Mark of Healing: use a healing power on an ally

[Shin Okada]

This feat says,

Whenever you use a healing power on an ally or use Heal to allow an ally to spend his or her second wind, that ally can also make a saving throw.

What does "use a healing power on an ally" exactly mean in this case?

Should the ally must be the target of the power in order to be granted a save?

Or, does an ally who is healed by the effect of a power (say, an ally adjacent to the spirit companion when a shaman uses a Healing Spirit power) also gains a save?

How about an ally who is healed by the effect of Astral Seal power?

How about other allies who gains non-healing benefits from a healing power? (Say, allies who gain some bonus from Rune of Mending.)

 

[wedgeski]

My read is it must be an ally who is one of the targets of a healing Power.

Otherwise it would say, "Whenever you use a healing power to heal an ally" or similar.

 

[OnlineDM]

I'd say it has to be an ally who is a target (not a side beneficiary) of a power with the Healing keyword. So, no shaman bonus healing, no Astral Seal beneficiaries, no PC who gets an incidental benefit from Rune of Mending. If it's not someone listed in the Target line of a power with the Healing keyword, I would rule that they don't get the bonus saving throw.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Frankly, it's a badly worded feat.

But I concur with the others: I'd treat the feat as if it meant "an ally who is the target of the healing power".

 

[MatthewJHanson]

I agree that it's a vague wording.

However I don't think that I agree with the idea that it has to target the character, mainly because that also excludes all the hurt to heal powers, which I think should benefit from this feat.

For a middle ground you could house rule it to activate on "cause an ally to spend a healing surge."

 

[Blue]

However I don't think that I agree with the idea that it has to target the character, mainly because that also excludes all the hurt to heal powers, which I think should benefit from this feat.

My first impulse would be as others said and say it refers to targets. Nice and unambiguous, if more restrictive than the text says. But you're right - there's a large number of healing powers that harm foes and then have hits or effects like "an ally withing 5 squares can spend a surge", and I don't see those as being cut out of the effects of the Mark of Healing. It seems an arbitrary distinction that would lessen some leader classes but not others.

So, I'm going with the literal: Whenever you use a healing power on an ally or use Heal to allow an ally to spend his or her second wind, that ally can also make a saving throw.

Whenever = At any time, (not just targetting)
Healing power = Power with the Healing keywork
Ally = Just allies

So, at any time the character uses a power with the healing keyword on an ally, that ally can make a save.

 

[OnlineDM]

My first impulse would be as others said and say it refers to targets. Nice and unambiguous, if more restrictive than the text says. But you're right - there's a large number of healing powers that harm foes and then have hits or effects like "an ally withing 5 squares can spend a surge", and I don't see those as being cut out of the effects of the Mark of Healing. It seems an arbitrary distinction that would lessen some leader classes but not others.

So, I'm going with the literal: Whenever you use a healing power on an ally or use Heal to allow an ally to spend his or her second wind, that ally can also make a saving throw.

Whenever = At any time, (not just targetting)
Healing power = Power with the Healing keywork
Ally = Just allies

So, at any time the character uses a power with the healing keyword on an ally, that ally can make a save.

Not to be Clintonesque, but I think this depends on what the definition of "on" is. If you were to go with this interpretation, I'd suggest rephrasing the power to:

Whenever you use a power with the Healing keyword and an ally regains hit points (or spends a healing surge, if you prefer) as a result of that power, or whenever you use the Heal skill to allow an ally to spend his or her second wind, that ally can also make a saving throw.

But again, I'm in the "strict" camp on this one, saying that it should only apply to situations where the ally in question is the direct target of the power. My preferred rephrasing would be:

Whenever you target an ally with a power that has the Healing keyword, or whenever you use the Heal skill to allow an ally to spend his or her second wind, that ally can also make a saving throw.

 

[DracoSuave]

This feat says,


What does "use a healing power on an ally" exactly mean in this case?

Should the ally must be the target of the power in order to be granted a save?

No, the ally must merely be selected as a beneficiary of the power. A large number of healing powers do not actually target the ally--and not examples like splash healing from shamans, but healing of the 'Hit: 3[W]+Strength, and an ally can spend a healing surge' variety.

Does not target, but it is a healing power specifically used on the ally.

Or, does an ally who is healed by the effect of a power (say, an ally adjacent to the spirit companion when a shaman uses a Healing Spirit power) also gains a save?

How about an ally who is healed by the effect of Astral Seal power?

Kinda iffy here. The power isn't being actively used on the ally (unlike in the first example), so I would say no. But I can see an argument for allowing it.

How about other allies who gains non-healing benefits from a healing power? (Say, allies who gain some bonus from Rune of Mending.)

The feat only requires the power be used on the ally. It does not state that the ally must be healed by the power.

A good example of this is Melora's Tide. The power does not directly heal the target (instead giving regeneration), but it IS a healing power and it's being used on the ally, so it would grant the saving throw.

In the case of Rune of Mending, that would depend on if granting the bonus is considered using on the ally. It doesn't, however, matter if said use actually heals.