What is the best healer build in the game?

[sflame56]

So I have been thinking what would the best healer ever look like? Someone that can bring one person or the whole party to full in seconds.

[Specter]

In combat? Probably Life Cleric 1/Lore Bard X to pick all healing goodies.
Out-of-combat? Druid 1 (or Ranger 2)/Life Cleric X. Improved Goodberry for the win.

[DivisibleByZero]

So I have been thinking what would the best healer ever look like? Someone that can bring one person or the whole party to full in seconds.

Halfling Thief Rogue with the Healer and Gourmand feats with 20 Cha.
Looks amazing as a healer, and brings the whole party to full when they ask for seconds.

[rbstr]

Someone that can bring one person or the whole party to full in seconds.
Everyone will argue about the "best healer build" for ages...but going on this particular statement it's straight Life Cleric. No one heals more in a shorter time than a level 17+ Life Cleric.

Going Lore Bard is the advantage of getting Aura of Vitality, that's really the only healing benefit. In exchange you set your spells known-level back a bit and miss out on the rest of the life Cleric features, most notably the maximized healing die.

Everyone's going to get in an argument about out-of-combat healing and how strong the character is at fighting. But full Life Cleric won't be beat in total HP restored per unit time.

[Brawnspear]

In Combat, I'd go with definitely life cleric. Out of combat, anyone with the healing spirit spell. So Druid/Ranger. Enjoy your 1d6 per round (minimum) to any person in the party that can move through a space. Life cleric addition to this is arguable since it's the spirit you summoned doing the healing, but for a second level spell cast a 17 Life Cleric/3 Druid is giving out 100 hp per person over the course of a minute's down time. 1d6 (maxed) +4 (2+spell level). Or, a level 3 druid is giving out 35 average hp per person over the course of a minute (1d6 * 10). Prayer of healing, eat your heart out.

[Easy_Lee]

It depends on what you mean by best.

Most of the other good ones have been listed so I feel obligated to mention the old coffeelock variant: tome warlock 3 / divine soul sorcerer X. The heals are nothing special but you can make them subtle if you choose and can store up an arbitrarily high number of spell slots. It's cheesy so don't do it without a good reason or DM approval.

[GlenSmash!]

In combat? Probably Life Cleric 1/Lore Bard X to pick all healing goodies.
Out-of-combat? Druid 1 (or Ranger 2)/Life Cleric X. Improved Goodberry for the win.

This is my opinion as well.

That being said, I've found that a little bit of healing goes a long way, so having the *best* certainly isn't mandatory.

[Easy_Lee]

One more point about the rogue: if a rogue with the Healer feat cunning action dashes and readies an action to "run up and use my healing kit on any ally who goes down," the rogue can choose to bring people who go down back to one hit point round after round, and can do so as soon as they go down.

A monk with the Healer feat might also make use of this given their high movement speed (need to be able to get to the ally). It would be quite funny on an Open Hand Monk to keep Sanctuary up at all times and spend all of your time yo-yoing allies. Repetitive and boring maybe, but funny.

[othaero]

One more point about the rogue: if a rogue with the Healer feat cunning action dashes and readies an action to "run up and use my healing kit on any ally who goes down," the rogue can choose to bring people who go down back to one hit point round after round, and can do so as soon as they go down.

A monk with the Healer feat might also make use of this given their high movement speed (need to be able to get to the ally). It would be quite funny on an Open Hand Monk to keep Sanctuary up at all times and spend all of your time yo-yoing allies. Repetitive and boring maybe, but funny.

That would only work if you were adjacent to them. Readied Actions only affect regular actions can't include movement.

[DivisibleByZero]

That would only work if you were adjacent to them. Readied Actions only affect regular actions can't include movement.

I think everyone missed the point of my (apparently bad) joke, anyway.

[Sigreid]

That would only work if you were adjacent to them. Readied Actions only affect regular actions can't include movement.

Also, once you see that is going on, you switch to targeting the healing rogue.

