[3.5] Healer Remix: God's Left Hand

[jiriku]

HEALER

“In nothing do men more nearly approach the gods than in giving health to men.”

~ Cicero

The healer is a steadfast supporter of his friends and allies. Armed with powerful buffing and healing spells, he readies his team for battle, cures their wounds, cleanses their afflictions, and even raises them from the dead if the need should arise. Confident and wise, most healers don't seek attention, instead preferring to let others take the spotlight while they assume an advisory role. However, healers are a varied lot, and most pick up a secondary talent or two, becoming able negotiators, strategic battlefield controllers, stealthy scouts, or deadly blasters. A healer eventually gains a divine companion much like a paladin does, which may act as a mount, bodyguard, or adjunct for him.

The healer is a class for cautious or quiet players who prefer to follow along with whatever the other players are doing, supporting as needed. It is also the go-to class for DMs who want to include a DMPC in the party to advise and heal the PCs without overshadowing them or reducing them to mere accessories (as a powerful cleric might do).

Overview / Design Notes:

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Despite his superior healing prowess and metamagic skill, the healer is a downgrade from the cleric. This is intentional! Why is that? Well, Let's talk about class tiers. If you're reading and using my classes, it's because you understand that class tiers are real and they can affect everyone's enjoyment of the game. The aim of my homebrew classes is to find/create a happy medium where everyone can play whatever class they want without having to worry about whether their preference is a "power class" or a "gimp class". The healer and its companion class, the prophet, are intended to replace the cleric class, dividing its capabilities into smaller spheres of ability that won't overpower my other remixed classes.

Ok, so why remix the healer? You all know the conventional wisdom. Healing during combat is a loser's game. It's the gimp's role. Just buy a wand, right? There are two arguments against playing a healer in D&D 3.5. The first is that it's sub-optimal, because it's easier to deal damage in D&D than to repair it. That's true, but not graven in stone -- with better healing options (such as you'll find herein), the remixed healer can heal damage fast enough to make a real difference in combat. Healing is a good strategy if it's a remixed healer who's healing you.

The second complaint against healing is that it's no fun, that no one would want to play a support role, sitting around waiting for others to get injured. For some, that's a true concern. If you're one of those people, please look at my other classes -- they'll be of more interest to you. But for players who enjoy a supporting role, who don't want to have to run the group, lead the combat, or spearhead the negotiations, you'll like what you'll find here. The healer is a class that makes it easy to participate without forcing you to put yourself on the spot. I've also added a lot of buffing and a little bit of blasting to the healer's arsenal so you can step into that spotlight when you do feel like it.

Finally, if you are the DM of your group, and you're thinking the party is too small and fragile to make it and needs an NPC to heal them from time to time, then the remixed healer is a great option for you. It's got all the right tools to keep your PCs in the game without making them feel like they're just accessories to the NPC. Enjoy!

Credits:

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This class draws much inspiration steals shamelessly from T.G. Oskar's healer class, which is an extremely worthy replacement for the original healer. It's so good, in fact, that I was tempted not to make this class at all, but merely to use his. I created this healer chiefly because, as with all of my class remixes, I'm striving to create something that's as true to the mechanics of the original class as possible.

Version Log:

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1.0 Original version
1.1 Added Ride to the class skill list. Since the healer can get a mount as a class feature, he ought to be able to learn to ride it well.
1.2 Removed Advanced Learning and the interactions between domains and abilities that mitigated metamagic costs. Restricted domain selection somewhat.
1.3 Adjusted Divine Surge prerequisites.
1.4 Replaced Divine Surge (immediate counterspell) with Divine Surge (fortified healing).
1.5 Updated tables to work with new forum code. Reduced the duration of Divine Surge (cleanse). Removed about half the class features and reworked them as feats. Increased the number of bonus feats granted and shuffled around the levels at which other features are gained. Created a new spell and added it as the 9th level domain spell for the Restoration domain.
1.51 Added sticky saddle to spell list.

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Healers have the following game statistics.

Abilities: Wisdom determines how many spells a healer can cast, while Charisma determines how powerful his spells are. Constitution and Dexterity help the healer survive attacks.

Alignment: Any, but most healers tend to be of Good alignment, since the class revolves around helping others. Neutral healers appreciate the wealth and respect that a healer’s power brings, while Evil healers view a healer’s talents as a means of making others beholden to them. Good-aligned healers have a broader choice of divine companions than do healers of other alignments.

