Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 MagmaArmor0 Nov 09, 2013 13:47:28	So, for fun, I want to optimize the spell close wounds. I'm playing a Healer (as in, Healer from Miniatures Handbook) and want to optimize this particular spell to prevent the maximum amount of damage possible to my party.   Rules: this character is for an epic level campaign. we are starting level 21. so tack an extra level onto your typical builds ;) Healer 20 must be part of the build. So maximize that 1-level-dip. Leadership is out. Apprentice/Mentor is valid though. 975000 starting cashmoney.    The goal is the maximum amount of damage prevented from close wounds, with the minimum amount of cheese (please, no 1 level dips in cleric for DMM nonsense...DM specifically forbade Divine Metamagic.) Bonus points if you leave money/etc. left over for other fun stuffs (fun stuffs I have in mind are Diplomacy and Perform. more to come.)   And now, the carrot: Our group plays feat/level. that means 21 feats for you to work with. So have fun.    Things I've already found: Maximize spell>>Mastery of Day and night for free maximize Augment Healing for 2*SL to heals.   Custom, pre-approved item costing 8800 that automagically heals me the same amount I heal another person.   Good luck, and godspeed. ;)
#2 Slagger_the_Chuul Nov 10, 2013 5:35:28	I'm not sure Mastery of Day and Night would even count close wounds as a cure spell (I would expect it to go by the cleric's spontaneous casting definition), but I don't suppose it hurts if you're allowed to use it and are prepared to focus on close wounds to the exclusion of potentially better options.  In answering, I will assume that your only concern is casting a version of close wounds that cures as much damage as possible. For your particular purpose, the Magic of the Land feat (from Races of the Wild) is like a second Augment Healing that works only in natural surroundings, but the best overall increases in the amount of healing are likely to come from increases in the number of targets you affect, or the number of times you affect a target.  With the updated version of the close wounds spell in the Spell Compendium curing 1d4 points of damage +1 point per caster level (max. +5), there's not a very good return on Maximize Spell compared to something like Chain Spell that multiplies the effect by the number of targets.   Similarly, you could slap on a couple of more metamagic effects like Ocular Spell and Split Ray (to make it a ray, then two rays), Twin Spell and so on, with Heighten Spell on the top to cast it as a 9th-level spell (for maximum spell level returned from Augment Healing and/or Magic of the Land), assuming you use the appropriate methods to cut down the increases from all that previous metamagic.  I'd also check whether or not the custom item you've got has the same limit as the amulet of retributive healing (Magic Item Compendium, page 69), or if you gain your own dose of healing for every dose of healing you deliver when healing multiple times with a single casting.
#3 StevenO Nov 10, 2013 10:37:50	Slagger_the_Chuul wrote:
#4 Captnq Nov 10, 2013 12:31:39	Does your DM rule you can go below -10 HP damage. Or do you "die" at -10 and not go any further?   If so, Close woulds, as an immediate action, can save anyone from any amount of damage.   The healing of this spell is pathetic, what makes the spell come alive is the casting time, Immediate, and the range, close. You can stop someone from dying if they drop to -10. Technically there is no damage below -10, so if someone dies from hp damage, you can save them as an immediate action and technically they never died. What really makes this spell stand out is that it qualifies for chain. As a 5th level spell, you max out the healing at 1d4+5, but the healing amount is irrelevant. It’s the immediate chain heal to all your allies that matters.   CHAIN SPELL (Complete Arcane): Chain spell does not work with any healing spells except for close wounds. However, for close wounds chain is awesome. Close wounds is an immediate spell so you can use it to stop someone from dying. Furthermore, chain says that only DAMAGE is halved when you chain it. It says nothing about halving healing. However, as a DM, I wouldn’t buy that argument, so I assume it only heals half as much to secondary targets. Alas, such a spell would be too high a level for a wand, so it would only be available in a scroll.   