[Galactkaktus]

The best healer is the one that murders the enemies so fast that they never need to do any healing.

[Naanomi]

Different definitions of ‘best’; and some rule adjudication matters in what qualifies. I probably would back a Protector Aasimar Life Cleric 1/Lore Bard X; but I’m pretty loose with what I allow Life Cleric bonuses to apply to

[Easy_Lee]

That would only work if you were adjacent to them. Readied Actions only affect regular actions can't include movement.

While I think you're technically correct, I suspect most DMs would allow it. Reason: it's reasonable. Don't let the fact that D&D is a game with sometimes wonky rules get in the way of your judgment of what's reasonable.

[MitchS72]

17th level Life Cleric, 3rd level Circle of the Land Druid.

[JakOfAllTirades]

Our current group has a Divine Soul Sorcerer who's turning out to be a surprisingly good healer. Twinning those single-target healing spells is extremely efficient, in or out of combat.

[strangebloke]

Here's the problem:

Healing comes down two things: burst, and efficiency.

Burst is a simple matter of 'hps per second' and the this category is characterized by things that aren't healing spells. Lay on hands, the life clerics channel Divinity, etc etc.

Efficiency, the answer is a druid/life cleric with healing spirit and great berry, the runner up being the lore bard.

[Asmotherion]

Life Domain Cleric 1, Druid X

Goodberry, Healing Spirit, Reincarnate, Regenerate, True Resurection.

Grab some other healing spells if you wish, but that's what will make a major diferance in the game. Not only do you keep your party Healthy with Goodbery (poor man's Healing potions), with Healing Spirit you can keep doing so during combat. Reincarnate makes sure you can bring back someone in case you fail your task early in the game, True Resurection for latter. Regenerate can buff your healing ability either on yourself or the tank of your party (you might happen to moonlight as a Tank, so win win situation there), and have one less target to worry about to keep healthy.

[Contrast]

I think everyone missed the point of my (apparently bad) joke, anyway.

I laughed :smallbiggrin:

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Druid 3/Life Cleric 17 is the best 20th level build, probably hands down. Life cleric gives you +2+spell level and maximum die rolls to all healing. Spell-wise, you've got almost every healing spell in the game, up to and including True Resurrection, and druid gives you both Goodberry and Healing Spirit. Hello +59 HP per round to every character that can move for a minute (590 per character), +85 split as desired from Channel Divinity, + all the healing spells you're casting while this is going on, +[a whole lot] personally regained due to your self-healing perk.

For lower level (or just less specialized) characters, I'd also like to note a cool unrelated combo. Find Steed lets any spell that targets only you also target your mount. The uses with Cure Wounds and similar spells are obvious, but it really shines with Aura of Vitality. Now you and your steed are each healing 2d6 HP per round as a bonus action (it even works on constructs and undead). You can grab this pair of spells with Paladin 9 or Lore Bard 6.
(Note: according to the Sage Advice Q&A this isn't allowed, but there isn't a more official ruling yet.)

[Digimike]

Circle of the Shepherd with the Unicorn Spirit totem can pump out a ton of healing.

[Unoriginal]

How much healing per long rest would you consider to be good, for each level?

[Foxhound438]

Everyone will argue about the "best healer build" for ages...but going on this particular statement it's straight Life Cleric. No one heals more in a shorter time than a level 17+ Life Cleric.

Going Lore Bard is the advantage of getting Aura of Vitality, that's really the only healing benefit. In exchange you set your spells known-level back a bit and miss out on the rest of the life Cleric features, most notably the maximized healing die.

Everyone's going to get in an argument about out-of-combat healing and how strong the character is at fighting. But full Life Cleric won't be beat in total HP restored per unit time.

I think you're probably right... I was going to say cleric 17/ druid 3 for healing spirit, but then I remembered that cleric 20 gives you guaranteed divine intervention, so a second mass heal if you really need it. Healing spirit might be pretty good for out of combat or aggregate healing, but the OP wants "the whole party to full in seconds", and high level clerics are the only ones that can mass heal twice in one day.

