaneous Healer?)

In the end you can spontaneously cast maximized Inflict wounds, and spontaneously cast Heal, and maybe some more healing spells if needed.

[Troacctid]

Combat Medic includes this line in its Spellcasting feature:

You get new spells per day, spells known, and an increase in caster level as if you had also gained a level in any one spellcasting class that includes cure light wounds on its spell list, provided you belonged to that class previously.
I don't believe the Domain Access feature adds the spells to your class spell list, which would make your build ineligible for the spellcasting advancement.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Combat Medic includes this line in its Spellcasting feature:

I don't believe the Domain Access feature adds the spells to your class spell list, which would make your build ineligible for the spellcasting advancement.

I think you can clear this hurdle and get an extra casting per day with the Arcane Disciple feat.

[BowStreetRunner]

Combat Medic includes this line in its Spellcasting feature:

I don't believe the Domain Access feature adds the spells to your class spell list, which would make your build ineligible for the spellcasting advancement.

Hmmm...it looks like you're right. When the Domain Access ACF was proposed in place of the Arcane Disciple feat (which was in an earlier iteration of the build), the advantage of using an ACF instead of burning another feat stood out, along with no longer needing high Wisdom for casting the domain spells, plus you got the domain power. But I think we completely missed that the feat states "Add the chosen domain's spells to your class list of arcane spells." The ACF doesn't use that same wording.

If I recall correctly, the ACF and RSL were the primary reasons to go Sorcerer instead of Wizard (with Undying Vigor of the Dragonlords also giving it a minor push). If the feat needs to be used instead, maybe the Wizard build is worth another look.

Arcane Disciple still has the Wisdom issue, making the build a bit more MAD. But it also leaves open Spontaneous Healer as an option, if the build can spare any feats.

Oh, and I don't have Dragon 337 or Dragonmarked, but I will try to find copies to look at the Halfling Wizard RSL and Nosomatic Chirurgeon PrC.

[Zaq]

Hmm. There are other ways to hack spells onto one's list, the two "standard" ones being Recaster and Wyrm Wizard. Recaster costs you being a spellscale (since you've gotta be a changeling instead), but it offers some interesting other benefits. Wyrm Wizard lets you keep your race but costs a feat for Arcane Preparation (that said, you'd save the feat you'd otherwise spend on Arcane Disciple). Either option would negate the downsides of Arcane Disciple, but they would each cost a level of spellcasting progression, which may be a bitter pill to swallow.

[thorr-kan]

I had a different take on it: Human Bard/Human Paragon/Combat Medic/War Weaver.

Let me dig through my notes and see if I can find the exact build.

ETA: I couldn't graft Heal to this spell list, though.

[RFLS]

Dragonblood Sorcerer at 4th is tantalyzing with the chance to exchange two spell slots for a 3/day SLA. No vsm component or focus, no xp cost, cannot be counterspelled...which spells to choose?

Since you're intending to wade into combat, I'd actually recommend mage armor here, as it's not an abjuration spell (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/mageArmor.htm) that Abjurant Champion can use. Which blows. But.

[gorfnab]

I had a different take on it: Human Bard/Human Paragon/Combat Medic/War Weaver.

Let me dig through my notes and see if I can find the exact build.

ETA: I couldn't graft Heal to this spell list, though.
Here's my version: Bard 5/ Combat Medic 3/ War Weaver 2/ Sublime Chord 2/ War Weaver 3/ Spellguard of Silverymoon 5 (or Comabt Medic 2/ Spellgaurd 3)

[ericgrau]

So it doesn't really come online until level 12, but in the meantime you're still a full caster. Nice.

And you get a little more before 12 but you paid feats for that.

