Hello everyone! So, this weekend I'll be DMing a campaign where allowed my players to create one ability of their characters (with my approval, obviously).
The things are coming pretty well until a player asked me for something like a "group healer". The concept of his skill is much like a "fast healing" that he gives to people around him for consecutive turns. He wants to support his team while he's on the combat, so he's rejecting options that impedes a full attack action.
So, I have a couple of issues with this:
> How can I "balance" this ability to be not so much powerfull? Use of swift actions every turn? Limited rounds per day? What?
> I'm thinking make this ability an "archetype package". Is that a good idea? Or maybe I have to limit this for divine classes?
> How much of healing per turn in area is acceptable for characters in low to mid levels?
This is all guys, appreciate help!
What class/archetype does the player want?
What class/archetype does the player want?
The player is thinking in make an alchemist. Druid was one of his first choices, but he gave up when feel as the druid was "complicated".
Oracle of Life, Witch (thanks to the healing hex), or Vitalist from Dreamscarred Press are all great at group healing.
Alchemist? Not so much.
The player is thinking in make an alchemist. Druid was one of his first choices, but he gave up when feel as the druid was "complicated".
The druid was too complicated, so he went to alchemist...
This might not be his best option. Just saying.Any oracle can do spontaneous Cures. If you're giving out a special ability extra, you could give a non-Life Oracle a limited number of healing Channels per day, as a swift action. Very limited -- 1 to 3. (Depending on how powerful the goodies are that the other players are getting.) Many Oracle mysteries are fairly compatible with a combat focus. And a spontaneous caster is generally less complicated than a prepared one (like druid or alchemist).
Warpriests are prepared casters, but I believe casting is less of a focus for the class than combat, so even if the spells aren't right, the character should still have lots to do. (I admit I've never seen one in play.) And they also have a life blessing, or could have a healing "extra."
Like the druid & alchemist, both an oracle & warpriest get a 3/4 BAB.
Can the cleric's channel ability be altered to serve this purpose? Instead of a number of d6s it gives a flat number (albeit a smaller one) per round and reduces the action it requires to allow the cleric to fight as well?
Just off the top of my head.
Any oracle can do spontaneous Cures. If you're giving out a special ability extra, you could give a non-Life Oracle a limited number of healing Channels per day, as a swift action. Very limited -- 1 to 3. (Depending on how powerful the goodies are that the other players are getting.) Many Oracle mysteries are fairly compatible with a combat focus. And a spontaneous caster is generally less complicated than a prepared one (like druid or alchemist).
My darling wife is fond of making proposals that are way overpowered. The Life Oracle has to spend a revelation to get Channels that are only as good as a standard Cleric's - and those are a standard action! Now, making a Cleric's or Life Oracle's Channels swift actions might (depending on the relative power of the other bennies you're giving out) be a very useful benefit -- but might also be overpowered.
You don't say what setting you're using, or what supplemental sources are permitted, but the player may be interested in the Infernal or Celestial Healing spells, from the Inner Sea Gods book. Both give fast healing 1 (or fast healing 4 for the Greater (level 4) version).
I do agree that spontaneous casters are less complicated during play (at the cost of being more complicated or angst-driven at level-up, when picking spells known).
You should certainly limit any such ability to divine classes -- there are very few ways that non-divine casters can heal, and none are quick abilities (with the exception of things like quickened spells). I'm not familiar with the Witch's Healing Hex, so I'm not certain how well that would work. And none of the GM's that I play with allow 3rd-party books.
But from past play experience, the Life Oracle is the ultimate Healing Monkey. Just give them Channel, Spirit Boost, Enhanced Cures (depending on level), and the feat Selective Channel, and any party they're with becomes nigh-unstoppable from CR-appropriate damage effects. Admittedly, they're not all that good at combat, but gee, a player has to make some choices. You really can't be a front-line fighter and the dedicated group healer....
Can the cleric's channel ability be altered to serve this purpose? Instead of a number of d6s it gives a flat number (albeit a smaller one) per round and reduces the action it requires to allow the cleric to fight as well?
Append that, please, to my suggestion for a non-life oracle!
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Can the cleric's channel ability be altered to serve this purpose? Instead of a number of d6s it gives a flat number (albeit a smaller one) per round and reduces the action it requires to allow the cleric to fight as well?
Just off the top of my head.
I wrote a channel energy variant once where everyone in the burst got fast healing for 3 rounds. It healed 1 point per d6 that channel energy would normally give.
If you want to see a balanced heal-per-round ability, the only one I know of has the Vitalist with his pulse ability. It does cost PP, so it is not free - there is no free healing.
The witch's healing hex is balanced about working only once per day per character.
Wanting to heal without spending actions is every healers wet dream, and it is practically impossible. Even Quicken Channel turns the standard only into a move action, not into a swift one.
The pally's Lay on hands is a swift action, when used on himself, which is the basis of the Oradin.
Otherwise you are reduced to quickened spells, and that is totally inefficient - imagine using a 6th level slot for a quickened CMW, when you could do a heal instead.
@Debnor:
Later on the healing monkey can nuke his heart out :) And yes, I believe we are king of the hill when it comes to healing. I am not quite sure about the Vitalist, who comes at least second as healer, but maybe I get to play one someday.