D&D 5E Should Cure and Inflict Wounds should be touch spells?

[Blackwarder]

Well, the question is at the title, should Cure Wounds and Inflict Wounds should require touching the recipent?

Currently, both spells got range of 25 feet and when used to attack the recipient can roll a Con save for half damage.
To me it feels wrong, what do you guys think?

Warder

 

[Raith5]

I can easily buy the idea of a divine glow, 25 feet a bit of a stretch (prefer 10 feet) but OK.

25 feet is enough that the cleric needs to be aware of his or her location in battle and move to be in a good position, unlike 4E healing word especially at higher levels.

 

[Sage Genesis]

If the spell was range touch, then the Cleric would always be on the reactive, being forced to move to wherever somebody got unlucky enough to get a lot of damage. Having a bit of range allows a Cleric to choose his own actions, walk to where he wants (within reason), and still be functional. It prevents the Cleric from having to eat a bunch of opportunity attacks just because the Rogue got careless or unlucky, for example. Requiring a range of touch causes all sorts of problems which can punish the healer more than is acceptable.

All this of course assuming your fights don't all take place within narrow corridors.

 

[am181d]

If the spell was range touch, then the Cleric would always be on the reactive, being forced to move to wherever somebody got unlucky enough to get a lot of damage. Having a bit of range allows a Cleric to choose his own actions, walk to where he wants (within reason), and still be functional. It prevents the Cleric from having to eat a bunch of opportunity attacks just because the Rogue got careless or unlucky, for example. Requiring a range of touch causes all sorts of problems which can punish the healer more than is acceptable.

All this of course assuming your fights don't all take place within narrow corridors.

The cleric in our 3.5 group rarely attacks (by player preference) so range touch keeps her engaged in the combat. If she could heal at range, she'd be hiding the whole time!

 

[Sage Genesis]

The cleric in our 3.5 group rarely attacks (by player preference) so range touch keeps her engaged in the combat. If she could heal at range, she'd be hiding the whole time!

The Cleric in your group is not a representative example of the class as a whole though. Also, 5e is different than 3.5. Cure spells only take up a swift action, meaning you can still do something else besides, just not more magic. In theory that could be anything, in practice it will mostly mean "make a physical attack". Also note that Clerics can get a Strength bonus, have a weapon attack bonus, and get the Deadly Strike class feature - Clerics in 5e are meant to be physical combatants who can both heal and fight at once.

 

[Kobold Stew]

If the spells were range: touch, then there would (even should) be a feat that lets you cast them with a range (and let's say 25').

The question then becomes: "should a cleric need a feat to cast Cure Wounds with a range?"

Honestly? I'd be fine with it either way, but it wouldn't be long before people start crying "feat tax".

 

[Blackwarder]

Why should there be such feat?

Warder

 

[Kobold Stew]

Why should there be such feat?

Warder

It's an opinion; people would want it ("character concept"); it would be a natural extension/development.

Oh and wait: it already exists -- "Distant Spell".

 

[DEFCON 1]

As they do not want to pigeonhole Clerics into any particular style... allowing them to heal at range means they can be both melee-based combatants and ranged casters. As Sage Genesis said... we shouldn't force Clerics to enter melee range to heal their fellows, especially if they are designed to be ranged casters.

So I'd prefer a foundation where the cure/inflict spells are ranged... but also wouldn't have a problem with a feat that would allow a Cleric to change those spells to touch attack-only in exchange for another bonus (like a +1 to AC for the round in which they cast the spell.) Thus, those that want to hamstring themselves a bit to only-melee can do so, plus get a little something for their trouble.

 

[am181d]

The Cleric in your group is not a representative example of the class as a whole though.

It would be really weird if I thought she was!