D&D 5E Healing spirit has been updated?

[Charlaquin]

It's official on April Fools, from the guy who has posted an April Fools joke pretty much every year since he arrived at WOTC.

Still not buying it until this is actually official.

I get being skeptical of any news on this particular date, but IMO this doesn’t come across as an April Fools joke at all.

 

[Gladius Legis]

It's official on April Fools, from the guy who has posted an April Fools joke pretty much every year since he arrived at WOTC.

Still not buying it until this is actually official.

The guy who originally made everyone aware of the change on Reddit posted a video with the book showing the change in response to people calling April Fool's.

If you want to believe he and Crawford are in an elaborate collaboration on an April Fool's joke, then you do you, but even the conspiracy theorist in me has a tough time believing that's the case.

 

[DND_Reborn]

It wasn't once per round. It was once on each character's turn. It takes a move on each turn to accomplish.

The updated version posted is not any different.

What I wrote is correct: it can only affect a target once per round. But since you missed the meaning I will be more explicit: it can only affect each target once per round. Sorry for the confusion.

I know how the pre-errata abuse worked. The updated version is the same and to me that is part of the issue, which is why I said I don't think it is a good fix. Now, you can affect up to six creatures in one round if they all move through the space on their turn. Six creatures each getting 1d6 is not a big help IMO, but YMMV.

Prayer of healing is a cleric spell. Healing spirit is a druid spell. Neither typically has option to save the slot for one or the other.

Valid point! I was thinking of it just because we have both classes in our party. So, instead of the druid using healing spirit, the cleric can cast prayer of healing.

Compared to aura of vitality or mass healing word it was. Mass healing word of d4+mod to up to 6 targets is worse than move to heal repeatedly. Aura of vitality is once like you suggest.

Ok, with a +5 mod, mass healing word affects 6 targets for 7.5 healing each.
Healing spirit can affect 6 targets for 3.5 each each (now). It was OP RAW before (I am not arguing that).

Also, even during a single round, the cleric's concentration on healing spirit could be broken before each PC has a chance to benefit from it. Mass healing word also has a greater range.

With the current fix, I would remove the concentration aspect, and make it one action casting time. Most people seem to be implying (from what I have read and understood anyway), that the 2-6 uses will be used within the round it was cast or the next.

Healing spirit was better in-combat and out-of-combat spells of the same and higher level spells. What was posted is much more in line with a 2nd level spell.

It might just be an april fool's joke but it's a much better implementation either way. It's still worrhwhile to prep over mass healing word because it's similar healing and similar number of targets in the same slot.

I agree the "fix" is more in line with a 2nd-level spell, but overall IMO it is not a good one. We will continue to use it as we house-ruled it: one target (only) per round, for up to 10 rounds. It has worked very well for us in combat and out and feels balanced.

 

[Gladius Legis]

Ok, with a +5 mod, mass healing word affects 6 targets for 7.5 healing each.
Healing spirit can affect 6 targets for 3.5 each each (now). It was OP RAW before (I am not arguing that).

A Healing Spirit cast with a 3rd-level slot is 6 targets for 7 each.

Mass Healing Word is a native 3rd-level spell, which should be better than an upcast lower-level spell.

Looks fine to me.

EDIT: Upcasting each respective spell with a 4th-level slot: MHW = 10 each, HS = 10.5 each, so HS scales better when upcast.

 

[Ashrym]

Now, you can affect up to six creatures in one round if they all move through the space on their turn. Six creatures each getting 1d6 is not a big help IMO, but YMMV.

Compared to what, though? For a 2nd level slot it's a lot more than healing word or cure wounds.

Used this way concentration on healing spirit won't get broken because it's used quickly, but a PC can still benefit more than once, unlike mass healing word.

Ok, with a +5 mod, mass healing word affects 6 targets for 7.5 healing each.
Healing spirit can affect 6 targets for 3.5 each each (now).

In the same slot that healing spirit is 7 hp each and can can heal some PC's multiple times. A party with 3 characters who need healing having the option to heal all 3 PC's once for 7.5 each in a 3rd level slot with mass healing word still isn't better than healing each once for 7 hp then once again the following round in a 3rd level slot with healing spirit.

Healing spirit still competes with mass healing word. It also competes with mass cure wounds in the same slot for the same reason. What it's losing is the out-of-combat superiority.

Also, at 5th level when mass healing word becomes available the casting stat is likely +4 (+3 if war caster at 4th) so mass healing word is 6.5 compared to 7 from healing spirit in the same slot.

Limiting healing spirit to once per round gives it more out-of-combat total healing but still behind other options and kills the in combat benefit multiple targets per round gives it.

 

[Mistwell]

The guy who originally made everyone aware of the change on Reddit posted a video with the book showing the change in response to people calling April Fool's.

If you want to believe he and Crawford are in an elaborate collaboration on an April Fool's joke, then you do you, but even the conspiracy theorist in me has a tough time believing that's the case.

When it updates on DnDBeyond, I'll buy it. So far it has not. Strange that they went to full hardcopy print and distributed it to bookstores (a several month long process) but hadn't bothered to update it at DnDBeyond which usually gets updates before any hardcopies.

 

[Bacon Bits]

When it updates on DnDBeyond, I'll buy it. So far it has not. Strange that they went to full hardcopy print and distributed it to bookstores (a several month long process) but hadn't bothered to update it at DnDBeyond which usually gets updates before any hardcopies.

WotC messing up distribution schedules and web publishing schedules with their printer is entirely in-character. Especially considering that they're probably all working from home.

 

[Mistwell]

WotC messing up distribution schedules and web publishing schedules with their printer is entirely in-character. Especially considering that they're probably all working from home.

This had to have been put in place around January. I do not think it has anything to do with working from home.

 

[Bacon Bits]

This had to have been put in place around January. I do not think it has anything to do with working from home.

Finishing and publishing the errata document does, however.

 

[FrogReaver]

I love the change
I hate the change

The change needed made
All changes to once official rules/rulings are terrible

IMO, JC + WOTC is starting to get in a bad habit of changing stuff after already published
Maybe next time they fix it before publishing