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The Kool
2019-04-08, 01:33 PM
I'm back at it again. About two months ago, I posted a Healer rework. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?581740-Healer-Revived) Since then, a player in one of my games has requested to play a Healer, and I've given the class a lot more thought. And so I present to you my revised reworked Healer. I'm currently getting some feedback from multiple directions, such as the fact that Loyal Ally probably belongs at a lower level, but then I'm left wondering what to do with level 20 to make it worthwhile without overpowering the class? Should the AC bonus be based off of Wisdom instead of Charisma?

Charisma becomes the most important ability for this class, followed by Wisdom. Dexterity and Constitution are as important for a Healer as they are for any character with a mind to survival, and Intelligence and Strength are less relevant.



Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special Abilities
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9


1st
+0
+0
+0
+2
Skill Focus (Heal), Healing Hands
3
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
+1
+0
+0
+3
Battlefield Medic, Advanced Care (conditions)
4
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
+1
+1
+1
+3
Merciful Strike (nonlethal), Effortless Healing
4
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


4th
+2
+1
+1
+4
Celestial Companion, Swift Healing 1+CHA/day
4
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


5th
+2
+1
+1
+4
Protective Aura
4
3
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
-


6th
+3
+2
+2
+5
Merciful Strike (Merciful)
4
3
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
-


7th
+3
+2
+2
+5
Healer's Reach
4
4
3
2
1
-
-
-
-
-


8th
+4
+2
+2
+6
Swift Healing 2+CHA/day
4
4
3
3
2
-
-
-
-
-


9th
+4
+3
+3
+6
Advanced Care (x2 LTC)
4
4
4
3
2
1
-
-
-
-


10th
+5
+3
+3
+7
Boundless Healing
4
4
4
3
3
2
-
-
-
-


11th
+5
+3
+3
+7
Soul Infusion (Revivify, Raise Dead)
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
-
-
-


12th
+6/+1
+4
+4
+8
Swift Healing 3+CHA/day
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
-
-
-


13th
+6/+1
+4
+4
+8
Karmic Healing
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
-
-


14th
+7/+2
+4
+4
+9
Lifesaver
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
-
-


15th
+7/+2
+5
+5
+9
Soul Infusion (Resurrection)
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
-


16th
+8/+3
+5
+5
+10
Swift Healing 4+CHA/day
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
-


17th
+8/+3
+5
+5
+10
Advanced Care (x4 LTC)
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
1


18th
+9/+4
+6
+6
+11
Powerful Healing
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
2


19th
+9/+4
+6
+6
+11
Soul Infusion (True Resurrection)
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3


20th
+10/+5
+6
+6
+12
Loyal Ally, Swift Healing 5+CHA/day
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4



Skills: 4+INT from Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge (Nature, Religion, and The Planes, taken separately), Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Survival

Proficiencies: The Healer is proficient with all simple bludgeoning weapons, as well as light armor and light shields (including bucklers).

AC Bonus: The Healer adds their Charisma modifier to their AC. They also add +1 to their AC for every 5 Healer levels they possess. This only applies while wearing light or no armor, and wielding light or no shield.

Spellcasting: The Healer casts divine spells spontaneously, as a Favored Soul does. Rather than select a limited number of spells known, the Healer automatically knows all spells on their spell list that they can cast. The Healer uses Charisma to determine the highest level of spell they can cast, as well as bonus spell slots and saving throw DCs. The healer must choose a time of day when they must meditate for an hour to regain lost spell slots, as a Cleric does.

Skill Focus (Heal): The Healer receives this feat for free at level 1.

Healing Hands (Su): When casting a healing spell as a Healer, anyone who receives healing from the spell increases that healing by the Healer's Wisdom modifier. In addition, after all modifiers are applied, the amount of healing is increased by 5% per Healer level the Healer possesses. Thus, a character who is Healer 10 / Wizard 5 / Mystic Theurge 5 would increase the potency of all Healing spells cast as a Healer by 50%. This stacks with all other effects including Empower Spell, and any fractions are rounded down.

Battlefield Medic (Ex): Beginning at level 2, the Healer can always take 10 on a Heal check, even when adverse conditions would normally not allow it. In addition, using the skill will never provoke an Attack of Opportunity.

Advanced Care (Ex): At level 2, the Healer may attempt to remove adverse conditions under patients in their care. [WIP, concept is expanding the Heal skill to allow for removing conditions and negative levels and the like]

At level 9, when the Healer cares for patients according to Long Term Care, the patients recover twice as many hit points as normal (4/hd instead of 2/hd). At level 17, this healing is doubled again (up to 8/hd).

Merciful Strike (Ex): Starting at level 3, the Healer no longer takes the -4 penalty to attack to deal nonlethal damage with a lethal weapon. At level 6, the Healer may treat any weapon they wield as if it had the Merciful weapon property.

Effortless Healing (Ex): Beginning at level 3, all healing spells cast as a Healer no longer provoke Attacks of Opportunity.

Celestial Companion: [WIP, the goal is somewhere between the ranger's animal companion and the paladin's special mount]

Swift Healing: At level 4, the Healer may Quicken a healing spell cast as a Healer without increasing the spell level. This works exactly as the Sudden Quicken metamagic feat, except that it may be used a number of times per day equal to the Healer's Charisma modifier + 1/4 their Healer class level.

