Another thread (@Xeviat, @jaelis, @Satyrn, @Bacon Bits, @FrogReaver) has sprung up talking about Healer and some others feats. There is some mention that Healer is too strong at low levels, but also not frequently used in game, and certainly not in combat. How can we balance it to make it more interesting, but not overpowered?
Healer
You are an able physician, allowing you to mend wounds quickly and get your allies back in the fight. You gain the following benefits:
- When you use a healer’s kit to stabilize a dying creature, that creature also regains 1 hit point.
- As an action, you can spend one use of a healer’s kit to tend to a creature and restore hit points equal to the creature’s maximum number of Hit Dice. (Removed 1d6 + 4.) The creature may also immediately spend one Hit Die to restore hit points as during a short rest. The creature can’t regain hit points from this ability again until it finishes a short or long rest.
- When you restore a creature's hit points or remove a condition or disease, make a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. On a success, that creature gains additional hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.
- You may extend the range of your healing abilities: When you restore HP or remove a condition or disease from a creature, you may simultaneously move toward that creature a distance up to your speed on top of your normal movement. Opportunity attacks against you have disadvantage during this movement.
Replacing the 1d6 + 4 Cure Wounds equivalent with one Hit Die expenditure takes away the low-level power and gives an in-combat use: you can do this anyway during a short rest, but not normally during combat. And it now consumes Hit Dice resources.
No Medicine skill proficiency keeps the second new feature balanced.
Adding proficiency bonus to all healing after a successful DC 15 Medicine check does a few things: it makes Medicine a more important skill to learn, and it buffs all healing, not just healing from this feat. We could further add the phrase, "During combat, ..." if we wanted it to be more combat-centric.
The last ability gives a movement bonus and measure of protection to encourage a healer to run into danger to heal.
Healer
You are an able physician, allowing you to mend wounds quickly and get your allies back in the fight. You gain the following benefits:
- When you use a healer’s kit to stabilize a dying creature, that creature also regains 1 hit point.
- As an action, you can spend one use of a healer’s kit to tend to a creature and restore hit points equal to the creature’s maximum number of Hit Dice. (Removed 1d6 + 4.) The creature may also immediately spend one Hit Die to restore hit points as during a short rest. The creature can’t regain hit points from this ability again until it finishes a short or long rest.
- When you restore a creature's hit points or remove a condition or disease, make a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. On a success, that creature gains additional hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.
- You may extend the range of your healing abilities: When you restore HP or remove a condition or disease from a creature, you may simultaneously move toward that creature a distance up to your speed on top of your normal movement. Opportunity attacks against you have disadvantage during this movement.
Replacing the 1d6 + 4 Cure Wounds equivalent with one Hit Die expenditure takes away the low-level power and gives an in-combat use: you can do this anyway during a short rest, but not normally during combat. And it now consumes Hit Dice resources.
No Medicine skill proficiency keeps the second new feature balanced.
Adding proficiency bonus to all healing after a successful DC 15 Medicine check does a few things: it makes Medicine a more important skill to learn, and it buffs all healing, not just healing from this feat. We could further add the phrase, "During combat, ..." if we wanted it to be more combat-centric.
The last ability gives a movement bonus and measure of protection to encourage a healer to run into danger to heal.
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