a "Healer" template? or PrC? [Archive] - Wizards Community

a "Healer" template? or PrC? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
RealMarkP
04-25-08, 02:10 PM Hello,

I am currently playing an Aasimar "Healer" (Miniatures Handbook) and I am liking it (Almost a pure non-combatant). I was wondering if there is any race-template that could compliment my healing abilities (much like a Half-Dragon template might help out a fighter). Maybe Half-Celestial Template?

If this this might be a bit impossible (because Aasimars are slightly celestial and making a Half-Celestial out of an Aasimar is genetically impossible?) could anyone suggest any other template, Prestige class, or base class that might help out with my healing spells? (Excluding feats, of course).
bkdubs123
04-25-08, 02:31 PM I don't know if Healers can qualify for the PrC, but Radiant Servant of Pelor is an amazing PrC for healing Clerics.

Why excluding feats? There are some good feats to help healing too! There is also the Healing Touch skill trick in Complete Scoundrel that lets you heal 1d6 with a stabilize check. Check out Complete Champion for a great reserve healing feat as well!
DragonGhoula
04-25-08, 02:35 PM I think that the Radiant Servant of Pelor (from Complete Divine) may help you with that, but, then again, I don't have the book and I've only seen the class once, so don't assume that I'm correct. Also the Saint template (from Book of Exalted Deeds (you can find it on www.crystalkeep.com)) may help, but it doesn't have any overtly healing-based abilities. I would go over to crystalkeep.com and check out their D&D PDF compilations of stuff and look around. I hope this helped a little :)
Sinfire Titan
04-25-08, 03:08 PM RSoP requires Turning and the Sun or Healing Domains.
bkdubs123
04-25-08, 03:16 PM Well, that's out... Maybe take a level of cleric ;)

Or... just play a Cleric and just prep healing spells all the time? XD
sally_jones
04-25-08, 03:31 PM combat medic in heroes of battle
hospitaler in complete divine
retrain as cleric

augment healing feat in complete divine

amulet of retributive healing in magic item compenium
shirt of the leech in magic item compendium
belt of healing in magic item compendium
JaronK
04-25-08, 04:24 PM There's no template for it. Lesser Assimar is probably the best race for it (it's like Assimar, but not an outsider and no LA).

Combat Medic is a good healing PrC. Unfortunately, the Healer class is not the best for healing, especially since many good healing PrCs (such as Radient Servant of Pelor) aren't available to the healer, and nor is DMM Persist (which is awesome for healing).

JaronK
Lotus Crane
04-25-08, 04:42 PM I was wondering if there is any race-template that could compliment my healing abilities (much like a Half-Dragon template might help out a fighter). Maybe Half-Celestial Template?

If this this might be a bit impossible (because Aasimars are slightly celestial and making a Half-Celestial out of an Aasimar is genetically impossible?) could anyone suggest any other template, Prestige class, or base class that might help out with my healing spells? (Excluding feats, of course).
There was actually a savage progression article (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040319a) that allowed an aasimar to become a half-celestial.

That being said, like any primary spellcaster, you want to avoid level adjustments as much as possible. Even though half-celestial gives you decent Wis and Cha bonuses, and a bunch of spell-like abilities (which include a few healing spells), having LA +4 means you're 2 spell levels and 4 caster levels behind a LA 0 healer, so overall, you'd be worse at healing than just a standard human healer. If you can find a LA 0 race with a Wis or Cha bonus, such as lesser aasimar (ask your DM if you can "devolve" down to one to gain another class level instead), that'd probably be for the best.

The best healer in the game is still the cleric, because he can spontaneously convert other prepared spells to cure wounds; a healer can't. Not to mention clerics can take a number of divine feats (Sacred Boost and Sacred Healing) and enter the Radiant Servant of Pelor prestige class for even more healing advantages. Of course, a cleric can also contribute to the party in other ways, but if you really love playing a non-combatant walking band-aid so much, play as a cloistered cleric (Unearthed Arcana). They're less competent at fighting, but they get an extra domain and many more skills. Healing Devotion from Complete Champion can help as well.

