Flurry of Cures


Advice


Hey, all!

I have a character concept in mind and a case of theorycrafter's block. This character may become an NPC in an upcoming game (or a PC even further in the future), but, for now, I'm just trying to explore a particular mechanic.

The idea is to be able, on a full attack, to smack some allies with heals and some enemies with the opposite of heals. The right hand punishes; the left caresses. Ideally, this character would fight with unarmed strikes; further, this character's healing and harming abilities would be perfectly fungible, i.e. any combination of healing and harming attacks could be deployed throughout the round. If the gods truly smiled, there would be an ability that just let you convert all the damage you would do to healing.

~

Enumerated below are the ideas I've had so far:

1. Conductive weapon (AoMF) + Lay on Hands. Hit your ally for nonlethal damage (can you switch freely between lethal and non-lethal mid-full attack? Seems legit). This works pretty well, but it's ...

Disadvantages: only once per round.

2. Spell-storing weapons/holding the charge. Similar to the above, but works off of spells like cure X wounds instead of supernatural abilities.

Disadvantages: Only works on the first attack in a round. Egregious action economy.

3. Deviating a bit, it might be satisfactory just to do an unarmed build that also has significant Lay on Hands-style abilities, e.g. an Iroran Paladin or Champion of Irori.

Disadvantages: Punch one turn, heal the next. Meh.

4. Really deviating from the concept, a witch- or bard-based arcane archer could use "imbue arrow" with mass cure spells.

Disadvantages: Doesn't come online until mid-high levels; only a standard action; isn't melee.

5. <complaint>Channel Smite really ought to let you choose to heal or harm, but it doesn't.</complaint>

~

I've also considered functional equivalents like an unarmed Oradin, using Life Link and shield other for passive damage mitigation while using her actions to attack, but I just really want a character who punches her friends to increase their HP.


Battle oracles (or Life oracles) get quickened Cure spells, which you could flavor as punches. So you can heal twice, heal once and full-attack, or just full-attack.


As a baseline I would look into a channeling cleric with versatile channel feat. It's not technically a full attack with healing AND inflict. Then to nothing I know can do this unless you burn 4 levels of spell slot using quickened spell (not wise). Standard attacks yes but a full round attack not so much. In any event channel smite is a great way to deliver a stronger damage, to living or undead, and maybe a negative effect too. While at the same time a quickened healing spell or quick channel (feat) as a move action mostly fits your needs. Envoy of balance builds can both heal and harm in the same channel use.

PS: life domain also helps this idea.

Dark Archive

if you have multiple spell storing weapons, you could quick draw them out and droping them as you full attack.


A magus with an expanded spell list (samsaran, etc.) could start the round with a cure or damaging spell ready, use spell combat then deliver the first spell with an attack, cast a second, then deliver the second. Not perfectly fungible but possible.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Sounds like someone got on the JoJo hype train.


LuniasM wrote:
Sounds like someone got on the JoJo hype train.

What is that?

avr wrote:
magus with an expanded spell list

That's a good one; I disregarded magus VMC early due to spell list access, but you're right that actually being a magus and getting the spells on my list would let me do this. I've been meaning to try the esoteric magus, anyway.

Renegadeshepherd wrote:
lots of good stuff

I do like versatile channel; it kind of inspired this concept, really. Envoy of Balance is cool and I might just settle on it if I can't get my heal/harm fix in other ways.

Thanks, all! Everyone's suggestions were helpful :).


Would Cleric of Calistra/Unmonk+Weaponwand+Crusader's Flurry work? I can't tell if weaponwand would allow more than one spell to be discharged from the wand per round.


A quickened channel life oracle could cast a harmful spell, move action channel and swift action heal as well. That's pretty decent. In fact they could even heal by just moving through your space allowing you more freed actions.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
GozrehTime wrote:
LuniasM wrote:
Sounds like someone got on the JoJo hype train.
What is that?

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is an old manga whose anime adaptation was recently rebooted and is one of the most hype shows I've ever seen. Think Fist of the North Star but with a bunch of Occult stuff too. The main character of the most recent season has an ability that heals things he punches (well, things his power punches... It's complicated).


LuniasM wrote:
GozrehTime wrote:
LuniasM wrote:
Sounds like someone got on the JoJo hype train.
What is that?
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is an old manga whose anime adaptation was recently rebooted and is one of the most hype shows I've ever seen. Think Fist of the North Star but with a bunch of Occult stuff too. The main character of the most recent season has an ability that heals things he punches (well, things his power punches... It's complicated).

Nice, I'll check that out :).

eakratz wrote:
Would Cleric of Calistra/Unmonk+Weaponwand+Crusader's Flurry work? I can't tell if weaponwand would allow more than one spell to be discharged from the wand per round.

I'm trying to work that out, too. There doesn't appear to be a rules question about it. If weaponwand would allow me to hide a cure wand in a gauntlet and discharge it on every strike, that would be excellent. By my reading, the line

Weaponwand wrote:
You can attack normally with the weapon or use the weapon as if it were the encased wand.

kills this interpretation; "as if it were" seems to subsume the action to activate, i.e. no full attacks with the wand. I'm open to rebuttals :).


Make a Magus, get the Cure/Inflict spells on list. (Samsaran, etc.)

Wear 2 Gauntlets, one with a cure one with an inflict wand inside from Weaponwand spell.

Each round you can spell combat, with whatever spell you had charged at start and whatever spell you cast at end.

Not the best, but can be done.

Only way I know to cast and full attack in a round is magus, or quickened spells (which are not worth it by that point).

A witch with the Quicken SLA Feat for Healing Hex could also handle the heal part, but only 1/day for each person.

Also works on undead enemies 1/day though, so can still be pretty fun, and in a campaign healing every NPC you ever meet 1/day can be amazing for after battle/plague/siege purposes.

Actually, with the Hex Strike Feat and the Healing Hex from witch you could 1/round heal on an attack, which does what you want, but you would actually have to hit an ally's AC first. Look to your GM for how hard that would be


a pre-revision hex vulnerability spell combined with hex strike and any way to generate extra swift actions would get you there. The extra swift actions part is not exactly simple, however.

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