Healing Spells for Necromancers?

[zealot73]

Here's one I thought I'd throw at ya'll...

In my campaign (and in previous ones I've played in) I allow Good Aligned Necromancers to research Arcane versions of the various Cure Wounds spells. At the same token Evil Necromancers can research the Cause Wounds spells. In my view the study of necromancy while being the study of death is also by it's very nature the study of life. They are kind of like forensic doctors in that their knowledge of anatomy and medicine allow them to determine a cause of death. I never let my PC's start with any of these spells but allow them to research the spells during the course of the game. This helps in case A) Nobody wants to play a Cleric or B) The Cleric gets fed up with being the only "Medic" in the game.

Views and opinions?

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

Well, first of all it's your campaign and as long as you guys are having fun that's all that matters. However ....

If no one wants to play a cleric, then there's always bards and druids. Bards cast spells as a sorceror so if you need the bard to use up all his cures in one go, that's easy enough for him to do.

Giving the wizards straight-up cures infringes on the abilities of the healing classes. Why play a cleric at all if the wizard gets heals that are just as good?

That being said, I don't see a problem with "life transfer" spells for necromancers. to wit: a spell that "heals" 1d6 must cause 1d6 to a willing or unwilling creature. The ammount healed can never be more than the ammount caused. Unwilling creatures get save. That would be a cure spell for the wizards and the other healing classes wouldn't have someone moving in on their "turf"

 

[Oni]

The two things with wizardly healing are this.

1. It can make the wizard class perhaps a little too self sufficient if they reserve the healing for themselves (of course it might be argued that clerics are already too self sufficent since they can do half the stuff a wizard can and fight to boot)

2. It can put undue pressure on the wizard character if he becomes the source of healing for the group becuase it infringes on his already fairly small amount of spells per day if he has to prepare a bunch of heals to help his comrades.

 

[CRGreathouse]

1. Wizards are already considered the most powerful class. Look at their hit dice, attack bonus, armor proficiency, and spells per level, not to mention their spell selection.
2. Since wizards make better necromancers than clerics, they shouldn't get to heal, too.

(remove tongue from cheek)

 

[Mr Fidgit]

welcome zealot73

first, as a DM, i would allow necromancers to cast cure spells if studied and/or developed on their own, but:

1) they would be severly underpowered versions of the cleric's cure spells (like half as effective points-wise, or gained at later levels (cure light would be a 2nd level spell, for example))

2) the spells wouldn't be 'conjuring positive energy', they would be boosting the body's ability to heal itself (more like a repair or mending) -- so they'd have no additional uses, like causing harm to undead