If you're happy with your character the way he or she is right now though, just make sure to keep boosting your Wis and Cha as much as possible with magic items. Again, races and templates might look tempting, but losing class and spell levels is almost never worth it for a caster.
dman11235
04-25-08, 06:33 PM Actually, the cleric is the best healing in the game for two reasons: 1: turning lets it take DMM: Persist, and a persisted mass Lesser Vigor means FH 1 all day, and 2: access to all the best healing PrCs. yeah, the cleric is better than the Healer at healing. Sad, isn't it? Another really good way to "heal" is to make sure you don't have to. Two ways to do this are to protect and to kill faster. Since you are playing a non-combatant, the protection angle is what you'd want. Spells like Mass Conviction work wonders. And Righteous Wrath of the Faithful, Recitation, the list goes on. And guess what? None of them are Healer spells. Basically the only thing you can do as a healer is heal, at least until you get 9th level spells (Gate). And you can't even do that as effectively as a cleric. The +cha to healing spells while nice, is no where near as effective as a RSoP with Augment Healing, touch of Healing, and DMM: Persist on MLV. Not that this even needs Touch of Healing (it's just a little faster than the MLV).

Also, I've been trying to get a Healer into RSoP, and the earliest I've gotten it has been level 12 start. Requires one level of Contemplative at level 11, and one level of Sacred Exorcist at earlier than that. It is purely a mental exercise though since the reward is so little compared to a cleric/RSoP. Oh, and the vows from BoED might be of use, as would the Saint template. Saint means less time healing yourself, and is IMO worth the CL shot if that's the sort of thing you want. VoNV and VoPea in particular, with VoPov so you don't spend as many feats. And while you're at it, might as well go into Apostle of Peace to gain a faster spell progression and increase it further with RSoP. I'm sure you could do it somehow.
RealMarkP
05-01-08, 04:18 PM Hmm, the Healer looked so nice on paper. I thought I'd finally break fro from the everyone-needs-to-be-a-cleric curse. But alas.

My DM told me that I can't switch since we already started, but he gave me the option of designing an over powered PrC that will make me much better at healing then the RSoP (Actually its a Faerun campaign, so Pelor doesn't exist). Also, I found that there is a cult of travelling healers called "The Unhindered Path". Its some lore I found but it fits well.

I'll definitely look at the combat Medic tho.
But stacking Magic Items is all I can do at the moment.

Since what I'm hearing is that the Healer class is weak, I was also thinking of getting into Sorcerer. It would make me a bit more of a utility character. But with the direction I am taking this character (complete pacifist, non-combatant), I would have to specialize in Abjuration spells (Shields, buffs, etc). I'd eventually jump into the Mystic Theurge (I tihnk?) PrC to progress both my caster classes. Do you think this is a wise course of action?
dman11235
05-01-08, 04:24 PM RSoP has an adaption bit. It can be any deity of the sun.

Point your DM to the retraining rules in the PHBII and UA. Maybe then he'll let you retrain as a cleric.

And no, it is not at all wise. Healer may be a terribly weak class, but this weakens you a LOT more. More specifically, delays (and ultimately eliminates) Gate from the picture.
sonofzeal
05-01-08, 04:39 PM Hmm, the Healer looked so nice on paper. I thought I'd finally break fro from the everyone-needs-to-be-a-cleric curse. But alas.
The healer IS weak. It's marginally better at healing than a Cleric unless you're using DMM: Persist cheese (which is broken no matter WHAT you use it for), but any Cleric worth his salt can heal almost as well AND slaughter undead with turning AND cast dozens of buffs AND pound it out in melee better than the Fighter AND be more survivable during it because he's in fullplate. On the downside, by this point Clerics are horribly cliche, and Healers provide a nice break and a new, interesting challenge. I'm playing one now for that exact reason.

Advantages the Healer has over the Cleric:

1) Can do solid healing even with Cure Minor
2) Can recharge spells in an hour rather than overnight
3) Has an animal companion
4) Has better skillpoints and class skills, specifically Handle Animal
5) Can cast Goodberries
6) Eventually gets True Rez with no gp/xp cost

Now, {1} means you're a much more solid healer from lvl1 than any Cleric. Combined with {2} means you're casting substantially more potent healing spells substantially more often, which is a winning formula in my book. The Unicorn Companion is a powerful class feature, but until then you can use {4} for some combat-trained pets (rearing a trio of polar bears is only a DC 23 check). You may wonder why I list {5}, but the duration combined with {2} means you can create massive stockpiles of the things, each of which heals 1+cha and can be distributed amongst the party freely. And {6} is one of the best capstone powers out there.

