D&D 5E Blessed healer and mass cure spells.

[Nikosandros]

Just a quick question. If a character with the blessed healer feature casts a spell that heals multiple targets (such as Mass Healing Word or Mass Cure Wounds) and includes themselves among the targets, does the feature trigger or not?

For reference, here is the rules text: When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that restores hit points to a creature other than you, you regain hit points equal to 2 + the spell’s level.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I would say not.

Or if I was to be nice and house rule a verdict... I'd say the caster would regain either the hit points from the spell, or the hit points from the Blessed Healer feature, whichever is higher.

The one thing they wouldn't get is both sets of healing stacked.

 

[Nikosandros]

I think that the bonus is the same: 2 + level of the spell. I'm also inclined not to trigger the feature, but I was curious to read other people's opinion.

 

[DEFCON 1]

More often than not I suspect the caster would rather include themselves as a recipient of the spell than just relying on the feature because they'd get more hit points. Something like Mass Cure Wounds would give the caster 3d8+mod in HP (about 16 HP on average) if they included themselves... or 7 HP from the feature alone (2 + the 5th level spell). Unless of course the cleric had six people they needed to heal, in which case they could heal all six with the spell and then get themselves the extra HP from Blessed Healer.

 

[jaelis]

Just going by the rule text, I’d say the the cleric gets the bonus healing regardless of whether they themselves are also healed by the spell. And I don’t really have any balance problem with that.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Yes, the caster gets the benefit. So long as the spell heals at least one person who isn't you the effect is triggered. It's no big deal, healing is easy to come by in 5e.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

For reference, here is the rules text: When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that restores hit points to a creature other than you, you regain hit points equal to 2 + the spell’s level.

RAW, it does heal you.

The wording is clear - "restores hit points to a creature other than you". There's no verbiage about "not healing you". That's making up rules that aren't there because you imagine them.

If your spell heals at least one creature that isn't you, you regain 2+spell level HP.

Anyone ruling otherwise is house-ruling and making a fairly weak feature even weaker than it should be. This isn't some sort of high-value deal.

 

[TwoSix]

The wording is clear - "restores hit points to a creature other than you". There's no verbiage about "not healing you".

This. There's nothing to indicate that you can't also heal yourself, just that you must heal someone else.

 

[Nikosandros]

Well, you folks seem to raise a fair point. I've also polled the players of my to 5e groups (coincidentally, both have a life cleric that's about to get to 6th level) and so far opinions are varied.

 

[fearsomepirate]

Just a quick question. If a character with the blessed healer feature casts a spell that heals multiple targets (such as Mass Healing Word or Mass Cure Wounds) and includes themselves among the targets, does the feature trigger or not?

For reference, here is the rules text: When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that restores hit points to a creature other than you, you regain hit points equal to 2 + the spell’s level.

Did a creature other than you get healed? Then yes, the feature triggers. Note that it's hp equal to 2 + the spell's level, full stop, not "2 + the spell's level per creature healed." So Mass Cure Wounds gives the caster a whopping 7 hp bonus, nothing to really worry about breaking the game with.