Protective Aura (Su): Beginning at level 5, when the Healer meditates to refresh their spells for the day, they gain a protective aura that lasts for 24 hours. This aura grants them the benefit of the Sanctuary spell, except that the Healer may make nonlethal strikes without the spell breaking (if they do so, the target gains a +2 bonus on their saves against this ability until the Healer stops attacking). If the ward breaks or is dispelled, the Healer must wait until they next meditate for spells to replenish it. The DC for this effect is 10 + the Healer's Charisma modifier + 1/2 the Healer's levels in this class.

Healer's Reach (Su): Starting at level 7, all healing spells cast as a Healer with a range of Touch may be cast instead at a range of Close.

Boundless Healing (Su): At level 10, when casting a Healer spell that restores hit points, the Healer may make use of some of the excess healing above and beyond what is needed by the target. For every 5 points of healing above the target's maximum hit points, the target gains 1 temporary HP, up to a maximum of the actual healing received from the spell. For example, if the Healer cast a spell that restored 30 hit points and the target had 4 wounds, the target would receive 4 temporary hit points (30-4=26, /5=5, limited to 4 because the target had only 4 wounds). Any temporary hit points gained from this feature last 1 hour.

Soul Infusion (Su): When casting a spell to bring the dead back to life, the Healer can infuse some of their own soul into the spell in place of the diamonds normally used by Clerics. At level 11, the Healer can do this for the spells Revivify and Raise Dead. At level 15 they may use this ability when casting Resurrection, and at level 19 they may apply it to True Resurrection as well. When using this ability in conjunction with one of the listed spells, they may sacrifice any number of spell slots as if they had been cast, reducing the required material component cost by 100gp for every level of spell slot sacrificed in this manner. For example, a Revivify spell would need only 10 levels of spells to completely negate the material component, but a True Resurrection would require 250 levels of spells. The cost for the spell may be paid partially with spell slots, and partially with the material component as normal.

Karmic Healing (Su): Beginning at level 13, when casting a healing spell as a Healer, the Healer regains 1d8 hit points per level of the spell cast. This healing is not affected by any other class abilities or metamagic feats.

Lifesaver (Su): At level 14, the Healer may react to save the life of an ally who was just struck down. As an immediate action in response to an ally dying from hit point loss, the Healer may expend a spell slot to heal 5 hit points per level of the spell slot expended. The ally must be within Close range, and this healing cannot bring the target above 0 HP. If the healing brings the target above -10 (or high enough to not die from hit point loss), then the target is not dead and is stable. This healing is not increased by other class abilities or metamagic feats. Using this ability counts as a use of the Swift Healing ability.

Powerful Healing (Ex): Starting at level 18, when applying a metamagic feat to a healing spell cast as a Healer, the level adjustment cost of that feat is reduced by 1, to a minimum of a 1 level increase (this ability cannot increase the cost of a feat that is already lower). If the Healer is applying only a single metamagic feat that has a level increase of 1, that feat instead does not increase the level of the spell. For example, use a level 1 spell slot.

Loyal Ally (Ex): At level 20, if the Healer is subject to an Enchantment spell or effect and asked or compelled to harm an ally, the Healer may immediately make a second saving throw with a +5 bonus. They may make this repeat saving throw as often as once per round. If the original spell did not allow for a saving throw, the Healer still gets to make a saving throw when this ability would allow, but only one.


FAQ
Q: Spell list?
A: Hardly a question, but I get your point. As the Miniatures Handbook, with Spell Compendium additions, as well as any other restorative and warding spells you feel are appropriate. If you start to add Buff spells, you're recreating the Cleric and Favored Soul, so best to stay away.

Q: How do you define 'healing spells', a term you use frequently?
A: Personally, any spell that restores HP. I don't suggest you include the Vigor spells as they technically grant a special quality (fast healing), but you may find it fitting to apply it here. I also strongly advise against allowing it on other forms of healing, such as ability damage healing. On the flipside, it would likely be too restrictive to apply it only to the Cure spells. Use your judgement, there's no good way to solidly define this.

Q: Can I really cast True Rez for free?
A: Sorta. Maybe. If you optimized. To be precise, you would need to be level 20 with a Charisma of 32 in order to have enough bonus slots to fully pay for the material component cost of True Rez, but be wary that you just burned ALL your spells for the day on that one ability (which also means you need to wait for a fresh day to do this). So it's 'free', in the sense that it has a cost that isn't money and is easily replenished.

nonsi
2019-04-08, 01:49 PM
.
What about things like Lay on Hands and removal of adverse conditions? (Sickened/Poisoned/Diseased/Frightened/Stunned . . .)

The Kool
2019-04-08, 02:00 PM
Removal of adverse conditions is going to be worked into the Advanced Care ability as gained at level 2. I intend for this to be a heal check, with a DC fairly low if handled in conjunction with long-term care, or higher if rushed. How fast it can be handled and at what DC will depend on the condition, and I haven't done the research yet to put together that table of numbers.

I considered a pool of healing like the Paladin has, but felt it didn't quite mesh with what I've put together. It could work, but the feel of the class is sustained healing without spending resources (advanced care) and some burst healing and removal of more intense maladies via few but highly effective spell slots. One of the iterations I have actually reduces the time needed for long-term care instead of increasing the potency, to the point where a high level Healer with Healthful Rest cast would be at 1hp/hd healed to patients every half hour.