All,
I always seem to be the guy most likely to make new characters. Nobody in our group really plays Clerics, or any type of spellcasters at all really. I also generally dont particularly like Clerics, but I am willing to be the party healer. Well, at least, I am willing to do so during downtime or after fights.
I am wondering which classes can fill this role?
Clerics and Oracles can, for sure. But what about other classes?
I really want non-slow progression on cure spells, access to poison and disease removal, ability/level drain reversal, and access to raise dead or resurrection. I accept that non-clerics wont get all that, but thats the ideal.
Druids get slow/lesser curing access and dont seem to have access to raise dead.
Witches seem to get cool stuff with their spell list with the healing patron, but can they raise dead? Cure ability damage?
Bards have a few healing abilities.
Anyway, I am just wondering what my options are. I dont like cleric fluff too much, and Oracles are a hard sell for me. So I am just wondering what I can bring to the party otherwise?
Thanks!
A druid or bard could do it, but its going to consume a lot of spell slots at early levels. Better solutions in my opinion are to have two "second tier healers - such as druid, bard or paladin, maybe ranger - or to be ready to invest your gp in magical healing.
Well, I wouldnt really plan to keep the spells memorized regularly. I probably didnt make that clear. If I were a Druid for example, I might only keep 1 or 2 cure lights memorized so I could stabilize people. Otherwise, I would memorize actual fun spells. But if we needed to do something serious (like curing disease or restoring strength) then on the next day I would memorize stuff and we would have a downtime day.
My concern with a druid is that I dont think he can raise dead.
My concern with a druid is that I dont think he can raise dead.
They can cast Reincarnate at the same level Clerics get Raise Dead, which functions under the same protocols and costs 4000 GP less. Just has the "come back as a random race" drawback.
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You hit all of them. Over all the it depends on what you want the character to do.
For a pure casting role Witch will preform the best. As they get access to crowd control spells. Along with the healing, and remove X spells. As for raise dead you can just put points in to umd and buy scrolls. If you need raise dead very much you might want to rethink your party make up.
For a combat character that can fill the role of divine caster. Oracle, and Druid do this role much better then the cleric. There are good battle cleric builds. They can be over shadowed by the Oracle, and Druid with out to much trouble.
For a true support character that can fight. Bard hase a very large lead on any other class trying to keep up. With two methods to buff the party. The ability to be the skill monkey, and party face. They make good combat characters as well. There is very little the bard can not do. The problem is there not the best at any one thing. Out side of buffing.
I have run a game with limited healing. The party had a Bard, and ranger for healing. They just got the bard a few wands(Lesser Restoration, Cure Light Wounds). They had very few problems. Most groups that know there is limited healing. Tend to fight smarter and use tactics.
Druids do get Reincarnate which I personally think is way more fun than Raise Dead. Plus it doesn't require the 5000gp material cost or two 1000gp Restorations to recover the permanent negative levels of Raise Dead.
Witches also get Raise Dead and Resurrection, just a spell level after Clerics and Oracles.
Don't forget the Inquisitor. He gets most of the healing spells, including Heal, and can cast restoration. He can't raise the dead though
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Well, I wouldnt really plan to keep the spells memorized regularly. I probably didnt make that clear. If I were a Druid for example, I might only keep 1 or 2 cure lights memorized so I could stabilize people. Otherwise, I would memorize actual fun spells. But if we needed to do something serious (like curing disease or restoring strength) then on the next day I would memorize stuff and we would have a downtime day.
My concern with a druid is that I dont think he can raise dead.
Why bother with cure light to stabilize them? You can do it with a 0 level spell and never run out.
Stabilize
School conjuration (healing); Level druid 0
EFFECT Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
DESCRIPTION Upon casting this spell, you target a living creature that has –1 or fewer hit points. That creature is automatically stabilized and does not lose any further hit points. If the creature later takes damage, it continues dying normally.
Cool. Well then, I might make a Witch with the Healing patron. Though a Storm Druid also interests me. But a Witch could be fun.
In the meantime, I am running a goblin sorcerer (sage). I will see how far I get with that first.
Thanks!
