Healer/Medic Class Combo?

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Combat Medic gets +1 existing spellcasting level per level, Healing Kicker at 1st (add a specified effect to healing; sanctuary, bonus to Reflex, or aid), comp bonus to Concentration while casting defensively at 2nd, can Heal as move-action and always take 10 at 3rd, Mobility at 3rd, Evasion at 4th, spontaneous swapout of 6th-lvl spell for heal at 5th-lvl.

d6 HD, 2 skills/level.

Pre-reqs: non-evil, Concentration 4, Heal 8, Combat Casting, Dodge, ability to cast cure light wounds.

The character in question hasn't been made yet so an in-game fit isn't a worry. The character will probably also be a cohort/NPC so it doesn't have to live up to the powers of a full-fledged PC.

 

[Gez]

The only thing from the Combat Medic that seems really useful for the Healer is the Kicker -- and even then, all thoughts considered, it isn't that great, since you'll usually heal the frontline tanks, who won't benefit from that sanctuary for long. Getting comp bonus to Concentration is no longer useful once you do not provoke AoOs anymore for healing spells. Mobility and Evasion are nice, though, although you'll probably already have invested in Mobility by the time you reach that level.

I'd say pure healer.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Agreed, but the thing about the Healer class is that a lot of the level abilities aren't all that useful (remove disease once per day, etc.), or at least less useful than say Mobility or Evasion. If the Medic didn't have the +1 spellcasting level than it would be a no-brainer, but the fact that it does makes things a little more interesting...

 

[Felon]

The only thing from the Combat Medic that seems really useful for the Healer is the Kicker -- and even then, all thoughts considered, it isn't that great, since you'll usually heal the frontline tanks, who won't benefit from that sanctuary for long.

Especially considering the kicker only lasts one round anyway.

 

[Nightfall]

*is just keeping quiet but will say he sides with Felon on this no matter what.*

 

[Gez]

Agreed, but the thing about the Healer class is that a lot of the level abilities aren't all that useful (remove disease once per day, etc.), or at least less useful than say Mobility or Evasion. If the Medic didn't have the +1 spellcasting level than it would be a no-brainer, but the fact that it does makes things a little more interesting...

Remove disease 1/day lets you devote one more spell slot to cure spells.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Assuming you were taking the spell to begin with...

 

[Gez]

Hey, you never know!

That said, here's a proposal house-ruled Healer. What do you think?

Spellcasting, BAB, and save progressions are left unmodified, and each ability that isn't rewritten below is likewise unmodified.

Level  Special
  1    Healing Hands
  2    Skill Focus (Heal)
  3    Cleanse paralysis
  4    Cleanse disease
  5    Cleanse fear
  6    Cleanse poison
  7    Effortless healing
  8    Unicorn companion
  9    Cleanse blindness
 10    Cleanse spirit
 11    --
 12    Extra cleansing 1/day
 13    Cleanse petrification
 14    Extra cleansing 2/day
 15    New limb
 16    Extra cleansing 3/day
 17    --
 18    Extra cleansing 4/day
 19    --
 20    Extra cleansing 5/day, new life

Healing Hands (Ex): Whenever a healer casts a spell of the healing subschool that she casts as a healer (not by virtue of levels in another class), she adds her Charisma bonus to the amount of damage healed.
In addition, a healer may lay on hands as a standard action, restoring up to her healer level times her Charisma bonus hit points per day. She may choose to divide this healing among multiple recipients, and she doesn't have to use it all at once. If she has levels in other classes granting lay on hands (for example, paladin), the class levels stack for purpose of this ability.

Extra Cleansing: Starting at 12th level a healer gets to use her cleansing abilities more often. She can use extra cleansing to get one additional use this day of a cleansing ability (cleanse paralysis, cleanse disease, cleanse fear, cleanse poison, cleason blindness, cleanse spirit, and clease petrification) she already used. For example, a 16th level healer could use cleanse petrification four times, and each of the other cleansing ability once one day. Or she could use cleanse petrification, cleanse poison, and cleanse blindness each twice, or any other combination. Extra cleansing doesn't apply to the New Life and New Limb abilities.

 

[Coach K]

Healer/Scout/Combat Medic

My wife liked the combination of healer/scout/combat medic/(unknown yet). She is the only divine caster in our mixed party. Because healers may heal and not provoke AoO, she takes advantage of being able to move around the battlefield and either 1) Heal or 2) Skirmish. The enemies never seem to know what she'll do in these situations. At first level (Human), I remember her feats were: Augment Healing and Combat Casting, both of which proved very helpful at low level. She took Healer 1 (4 skill points x 4) over Scout 1 (8 skill points x4) so she could advance Concentration and Spellcraft to five ranks in anticipation of the Magic of the Land (Races/Wild) feat at 3rd level. Knowledge (nature) is a class skill for both healer and scout. She placed Charisma and Dexterity as prime categories, but doubts she'll invest in casting ninth-level spells (Wisdom 14). Dodge (prerequiste of the Combat Medic PrC) is helpful, but my wife's character especially likes the Mage Slayer feat as a skirmisher. Thoughts? I could post her build once I return home (at university).

 

[Coach K]

Gez-

With your porposed healer, I suggest adding the Lay on Hands (like a paladin)ability in addition to the Healing Hands ability. There are a couple of divine/exalted feats that focus on this paladin ability, and it seems like a healer's innate ability.