snarfoogle
First Post
Necromancy, of course. In fact, I think Necromancy specialists should gain healing spells (slower than clerics, of course), because Necromancy is cool.
Healing Spells
- Thread starter The Druid Merlin
- Start date
Raven Crowking
First Post
I said evocation. In my opinion, when a healing spell is cast, the power of a deity is channeled through the healer. The healer isn't really doing anything other than evoking his or her patron's power.
Of course, that is a very specific idea of what healing does or is. Calling healing necromancy just seems wrong to me.
RC
Of course, that is a very specific idea of what healing does or is. Calling healing necromancy just seems wrong to me.
RC
Merlion
First Post
What about an atheist bard casting a healing spell then?
Or a cleric of a god of death?
I've never been able to understand associating healing with gods, in a polytheistic sense. A god of healing yes, but a god of killing and slaughter is going to care much about healing.
And, if a cleric casting a spell is a direct channeling of the power of their god, they'd be spontaneous casters for all their spells.
Supposedly, a Clerics spells are granted by their faith in their god (or something else entirely)
Disrupt Undead channels positive energy to damage undead, and is Necromancy, not Evocation.
Or a cleric of a god of death?
I've never been able to understand associating healing with gods, in a polytheistic sense. A god of healing yes, but a god of killing and slaughter is going to care much about healing.
And, if a cleric casting a spell is a direct channeling of the power of their god, they'd be spontaneous casters for all their spells.
Supposedly, a Clerics spells are granted by their faith in their god (or something else entirely)
Disrupt Undead channels positive energy to damage undead, and is Necromancy, not Evocation.
I'm gonna dissent and say that I think healing makes a lot of sense in Conjuration.
The way I see it you're calling a bit of energy from the positive energy plane, the only source of magical healing energy. Calling and teleportation is Conjuration so it fits.
Healing can't be evocation because you can't evoke that healing energy, since it's unique to the positive energy plane. You can evoke a fireball on the other hand because there is fire all across the multiverse, on the material plane, in Baator, in Limbo, and most everywhere else. Healing energy is different in that it comes from a specific source, so it has to be called from that source to wherever you need it.
Of course, if you see it my way then all the Inflict spells should be Conjurations also, calling negative energy from the Negative Energy Plane instead of listed in the Necromancy school as they currently are. Heh.
The way I see it you're calling a bit of energy from the positive energy plane, the only source of magical healing energy. Calling and teleportation is Conjuration so it fits.
Healing can't be evocation because you can't evoke that healing energy, since it's unique to the positive energy plane. You can evoke a fireball on the other hand because there is fire all across the multiverse, on the material plane, in Baator, in Limbo, and most everywhere else. Healing energy is different in that it comes from a specific source, so it has to be called from that source to wherever you need it.
Of course, if you see it my way then all the Inflict spells should be Conjurations also, calling negative energy from the Negative Energy Plane instead of listed in the Necromancy school as they currently are. Heh.
Merlion
First Post
I can agree with that.
However as I mentioned, to me it seems like creating/conjuring matter is the province of Conjuration, and creating/calling energy is the province of Evocation
However especially lately this is getting blurred.
I think either they need to fold into each other, or it needs to be across the board that Conjuration summons creatures or makes objects, and Evocation deals with energy.
And either way, I've always thought of healing as a reparing of the body, or a transfer of life energy from one to the other, not calling "positive" energy from another plane.
However as I mentioned, to me it seems like creating/conjuring matter is the province of Conjuration, and creating/calling energy is the province of Evocation
However especially lately this is getting blurred.
I think either they need to fold into each other, or it needs to be across the board that Conjuration summons creatures or makes objects, and Evocation deals with energy.
And either way, I've always thought of healing as a reparing of the body, or a transfer of life energy from one to the other, not calling "positive" energy from another plane.
The Druid Merlin
First Post
I have another idea as well. Wizards get healing spells under the Necromancy school, right? However they need material components to cast their healing spells. Material components could include leaves, fruits, roots, vegetables, nuts, beans or meat.Merlion said:
The Druid Merlin
First Post
This is my explanation of arcane magic so don't get upset.
Here's how I see things for my campaign. All wizards in my world are scientists of some, sort. Necromancers are the biologists, forensic pathologists, and bio-weapons experts; Conjurors are the physicists, geologists and meteorologists (though they conjure weather and not predict it), Evokers are the physicists and chemists (chemistry is also the science of matter reacting with energy), Diviners are a little bit of every thing, Enchanters are the physicists, psychologists and chemists; Transmuters are the physicists, chemists, and geologists; Illusionists are the psychologists and optical scientists, and Abjurers are the physicists.
Here's how I see things for my campaign. All wizards in my world are scientists of some, sort. Necromancers are the biologists, forensic pathologists, and bio-weapons experts; Conjurors are the physicists, geologists and meteorologists (though they conjure weather and not predict it), Evokers are the physicists and chemists (chemistry is also the science of matter reacting with energy), Diviners are a little bit of every thing, Enchanters are the physicists, psychologists and chemists; Transmuters are the physicists, chemists, and geologists; Illusionists are the psychologists and optical scientists, and Abjurers are the physicists.
Raven Crowking
First Post
Merlion said:
Well, this is a perspective thing, really. IMC, if you don't have a patron deity, you don't cast divine spells. Period. And, IMC, if you are an atheist you are also a fool, because evidence of the existence of gods is all around you.
Again, depends on how you view your god of death. If the god is evil, IMC, she wouldn't grant healing spells. Problem solved.
From a polytheistic (or monotheistic) sense, associating gods with the power of life and death over human beings has been pretty universal. Of course, in Christian mythology, healing is specifically associated with true followers of God and His Son. From a Medieval standpoint, healing spells would be the province of clerics only.
That said, I agree that a god of killing and slaughter wouldn't offer healing spells. One of the best things about 2nd Ed AD&D was that you could (and were encouraged to) customize priests to best represent their respective deitites.
True, but if it were up to me, Disrupt Undead would also be evocation.
RC
The Druid Merlin
First Post
Speaking about death...
Speaking about death, would any one like to vote for the name of the Chaotic Good plane or for Grim Reaper job applications.
Speaking about death, would any one like to vote for the name of the Chaotic Good plane or for Grim Reaper job applications.
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LightPhoenix
First Post
Which brings us to the discussion of generalist versus specialist Clerics, which is a topic for another thread.Merlion said:
As for me... I can see arguments for any of the four schools. It really depends on your definition of Necromancy and Transmutation.
Personally, I think that Transmutation, as it's currently defined, is very much too vague... it's pretty much the catch-all category for any spell that doesn't fall into one of the other groups. In addition, Necromancy is a very oddly formed school, definitely gears towards the darker arts. Realistically, Necromancy could probably be folded into Transmutation (for animating the dead and healing) and Enchantment (for all the fear effects).
In the end I'd probably just let healing be whatever school the player wants his character to have it be... whether that's channelling divine power or positive energy, physically repairing wounds, tapping into life forces, or what not. Then, anything dependant on spell school, which is relatively few things in reality, would use the school chosen for healing.
