Experiences With the Healer Class?

[Felon]

I've had folks play'em IMC, but always house-ruled that they cast spontaneously. I've also played one myself in a campaign where I knew I was going to be too bored to be an active player, so I wanted something simple and utilitarian.

The class, as written, is rather limp. It can't do much the cleric can't as far as healing goes. It's nice to be able to add your Cha modfier to damage healed, especially when casting those 1 point cure minors, and it's got most of the Cha-based skills and a decent skill-point allotment, so the character can be the party's appointed "face-man". You don't get spontaneous casting, but you do get more spells per day.

Most of the other class features just allow the healer to cast an extral spell as a supernatural ability. It's more or less akin to a cleric receiving domain spells.

The armor restrictions are just downright annoying, and are sufficient to swing more than a few folks away from this class in favor of a cleric.

And the unicorn companion is just...lame. It's like someone saying "we really don't want anyone playing this class".

Or perhaps it's more like "we really want people to use the unicorn mini in our dumb little skirmish game".

Bottom line, this class should be able to heal at range. That would be broken for a cleric or druid, but would redeem this class.

 

[Remathilis]

The best way to fix healer is to allow it to cast spontaneously from its list like a sorcerer can. Keep the same number of spells per day, but just nix memorization.

* Can use JUST about any healing/status remover spell at a moment's notice.
* Not much else...

Actually, a Healer and Warmage together make a fine Final Fantasy White Mage/Black Mage...

 

[Brennin Magalus]

I think the healer is supposed to be an NPC "support" class to take the "burden" of healing off the cleric. It is not meant to be exciting in and of itself.

 

[Felon]

No, its real intent is just to provide a utilitarian healing character for the minis game.

I agree they do make good NPC's though.

 

[Crothian]

Looks like I might finally have a chance to PLAY in a campaign again - it's been a loooooong time for me, getting to play a character - and I really like the idea of playing a healer character.

I've got a more healer oriented class you may like. It is very healer oriented and does so both magically and mundane.

 

[Felon]

Particularly Skill Focus (heal)? "A healer's focused training grants her this feat at 2nd level. If she already has this feat, she may choose a different one."

A different one? Like, say, ANY other one?

Sure, why not? If you've already coughed up a feat for Skill Focus (Heal), why should you get shafted by not receiving another feat in its stead? The ranger's bonus Track feat should work this way as well.

Thoughts on multi-classing Healer/Marshall? I see the character as a Captain America type, one concerned with guiding and protecting his allies in the fight against "evil". The combination seems a relatively effective one, as both rely on Charisma, and the marshall's auras would be very helpful. However, it would curtail spell levels, which might prove disastrous.

I'm playing a marshall in a Dragonlance campaign. It's a pretty cool class, and you can just take one or two levels of it and still be pretty effective. Their skillsets also compliment each other nicely.


Patrick Y.[/QUOTE]

 

[Psion]

I think I'd rather play the Healer from Warcraft.

 

[tuculus]

I love playing a healer. Our party is fairly tankish so I make it my goal to get in the middle of combat, backing up the other's and prevent them from going down.

Augmented healing and Reach spell from Complete Divine. Must have feats for a Healer.

 

[Telperion]

Holy Channel from Relics and Rituals has been one of my favorite spells for healer characters for as long as I have owned the book.

Healing from Long range is nice, although you can't easily swap targets. Still, if every tank in a party has a single Healer NPC supporting him from, say, 600 feet away it's a nice combination .

Aside from that I'm also of the opinion that the Healer is an NPC class. A rather nice NPC class if you compare it to the ones presented in the DMG, but no player has touched it and probably never will.

 

[gunter uxbridge]

Funny thing about this thread....but my group just decided to take on a Healer as an NPC for the campaign we are starting in January. Usually I have a party NPC to fill in any gaps missing by the PCs or to give a visiting player a chance to sit in without breaking party continuity. Sounds like this will be a perfect fit, though I can see the NPC going for a few levels in Cleric wile he is at it.