In praise of the Healer Theme

[Kunimatyu]

One of my favorite elements of the 5e playtest so far has been the Healer theme on the Pelor cleric.

Healers can make potions, healing kits, and antitoxin at half price, which is nice. However, after levelling they gain the ability to brew maximized cure potions and they can maximize Hit Dice healing if they tend to the PCs.

The gold cost attached to healing isn't trivial, but the ability to hand out maximized cure potions to the party makes this theme a viable replacement for a cleric, even for in-combat healing. I can easily see a Ranger Healer gathering herbs and making cure potions to keep the party on their feet.

I like this theme so much I'm tempted to give it to one party member for free, just so I don't have to design adventures with priests and religious orders specifically in mind. This will also allow for easier emulation of Sword and Sorcery pulp adventures or for worlds where divine magic isn't really a thing.

 

[GX.Sigma]

The purpose of including the Healer's Kit (sometimes perplexingly called "the Hit Dice mechanic") was so you didn't need to have a Cleric. It would suck if the Healer theme is so good that you need to have someone with the healer theme.

 

[DEFCON 1]

The purpose of including the Healer's Kit (sometimes perplexingly called "the Hit Dice mechanic") was so you didn't need to have a Cleric. It would suck if the Healer theme is so good that you need to have someone with the healer theme.

You won't need to have a Healer theme in the party... it'll just be cheaper for the party if you do, plus your downtime won't be as long. And in actuality... those DMs who wish for longer-term recovery would probably be better served from not allowing the theme to be taken in their game at all.

A fighter who takes the Healer theme will be able to be a fairly good replacement for the Warlord, on the off-chance after playtesting they decide an actual Warlord class isn't needed.

 

[mlund]

The fact that it persistently maximizes any level of healing potion, spell, or item is unreasonable. Escalating dice of healing (Cure Serious Wounds, Greater Healing Potions, etc.) are heavily influenced by the bell curve. This single Feat (Healer's Touch) doesn't just skew the bell curve, it eliminates it.

Being able to re-roll any dice your don't like for hit dice, spells, or potions seems much more reasonable for the price of a Feat.

I'd rather see a separate Feat for for squeezing better performance out of staffs / wands / etc - probably not just limited to healing.

- Marty Lund

 

[VannATLC]

Marty, you're assuming escalated healing would continue in this edition. Such a theme would indicate otherwise, no?

 

[mlund]

Marty, you're assuming escalated healing would continue in this edition. Such a theme would indicate otherwise, no?

No, it would not. Considering the explicitly stated design goals, reference points for the game, and escalating Spell Levels it is much more likely given a troublesome interaction between New Mechanic A and Cure Serious Wounds that the new feat or mechanic is simply not polished enough rather than the alternative proposal that Cure Serious Wounds getting dropped from D&D.

- Marty Lund

 

[BobTheNob]

The purpose of including the Healer's Kit (sometimes perplexingly called "the Hit Dice mechanic") was so you didn't need to have a Cleric. It would suck if the Healer theme is so good that you need to have someone with the healer theme.

Im glad someone has said this at last. Your dead right, the best thing they did for the cleric was stopping them from being a "required heal-bot". It would suck if they just turned around and turned a theme into one.

Depends how the balance pans out, but I really like that cleric healing is "icing on the cake" and I hope thematic healing can be the same, with either being entirely optional.

 

[Kunimatyu]

Being able to re-roll any dice your don't like for hit dice, spells, or potions seems much more reasonable for the price of a Feat.

Seeing as how there isn't a way to cherry-pick that one feat(since feats are bundled into themes now) I don't see the issue.

I would probably not have the feat maximize spell healing, though, just healing from potions or healing kits made by the Healer.

 

[Kunimatyu]

Im glad someone has said this at last. Your dead right, the best thing they did for the cleric was stopping them from being a "required heal-bot". It would suck if they just turned around and turned a theme into one.

Depends how the balance pans out, but I really like that cleric healing is "icing on the cake" and I hope thematic healing can be the same, with either being entirely optional.

I suspect most parties will still need a healer of some kind, magical or otherwise. This just opens up the ability for any class to step into the Cleric's shoes.

The other thing that's interesting is that this form of healing isn't as annoying as playing a cleric, because the other PCs have to spend their own actions to heal themselves using the Healer's potions. It's a subtle point, but it's much less annoying for the player of the Healer.

 

[mlund]

Seeing as how there isn't a way to cherry-pick that one feat(since feats are bundled into themes now) I don't see the issue.

That's not how feats work. Set themes are optional. Players are completely free to chery-pick feats.

- Marty Lund