Wands Close Wounds (Spell Level 2 / Caster Level 3): 4500 gp    Healing: 1d4 + 3 = Avg 5.5 hp (16.36 gp/hp)    A small burst of healing as an immediate action can save someone at -10. Technically, you can’t go lower then -10 hp, so you should, in theory, keep anybody who was JUST killed alive. Bearly alive, but alive.   Close Wounds Enlarge (Spell Level 3 / Caster Level 5): 11250 gp    Healing: 1d4 + 5 = Avg 7.5 hp (30.00 gp/hp)    A bit more expensive, but if you need the range, you need the range. However, may I point out the Insignia of Healing. A bit more expensive, since you have to make a 10 gp insignia for everyone you wish to heal, but you can heal everyone at the same time out to 600 feet for almost the same cost. Unlike the IoH, this can heal as an immediate action. At 75 feet, that should cover just about anyone within line of sight during a dungeon crawl.   Close Wounds Energize (Spell Level 3 / Caster Level 5): 11250 gp    Healing: 1d4 + 5 = Avg 7.5 hp (30.00 gp/hp)    Damage to Undead: 1d4 + 5 x 1.5 = Avg 11.25 hp (20.00 gp/hp)    Now, here we have an immediate healer slash undead critter smacker. You can heal someone on the quick, or poke an undead thingy out of turn for an okay amount of damage, which may or may not disrupt a spell, finish something off, and in general make the difference between life and death. Expensive for what it does, but you can’t spend gold when you are dead.   Close Wounds Empower (Spell Level 4 / Caster Level 7): 21000 gp    Healing: 1d4 + 5 x 1.5 = Avg 11.5 hp (36.52 gp/hp)    Expensive, but you stand a 75% chance of taking someone from -10 to 1 hit point. That means your fighter not only did not just die, but he can keep on fighting, as opposed to lie there and hope someone comes along to revive him.   Scrolls Close Wounds Extended/Empower/Chain (Spell Level 8 / Caster Level 15): 3000 gp    Healing: 1d4 hp + 5 x 1.5 = Avg 11.5 hp (260.87 gp/hp)    Max Targets: 15 (17.39 gp/hp)    This is the scroll to carry around in your off hand. Anyone in your party drops, you fire off this as an immediate action. Chain states damage is halved for secondary targets, but it says nothing about healing, so maybe you can con your DM into allowing it to have full effect on secondary targets. Regardless, this could mean the difference between life and death, so it’s extended to reach out to 125 feet. It’s expensive, but less expensive then true resurrection.     HAVE FUN.
#5 Maat_Mons Nov 10, 2013 13:06:23	Since healer adds your charisma modifier to the damage healed, optimizing your charisma score would help.     Since you want 20 levels in healer instead of using prestige classes that advance divine casting, I assume you want the various class features.  Getting true resurection without a material cost is kind of nice.  On the other hand, you'll be able to take ignore material components next level.  The extra divine power feat (Dragon 343, p91) can give you extra uses of the other class abilities, but not new life.     If you dip cleric (or contemplative) for the healing domain and take the imbued healing feat (Complete Champion, p60), all your healing spells also grant the subject a number of temporary hit points equal to its level.     The invigorating spellcaster feat (Dragon 311, p45) would let you remove several status conditions with your healing spells.     You might find something useful in this thread.
#6 Slagger_the_Chuul Nov 11, 2013 12:48:16	StevenO wrote:
#7 piggyknowles Nov 15, 2013 15:48:51	It's otherwise a terribly weak dip, but if you spend that one level dip on bard and take the Healing Hymn ACF, you'll add your ranks in Perform to any healing spell cast. That's a nice +24 to Close Wounds.
#8 Tempest_Stormwind Nov 15, 2013 16:37:10	piggyknowles wrote:
#9 Andarious-Rosethorn Nov 16, 2013 10:24:43	Post errata it adds to your CL for purposes of determining amount healed.
#10 Slagger_the_Chuul Nov 16, 2013 14:56:53	Andarious-Rosethorn wrote: