New Healer Spell List

[airwalkrr]

I am working on a revamp of the healer class. I am including a number of spells from other sourcebooks to beef up her casting repertoire, but I am changing the levels of some of her spells for various reasons. My interpretation of the healer class is that she should excel at both healing and removing negative conditions (including magical conditions), and she should be associated more closely with good. She should not typically be able to deal damage or provide numerical mechanical benefits to others (I see her as being able to fix things, but not specializing in preventative magic). Towards these ends I gave her most spells I saw that healed damage; I avoided some because they dealt damage or buffed characters significantly in the process (like righteous burst). I also gave her most spells that could be used to remove negative conditions, even those such as planar imprisonment and magical conditions. I also granted her a few spells with the good descriptor since they seemed to fit. I avoided most buff spells except where I felt it was absolutely necessary. I returned many of her spells to the appropriate cleric level. I feel her ability to heal should be enhanced by class features, not by lowering otherwise balanced spells in level.

Are there any spells you think I missed that could be added based on this criteria? I am working on a complete re-write of the healer, so any other feedback you have, perhaps if you have rewritten the healer yourself, would be appreciated.

0 Level: create water, cure minor wounds, detect magic, detect poison, light, mending, purify food and drink, read magic.
1st Level: cure light wounds, deathwatch, delay disease*, detect evil/good, dispel ward*, faith healing*, goodberry, healthful rest*, invest light protection**, lesser vigor*, protection from evil, remove fear, resurgence*, sanctuary.
2nd Level: calm emotions, close wounds*, consecrate, cure moderate wounds, delay poison, healing lorecall*, gentle repose, lesser restoration, make whole, remove paralysis, shield other, stabilize*, status.
3rd Level: create food and water, cure serious wounds, dispel magic, invest moderate protection**, magic circle against evil, mass resurgence*, remove blindness/deafness, remove curse, remove disease, speak with dead, vigor*.
4th Level: astral hospice*, channeled divine health**, cure critical wounds, freedom of movement, healing spirit**, mass lesser vigor*, neutralize poison, panacea*, positive energy aura*, renewed vigor**, repel vermin, restoration, revenance*, wall of good*.
5th Level: atonement, break enchantment, dance of the unicorn*, greater vigor*, hallow, invest heavy protection**, mass cure light wounds, mass sanctuary*, raise dead, revivify*, stone to flesh, wall of dispel magic*.
6th Level: greater dispel magic, heal, heroes’ feast, mass cure moderate wounds, revive outsider*, vigorous circle*.
7th Level: fortunate fate*, greater restoration, holy word, mass cure serious wounds, mass restoration*, regenerate, renewal pact*, repulsion, resurrection.
8th Level: chain dispel**, death pact*, holy aura, mass cure critical wounds, wall of greater dispel magic*.
9th Level: foresight, freedom, gate, mass heal, true resurrection.

*Spell Compendium
**Player's Handbook II

 

[FireLance]

I've always thought that the healer should be a spontaneous caster that knows all the spells available to her, like a warmage, dread necromancer or beguiler.

That would be my #1 fix for the class.

 

[airwalkrr]

I've always thought that the healer should be a spontaneous caster that knows all the spells available to her, like a warmage, dread necromancer or beguiler.

That would be my #1 fix for the class.

Personally, I hate spontaneous magic for the most part and wish it would go away from D&D. In fact, I'm getting rid of it in my next Greyhawk campaign with the sole exception of dragons and perhaps similar creatures.

 

[Phaedrus]

I agree with Firelance... make the healer like the warmage.

 

[sirwmholder]

If you are going with a strict healer that can get in heal and get out again I might would drop the Heavy Armor and maybe include Uncanny Dodge as a class feature... that or I would probably add some means of healing at range without using a mass heal.

As a side note: we changed level 0 Cure Minor Wounds to heal 1d4 no bonuses in our standard D&D game.

Hope this helps,
William Holder

 

[airwalkrr]

I'll come up with a spontaneous casting type of healer in the vein of the warmage, but it isn't my preferred method.