pukunui said:This is one of the few things that concerns me about the new rules. I really do hope there are some buff-only powers for the cleric but I'm not holding my breath. The whole "hit to buff" thing seems to be their way of avoiding the "cleric as walking bandaid" problem.
FWIW, I think what they're trying to avoid is forcing the cleric to chose between fighting and healing/buffing. Now he can be a front-liner without sacrificing his comrades' well-being. That might be what you meant by walking bandaid, but I'm not sure.
Edit: also to avoid the "quick let's fight--my buffs are gonna run out in 8 rounds!" and "let's camp, our buffs are gone."