Druids as the only Healers?

[Herobizkit]

Inspired by this thread, how would a game world be affected if Druids were the only class with access to Healing magic?

And more interestingly, what would become of the Paladins and Clerics? Bards lose one spell per level, big whoop (they never used to have Healing magic, so no big deal there! )

 

[Vrecknidj]

I suppose that what happens is determined by the DM. What would you like to happen?

I'd think that druids would be sought-after by those who need healing, but, since I see druids as rather introverted and uninterested in hanging out in town centers and the like, that this would mean that healing would be harder to come by.

If healing is harder to come by, people might not beat the crap out of each other all the time. After all, recovering will be harder. I don't know that I'd learn a lesson from being beaten if I could be cured in 6 seconds from drinking a couple ounces of fluid or receiving the touch of a priest.

But, for the big problems (diseases, severe wounds, etc.), I'd think that the druids would still be sought after. However, they might not be so interested in being paid by big chests of gold. Instead, they might want to be paid in protection or promises. In other words, "I heal you, you don't chop down these trees, and you help drive this green dragon out of this place."

Dave

 

[drothgery]

Resricting healing spells to Druids means that

1 - Far fewer people can cast cure spells (bards, clerics, paladins and rangers lose the spells in a PHB-only game; adepts from the DMG also lose the spells, and a lot of non-core classes), even though there will probably be far more druids than in a standard gameworld

2 - Druids will be less able to use non-cure spells (they don't spontaneously cure, so if they want a cure spell, they have to prepare it); they'll have little choice but to rely on melee (and wildshape) in combat, rather than spells

3 - The typical no-cleric party strategy of relying on wands for healing is not going to work anywhere near as well, if at all; no one but druids has Cure Spells on their list, so non-druids using wands of cure spells have to do it via the Use Magic Device skill.

4 - In a campaign world with standard assumptions, druids are even less likely than clerics to take item creation feats. Potions, and, especially, wands of healing spells are far harder to acquire, and more expensive.

 

[Herobizkit]

My intent was to consider both the RP and the logistics of such a change. I always find that D&D Druids tend to be viewed as tree-hugging eco-defenders, whereas I prefer to think of them as creepy, awe-inspiring movers and shakers of the world. The main Druid (Allanon?)from the Shannara series is a perfect example of what I mean.

Removing the healing powers from the base Cleric would, IMO, put the class focus on defense and buffing. Clerics are no longer the heal-monkeys (although they would still have access to UMD and the Heal skill).

Optionally, it would be interesting to give "minor" access to Healing (3rd-level spells or lower) to the Cleric and keep the "miracular" healing feats in the realm of the Druid.

I dunno, I'm just rambling at this point.

 

[atomn]

However, they might not be so interested in being paid by big chests of gold. Instead, they might want to be paid in protection or promises. In other words, "I heal you, you don't chop down these trees, and you help drive this green dragon out of this place."

I like that, it's a pretty novel idea. With that in mind the landscape, laws and cultures would be skewed towards nature-loving. It would put a different spin on a typical fantasy world.

 

[Wolfwood2]

But, for the big problems (diseases, severe wounds, etc.), I'd think that the druids would still be sought after. However, they might not be so interested in being paid by big chests of gold. Instead, they might want to be paid in protection or promises. In other words, "I heal you, you don't chop down these trees, and you help drive this green dragon out of this place."

I've noticed that PC druids, at least, seem to find just as much use for big chests of gold as everyone else. Ahem.

But more than that, druids can have just as varied motivation as anyone else. I could certainly imagine people who become druids solely because they wanted to learn to heal the wounded, cured the diseased, and ease suffering. Just as I can imagine people who became druids because being the only source of healing allows you to squeeze as much cash as the market will bear.


I wonder, would this also apply to resurrection magicks? Would Reincarnate become the only way to bring people back from the dead? Because that's a little awesome.

 

[Harmon]

Kinda sucks for the Druid, not being able to prepare anything but healing magic. Either that or have the party have to hang out for an extra day to heal up.

Druid- "I know everyone is hurt, but I have nothing left to heal you with."

Party complains.

Druid- "we rest tonight, tomorrow I heal us all up, and we either take the rest of the day off or we continue on with what I have left."

Seems that it would annoy the GM eventually as well as the Players.

 

[Herobizkit]

Kinda sucks for the Druid, not being able to prepare anything but healing magic. Either that or have the party have to hang out for an extra day to heal up.

Isn't that how it used to be, before spontaneous healing became canon in 3e? And don't get me started on players becoming "specialty priests" of God/desses that did not offer any access to the Healing sphere...

Point is, from a player standpoint, Druids would only replace the Cleric as heal-monkeys and the players would be just as demanding on them. Giving Clerics "minor access" to Healing would then make even more sense, plus make it so that lower levels are more manageable.

Hehehe and let's give the bard Cure Light Wounds only, so he can use those precious CLW wands...

 

[Herobizkit]

I wonder, would this also apply to resurrection magicks? Would Reincarnate become the only way to bring people back from the dead? Because that's a little awesome.

It would, and I have run all of my campaigns as such since the "Skills and Powers" era of 2e. I've also gone as far as to re-introduce and amalgamate the old Reincarnation tables of the Wizard and Priest classes, especially the ones as presented in The Complete Humanoid's Handbook. I mean, now that any creature can feasibly be a player class, might as well let them come back as Humanoids...

... and woe to the PC that rolls Pixie... or Ogre Mage...

 

[Herobizkit]

I like that, it's a pretty novel idea. With that in mind the landscape, laws and cultures would be skewed towards nature-loving. It would put a different spin on a typical fantasy world.

My most recent campaign was run as a "New World"-type scenario, where the solo PC and his crew lead an expedition to an uncharted tropical archipelago. They settled, and began to discover the natives: shapechanging Wild Elves, plains-dwelling Wemics, lightning-charged Pixies, giant-sized desert Lizardmen, and a host of other "lesser used" races. My campaign had a decidely "Native American" feel, which I thorougly enjoyed much more than your standard "churchy" D&D.