3.5 Healer Build (yeah, yeah Healer. I know.) - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

3.5 Healer Build (yeah, yeah Healer. I know.)

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
MagmaArmor0
Dec 29, 2012 1:43:59 Okay, so I'm a first timer to D&D proper, but the general "idea" of the D&D roleplaying style is something I'm very familiar with.

Here's the deal, I'm starting as a Level 7 Healer (Please, don't tell me to change. I know it's...lackluster), who took every trait/flaw from Unearthed Arcana that impairs Spot, Search, and Listen. In return, I get Summon Monster as a spell. The flavor behind the character was originally that he would be totally blind/deaf and summon a "seeing eye dog"...or bear...or whatever level he was at. Since I didn't want my character's entire effectiveness tied up in a summoned animal's HP, I decided to tone it back a little, and just make myself suck at spot, search and listen (With a +4 WIS modifier, I still have -3 listen. :P)

Here are the campaign-specific rules:

Feat at every level, instead of every 4.
Free leadership feat (although the way it works will be modified--no "cohort" proper, but later in the campaign we will be commanding troops)
Starting gold of 37,600.
No undead will be present in this campaign, and Lightning will be the best usage of "Energy" selections (something about robots and stuff)

Advice on item selection and feat progression would be appreciated; I get the feeling that being able to use the Chain Spell Metamagic would be handy, especially for the "commanding huge armies" part later on, but I'm not sure.

Thanks for your help!

P.S. I get Craft as a class skill...which craft should I go for?
#2
Maat_Mons
Dec 29, 2012 3:20:29
To what extent do you want to focus on healing? The mastery of day and night feat (Player's Guide to Eberron, p125) maximizes all your cure spells for free. The touch of healing feat (Complete Champion, p62) gives you an at-will healing ability, but it only works up to half maximum hit points.
#3
draco1119
Dec 29, 2012 8:47:13 Are you playing a healer or a Healer? Specifically, are you playing a class that can heal (like cleric or druid), which is lackluster; or are you playing a Healer from MiniHB, which is a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad class? Either way, your first two feats should probably be Spell Focus (Conjuration), which will help with both your summons and heals, and Augmented Summoning.
#4
awaken_D_M_golem
Dec 29, 2012 14:12:08 hmm ... those are some interesting (!) houserules.

Leadership = take a Druid cohort because of what you've written about animals.

Feat Every Level = not really that bad with the Healer part, but the Druid Cohort will get sweet.
Feat Every Level = take all sorts of off spell list expanders = near Favored Soul capacity

Trade good Rogue skills for SM1 = bad swap, no way to mince words.
Trade good Rogue skills for SM chain = huzzah, but you aren't a proper Summoner, so not bad.

BG did manage a guide, but a word of caution ... the site is infected.
Phones go to !@#$ (filtered), and various links are iffy.
It's worth reading anyway.
Healer ---> brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.p...
Spell List ---> brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.p...
#5
alsebra
Dec 29, 2012 14:35:23 Kaspersky calls the whole site malware. Fun.

On the other hand, I'm trying to build a Healer (the crappy base class) into a decent combatant for another challenge, so I feel your pain.
#6
MagmaArmor0
Dec 29, 2012 20:32:32 to answer the above, it is the Healer from Miniatures, the base class that is terribad.

I do get the whole SM chain, so that's nice.

Also, I'm not totally sure, but I think that for the purposes of this campaign all the gods are considered "dead", which is why cleric was not an option--no domains available with no gods to worship.

I'd like to heal, yes, but ideally I'd like to do a bit more than that. Still be a support character, definitely (not a tank or damage-dealer) but something that isn't just healing (hence the summons)
#7
frost.fire
Dec 30, 2012 3:17:55 Is druid out of the equation, or maybe shadow shaman (is it blasphemy to mention that on char op?) But basically they are divine casters that can heal, but also have access to other types of spells with more versatilityn if your fixed on healer tommorow ill read more into it, could go shugenja or whatever prolly on par with healer lol (seriously never read either of them)
#8
piggyknowles
Dec 30, 2012 9:59:14 Healer + Vow of Nonviolence + disabling spells can make a passable character. Not a GREAT character, mind you, but passable. Calm Emotions, Invoke the Cerulean Sign, Repulsion and Sanctuary are sorta it, but at least you've got something to do. Sanctified spells help a little, although there are only a few worth actually taking. But without domains to easily expand your spell list, this may not be the best route for you.

Anyhow, with your modifications, and your description of the campaign, I'd recommend a Malconvoker. You can qualify pretty easily, and it will add three of the most powerful spells in the game to your spell list (Planar Binding and its lesser and greater brethren). Fun flavor, and you'll always have something decent to do. Healer 9/Malconvoker 10/Sacred Exorcist 1 seems like a fine way to go for that.

As for craft, pick up craft (alchemy). During early levels, when summoning isn't actually very good yet, you can stay somewhat useful by throwing tanglefoot bags, setting off noxious smokesticks/stinkpots, etc.

