The party's cleric *won't* heal your character?!

[Greylock]

My Cleric is an explorer, and a follower of a Goddess of Knowledge and Travel. He does heal the party as needed, but only after fights have reached their end. Not once, in two years of play, has he actually healed in the thick of a fight. And he has withheld healing for actions that offended his sensibilities (which are very fine-tuned), or were the result of utter stupidity.

 

[Vegepygmy]

Have you ever been part of an adventure in which the party's designated healer expressed reluctance or otherwise tried to avoid taking care of his injured peers?

Absolutely. As others have pointed out, clerics tend to be devoutly religious, if not crazy zealots. Individuals who do not conform to (or worse, deeply offend) their beliefs are unlikely to be rewarded with the benefits of their divine magic.

I have also seen rogues who refuse to be designated the party trapfinder/trap-springer, wizards who decline to be the party magic-item-crafter, and fighters who express reluctance to be the "meat-shield." Characters should have actual personalities, IMO, and not simply be expected to fill a job slot.

Hmm. Suddenly I'm reminded of Belkar and his zero ranks of Survival.
ROY: "Survival is a class skill for both ranger and barbarian, so you must have spent at least a few skill points on it."
BELKAR: "Yeah, um...see, there's a funny story there..."

 

[Greylock]

I think it's arrogant for a cleric to not heal his buddies, but expect his buddies to get him out of a jam when it happens to him. I mean, really, it's not the fighter's fault someone got a crit on him with an axe.

My cleric has been in a party where in spite of his completely jacked up Knowledge and Diplomacy skills, some players have chosen to rush madly at the BBEG instead of letting him find a less frenzied solution. And his free use of Detect Evil (magical device). So, it's not his fault they screwed things up, and got their butts handed to them.

I played the char as being hesitant and feeble in combat for ages. But for landsakes. He's a Cleric. He can hold his own in battle. And he does so when needed. Now. He can completely change the battlefield with a well chosen prayer. And now that he has "Fly", he hardly ever even gets touched.

 

[Bagpuss]

I played a moody teenage cleric that refused to heal the dwarf in a party once after he insulted her, then refused to heal the fighter (which she fancied) once he started dating an NPC. Confused the fighter no end as she never gave a reason except "You know prefectly well why I won't be touching you.".

Still you find ways round things, potions natural healing, having a bard or other secondary healer in the party to pick up the slack.

 

[Victim]

Sometimes it might just be a matter of priorities as well. In a tight spot, the cleric might not have time to save everyone. You don't want to be at the bottom of the list.

 

[Bagpuss]

I think it's arrogant for a cleric to not heal his buddies, but expect his buddies to get him out of a jam when it happens to him. I mean, really, it's not the fighter's fault someone got a crit on him with an axe.

It may well be, but who's to say someone changed with being the representative of his god on earth and given divine magic, isn't going to be a little arrogant from time to time.

 

[Numion]

I play combat clerics. I usually don't spend spells on healing, but I encourage people to buy their own Cure Light Wands, I'll burn them any day of the week

Just don't come crying for healing when I'm kicking ass

 

[reanjr]

Sure. Unless they worship a deity of healing or protection, I don't see any reason a cleric should be compelled to heal their comrades unless their personal ethos dictates so.

 

[JustKim]

I can forgive arcane casters who don't blast, fighters who don't shield or rogues who don't disarm traps, but clerics who won't heal are something else entirely. I end up playing the cleric a lot and when I do, I heal. It's what I'm there for. Clerics who don't heal, or who charge party members for healing, do not understand the niche they're filling and have no business holding all the healing cards.

I don't think roleplaying reasons, using the paladin and the thief as an example, are a valid excuse most of the time. By inaction the healer is willing the other character to die. By your character's inaction you, as the player with the healing monopoly, are willing the other player's character to die. This paladin didn't want to risk a friendship with the thief by coming out and accusing them, but was okay with leaving the character to die? That's pretty messed up.

 

[sckeener]

Clerics are supposed to be devoted followers of deities. The deities have set portfolios, philosophies, and goals. The healer should be expected to heal if and when it is in the service of those goals, and should be expected to withhold aid when it would run counter to those goals.

Exactly!

I once played a cleric where their religion didn't believe any other race other than the standard demihumans (except half-orcs) had souls. I wasn't supposed to give blessings on unclean things.....

1st adventure, the party's oxen took damage....I couldn't heal them.
years later a player in 3rd edition wanted to play a half-orc...I had to remind him that I wouldn't be able to heal him. He took the risk and the rest of the party (not my cleric) gave him healing potions....when he got a disease, we had to stop the adventure and travel to a cleric that could heal him.

it was fun rp....