To each their own. Trying to stay ahead of damage is a sucker's game in 5e though, and that's by design. Most combats only last a few rounds, so picking someone up in time for their turn is literally all that matters. If they get knocked down again after they go, who cares? Just pick them up again before their next turn if you need them, and if the combat is still going. Death saves are a resource - they are in effect an infinitely rechargeable extra hit point pool. It's smart to use them. And healing word is a bonus action with a 60 foot range that recharges death saves.
Cure wounds is an action, requires touch, and does 2 more points of healing than healing word. If you think 2 points of health is worth trading 60 foot range and a bonus action instead of action well...we see action economy very differently.
That's why I think healing word is broken and bad for the game. With healing word readily available, it is very, very hard for characters to die. It totally lowers the stakes in combat. I mean, death saves already do this, but when you combine them with healing word the encounter has to be incredibly tough or players incredibly bad for them to really be at risk. And it is widely available at level 1 as a bonus action at range, so the action economy is amazing. More encounters have been profoundly altered by healing word than any other spell in the game, which is why I think it is hands down the most powerful, consequential spell in 5e.
Not taking healing word because you think it is cheesy and broken I can respect. Not taking it because you think cure wounds is better is a difficult argument to make. I think it should be removed from the game.
I suppose it just comes down to how I've learned to play spellcasters- I'm miserly with my spell slots, never knowing what I'm going to need in the rest of the day. The idea that I can burn all my spell slots giving people just enough hit points to stand (which effectively has no cost, unlike in previous editions where it could cost all your movement, or worse), just to be knocked down again by something slightly more dangerous than bad breath irks me.
I want more mileage out of my spell slots than that. Ideally, I'd be able to prevent people from falling down in the first place, but defensive spells are really terrible. Shield of Faith? 10% miss chance, and it takes my concentration.
I'm fully aware Cure Wounds is terrible, but I really feel better about possibly giving someone the ability to remain standing by my next turn so that I could maybe do something other than "healing word and a mediocre cantrip/weapon attack" in one encounter until I'm out of spell slots.
Again, I played in 4e, and people griped about "pop up healing" there, but you had 2 healing words in tier 1, and you couldn't afford to just heal people- you had to do some serious damage, debuff an enemy, do something else to win battles. And it wasn't like you could heal people all day long- almost all healing required spending surges, and once those were out, you were done.
So it really comes down to I don't like this paradigm, where combat healing is atrociously feeble, out of combat healing is plentiful, and "being a healer" means to slap duct tape on a guy bleeding out so he can freaking regenerate like a troll later.
At least until you can cast
heal, I suppose.
