Options for arcane healing spells?

[Nefrast]

Honestly, the argument mentioned above that arcane healing makes clerics tougher is right.

I am not sure I agree with this argument. It seems to be in the same league as "a cleric in the party makes the fighters tougher" (because the cleric can heal and buff the fighters) or "a battle control mage makes the melee characters more efficient", etc.

 

[erf_beto]

It's a curious quirk of wording, but while a Core Wizard can never learn a direct healing spell, a Core Sorcerer can.

Oh, good! I thought I was the only one who noticed that years ago, still in 3rd edition
My only problem with it, is the research part on wich I'm not so fluent... though I believe it should have a much harder DC to learn, since the sorcerer is trying to (almost literally) 'knock on heaven's door' Maybe with some alignment, caster level or deity affiliation prerequisites, or even with some roleplaying (like a pact with a good outsider) this should be a very good alternative for healing sorcerers.

As for wizards, I guess it shoud be discussed where does the healing come from: if it is divine life energy OR just super-fast enhanced metabolism.

1. The first should be something similar to opening up a portal to a healing attuned plane (if you can summon a celestial hawk, why not?) but unlike divine casters, the wizard has to force his way in. How about a spell with alignment restrictions and a full round action to draw a magic circle on the floor (the focus) so any one creature standing on it would receive some healing as per cure spell cast by the wizard? (I'm wondering if increasing spell level is necessary... CLW as a 2nd+ level with the focus restriction seems to much for me... perhaps the bard progression would work)

2. I think the latter source is a little like polymorph, but that spells has a lot more effects than simple plain healing, so arcane cures should start a spell level lower than that, since it´s much more specific. I like the option of turning lethal into non lethal damage, but why not make arcane healing something as "fast healing"? Speeding up your comrades metabolism would effectively heal them after battle, but the healing edge would remain with divine casters (and their immediate cure spells).

 

[Nefrast]

1. The first should be something similar to opening up a portal to a healing attuned plane (if you can summon a celestial hawk, why not?) but unlike divine casters, the wizard has to force his way in.

Actually, wizards can already do that. They can plane shift into the positive energy plane (assuming the default cosmology with the energy planes), wait until they are healed (and some more for extra hit points), and plane shift back.

But why the requirement for a healing attuned plane at all? It's magic! Why should the masters of magic not be able to just heal wounds or cure diseases? Look what wizards can already do.

The splitting of magic into arcane and divine and making divine casters the only efficient healers is completely artificial. I suppose the only reason why we still have it is because Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson made it so in the beginning. I can see no strong reason to hold this up. As one who usually has to deal with totaly non-standard parties (i.e. very far away from the assumed arcane caster/divine caster/tank/skill monkey composition) I would appreciate it if they do away with these artificial restrictions in future rule editions. They don't give me a better game expierience, they only get in the way.

 

[Darklone]

I am not sure I agree with this argument. It seems to be in the same league as "a cleric in the party makes the fighters tougher" (because the cleric can heal and buff the fighters) or "a battle control mage makes the melee characters more efficient", etc.

It's more along the lines: The cleric is the strongest character class because he's supposed to use most of his resources for his buddies. If the wizard is taking some of this burden, the otherwise too strong cleric can do what he want.

 

[erf_beto]

Actually, wizards can already do that. They can plane shift into the positive energy plane (assuming the default cosmology with the energy planes), wait until they are healed (and some more for extra hit points), and plane shift back.

But why the requirement for a healing attuned plane at all? It's magic! Why should the masters of magic not be able to just heal wounds or cure diseases? Look what wizards can already do.

The splitting of magic into arcane and divine and making divine casters the only efficient healers is completely artificial. I suppose the only reason why we still have it is because Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson made it so in the beginning. I can see no strong reason to hold this up. As one who usually has to deal with totaly non-standard parties (i.e. very far away from the assumed arcane caster/divine caster/tank/skill monkey composition) I would appreciate it if they do away with these artificial restrictions in future rule editions. They don't give me a better game expierience, they only get in the way.

I thought Planeshifting wasnt on the table (moving to another plane in order to heal yourself? ). Instead, bringing a portion of the other plane into the Material World - that´s why a healing attuned plane. I suppose a dreadfull place like The Abyss or The Nine Hells isnt exactly the best place to cure wounds... (BTW, I never followed D&D cosmology per se... I have my own take on that, and sometimes they overlap, so forgive me if'm preaching the wrong books )

Anyway, I agree when you speak of the splitting of arcane and divine being irrelevant to cure and heal magic. It´s purely mechanical. But the game was designed like that, balancewise, and we should try to respect it - at least a little bit. IMO, arcane casters should be able to accomplish what divine casters can, but perhaps with a little more difficulty, and vice versa. But all depends on your view of the magic system itself. You could rule that divine magic comes from Heaven, and arcane magic comes from Hell - so only evil character could be sorcerers. Or you could say divine is White and arcane is Black Magic (like on Final Fantasy videogames), never mind the gods...

PS: My vocabulary just leveled up: i loved 'skill monkey'
Can't believe I never saw it before!