You got that right, it's 1d8+8 per level of the heal spell used with the 2 action version up to 30ft. So level 2 heal is 2d9+16 and a level 10 heal is 10d8+80!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The heal spell is actually good at healing now in PF2, and it replaced cure light wounds form previous editions and the Heal spell of old.
Keep in mind costing 2 actions is kind of steep, when you only have 3 actions per turn. And it's also one time healing (per spell slot). And if you're not using on level spell slots the effective relevance decreases (ratio of relative amount healed to total HP).
So yeah, it should be good.
Also remember, someone trained in Medicine can use Battle Medicine to restore HP as 1 action activity that restores 2d8 hp (trained) up to 4d8+50 depending on your proficiency level and the DC you target. Now this is touch range, so you would generally need to move next to your ally so you'll likely spend 2 actions.
Anyways, overall point here is that healing is actually good in this edition, and while it (IMO) still shouldn't be the main focus of a character it is absolutely competitive in terms of outcomes compared to dealing damage or inflicting conditions on the enemy, as it should be, to actually make people want to do it in combat.
Another point of comparison, being able to heal 1d8+8 (average 12.5 hp) for a spell slot isn't actually that good, when you consider that it's basically the amount of damage an enemy could inflict in 1 to 2 hits.
Basically if an enemy is focusing on your friend, healing them is basically just a stalemate situation, but you'll run out of spell slots before the enemy will stop swinging (unless someone else gets involved and takes out the enemy).
For comparison, look at Soothe. It is quite close to the same amount of healing and range, but Soothe only has a 2-action version.
One minor thing to note is that the additional +8 damage is only for the 2-action version of Heal. Both the 1-action version and the 3-action version do not have it.
Also, like Claxon mentioned, the Heal spell isn't the best healing in the game. It is one of the strongest in-combat healing options in the game. But its major downside is that it is limited use. There are some healing focus spells that do quite well. Those are only temporarily limited since you can Refocus to get your focus points back. There are also a few Kineticist Impulses that can do healing on a character every 10 minutes.
For healing after the battle ends, use Treat Wounds (or those same healing focus spells or healing Impulses). Don't waste your spell slots on Heal when you are not in combat.
Yeah, it's important to know that outside of combat, you don't want to use spells (not counting focus spells) for healing.
The medicine skill is much better at it with a few skill feats. And even the main healing focus spell Lay on Hands (at least that's what I think of) isn't as good at out of combat healing as someone with Medicine skill, Battle Medicine, Continual Recovery, and Ward Medic is probably the most proficient "healer" in your group. Add in Godless Healing or Medic dedication to make battle medicine usable once an hour and at that point magical healing is only for emergencies.
While the Heal spell is an incredibly strong comabt option in 2nd edition, it's important to recognize when you compare it to similar options from games like PF1, D&D 3.5, or D&D 5e, most in combat healing options in those games are hot garbage and a waste of your turn, frequently failing to extend an ally's time before falling unconscious by a single round (This is also why the penalty for falling unconscious in 5e is so toothless- It has to be, because healing spells probably won't even delay you going down). A 2-action heal spell in 2nd edition can actually undo a turn's worth of damage in moderate encounters or an attack from a seriously threatening enemy.
Of course, that doesn't mean the heal spell is all you should use. A well timed control spell or a damaging spell that takes an enemy out of the fight earlier can still prevent more damage than a heal spell restores. Healing out of combat is also less resource intensive than the heal spell unless time is of the essence
Heal is strong in PF2. Some stuff hits real hard, especially AOE spells. But even so heal is real powerful. A group with heal fighting a monster or group without heal has a huge advantage.