Healing spells and Necromancy

[DragonLancer]

I think that really, healing is the perview of clerics and not wizards so there is no need for necromancy to have healing spells. Besides, to me at least, necromancy is about creating undead and strengthening them, not about healing.

 

[glass]

I think that really, healing is the perview of clerics and not wizards so there is no need for necromancy to have healing spells. Besides, to me at least, necromancy is about creating undead and strengthening them, not about healing.

Then why are the Inflict spells Necromancy?


glass.

 

[glass]

The healing spells were from the necromancy school in previous editions. Seems the 3E designers wanted necromancy to be the Evil-only spell school, so they invented the conjuration (healing) thing. One of 3E's few completely unnecessary changes.

On a slightly related note, does anyone know why they limited each spell to only one school in 3e?


glass.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

In my campaigns I generally allow Necromancers (not generalist Wizards) to research a Necromantic version of the Cure XXXX Wounds Spells but at one level higher than the equivalent clerical spell (Cure Light Wounds is a 2nd Level Necromancer Spell).

This sounds reasonable. It would make the necro about as viable a healer as a paladin or bard unless the necro used all his spell slots for healing. And even then the necro would be a poor cleric/druid. The "worst case" scenario would be that the necro made a wand, but since the spell would be second level to start out with, he'd be blowing a lot of exp to keep the party at full health all the time.

 

[jmucchiello]

On a slightly related note, does anyone know why they limited each spell to only one school in 3e?

Simplicity. Afterall, if a spell is in two school and one is your prohibited school, can you learn the spell? Some would say yes, some would say no. By not having spells in multiple schools, you eliminate the debate.

At least, I assume that's why.

 

[Felix]

There is a spell in Tome and Blood called Negative Energy Ray and does 1d6/level with a cap of 5d6.

It seems that since Necromancers have to deal with undead all the time they would want a good low-level damaging spell just in case. And that would be Negative Energy Ray's planar opposite: Positive Energy Ray. I don't see why this spell can't be researched and used to great effect on undead.

Of course, that would mean Necromancers now have a ranged 5d6 heal spell. Add the Chain Spell metamagic feat and you have a 4th level spell which mimics Mass Cure Light Wounds (5th level), whose healing power is more potent for the primary target and less so for the arcs. And if your party was fighting undead at the time, then you can simultaneously heal your buddies and harm your foes!

Kinda makes you feel better about having a Necromancer in the party, doesn't it?

 

[MerricB]

Simplicity. Afterall, if a spell is in two school and one is your prohibited school, can you learn the spell? Some would say yes, some would say no. By not having spells in multiple schools, you eliminate the debate.

At least, I assume that's why.

I'm sure that's a large part of it. I know that I saw in 2E spells belonging to m two opposing schools - and in one book it said a specialist could learn those spells even if one was partly barred, and in another book it said that a specialist couldn't learn those spells...

Cheers!

 

[Lamoni]

...that would be Negative Energy Ray's planar opposite: Positive Energy Ray. I don't see why this spell can't be researched and used to great effect on undead.

Of course, that would mean Necromancers now have a ranged 5d6 heal spell. Add the Chain Spell metamagic feat and you have a 4th level spell which mimics Mass Cure Light Wounds (5th level), whose healing power is more potent for the primary target and less so for the arcs. And if your party was fighting undead at the time, then you can simultaneously heal your buddies and harm your foes!

That would be too good for a necromancer, IMO. It is good that arcane casters don't get healing spells... just like it is good that they don't get full BAB, heavy armor proficiency, or a D10 hit die for leveling.

On a side note, can't a cleric currently do what you described with cure light wounds mass? So a level 12 cleric in a party of 4 PC's fighting 8 undead could cast it and heal 1D8+12 to everyone in the party while also damaging all the undead by the same amount. It makes the cure-mass spells extremely useful against undead. Or is there some rule that I missed somewhere that only allows you to use the spells to EITHER cure living OR damage undead, but not both simultaneously?

 

[Felix]

That would be too good for a necromancer, IMO. It is good that arcane casters don't get healing spells... just like it is good that they don't get full BAB, heavy armor proficiency, or a D10 hit die for leveling.

It's not a healing spell, strictly speaking. Healing spells are Conjuration (Healing). This is Necromancy. And since they can channel a bit of the Negative Energy Plane (in Negative Energy Ray), what is stopping them from channeling the Positive?

And I am not suggesting that Necromancers be given access to the cleric's healing spells. I am suggesting that their frequent contact with the undead would lead to the development of an anti-undead spell. And it already has a precident: take a look at Disrupt Undead.

Disrupt Undead
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 0
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: Ray
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes
You direct a ray of positive energy. You must make a ranged touch attack to hit, and if the ray hits an undead creature, it deals 1d6 points of damage to it.

It does not say what happens if it hits a living creature, so a DM could rule that it would do 1d6 points of healing.

The healing isn't as good (d6), the spell takes up slots that would ordinarily be filled with other spells, necromantic spells have precident for channeling the Positive Energy Plane, and most players of clerics hate being thought of as the First Aid Wagon.

...it is good that they don't get full BAB, heavy armor proficiency, or a D10 hit die for leveling.

Do you not like Tenser's Transformation? Because this is basically what it gives them...

It is good that arcane casters don't get healing spells...

...and the bard?

 

[Vaxalon]

"I wanna make a necromancer that heals people!"

Cry me a river.

Necromancers muck about with dead people. Yeah, it's really hard to make a necromancer that's a good guy.

It's also hard to make a character that builds suicide vest-bombs who's a good guy, too.

They both deal death as their primary occupation, using methods most folks would find repugnant even in war.