With all your bonus feats, you can always pick up a ton of soulmelds (Shape Soulmeld (shedu crown) + Open Least Chakra (crown) bind will let you control your summons' telepathically and also open up the Mindsight feat, for instance).
#9
Andarious-Rosethorn
Dec 30, 2012 10:21:52 While the healer may be a very weak Cleric basically. It does have some neat SU abilities, remember that those SU abilities have no XP cost, nor material components. That means that while these abilities are once per day (kinda crappy unfortunately) they can be fairly potent, especially the pinnacle ability of 1/week True Resurection with absolutely no cost.
#10
MagmaArmor0
Dec 30, 2012 10:36:57 Thanks for all your help, everyone. Any item suggestions? I have 37,600gp to create my character, and pretty much anything goes on that. (custom items made priced according to the DMG are legal). So far I've been looking at

Armband of Maximized Healing (3/day, maximise a healing spell. 7200 gp)
Ring of Shield (technically, this wouldn't count as a shield to violate the Healer "no shield" clause, would it?) (command word) (1800 gp)--made according to DMG magic item creation rules
Amulet of Retributive Healing (3/day, heal yourself however much you healed someone else. 2000gp)
Monk's Belt (unarmed attacks of a level 5 monk, and 1+WIS to AC. 13,000gp)
Medal of Gallantry (+2 Diplomacy, -2 Bluff, 3/day cast sanctuary on yourself with a -1 penalty (which lasts an hour) if you attack while inside it) (1100gp)

Any other item suggestions/are some of these actually terrible?

Also, I get that Wisdom and Charisma are my two "must-have" abilities; Wisdom for more spells/day and Charisma for better Healing spells (thanks to Healing Hands), but which takes priority, and up to what point (that is, should I switch from one to the other at some point)?
#11
piggyknowles
Dec 30, 2012 11:17:53 The healer doesn't have a ton of spells with a save DC (especially in an undead-free campaign), so unless you're focusing on those, I'd definitely prioritize Wisdom.
#12
alsebra
Dec 30, 2012 12:14:27 I second Wisdom, since it's the way you get your spells. You only need a max of 19, though, so...
#13
Maat_Mons
Dec 30, 2012 14:24:40
Haste is a 1st-level spell for the trapsmith class. If one of them made an item that continuously grants haste, the guidelines say it should cost 8,000 gp. That's a fantastic price for +30 to speed, even if the extra attack doesn't benefit you.

If an assassin makes an command-word activated item of lightfoot, the guidelines say it should cost 1,800 gp. That lets you take a swift action to prevent your movement from provoking attacks of opportunity for one round.

