Earlier today I tested the waters with a theory/build I was having asking what spells do "healers" really need
This is more of a mental exercise than a character I am planning on playing in the near future but I wanted to see if I could make a Wizard into the Healer.
So far I have gone for Samsaran specifically for Mystic Past Life and choosing Witch
You can add spells from another spellcasting class to the spell list of your current spellcasting class. You add a number of spells equal to 1 + your spellcasting class’s key ability score bonus (Wisdom for clerics, and so on). The spells must be the same type (arcane or divine) as the spellcasting class you’re adding them to. For example, you could add divine power to your druid class spell list, but not to your wizard class spell list because divine power is a divine spell. These spells do not have to be spells you can cast as a 1st-level character. The number of spells granted by this ability is set at 1st level. Changes to your ability score do not change the number of spells gained. This racial trait replaces shards of the past.
The second part to this "master" plan is the Pact Wizard to get Healing Patron spells
At 1st level, a pact wizard must select a patron. This functions like the witch class ability of the same name, except the pact wizard automatically adds his patron’s spells to his spellbook instead of to his familiar.
In addition, the pact wizard can expend any prepared spell that isn’t a spell prepared using the additional spell slot the wizard receives from his arcane school in order to spontaneously cast one of his patron’s spells of the same level or lower.
So between those two you can cover a lot (Still to be determined what combination exactly) but if one last spell is needed, the Wizard has access to Arcane Discoveries in particular Faith Magic
Select one spell granted by a domain belonging to the god you worship. This spell must be at least 2 levels lower than the highest-level wizard spell you can cast. When you first prepare your spells for the day, you can prepare this spell once, using a spell slot 1 level higher than the spell’s actual level. This is cast as a divine spell.
So there is as far as I have got with it, what do people think, am I being crazy? How would you make it work?
That will probably work, as-is. You could also look into Healer's Hands to take advantage of Know:Planes. Incredible Healer and Psychic Sensitivity aren't bad, either. Put some ranks in Craft:Alchemy, and take Brew Potion. The Precise Treatment trait puts Heal on Intelligence...
I'd go with Infernal Healing for HP damage, applying Extend Spell and using its Greater version later.
At level 9 I'd dip loremaster (just a single level), to unlock the Secret of Magical Discipline feat: Cast any spell once a day. Depending on the adventure day, that might cover a good share of status removal already, in doubt you can take it multiple times.
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Well, all you really need to heal is fire magic and the Phoenix bloodline arcane. But, Arcanists generally make the best arcane healers.
I've got a build if you are interested. Let me know and I'll give some more information. Half-Elf Arcanist 18/Wizard 1/Sorcerer 1. It never really matters that you are a full spell level behind a sorcerer, unless you are just that impatient for higher level spell access.
Brief summary is: It can heal someone a small amount with EVERY spell it casts (or do a small amount of extra damage to undead). Every Evocation spell that deals damage gives them temporary hit points. Every fire spell can heal for half its normal amount to living creatures. Everything else comes down to how you want to build the character. All of its abilities are ONLINE at level 6 and just get better after.
I doubt you'll even need faith magic, between the healing patron, a few wizard spells which do the job and a handful of well-chosen witch spells you're probably there already.
With what you're doing you're not over-optimising...but a mystic past life samsaran with the pact wizard archetype sounds like you might be, don't be surprised if there is suspicion aimed your way.
That will probably work, as-is. You could also look into Healer's Hands to take advantage of Know:Planes. Incredible Healer and Psychic Sensitivity aren't bad, either. Put some ranks in Craft:Alchemy, and take Brew Potion. The Precise Treatment trait puts Heal on Intelligence...
Healer's Hands could be good.
I'd go with Infernal Healing for HP damage, applying Extend Spell and using its Greater version later.
I was thinking of picking up the Reclusive Oracle Curse just for that.
Well, all you really need to heal is fire magic and the Phoenix bloodline arcane. But, Arcanists generally make the best arcane healers.
But can it deal with things like negative levels and energy drain. But if I really needed to add that, I can just go Pact Exploiter, pick up the Bloodline Development Exploit, and then dip a level into Sorcerer.
Out of these spells, which five would you pick with Samsaran Mystic Past Life
- Heal
- Remove Blindness/Deafness
- Resurrection
- Remove Sickness
- Regenerate
- Stabilize
- Remove Radioactivity
- Neutralize Poison
- Soothing Word
- Raise Dead
- Delay Poison
- Reinvigorating Wind
- Death Ward
- Cure Light
*Cure Light Wounds offers an interesting option in pairing it with Craft Wands feat for sufficient healing abilities
So; soothing word deals with several different conditions. Get it rather than remove sickness/paralysis.
Remove blindness/deafness may be either too expensive to potion or too unreliable to UMD on a scroll at 3rd level and some time after. It gets the nod.
Reinvigorating wind deals with enough odd things to be worthwhile, even if it's weak against some (it's no good against a confusion effect lasting 7 rounds for example).
If you're making wands CLW will indeed save you cash, assuming that infernal healing costs in your game. It's probably good enough to fill stabilize's role, especially if you get a metamagic rod of reach spell some day.
The final one is a choice between death ward and heal, and that comes down to how long you think the campaign will go. If it's likely to end by ~12 then heal is a poor choice. If you're in one of those rare groups which often goes to 20 it's good.
All IMO etc.
Remove Radioactivity
We played through Iron Gods and used this spell in one place in book 6 if I remember correctly.
If you are immune to poison, you are immune to radiation.