[Eldariel]

Here's my version: Bard 5/ Combat Medic 3/ War Weaver 2/ Sublime Chord 2/ War Weaver 3/ Spellguard of Silverymoon 5 (or Comabt Medic 2/ Spellgaurd 3)

I don't really see much of a point in Combat Medic at all unless you go Combat Medic 5. Spontaneous Heal is the big draw of the class and something that's at least moderately hard for arcane classes to access (Arcane Disciple: Healing + 16 Wis). Sadly SoSM is pointless unless you go Spellguard 4, since the whole point is combining Eldritch Tapestry with Spellguard. Ultimately I think you're forced to sacrifice Sublime Chord 2, which hurts but you can at least live with. This allows for CM 5/WW 5/SG 4 netting you all the important abilities.

[BowStreetRunner]

Hmm. There are other ways to hack spells onto one's list, the two "standard" ones being Recaster and Wyrm Wizard. Recaster costs you being a spellscale (since you've gotta be a changeling instead), but it offers some interesting other benefits. Wyrm Wizard lets you keep your race but costs a feat for Arcane Preparation (that said, you'd save the feat you'd otherwise spend on Arcane Disciple). Either option would negate the downsides of Arcane Disciple, but they would each cost a level of spellcasting progression, which may be a bitter pill to swallow.

I was looking at Recaster and Wyrm Wizard more closely. If I went that route, sacrificing a caster level, I might be tempted to just pick up Heal as a 5th level spell from the Adept list and skip combat medic altogether! But I really hate sacrificing caster levels.

[Fouredged Sword]

Personally I like to use a bard chasis better. Bard into combat medic and abjurant champion into sublime chord finishing with combat medic and abjurant champion.

Bard as a chasis gets you healing hymn, allowing you to supercharge cure spells by adding your ranks of preform to the amount healed. Mass cure light wounds healing everyone 1d8+40ish hp is pretty nice.

Light armor at lower levels is nice, and the skills are more flexible. Take able learner as a human to keep preform as a skill as long as needed.

[BowStreetRunner]

Personally I like to use a bard chasis better. Bard into combat medic and abjurant champion into sublime chord finishing with combat medic and abjurant champion.

Bard as a chasis gets you healing hymn, allowing you to supercharge cure spells by adding your ranks of preform to the amount healed. Mass cure light wounds healing everyone 1d8+40ish hp is pretty nice.

Light armor at lower levels is nice, and the skills are more flexible. Take able learner as a human to keep preform as a skill as long as needed.

I just never felt the Bard 6ths were the equal of Wizard/Sorcerer 9ths. Nor was the group that came up with this idea looking for a party buffer/healer - the arcane caster was more of a battlefield control specialist and we had trouble keeping a healer in the party. So the discussion began with looking at the characters we had and which ones could cover the role of healer in addition to their normal role. The Battlefield Medic option was one that stuck in my head like a song you can't stop humming, and I've always felt there had to be a way to make it work that was worthwhile, but never found a build I liked.

[Eldariel]

Sublime Chord makes up for the lost levels, though there's a significant dip around level 7-11 in Bard/SC compared to normal casters.

One approach that works decently is using Summons to heal. It has the advantage of being able to disperse the healing around and doing other stuff too (block movement, take space, cast other spells, Aid Another, even attack in a pinch). Summon Monster line gets Lantern Archon on level 4 (Aid-bot) and actual healing from level 6 onwards (Bralani Eladrin, Monadic Deva on 7). And the Heal-spell and Raise Dead are available at SMVIII (Hollyphant). Delayed, but not impossibly so. Sadly this doesn't go well with Malconvoker, but some metamagic tricks can make a summoner a fairly potent healer (use metamagic reduction on e.g. Twin Spell and Repeating Spell; Empower Spell works too). Arcane Thesis is nice to this end, just retrain to the highest level version each turn. And obviously Rapid Summoning Wizard.

[Thurbane]

Not directly on-topic, but Impure Prince is 4/6 casting, and a 1 level dip adds a bunch of spells to your class list, including Remove Disease and (Lesser) Restoration. Might be a good fit for a healing arcanist.

It can be a little campaign specific, though.

