Healer character who isn't a cleric

[kenobi65]

Psionic characters can be built with healing capabilities.

Specifically, you'd probably want to be an Egoist (Psion specializing in Psychometabolism).
- Empathic Transfer (2nd level Psychometabolism power) lets you remove HP damage from others, and transfer it to yourself, at a 2-for-1 rate (e.g., take 8 hp of damage from your ally, and suffer 4 hp yourself).
- Body Adjustment (3rd level Psion power) lets you heal yourself.

Not the easiest way to do it, but you can do it.

The issue with psionics in general, given your stated intent for the character, is that you've got a lot of ways that you can buff yourself (not to mention a large number of ways to injure your opponents), but relatively few ways to buff other party members.

 

[two]

Ummm

It's been said before, but the Bard Inspire Courage ability can be very powerful.

If you spend a feat or two to increase it, and cast the various spells that increase it, you can be doing +3/+3 to hit/dam from 1st level onward.

That is a superb buff for the level, and it's even great at level 10. Of cousre by level 10 you are doing +5/+5 or something.

Use your actual spells to heal. Buy a wand of cure light wounds. Or three of them. Bards also have some nice party buff spells.

And don't use a whip. Use a real weapon that does damage, lots of it.

 

[SteveC]

If you can talk them into it, and if the Level is right, try the Binder from Tome of Magic. One 4th level vestige, Buer, can allow you to heal 2d8+twice your level in hit points on someone every minute, you yourself get fast healing, and anyone within range of you has any poisons and diseases halted while they stay within range of you. With the right feat, you can bind a pact with Buer as early as 5th level.

It's a poor man's healer, but it's (A) unlimited, and (B) you have many other vestiges to choose from that allow you other roles each day, such as ranged attacks, melee combat, arcane magic use, and stealthy roles.

However, NOTHING beats the wide healing ability of a Cleric. Second best are both Favored Souls, and Healers, in the Miniatures Handbook.

Henry,
You are a wise man. I have been looking to try out something new, and the Binder sounds like just the ticket. The archivist will be a back up if the first gets shot down. Should be an interesting game!

Thanks everyone!

--Steve

 

[QuaziquestGM]

shaman from oriental adventures.

spont healing
unarmed strike
turn undead
see etherial
Animal companion
mix of spell lists.

Warlock
(no really)
use magic device
emulate alignment/caster class
take 10 on UMD
the question is, what level?

 

[mvincent]

1) Give the party's rogue, ranger, paladin or bard a Wand of cure light wounds
2) Play a rogue, ranger, paladin or bard with a Wand of cure light wounds
3) Take the leadership feat and get a healing cohort

 

[KarinsDad]

Specifically, you'd probably want to be an Egoist (Psion specializing in Psychometabolism).
- Empathic Transfer (2nd level Psychometabolism power) lets you remove HP damage from others, and transfer it to yourself, at a 2-for-1 rate (e.g., take 8 hp of damage from your ally, and suffer 4 hp yourself).
- Body Adjustment (3rd level Psion power) lets you heal yourself.

Not the easiest way to do it, but you can do it.

The issue with psionics in general, given your stated intent for the character, is that you've got a lot of ways that you can buff yourself (not to mention a large number of ways to injure your opponents), but relatively few ways to buff other party members.

True. However, it can sometimes be better to disable your opponents than to buff your allies. Entangling Ectoplasm against one opponent is the equivalent of +2 to hit for all of your allies against that opponent (however, it is only for that one single opponent).


Another better psionic healing option is to take a Warforged Shaper or Egoist with Empathic Transfer and Psionic Repair Damage (one of these powers would need to be acquired via Expanded Knowledge).

Repair Damage heals a lot more than Body Adjustment.

Throw Empowered Power, Psicrystal Affinity, Share Pain, and Vigor in the mix and the PC can Vigor both himself and his psicrystal and then share any damage between the two. He then can also share the damage when using (Empowered) Empathic Transfer. He can then use (Empowered) Psionic Repair Damage if necessary (but it should rarely be necessary).

So, he can effectively heal (even without the Empower) about 11 hits for every 4 PP at 3rd level to 55 hits for every 14 PP at 11th level (not including the Share Pain cost). With Empower, it jumps to about 82 hits for every 17 PP at 13th level.

And for himself, he could heal 16 hits for 3 PP for both himself and his psicrystal simultaneously (share power) with Repair Damage. Considering that Share Pain effectively doubles the healing here, this is about 32 hits for 3 PP.

Not quite as effective as a Cleric, but still significant healing.

 

[kenobi65]

1) Give the party's rogue, ranger, paladin or bard a Wand of cure light wounds
2) Play a rogue, ranger, paladin or bard with a Wand of cure light wounds

This solves part of the problem, but not all of it.

"Happy sticks" work just fine for healing the party up post-combat, assuming everyone survived the combat.

What they don't do such a great job of is providing big chunks of healing during combat. When the party's tank is going toe-to-toe with some BBEG, who's hacking off 1/2 of your tank's HP per round, 1d8+1 is not going to help very much.

It also doesn't address the occasional need for "non-HP" healing: Restoration, Remove Disease, Remove Blindness, etc.

And, it doesn't get you to the other buff-type spells the OP indicated he's being asked to provide.

3) Take the leadership feat and get a healing cohort

If the campaign's starting at a high-enough level that this is an option from the start, it's a pretty good option.

If it's not, one might argue that the sorts of healing you require at lower levels might be able to be met with a few happy sticks, until your PC makes it to 6th level and gets that cohort.

 

[Jdvn1]

And don't use a whip. Use a real weapon that does damage, lots of it.

A Bard that deals a lot of damage? Medium BAB and low HD makes me prefer either ranged weapons on reach weapons.

 

[two]

A Bard that deals a lot of damage? Medium BAB and low HD makes me prefer either ranged weapons on reach weapons.

Mighty longbow works.

 

[kenobi65]

Mighty longbow works.

A bard with a Strength bonus, too? Will wonders never cease?