Right now, the other party members are rogue, gunslinger, and rogue/ranger (favors rogue). So right now we have no healing. Thats why I figured that if my goblin sorcerer doesnt last long, I might make a character who can do "top tier healing during downtime".
Witches do recieve raise dead, albeit a little later than clerics.
Seems to me like your party lacks good damage more than healing.
Yeah, but I dont really enjoy martial damage type characters.
Druids do get Reincarnate which I personally think is way more fun than Raise Dead. Plus it doesn't require the 5000gp material cost or two 1000gp Restorations to recover the permanent negative levels of Raise Dead.
Witches also get Raise Dead and Resurrection, just a spell level after Clerics and Oracles.
I really don't like Reincarnate, because it can really screw over a character who relies on their racial abilities, humans especially, because you loose all benefits from your old race and pick up the benefits of your new race, plus your racial stat bonuses get changed as well which will REALLY suck for you if you had said bonus into INT, WIS, or CHA.
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The Witch can be a lot of fun. I played one as a partial healer/debuffer, and he performed beautifully in both regards. The Healing Hex works nice for a little extra healing (free cure light to every party member, then at level 5 it turns into a free cure moderate) without impacting your spellcasting, and the little things like Evil Eye actually go a long way; that -2 (later -4) to attack, saving throws, or AC has made the difference in more than one battle. Don't forget that you can use Evil Eye multiple times on the same person, so long as you are penalizing different things! And if charity is your thing, the healing hex is usable 1/day/person, so you can put a spring into the whole town's step every day. Might even be able to earn a little gold on the side without impacting your castings/day.
The Oracle is like the Cleric's hot sister. She's both more interesting and fun without all that piousness that hamstrings the group so often. You get all the cure spells with more castings to boot, and some of the Revelations are just downright fantastic. Flight activated as a swift action? Yes please! You're stuck with your spell choices compared to the cleric, but there's not a whole lot on their list worth taking anyways. get the basics (remove paralysis, remove curse, etc.) and then get some fun stuff, and you're done. For a particularly dedicated healer, there's even the Life mystery where you can get channel energy and some gravy on top of that.
Honestly, if you want down-time healing, have everyone pitch in for a wand of cure light wounds. You don't play a healer for down-time healing, you play a bard/ranger/paladin/alchemist for that
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I really don't like Reincarnate, because it can really screw over a character who relies on their racial abilities, humans especially, because you loose all benefits from your old race and pick up the benefits of your new race, plus your racial stat bonuses get changed as well which will REALLY suck for you if you had said bonus into INT, WIS, or CHA.Druids do get Reincarnate which I personally think is way more fun than Raise Dead. Plus it doesn't require the 5000gp material cost or two 1000gp Restorations to recover the permanent negative levels of Raise Dead.
Witches also get Raise Dead and Resurrection, just a spell level after Clerics and Oracles.
Where did you read that?
Our game is a bit low magic, and its not easy to just pick up a wand of cure for the ranger.
Anyway, the witch is sounding good, and the oracle does seem intriguing. I find lore, fire and heavens to be more interesting than the healing mystery. Hmm.
Thanks all!
Make an oracle thats effective at something else than healing.
It will provide enough healing for a group anyway.
A Bard and a Paladin have provided all the healing our five-man party needs... and in our campaign, 'outside' sources of healing is hard to come by - no wands of cure wounds for sale.
Go battle cleric.
or oracle
You can do a pally that can take on the role of primary healer, with the right archetype and a cheap wand.
Channel Energy is actually better than healing spells during combat, esp with the right feats.
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I really don't like Reincarnate, because it can really screw over a character who relies on their racial abilities, humans especially, because you loose all benefits from your old race and pick up the benefits of your new race, plus your racial stat bonuses get changed as well which will REALLY suck for you if you had said bonus into INT, WIS, or CHA.Druids do get Reincarnate which I personally think is way more fun than Raise Dead. Plus it doesn't require the 5000gp material cost or two 1000gp Restorations to recover the permanent negative levels of Raise Dead.
Witches also get Raise Dead and Resurrection, just a spell level after Clerics and Oracles.
You don't seem to know how reincarnate works.