Nonlethal Force said:
But see, that's exaqctly it! There is no reason a cleric is by definition a healer. In fact, I think the fact that most clerics are healers is a gross metagaming problem!
Here's a part where I agree, and have made this point in threads long past. In D&D 3E, there is no need for a cleric to have to fill the "healer" job niche of the party. He may be the best at it, but there are many equally viable choices. In fact, a D&D party can function without a healer whatsoever, in the default rules!
--roughly half of the available base classes have access to cure spells. (Druids, clerics, paladins, rangers, and bards.)
--all of the above can use cure light wounds wands, which set a party back cumulatively only 750 gp per full wand. A character taking JUST ONE LEVEL in any of the above classes is eligible to use cure light wound wands.
-- cure light and cure moderate wounds potions cost 50 and 300 gp, respectively.
--even in the absence of healing magics, characters get back their level in hit points every day of rest. An average 10th level fighter, with 18 CON, who is wounded to half his hit points, can be completely healed in 4 days. 4 DAYS! With complete rest and a person with the heal skill looking after them, it's 1 to 2 DAYS! That's all! (Compare with ye olden days when you healed your full hit points in a MONTH of complete bed rest...)
For special cases, such as ability drains, level drains, etc. Finding a cleric and paying his church to cure you is not an extremely difficult thing, and just happens to generate plot hooks on the side...
So, I state that a cleric who isn't a "healer" is in no way anathema to anyone's adventuring party, in your average D&D game. Now, if you're playing a very low-magic game, where the cleric is the ONLY healing you've got, and the DM has limited magic item creation as well, then all players need to go into that game with eyes wide open, and realize their limitations in pressing forward into dangerous territory, and pace themselves. And that's with or without the cleric acting as a mobile DocWagon Gold Contract...
(Shadowrun reference)