[Degwerks]

Life Cleric 1/ Lore Bard 10/ Celestial Chain Pact Warlock 9
Use Magic Secrets for Healing Spirit and Goodberry and Aura of Vitality etc. 10d6 bonus action heals from warlock/long rest. Short Rest two 5th level spells recovery. Bardic Inspiration d10 and Song of Rest short rest recovery. Charisma 20 and take Healer Feat and Inspiring Leader feat. Jack of All Trades gives you an additional +3 to initiative and dispel magic and counterspell and telekinesis checks. Expertise on 4 skills. Gift of the Ever-Living Ones gives you maximum hit points all the time and 4 more invocations. Can easily be a damage dealer and skill monkey. Can be Variant Human for another feat or Protector Aasimar for Healing Hands and Radiant Soul damage dealing. All armor and shields.

Or drop warlock to 5 levels and divine sorcerer 4

[Haldir]

My group has a Life Cleric 1/Druid 4 in Dungeon of the Mad Mage. He casts his berries and we all pop a couple into our mouths before a fight. Emergency burst healing squirrel styles.

[OldTrees1]

Don't forget Inspiring Leader.

Also don't forget non hp healing.
Lesser Restoration, Remove Curse, Revivify, Greater Restoration, Raise Dead, ...

[Keravath]

Its probably something like a druid 3/life cleric 17 for all the cleric healing goodies as well as enhanced goodberry and healing spirit. A 17th level cleric heals 100 hit points/character with 2nd level healing spirit for example.

If a 17th level life cleric/ 3 druid wanted to blow a 9th level slot on healing spirit they would heal 520 hit points/character over the 1 minute (10 round duration of the spell). Even in combat, the life cleric could heal a character for 52 hit points each round when they run through the healing spirit.

P.S. It is hard to beat the level 17 life cleric feature of maxed healing for all dice rolls.

[stoutstien]

The best healer is the player who orders the dms favorite pizzia.

[Unoriginal]

The best healer is the player who orders the dms favorite pizzia.

Isn't that the best dealer?

[Theodoxus]

I'm in agreement with folks who say "define 'best'".

Also, healing is so meh in 5E. Since the only difference between being at full with 100 hit points and being down to 1 hit point is the fact that insta-gib is more likely at 1 hit point... and that's it.

It's one reason that yo-yo-ing is so common, and Healing Word is the go to healing spell.

It's just the way the game is set up, and there's a ton of homebrew solutions for those who perceive it as a problem... As a gamist concept, it's perfectly fine. As a simulationist concept, it's crap.

Honestly, the very best ability for healing is the Life Domain's channel divinity. It greatly reduces the chance of insta-gib if you get your party back to half health and it can be tailored to exactly how much you need for each character.

[Pex]

Healer feat
Inspiring Leader feat

Doesn't hurt to have some healing spells.

[stoutstien]

Healer feat
Inspiring Leader feat

Doesn't hurt to have some healing spells.

Inspiring leader IMO is the single best feat in T1 and T2 play and with Cha based classes being all the rage it's pretty easy to free up a slot for it. Its only cost is ten minutes.

[Talionis]

Celestial Chainlock, Oath of Crown Paladin. Take the hits for your teammates and use the invocation to maximize your healing. You have access to Aura of Vitality. You also have a great taunt ability and access to Armor of Agathys and Warding Bonds spells. Could be very interesting to take that much damage and constantly be self healing.

[Crgaston]

Celestial Chainlock, Oath of Crown Paladin. Take the hits for your teammates and use the invocation to maximize your healing. You have access to Aura of Vitality. You also have a great taunt ability and access to Armor of Agathys and Warding Bonds spells. Could be very interesting to take that much damage and constantly be self healing.

You can also upcast Aid to increase your party's max HP by 20, which stacks with THP.