Playing a Healer

[pallandrome]

So, thanks to lazybones, I'm thinking of running a Healer in a new campaign. Does anyone have any experience with them, or suggestions on what to do so I don't feel COMPLETELY useless when there's no healing to be done.

 

[durza120]

If you are a cleric you can just switch your heal (moderate, crit, wounds) to harm spells. Or if your at a higher lvl the Heal spell switched to Harm is pretty devastating.

 

[Arkhandus]

I think they mean the Healer class, from the Miniatures Handbook.

I'd just suggest multiclassing a bit into Warmage or something, to get some blasting ability. Then eventually, maybe, enter Mystic Theurge levels.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I think they mean the Healer class, from the Miniatures Handbook.

I'd just suggest multiclassing a bit into Warmage or something, to get some blasting ability. Then eventually, maybe, enter Mystic Theurge levels.

I'd suggest playing an exalted character, just for intuitive attack feat (wis to attack rolls instead of str w/ simple or natural melee weapons), just so you're not totally worthless at fighting. That class is pretty rough. We have one, as we're doing a final fantasy 1 based game right now, and healer is for WM. But we convinced the DM early on it wouldn't be fun to play and got him to allow the cleric spell list, and let intuitive attack add to damage rolls, too (just w/ a hammer, for 8-bit humor). When you need good wis, cha, dex (crappy armor), AND con (everyone tries to kill the healer), you really can't afford anything in strength. *worth noting, even before that, it wasn't pure healer, using favored soul spontaneous casting progression. So, even w/ cleric spell list, she only gets to pick out so many spells known.

 

[Minicol]

So, thanks to lazybones, I'm thinking of running a Healer in a new campaign. Does anyone have any experience with them, or suggestions on what to do so I don't feel COMPLETELY useless when there's no healing to be done.

Well, that's an interesting quandary.
the thing is most D&D worlds are built around clerics as healers.

So either you could play as a character that's favored by the gods, and got some cool abilities as a blessing.

Or you could play a kind of rebel/dissident/purist that rebels against the established church and wants to spread the true message.

Either way, you should emphasize how you are different from the clerics, and how unusual you are.

 

[frankthedm]

Take leadership ASAP. The healer need folks to heal. With another person to heal in the party, you should usually have something to do. A power attacking barbarian or blaster wizard should help alleviate the inevitable boredom you'll develop wasting your actions to heal the party. Pretty soon you'll be playing the cohort more than the healer.

 

[Herobizkit]

No character should feel useless in any given adventure unless it's 80% fighting or more. If your character isn't busy healing, surely s/he can role-play?

IDHTBIFOM, so I can't comment on skills and abilities, save that since you're job is Healer, there must be all sorts of random, personal things you could do as well. No one is just their job, after all.

 

[Sound of Azure]

A power attacking barbarian or blaster wizard should help alleviate the inevitable boredom you'll develop wasting your actions to heal the party.

It's never a waste of action to keep your comrades in one piece.

You'll probably want to work out with your DM the place your Healer has in the campaign world, and whether the organisation/order has particular political or diplomatic ties to anything.

Aside from that, keep in mind your role, both as a member of the party and as part of your society as well. You'll be the magic band-aid of the party, you can also be the social glue of the group as well.

 

[Moorcrys]

I would definitely (ask to) houserule the healer to have access to their spells like the beguiler and warmage, in that they can choose which spells to cast from their list rather than having to memorize individual spells. With narrow-list casters it's obviously not unbalancing... I would also add some sort of 'advanced spell learning' feat and allow them to choose an additional spell for their list at 3rd, 7th, etc. much like the beguiler and warmage.

Cheers.

 

[TheGogmagog]

I wish I knew more about the healer class. I don't have the book and it's not likely to be used in any games I play in.

That said, I do like the suggestion to emulate the warmage / beguiler and make the spells spontaneous, including the advanced learning. To make it a playable I would hope they have some preventive spells on the spell list if there not there already. Some spells to cast before healing would also be nice, like shield of faith and magic vestment. I would probably add bless and prayer with the first advanced learning opportunities.