[Mordaedil]

This is the cheapest way I've found to get a sorcerer to be a healer: Grab either Hoard Life or Undying Vigor of the Dragonlords, then grab the feat "Touch of Healing". You can now heal 12-15 damage every round depending on which spell you picked.

[ForgottenCode]

What about Wizard 9/Sacred Exorcist 1/Silver Pyromacer 5/Combat Medic 5?

You get into Combat Medic late, but you can cast all paladin spells, and thus are a real arcane healer.

[Anthrowhale]

As per this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?548925-Uncanny-Forethought-Theurge) a Archivist 1/Wizard n can spontaneously cast cure light wounds with the right combination of feats (and possibly caster level enhancers). Since the side effect is the ability to cast all wizard and divine spells spontaneously it's probably to powerful for many tables.

An alternative easier version of this would be Archivist 1/Sorcerer n with Versatile Spellcaster although that delays spell access by another level.

[BowStreetRunner]

As per this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?548925-Uncanny-Forethought-Theurge) a Archivist 1/Wizard n can spontaneously cast cure light wounds with the right combination of feats (and possibly caster level enhancers). Since the side effect is the ability to cast all wizard and divine spells spontaneously it's probably to powerful for many tables.

An alternative easier version of this would be Archivist 1/Sorcerer n with Versatile Spellcaster although that delays spell access by another level.

That's clever, but I've seriously never played with a DM who would allow this level of cheese at their table. I really wonder sometimes just how many players actually get into games played in the Tippyverse, because I've never encountered even one. :smallconfused: I think it's like the number of people who attended Woodstock. There are many, many times more people who claim to have been there than could possibly have actually gone. :smallamused:

[Anthrowhale]

That's clever, but I've seriously never played with a DM who would allow this level of cheese at their table.

Yep, I understand.

Another approach which is bard-but-better is to play a Trickster Spellthief which grants Bard spells known with a spell list including Bard and 5 schools of sorcerer/wizard.

[Fouredged Sword]

Prc bard is also a fun option.

[Troacctid]

As per this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?548925-Uncanny-Forethought-Theurge) a Archivist 1/Wizard n can spontaneously cast cure light wounds with the right combination of feats (and possibly caster level enhancers). Since the side effect is the ability to cast all wizard and divine spells spontaneously it's probably to powerful for many tables.

An alternative easier version of this would be Archivist 1/Sorcerer n with Versatile Spellcaster although that delays spell access by another level.
Neither of these is really any better at doing this than your basic Cleric 1/Wizard or Sorcerer X would be, AFAICT. Worse, really.

[Anthrowhale]

Neither of these is really any better at doing this than your basic Cleric 1/Wizard or Sorcerer X would be, AFAICT. Worse, really.

Clerics don't know their spells so you can't use the wizard slots to cast the cleric spells via Uncanny Forethought.

[Anthrowhale]

Prc bard is also a fun option.

That's good. Another obvious choice is the generic spellcaster (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/genericClasses.htm#spellcaster).

[Troacctid]

Clerics don't know their spells so you can't use the wizard slots to cast the cleric spells via Uncanny Forethought.
That's true, but how often are you going to want to spend higher-level slots on a 1st level Cure Wounds anyway? Most likely you're just going to be using 1st level slots, and for that, Clerics can do the spontaneous casting thing without any feats.

[Anthrowhale]

That's true, but how often are you going to want to spend higher-level slots on a 1st level Cure Wounds anyway? Most likely you're just going to be using 1st level slots, and for that, Clerics can do the spontaneous casting thing without any feats.

The point would be the ancillary benefits.

However, I realized there is a flaw. With both Uncanny Forethought and Versatile Spellcaster you can cast known spells off-list, but Combat Medic explicitly only advances a class with CLW on-list.

Perhaps a wizard 1/cleric n with uncanny forethought to provide the wizard spells desired? Then Combat Medic can advance cleric directly while Uncanny Forethought provides spontaneous access to the wizard list. Alternatively, there's always plain archivist taking using one of n means to make any arcane spell into a divine scroll.