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FAQ Question I guess. The Healing Channel wording seems a bit ambiguous to me.
I am thinking the correct interpretation of Healing Channel is that it does 2d8 (at first level), and that depending on what type of action you take who the target(s) is/are? So 2d8 to self (move), 2d8 to an ally (standard), or 2d8 shared among those allies in range (full)?
Or is it "I get 2d8. You get 2d8. EVERYBODY gets 2d8!!" That seems a bit too good to me, that because it's used it as a Full action you get (for a party of 4) the equivalent of 8d8 in heals!
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What is interesting is how the feat Harm Undead interacts with Healing Channel.
Regardless how you use Healing Channel (Self, Ally, Allies) you can ALSO expend a mystic spell slot of the highest level a mystic has to deal an equal amount of damage to undead in the area.
What is a little confusing is "the area". Only the full round action defines an area. The other two don't have a range.
Should we assume the area is 30' when harming undead?
What is interesting is the PreGen Mystic says the feat is only usable as a full round action, something the feat does not say.
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It never says that the healing is shared between allies.
The only divergence is that healing ALL allies (each for 2d8 at lvl1-2) is a full action, while healing one ally on touch is a standard action.
"This energy restores 2d8 hit points and increases by 2d8 at 3rd level and every 3 levels thereafter".
It also doesn't say 2d8 per person in area of effect.
The concept of a healing hand grenade is pretty darned cool. The numbers of it, however, feel out of proportion, and make other options insignificant pretty quick. Mystic Cure is only worth 1d8? As a directed healing spell that I have to throw a spell slot away for?
I probably wouldn't even blink twice if the numbers were reversed, 2d8 for Mystic Cure and 1d8 for Healing Channel.
And, it might very well be that Starfinder requires me to change my gaming paradigm in that Healer Mystics pop life grenades as their main focus and spellcasting is the secondary concept that supports and enhances as opposed to the main show.
I can live with that, but it's still a "WTF" moment.
So....what is the big deal again?
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I dont play Pathfinder, so the only other reference I have is 5th ed. Life domain cleric's ability is very similar, with a few restrictions; choose any within range and divide among.
That being said, in this instance the more I look at it the more I think it just is a fountain of HP for everyone.
My biggest concern is that, to me, it seems to invalidate the risk vs. reward dynamic; combat seems entirely too survivable now, but it does free the Mystic healer up to do things other than cures with their spells.
As I said before, paragigm shift.
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I think it's less of a balancing act as it is coming to a new understanding of healing in this specific RPG.
In my decades-of-D&D mindset, I've been conditioned to view healing as predominately a function of spellcasting, with additional abilities like a Paladin's Lay on Hands, or Medicine skill, or Healing Potions as being supplemental sources that help round out the task of keeping the party alive.
With Healing Channel, that dynamic shifts. The bigger heals come from the supplemental sources and are supported rather by spellcasting.
This is perfectly okay. Resolve Points take the place of Spell Slots, and spell slots are freed up allow the mystic a more robust expression of the class during gameplay; they don't have to deliberately hold slots to heal but can be more active members of encounters. It also allows for more dynamic healing options ("Can I afford to stand still and heal everyone, or do I need to keep moving and heal only the most injured?"), and I am all about giving players options.
All of this is just fine; it just took me a bit longer than I would have liked to recognize and adapt to this concept as it seems so foreign to what I've done before. Had the numbers been reversed (2d8 for Mystic Cure and 1d8 for Healing Channel) I never would have even blinked.
Thanks for the conversation, guys.