Cleric Won't Heal?

[Warpiglet-7]

I refuse to play a healbot.

I prefer to fight and protect while in the thick of battle. If I have some spells left before a rest or someone is going to die, sure, heal away.

I can think of nothing less exciting than playing a back line cleric healing everyone one up and avoiding combat.

sounds almost as much fun as a bard always avoiding combat and using inspiration and bless.

no offense to anyone who has fun doing that! But I refuse for someone else’s assumptions about the game to constrain me.

the contract of playing in a party is that I will help the party succeed. I will probably risk myself to save your bacon! But I refuse to simply wait around to boost your hit points. Sometimes, sure. But if I am playing the fierce defender of a faith, I am probably going to play them accordingly.

 

[Zardnaar]

Might be better to ask in the D&D forum?

Derp my bad doh.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

I refuse to play a healbot.

I prefer to fight and protect while in the thick of battle. If I have some spells left before a rest or someone is going to die, sure, heal away.

I can think of nothing less exciting than playing a back line cleric healing everyone one up and avoiding combat.

sounds almost as much fun as a bard always avoiding combat and using inspiration and bless.

no offense to anyone who has fun doing that! But I refuse for someone else’s assumptions about the game to constrain me.

the contract of playing in a party is that I will help the party succeed. I will probably risk myself to save your bacon! But I refuse to simply wait around to boost your hit points. Sometimes, sure. But if I am playing the fierce defender of a faith, I am probably going to play them accordingly.

I think this is why having open communication is very important to any game table, even if someone doesn't do a full Session Zero.

If I know Warpiglet does not play that kind of cleric - being more a warpriest who will then use whatever is left after the combat to heal us back up - then I can plan my character accordingly. Or we take on challenges accordingly. It shouldn't be a last second 'Oh, btw people... I don't heal anyone in combat.'

Everyone is allowed their kind of fun as long as it doesn't interfere with someone else's. That being said also, in balance, it's selfish for a player to opt out of activities without a discussion with the group - for your example of the bard avoiding combat, that might not be a problem for some campaigns (or even beneficial), but at other tables, at BARE MINIMUM, that should be cleared with the other players

 

[Zardnaar]

What did the fighter do that offended the Cleric? (Or more accurately, what did the respective players thereof do?)

Nothing but the cleric has a grand total of two spells.

Cure wound 1d8+4, Guiding Bolt 4d6.

Basically she can't heal everyone anyway even if she wanted to.

 

[Maxperson]

Clerics have more roles more than just healer. If I'm not building a cleric specifically as a healing PC, don't expect me to be the party healer.

 

[Zardnaar]

Clerics have more roles more than just healer. If I'm not building a cleric specifically as a healing PC, don't expect me to be the party healer.

This is how I look at it. I'll try and stop you dying but I'm not going to be your personal walking wand of clw.

I would rather spread the damage around and use a prayer of healing vs trying to heal 1 person.

 

[Zardnaar]

Cleric won’t heal, Fighter won’t fight.

Once you hit level 5 or 6 the cleric can start to outperform the fighter at fighting.

Outside of some min maxed builds abusing the -5/+10 feats.

 

[Krachek]

Cleric is right. He will save your fighter more hit points by using other spells than healing ones.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Interesting. In our game we started without a cleric but our sorcerer took the Healer feat and we were fine. I've never seen a 5E game where recovering hit points was hard given the healer feat, cheap potions, short rests, and (if the casters cooperate) healing magic.

Remember, Bards, Druid, Paladins, Rangers, and (if you have Xanathar's) Divine Soul Sorcerer and Celestial Warlock, all get healing spells as well.

But more to the OP: I suppose trying to explain to the cleric that healing others before they go down keeps them in the fight more. If you wait until they go down, you have too likely of a case of "whack-a-mole" happening. Otherwise, a good cleric and use offense to help as well as defense--IME a proper blend makes for the best case unless you want to play a dedicated heal-bot type.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

I think I might be biased by my long term group. We are just friends who happened to have an interest in D&D so it’s decades of play, sometimes interrupted, but I digress.

back to 1e, it’s only been a discussion of good party or evil party. All thieves? All clerics? Whatever. Better get some haling potions!

we just create and play and don’t have assumptions other than mutual aid and assistance. And 5e in particular is not so deadly. So I have never assumed too much other than contribution and no outright hostility.

I never assume a cleric or wizard is going to do one thing or another.

but again, different groups have different assumptions. In other words, if the cleric said no healing unless dire situation demands it, I would shrug and assume they were helping kill stuff faster so there is less need to heal in. The first place