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My idea of a White Mage: Cleric3/Crossblooded Phoenix-Orc Sorcerer1/AdmixtureWiz3/Mystic Theurge10 ---> WizX
With Admixture, you can turn any Energy-Evocation spell into a Fire spell and have it heal 1/2 dmg with Phoenix Bloodline. And you'll have a metric butt-ton of healing/buffing spells from Cleric+Mystic Theurge. And since you're an Admix Wiz with Orc Bloodline, you're no slouch at bypassing vulnerabilities and nuking either.
Whenever I write up a character I always try to match them up to an Adventure Path to catalogue them.
For this character I have chosen that they will be an option for Jade Regent if I ever get an opportunity to play that
They will worship Qi Zhong, as not only does it thematically make sense but also gives me a fair few healing options with Faith Magic.
At level 5 I am going to take craft wand
What other feats do you think I should be considering? Specifically 1,3,7,& 9.
25 Point Buy (with racial modifiers):
Str -10
Dex - 14
Con - 14
Int - 18
Wis - 10
Cha - 12
Charisma is 12 just for Samsaran spell like abilities such as Stabilize
The 5 Past Life Spells I am likely going to pick are
1. Cure Light Wounds
2. Soothing Word
3. Reinvigorating Wind
4. Death Ward
5. Remove Blindness/Deafness
You might possibly want to pick up dispel focus at 7 or 9 if you want even more on healing, but there again you might have enough resources invested there that you can stop now.
So otherwise what do you want to do? Blasting, buffing, battlefield control, summoning, or what? You don't want to take conjuration, necromancy or even enchantment as opposition schools given your MPL choices (or abjuration assuming you want dispel magic/remove curse), but specialising in those schools doesn't gain you all that much healing power either. You can specialise in anything you like at this point.
You might possibly want to pick up dispel focus at 7 or 9 if you want even more on healing, but there again you might have enough resources invested there that you can stop now.
So otherwise what do you want to do? Blasting, buffing, battlefield control, summoning, or what? You don't want to take conjuration, necromancy or even enchantment as opposition schools given your MPL choices (or abjuration assuming you want dispel magic/remove curse), but specialising in those schools doesn't gain you all that much healing power either. You can specialise in anything you like at this point.
I don't think a blaster would suit this build so for opposition I was considering Evocation and Illusion but, given Qi Zhong lore I was thinking about taking of the elemental arcane schools; Void looks very good
The elemental schools, void in particular are quite good. Wood might be even more on-theme, though void is the best in terms of powers and has the most generally useful school spells.
So, buffing; that wants improved initiative to get the buffs out in time. There are a few metamagics which might be useful (reach, encouraging, vast, blissful spell) but nothing essential. You can probably spend feats on social and other non-spell things if this is your focus.
Or battlefield control - that can eat up all your feats and then some. You might find authoritative spell useful and appropriate later on, persistent spell is another one which is useful later; earlier fleeting spell or toppling spell can be fun, or ___ amplification feats. This is not a complete list - there are many, many feats which help debuff and control.
Summoning starts with spell focus (conjuration) and augment summoning, always. Summon good monster, evolved summon monster, versatile summon monster and summon guardian spirit all have uses for you I think. Guardian spirits and a couple of the good monsters can even help heal. The only downside is that if you're summoning and healing the question of why you didn't play a cleric becomes compelling.
Battlefield Control I think is best (As I have played a summon focused character before)
25 Point Buy (with racial modifiers):
Str -8
Dex - 14
Con - 15
Int - 18
Wis - 10
Cha - 11
Arcane School: Wood
Flexible Enchantment: Con
Opposition: Metal
Arcane Bond: Familiar (Crane count as Peacock)
Feats:
1 - Toughness
3 - Improved Initiative
5 - Craft Wand
7 -
With Favored Class HP, this Samsarans starting hitpoints would be 13 which is impressive
For this character I have chosen that they will be an option for Jade Regent if I ever get an opportunity to play that...you want the Restoration line somehow.
The Healing Patron gives me all the Restorations as spontaneous
What do people think of Improved Familiar for something that can use a wand? - I am looking at Pseudodragon
It works, kinda. Pseudodragons aren't spellcasters themselves so you'll need to invest heavily in the UMD skill if you go that way (faerie dragons are spellcasters OTOH...). Pseudodragons are more stealth/diplomacy aides with their telepathy and other stuff.
Battlefield Control I think is best (As I have played a summon focused character before)
25 Point Buy (with racial modifiers):
Str -8
Dex - 14
Con - 15
Int - 18
Wis - 10
Cha - 11
Arcane School: Wood
Flexible Enchantment: Con
Opposition: Metal
Curse: Possessed/Clouded Vision/Lame
Arcane Bond: Familiar (Crane count as Peacock into Faerie Dragon at level 7)
Feats:
1 - Toughness
3 - Improved Initiative
5 - Craft Wand
7 - Improved Familiar
9 - Great Fortitude
11 - Quicken Magic
13 -
Working towards spell perfection from here on is probably the best bet but unsure on what other metamagic feats would be best. Plus I haven't thought of a decent school to select with spell focus yet
As far as the school for spell focus goes, entangle and plant growth in the wood arcane school are also transmutation. That's not a bad school for battlefield control in general either once you have 3rd/4th level spells; conjuration is better especially at low levels though.
IMO fleeting spell is good for battlefield control because being able to undo your entangle as a swift action is sometimes very useful. If that doesn't appeal then selective spell is also good for not impeding your allies. If that still doesn't appeal then apocalyptic spell and persistent spell are good for battlefield control directly.
To get spell perfection at 15th level you'll need 3 metamagic feats before then, remember.