EDIT - in answer to your initial question, the "Saint" template is full of Win and fits thematically.
RealMarkP
05-01-08, 04:51 PM The healer IS weak. It's marginally better at healing than a Cleric unless you're using DMM: Persist cheese (which is broken no matter WHAT you use it for), but any Cleric worth his salt can heal almost as well AND slaughter undead with turning AND cast dozens of buffs AND pound it out in melee better than the Fighter AND be more survivable during it because he's in fullplate. On the downside, by this point Clerics are horribly cliche, and Healers provide a nice break and a new, interesting challenge. I'm playing one now for that exact reason.

Advantages the Healer has over the Cleric:

1) Can do solid healing even with Cure Minor
2) Can recharge spells in an hour rather than overnight
3) Has an animal companion
4) Has better skillpoints and class skills, specifically Handle Animal
5) Can cast Goodberries
6) Eventually gets True Rez with no gp/xp cost

Now, {1} means you're a much more solid healer from lvl1 than any Cleric. Combined with {2} means you're casting substantially more potent healing spells substantially more often, which is a winning formula in my book. The Unicorn Companion is a powerful class feature, but until then you can use {4} for some combat-trained pets (rearing a trio of polar bears is only a DC 23 check). You may wonder why I list {5}, but the duration combined with {2} means you can create massive stockpiles of the things, each of which heals 1+cha and can be distributed amongst the party freely. And {6} is one of the best capstone powers out there.

EDIT - in answer to your initial question, the "Saint" template is full of Win and fits thematically.

Wow!!

I am essentially a neutered Cleric, but thats the way I would be playing my character regardless if I was in full plate and able to smash things relentlessly.

Question: Where is this Saint template?
sonofzeal
05-01-08, 05:16 PM Wow!!

I am essentially a neutered Cleric, but thats the way I would be playing my character regardless if I was in full plate and able to smash things relentlessly.

Question: Where is this Saint template?
Yeah, basically. And if you're going to play neutered like that, you might as well go with Healer (except for all those juice cleric buffs for your allies).

