D&D 5E What can Heal actually heal?

[Arryn]

We got to talking at my table about what can actually be healed with the Heal spell. We all know that it heals damage, but it also can heal "any diseases affecting the target."

So could it be used on an addict or alcoholic to break their addictions? What about mental diseases like schizophrenia?

This is a silly thing, but if a character had a vasectomy, would it heal that?

 

[Caliban]

In D&D, the term disease usually refers to a disease that affects the body, not a mental disease. I don't think drug or alcohol addiction would be classified as a disease for the purposes of D&D, but check with your DM. (The game doesn't really reference them at all - this is a fantasy game.)

There are also magical diseases (or have been in previous additions). Not sure if the spell would heal those - magical diseases tend to be harder to fix, even with magic.

 

[Oofta]

My ruling

We got to talking at my table about what can actually be healed with the Heal spell. We all know that it heals damage, but it also can heal "any diseases affecting the target."

So could it be used on an addict or alcoholic to break their addictions?

No, addiction is disease-adjacent but is not really a disease.

What about mental diseases like schizophrenia?

I would say yes, there is ample evidence that many mental diseases are caused by chemical /structural issues with the brain.

This is a silly thing, but if a character had a vasectomy, would it heal that?

No, physically repairing that would be similar to reattaching a limb and would require a regenerate. Well, or maybe a Greater Restoration if you consider a vasectomy a "debilitating effect".

 

[jaelis]

I'd treat a "mental disease" as a type of insanity, see the DMG. I don't think Heal works for them, but if I recall Greater Restoration does.

 

[Savage Wombat]

You could probably fix a vasectomy with Regenerate. I think the caster would have to do so deliberately, though.

 

[Mad_Jack]

Mental illness in D&D has always traditionally fallen under insanity rules. Although you could argue that certain types of insanity that had a physical cause (lesions on the brain, etc.) might be cured by a Heal spell.
Magical diseases such as Mummy Rot generally have "Restoration/Greater Restoration required" specifically baked into their descriptions, but if the particular disease doesn't say so, it's probably curable with that Heal spell (expect table variation).

One thing Heal won't do is restore lost limbs or regenerate body parts, so much like your insurance company it won't cover trying to reverse that vasectomy...

 

[cmad1977]

Vasectomy: yes(?)
Insanity: no.
Addiction: yes(the physical parts of it anyways).

Edit: after looking through some of the posts I'd say
Vasectomy:no



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[Storyteller Hero]

Hmm one wonders if intestinal parasites would be considered a disease rather than unfriendly mooching hitchhikers. If so, then being able to flush them out with a single cast would be one of the great things about Heal. I mean, who needs the hassle of fighting orcs and demons while having to contend with an itchy digestive tract opening, amiright?

 

[Al2O3]

Hmm one wonders if intestinal parasites would be considered a disease rather than unfriendly mooching hitchhikers. If so, then being able to flush them out with a single cast would be one of the great things about Heal. I mean, who needs the hassle of fighting orcs and demons while having to contend with an itchy digestive tract opening, amiright?

I think some monster consisting of parasites are explicitly called out as being killed by anything curing disease. So I would say yes on internal parasites.

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[transtemporal]

Vasectomy, no. It doesn't restore the body to factory fresh settings. It just heals damage done.

But everything else (including Slaad eggs), yes.