Healer Homebrew?

[Jane_Smith]

I have been thinking about it, but has anyone else ever made/seen any healer homebrews from complete minitures?

I will be working on a campaign shortly that is a 'godless' healer-setting. Healers, like sorcerers, are just born with their gift and it is based entirely on charisma. So - my thoughts for changes were;

1: Hit dice to d6. I go by the pathfinder system idealogy that base attack progression should tie into hit dice - poor base attack is d6, average being d8, and good d10 (barbarian being the only exception).

2: Poor fortitude saving throws. I see no reason why the healer should have good fortitude saves. They are not clerics or war priests, they are only trained in light armor and simple weapons without any use for anything heavier or even shields. Like a sorcerer, I beleive they should only have good will saves.

3: Spells are based on Charisma to determine spell dc's, highest spell the healer can cast, and bonus spells, not wisdom and charisma. Spells are cast spontaneously after 1 hour of meditation each day. No need to prepare spells, and the healer may cast -any- spell from her spell list - she has no 'known spells' progression like the sorcerer. The healers spell list is limited enough.

4: Adding Knowledge (Local) to the class-skill list. I see a healer as a very big social bug - they interact with their communities often and if anyone other then bards or wizards should have it, its the healer.

5: I was considering making a new system of the Cleanse benefits. Effectively - give the healer a lay on hands pool at 1st level - the amount in the pool of healing is equal to healer level x cha bonus. I was thinking they can refresh this pool of healing a number of times per day equal to 3 + their cha bonus by spending 10 minutes in meditation without distraction/etc. Basically, my idea was, instead of getting those spell-like abilities 1/day at higher levels? The healer gains the ability to spend points from her lay on hands pool to cast them instead - like if the healer used her lay on hands to heal 30 points of damage on a target at level 8, even if the target was at full health, he would benefit from the remove disease effect in addition to the healing received. This, of course, is a touch attack, etc.

6: In another homebrew, I made all cure spells close-range, not touch. This gives the healer much needed safety distance, as all she needs is a line of sight to her targets to heal them.

7: Tossing the unicorn companion. At least in my games I plan to uphold the whole mythos that unicorns are rare and beautiful creatures that will only let maidens touch them - if the healer is a male orc that weighs like 300 pounds.. I feel bad for that unicorn >.>. I dont think they should just 'get one' at level 8 for ****s and giggles. They want that, take leadership and find one for a cohort...

8: Possibly use of marshel-like auras? I dont mean exactly - but stuff like force of will, demand fortitude, etc. Either that, or maybe a form of bardic-like inspiration.

Edit - 9: I forgot, sense their will be no 'power' granting deities in my campaign setting, but this isnt nessicarly the case for others who wish to use these ideas for homebrewing the healer class - I was considering making the healer's spells considered Arcane for the purposes of arcane spell failure - but with the bards/warlocks ability to cast spells in light armor without issue. (At least in my games, necromancy school for wizards/sorcerers can cast healing spells, so its not nessicarly that much of a biggy if a healer made scrolls for a few wizards).

[DaTedinator]

I remember a fantastic healer homebrew that was back on the Wizard's boards a long time ago, but I've looked for it since and have never been able to find it.

1. It'd be alright to do that, but these guys should be able to survive long enough to heal everyone else. I don't think d8 is out of the question.

2. I get your reasoning, but I see healers as being resistant to everything that Fortitude saves protect against: poison, disease, negative energy, death effects, etc.. Your call.

3. Word. I could see it being Wisdom or Charisma, as long as it's just one. And spontaneous casting, knowing all spells on spell list, yeah, just makes sense.

4. Makes sense.

5. I don't know that I'd make them additional effects (which is to say, I think it'd be better to say, "You can spend 30 points of healing to remove disease instead of healing 30 damage," rather than "in addition to."), but otherwise I like it.

6. I don't remember much about the other healer remake, but one thing I do remember is the ability to add Charisma modifier to hit points healed with Cure spells (there might have been some multiplier, like +Cha mod per die? Probably not though), so long as the range was touch. Then a couple levels later they got the ability to change touch range cure spells to close range. So they could do it at range, but if they didn't, it was more powerful.

7. Definitely. It's dumb.

8. Yeah, they'll need something to do other than provide healing. But really, if all you add is more buffs for the party, it'd still kinda suck to play one. No idea what you could add, but they'd need some way to contribute beyond just helping the party, you know? Playing the Cleric is fun because you can fight too. Playing the band-aid? Great for cohorts, and that's it.

But yeah, full support to you in this endeavor, though it might be better to remake it as a PrC? I was actually considering doing that recently.

[Jane_Smith]

-shrug- I know its not fun to play band-aid. But, its a required evil (or rather, bore-fest). Im not going to give healer "Giga Cannon Power Shot" just so they can do something other then heal. Dont like healing - then indeed, get a healer cohort. But, honestly, the whole 'healers' code/vow thing tends to make them completely defensive/healing.

If you really want to get into it - in most soceities, and docters, had to take oaths they could not bring unjust suffering or slay a single living thing if they could help it, and they had to provide aid to anyone who was suffering. Now, despite my healer being slightly an innate caster, I still wanted to keep up this code of conduct/ethos like theme to them. This means they couldnt even kill a living creature with their simple weapons if they wanted to - they can only use nonlethal attacks, etc.

I was considering, however, making a necromancy spell or two to their list - nonlethal stuff, mostly. A way of doing nonlethal damage directly to them, a way to make them fatigued/exhuasted, or a sleep spell or the like. Suppose that would give them enough offense.

[Shpadoinkle]

I recall a couple previous threads like this in the past.

Making all thier healing spells spells close-range instead of touch is a good start. I think they ought to have good save progression for all saves, as well (can't heal anybody if you're incapacitated yourself, you know...).

Keep the d8 HD for the same reason.

I'd add pretty much all the Abjuration spells (divine AND arcane) in the PHB to thier class list as well (preventing damage is actually a lot more effective than just repairing it.) There are a couple outliers that don't fit this, though (Fire Trap, for example), but those shouldn't be hard to weed out.

I'd also drop the having to prepare spells and knowing every spell on thier class list and give them the sorcerer's spells known and spells per day progression.

[Tavar]

Have you looked at T.G. Oskar's Healer?

[Temotei]

Have you looked at T.G. Oskar's Healer?

I love that remake. You beat me to linking it.

[Trixie]

So, you take very weak class...

And make it far weaker?

Doesn't compute.

[Roderick_BR]

So, you take very weak class...

And make it far weaker?

Doesn't compute.

Weaker? Where?
It got abilities that makes in-combat healing less worthless, out of combat healing very useful, and even the ability to learn others utility spells with the advanced learning.

[Jane_Smith]

The only 'weaker' parts are the reduced hit dice to d6 and the poor fort progression - such things can easily be buffed/etc. Heck, and with at-will cantrips, you can have resistance up at all times basically. Otherwise - look at how much you would gain.