If a ranger makes an item that continuously grants healing lorecall, the guidelines say it should cost 6,000 gp. That lets your healing spells remove the dazed, dazzled, exhausted, fatigued, nauseated, or sickened conditions in addition to the normal effect.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 MagmaArmor0 Dec 29, 2012 1:43:59	Okay, so I'm a first timer to D&D proper, but the general "idea" of the D&D roleplaying style is something I'm very familiar with. Here's the deal, I'm starting as a Level 7 Healer (Please, don't tell me to change. I know it's...lackluster), who took every trait/flaw from Unearthed Arcana that impairs Spot, Search, and Listen. In return, I get Summon Monster as a spell. The flavor behind the character was originally that he would be totally blind/deaf and summon a "seeing eye dog"...or bear...or whatever level he was at. Since I didn't want my character's entire effectiveness tied up in a summoned animal's HP, I decided to tone it back a little, and just make myself suck at spot, search and listen (With a +4 WIS modifier, I still have -3 listen. :P) Here are the campaign-specific rules: Feat at every level, instead of every 4. Free leadership feat (although the way it works will be modified--no "cohort" proper, but later in the campaign we will be commanding troops) Starting gold of 37,600. No undead will be present in this campaign, and Lightning will be the best usage of "Energy" selections (something about robots and stuff) Advice on item selection and feat progression would be appreciated; I get the feeling that being able to use the Chain Spell Metamagic would be handy, especially for the "commanding huge armies" part later on, but I'm not sure. Thanks for your help! P.S. I get Craft as a class skill...which craft should I go for?
#2 Maat_Mons Dec 29, 2012 3:20:29	To what extent do you want to focus on healing? The mastery of day and night feat (Player's Guide to Eberron, p125) maximizes all your cure spells for free. The touch of healing feat (Complete Champion, p62) gives you an at-will healing ability, but it only works up to half maximum hit points.
#3 draco1119 Dec 29, 2012 8:47:13	Are you playing a healer or a Healer? Specifically, are you playing a class that can heal (like cleric or druid), which is lackluster; or are you playing a Healer from MiniHB, which is a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad class? Either way, your first two feats should probably be Spell Focus (Conjuration), which will help with both your summons and heals, and Augmented Summoning.
#4 awaken_D_M_golem Dec 29, 2012 14:12:08	hmm ... those are some interesting (!) houserules. Leadership = take a Druid cohort because of what you've written about animals. Feat Every Level = not really that bad with the Healer part, but the Druid Cohort will get sweet. Feat Every Level = take all sorts of off spell list expanders = near Favored Soul capacity Trade good Rogue skills for SM1 = bad swap, no way to mince words. Trade good Rogue skills for SM chain = huzzah, but you aren't a proper Summoner, so not bad. BG did manage a guide, but a word of caution ... the site is infected. Phones go to !@#$ (filtered), and various links are iffy. It's worth reading anyway. Healer ---> brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.p... Spell List ---> brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.p...
#5 alsebra Dec 29, 2012 14:35:23	Kaspersky calls the whole site malware. Fun. On the other hand, I'm trying to build a Healer (the crappy base class) into a decent combatant for another challenge, so I feel your pain.
#6 MagmaArmor0 Dec 29, 2012 20:32:32	to answer the above, it is the Healer from Miniatures, the base class that is terribad. I do get the whole SM chain, so that's nice. Also, I'm not totally sure, but I think that for the purposes of this campaign all the gods are considered "dead", which is why cleric was not an option--no domains available with no gods to worship. I'd like to heal, yes, but ideally I'd like to do a bit more than that. Still be a support character, definitely (not a tank or damage-dealer) but something that isn't just healing (hence the summons)
#7 frost.fire Dec 30, 2012 3:17:55	Is druid out of the equation, or maybe shadow shaman (is it blasphemy to mention that on char op?) But basically they are divine casters that can heal, but also have access to other types of spells with more versatilityn if your fixed on healer tommorow ill read more into it, could go shugenja or whatever prolly on par with healer lol (seriously never read either of them)
#8 piggyknowles Dec 30, 2012 9:59:14	Healer + Vow of Nonviolence + disabling spells can make a passable character. Not a GREAT character, mind you, but passable. Calm Emotions, Invoke the Cerulean Sign, Repulsion and Sanctuary are sorta it, but at least you've got something to do. Sanctified spells help a little, although there are only a few worth actually taking. But without domains to easily expand your spell list, this may not be the best route for you. Anyhow, with your modifications, and your description of the campaign, I'd recommend a Malconvoker. You can qualify pretty easily, and it will add three of the most powerful spells in the game to your spell list (Planar Binding and its lesser and greater brethren). Fun flavor, and you'll always have something decent to do. Healer 9/Malconvoker 10/Sacred Exorcist 1 seems like a fine way to go for that. As for craft, pick up craft (alchemy). During early levels, when summoning isn't actually very good yet, you can stay somewhat useful by throwing tanglefoot bags, setting off noxious smokesticks/stinkpots, etc. With all your bonus feats, you can always pick up a ton of soulmelds (Shape Soulmeld (shedu crown) + Open Least Chakra (crown) bind will let you control your summons' telepathically and also open up the Mindsight feat, for instance).
#9 Andarious-Rosethorn Dec 30, 2012 10:21:52	While the healer may be a very weak Cleric basically. It does have some neat SU abilities, remember that those SU abilities have no XP cost, nor material components. That means that while these abilities are once per day (kinda crappy unfortunately) they can be fairly potent, especially the pinnacle ability of 1/week True Resurection with absolutely no cost.
#10 MagmaArmor0 Dec 30, 2012 10:36:57	Thanks for all your help, everyone. Any item suggestions? I have 37,600gp to create my character, and pretty much anything goes on that. (custom items made priced according to the DMG are legal). So far I've been looking at Armband of Maximized Healing (3/day, maximise a healing spell. 7200 gp) Ring of Shield (technically, this wouldn't count as a shield to violate the Healer "no shield" clause, would it?) (command word) (1800 gp)--made according to DMG magic item creation rules Amulet of Retributive Healing (3/day, heal yourself however much you healed someone else. 2000gp) Monk's Belt (unarmed attacks of a level 5 monk, and 1+WIS to AC. 13,000gp) Medal of Gallantry (+2 Diplomacy, -2 Bluff, 3/day cast sanctuary on yourself with a -1 penalty (which lasts an hour) if you attack while inside it) (1100gp) Any other item suggestions/are some of these actually terrible? Also, I get that Wisdom and Charisma are my two "must-have" abilities; Wisdom for more spells/day and Charisma for better Healing spells (thanks to Healing Hands), but which takes priority, and up to what point (that is, should I switch from one to the other at some point)?
#11 piggyknowles Dec 30, 2012 11:17:53	The healer doesn't have a ton of spells with a save DC (especially in an undead-free campaign), so unless you're focusing on those, I'd definitely prioritize Wisdom.
#12 alsebra Dec 30, 2012 12:14:27	I second Wisdom, since it's the way you get your spells. You only need a max of 19, though, so...
#13 Maat_Mons Dec 30, 2012 14:24:40	Haste is a 1st-level spell for the trapsmith class. If one of them made an item that continuously grants haste, the guidelines say it should cost 8,000 gp. That's a fantastic price for +30 to speed, even if the extra attack doesn't benefit you. If an assassin makes an command-word activated item of lightfoot, the guidelines say it should cost 1,800 gp. That lets you take a swift action to prevent your movement from provoking attacks of opportunity for one round. If a ranger makes an item that continuously grants healing lorecall, the guidelines say it should cost 6,000 gp. That lets your healing spells remove the dazed, dazzled, exhausted, fatigued, nauseated, or sickened conditions in addition to the normal effect.