The Saint template is in BoED, and requires three exalted feats to enter. It's highly overpowered and says so explicitelly, but balanced by the fact that comitting a single evil act removes it permanently.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
RealMarkP 04-25-08, 02:10 PM	Hello, I am currently playing an Aasimar "Healer" (Miniatures Handbook) and I am liking it (Almost a pure non-combatant). I was wondering if there is any race-template that could compliment my healing abilities (much like a Half-Dragon template might help out a fighter). Maybe Half-Celestial Template? If this this might be a bit impossible (because Aasimars are slightly celestial and making a Half-Celestial out of an Aasimar is genetically impossible?) could anyone suggest any other template, Prestige class, or base class that might help out with my healing spells? (Excluding feats, of course).
bkdubs123 04-25-08, 02:31 PM	I don't know if Healers can qualify for the PrC, but Radiant Servant of Pelor is an amazing PrC for healing Clerics. Why excluding feats? There are some good feats to help healing too! There is also the Healing Touch skill trick in Complete Scoundrel that lets you heal 1d6 with a stabilize check. Check out Complete Champion for a great reserve healing feat as well!
DragonGhoula 04-25-08, 02:35 PM	I think that the Radiant Servant of Pelor (from Complete Divine) may help you with that, but, then again, I don't have the book and I've only seen the class once, so don't assume that I'm correct. Also the Saint template (from Book of Exalted Deeds (you can find it on www.crystalkeep.com)) may help, but it doesn't have any overtly healing-based abilities. I would go over to crystalkeep.com and check out their D&D PDF compilations of stuff and look around. I hope this helped a little :)
Sinfire Titan 04-25-08, 03:08 PM	RSoP requires Turning and the Sun or Healing Domains.
bkdubs123 04-25-08, 03:16 PM	Well, that's out... Maybe take a level of cleric ;) Or... just play a Cleric and just prep healing spells all the time? XD
sally_jones 04-25-08, 03:31 PM	combat medic in heroes of battle hospitaler in complete divine retrain as cleric augment healing feat in complete divine amulet of retributive healing in magic item compenium shirt of the leech in magic item compendium belt of healing in magic item compendium
JaronK 04-25-08, 04:24 PM	There's no template for it. Lesser Assimar is probably the best race for it (it's like Assimar, but not an outsider and no LA). Combat Medic is a good healing PrC. Unfortunately, the Healer class is not the best for healing, especially since many good healing PrCs (such as Radient Servant of Pelor) aren't available to the healer, and nor is DMM Persist (which is awesome for healing). JaronK
Lotus Crane 04-25-08, 04:42 PM	I was wondering if there is any race-template that could compliment my healing abilities (much like a Half-Dragon template might help out a fighter). Maybe Half-Celestial Template? If this this might be a bit impossible (because Aasimars are slightly celestial and making a Half-Celestial out of an Aasimar is genetically impossible?) could anyone suggest any other template, Prestige class, or base class that might help out with my healing spells? (Excluding feats, of course). There was actually a savage progression article (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040319a) that allowed an aasimar to become a half-celestial. That being said, like any primary spellcaster, you want to avoid level adjustments as much as possible. Even though half-celestial gives you decent Wis and Cha bonuses, and a bunch of spell-like abilities (which include a few healing spells), having LA +4 means you're 2 spell levels and 4 caster levels behind a LA 0 healer, so overall, you'd be worse at healing than just a standard human healer. If you can find a LA 0 race with a Wis or Cha bonus, such as lesser aasimar (ask your DM if you can "devolve" down to one to gain another class level instead), that'd probably be for the best. The best healer in the game is still the cleric, because he can spontaneously convert other prepared spells to cure wounds; a healer can't. Not to mention clerics can take a number of divine feats (Sacred Boost and Sacred Healing) and enter the Radiant Servant of Pelor prestige class for even more healing advantages. Of course, a cleric can also contribute to the party in other ways, but if you really love playing a non-combatant walking band-aid so much, play as a cloistered cleric (Unearthed Arcana). They're less competent at fighting, but they get an extra domain and many more skills. Healing Devotion from Complete Champion can help as well. If you're happy with your character the way he or she is right now though, just make sure to keep boosting your Wis and Cha as much as possible with magic items. Again, races and templates might look tempting, but losing class and spell levels is almost never worth it for a caster.
dman11235 04-25-08, 06:33 PM	Actually, the cleric is the best healing in the game for two reasons: 1: turning lets it take DMM: Persist, and a persisted mass Lesser Vigor means FH 1 all day, and 2: access to all the best healing PrCs. yeah, the cleric is better than the Healer at healing. Sad, isn't it? Another really good way to "heal" is to make sure you don't have to. Two ways to do this are to protect and to kill faster. Since you are playing a non-combatant, the protection angle is what you'd want. Spells like Mass Conviction work wonders. And Righteous Wrath of the Faithful, Recitation, the list goes on. And guess what? None of them are Healer spells. Basically the only thing you can do as a healer is heal, at least until you get 9th level spells (Gate). And you can't even do that as effectively as a cleric. The +cha to healing spells while nice, is no where near as effective as a RSoP with Augment Healing, touch of Healing, and DMM: Persist on MLV. Not that this even needs Touch of Healing (it's just a little faster than the MLV). Also, I've been trying to get a Healer into RSoP, and the earliest I've gotten it has been level 12 start. Requires one level of Contemplative at level 11, and one level of Sacred Exorcist at earlier than that. It is purely a mental exercise though since the reward is so little compared to a cleric/RSoP. Oh, and the vows from BoED might be of use, as would the Saint template. Saint means less time healing yourself, and is IMO worth the CL shot if that's the sort of thing you want. VoNV and VoPea in particular, with VoPov so you don't spend as many feats. And while you're at it, might as well go into Apostle of Peace to gain a faster spell progression and increase it further with RSoP. I'm sure you could do it somehow.
RealMarkP 05-01-08, 04:18 PM	Hmm, the Healer looked so nice on paper. I thought I'd finally break fro from the everyone-needs-to-be-a-cleric curse. But alas. My DM told me that I can't switch since we already started, but he gave me the option of designing an over powered PrC that will make me much better at healing then the RSoP (Actually its a Faerun campaign, so Pelor doesn't exist). Also, I found that there is a cult of travelling healers called "The Unhindered Path". Its some lore I found but it fits well. I'll definitely look at the combat Medic tho. But stacking Magic Items is all I can do at the moment. Since what I'm hearing is that the Healer class is weak, I was also thinking of getting into Sorcerer. It would make me a bit more of a utility character. But with the direction I am taking this character (complete pacifist, non-combatant), I would have to specialize in Abjuration spells (Shields, buffs, etc). I'd eventually jump into the Mystic Theurge (I tihnk?) PrC to progress both my caster classes. Do you think this is a wise course of action?
dman11235 05-01-08, 04:24 PM	RSoP has an adaption bit. It can be any deity of the sun. Point your DM to the retraining rules in the PHBII and UA. Maybe then he'll let you retrain as a cleric. And no, it is not at all wise. Healer may be a terribly weak class, but this weakens you a LOT more. More specifically, delays (and ultimately eliminates) Gate from the picture.
sonofzeal 05-01-08, 04:39 PM	Hmm, the Healer looked so nice on paper. I thought I'd finally break fro from the everyone-needs-to-be-a-cleric curse. But alas. The healer IS weak. It's marginally better at healing than a Cleric unless you're using DMM: Persist cheese (which is broken no matter WHAT you use it for), but any Cleric worth his salt can heal almost as well AND slaughter undead with turning AND cast dozens of buffs AND pound it out in melee better than the Fighter AND be more survivable during it because he's in fullplate. On the downside, by this point Clerics are horribly cliche, and Healers provide a nice break and a new, interesting challenge. I'm playing one now for that exact reason. Advantages the Healer has over the Cleric: 1) Can do solid healing even with Cure Minor 2) Can recharge spells in an hour rather than overnight 3) Has an animal companion 4) Has better skillpoints and class skills, specifically Handle Animal 5) Can cast Goodberries 6) Eventually gets True Rez with no gp/xp cost Now, {1} means you're a much more solid healer from lvl1 than any Cleric. Combined with {2} means you're casting substantially more potent healing spells substantially more often, which is a winning formula in my book. The Unicorn Companion is a powerful class feature, but until then you can use {4} for some combat-trained pets (rearing a trio of polar bears is only a DC 23 check). You may wonder why I list {5}, but the duration combined with {2} means you can create massive stockpiles of the things, each of which heals 1+cha and can be distributed amongst the party freely. And {6} is one of the best capstone powers out there. EDIT - in answer to your initial question, the "Saint" template is full of Win and fits thematically.
RealMarkP 05-01-08, 04:51 PM	The healer IS weak. It's marginally better at healing than a Cleric unless you're using DMM: Persist cheese (which is broken no matter WHAT you use it for), but any Cleric worth his salt can heal almost as well AND slaughter undead with turning AND cast dozens of buffs AND pound it out in melee better than the Fighter AND be more survivable during it because he's in fullplate. On the downside, by this point Clerics are horribly cliche, and Healers provide a nice break and a new, interesting challenge. I'm playing one now for that exact reason. Advantages the Healer has over the Cleric: 1) Can do solid healing even with Cure Minor 2) Can recharge spells in an hour rather than overnight 3) Has an animal companion 4) Has better skillpoints and class skills, specifically Handle Animal 5) Can cast Goodberries 6) Eventually gets True Rez with no gp/xp cost Now, {1} means you're a much more solid healer from lvl1 than any Cleric. Combined with {2} means you're casting substantially more potent healing spells substantially more often, which is a winning formula in my book. The Unicorn Companion is a powerful class feature, but until then you can use {4} for some combat-trained pets (rearing a trio of polar bears is only a DC 23 check). You may wonder why I list {5}, but the duration combined with {2} means you can create massive stockpiles of the things, each of which heals 1+cha and can be distributed amongst the party freely. And {6} is one of the best capstone powers out there. EDIT - in answer to your initial question, the "Saint" template is full of Win and fits thematically. Wow!! I am essentially a neutered Cleric, but thats the way I would be playing my character regardless if I was in full plate and able to smash things relentlessly. Question: Where is this Saint template?
sonofzeal 05-01-08, 05:16 PM	Wow!! I am essentially a neutered Cleric, but thats the way I would be playing my character regardless if I was in full plate and able to smash things relentlessly. Question: Where is this Saint template? Yeah, basically. And if you're going to play neutered like that, you might as well go with Healer (except for all those juice cleric buffs for your allies). The Saint template is in BoED, and requires three exalted feats to enter. It's highly overpowered and says so explicitelly, but balanced by the fact that comitting a single evil act removes it permanently.