HIT DIE: d8

Level	Base Attack	Fort	Ref	Will	Special	-0-	-1-	-2-	-3-	-4-	-5-	-6-	-7-	-8-	-9-
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Domain casting, healing hands, master surgeon	4	3	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Augment healing	4	4	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Divine surge	5	4	3	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Healer bonus feat	5	4	4	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Effortless healing	5	5	4	3	–	–	–	–	–	–
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Extra domain	5	5	4	4	–	–	–	–	–	–
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5		6	5	5	4	3	–	–	–	–	–
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Divine companion, healer bonus feat	6	5	5	4	4	–	–	–	–	–
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6		6	6	5	5	4	3	–	–	–	–
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Extra domain	6	6	5	5	4	4	–	–	–	–
11th	+5	+3	+3	+7		6	6	6	5	5	4	3	–	–	–
12th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	Healer bonus feat	6	6	6	5	5	4	4	–	–	–
13th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8		6	6	6	6	5	5	4	3	–	–
14th	+7/+2	+4	+4	+9	Extra domain	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	4	–	–
15th	+7/+2	+5	+5	+9		6	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	3	–
16th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	Healer bonus feat	6	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	4	–
17th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10		6	6	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	3
18th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Extra domain	6	6	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	4
19th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Metamagic healing	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	5	5	4
20th	+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	Healer bonus feat	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	5	5	4

CLASS SKILLS (4 + Int mod per level, x4 at 1st level)
A healer's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Survival (Wis).

“The physician should look upon the patient as a besieged city
and try to rescue him with every means that art and science place at his command.”

~ Alexander of Tralles

CLASS FEATURES
In combat, your spells and class features make you an effective buffer and healer, and an occasional battlefield controller. While you don’t fight well with a weapon and have few offensive magics, your magic usually ensures that your allies will achieve victory. However, your powerful spells combined with your poor defenses make you a tempting target, so try to stick close to your friends rather than playing the lone wolf. Depending on your choice of divine companion, you might use your companion as a bodyguard, or ride it as a mount and use its mobility to stay out of trouble. In non-combat situations, you have the skills, magic and personality to serve as an able negotiator and a valuable contributor to group efforts.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The healer gains proficiency with all simple weapons. He gains proficiency with light armor and light shields.

Spells: A healer casts divine spells, which are drawn from the healer spell list (below). However, his alignment may restrict him from casting certain spells that are opposed to his moral or ethical beliefs. A healer must choose and prepare his spells in advance, but gains the ability to spontaneously cast spells from his domains (see Domain Casting, below).

To prepare or cast a healer spell, you must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell's level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a healer's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the healer's Charisma modifier. Like other spellcasters, a healer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. The base daily spell allotment is given in the table above. In addition, you receive bonus spells for a high Wisdom score.

Healers do not acquire their spells from books or scrolls, nor do they prepare them through study. Instead, they meditate or pray for their spells much as a cleric does. A healer may prepare and cast any spell on the healer spell list, provided that he can cast spells of that level, but he must choose which spells to prepare during his daily meditation. A healer may not prepare or cast a healer spell with an alignment that opposes his own (e.g., a lawful neutral healer may not cast mantle of chaos).

Domain Casting: Choose a deity for your healer. Sample deities are listed on Table 3—7: Deities in the Player’s Handbook, and described on page 106-108 of that book. The healer’s deity influences his alignment, what magic he can perform, his values, and how others see him. If typical worshipers of a deity include the members of a race, a healer must be of the indicated race to choose that deity as his own (the god may have occasional worshipers of other races, but not healers).

When you have chosen an alignment and a deity for your healer, choose one domain from the following list: you may choose the Cure, Life, Renewal, Restoration, or Ward domain (all described in the post below). You gain the domain’s granted power, and you may stack your levels in the cleric, healer, and avatar classes when determining the effectiveness of your domain granted powers.

You can also channel stored spell energy into domain spells that you did not prepare ahead of time. You can “lose” any prepared divine spell to cast any domain spell of the same spell level or lower. For example, a healer with the Cure domain who has prepared command (a 1st-level divine spell), may lose command in order to cast cure light wounds (a 1st-level spell from the Cure domain). Healers can cast domain spells in this way because their devotion to healing, protecting, and furthering their deity’s interests makes them especially proficient with their domain spells.

Healing Hands (Ex): All of your healer spells that provide one or more dice of healing or temporary hit points provide twice as many dice (of the same die size) of healing or temporary hit points. All of your mass cure spells instead provided three times as many dice. Additionally, the spells listed below provide the following benefits instead of their usual effects. These benefits apply only to spells you cast yourself, not to spells you cast from items.

Spell	Effect
Cure minor wounds	heals 1d8
Cure minor wounds, mass	Heals 1d8+1/caster level (max +20)
Faith healing	heals 16+1/caster level (max +5)
Virtue	provides 1d8 temp hp

Master Surgeon (Ex): A healer’s training begins with the mundane arts of the apothecary and the chirurgeon, and he practices such skills with dedication, for inevitably he will face vile wounds, exotic poisons, and strange diseases that cannot be healed through magical means. He may Take 10 on Heal checks even when rushed, threatened, or distracted.
Additionally, he gains a number of new uses for the Heal skill, as shown on the table below:

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Task	DC
Identify wounds from vile damage as such	10
Discern that a creature is possessed	20
Treat snow blindness or sun glare	20
Treat high altitude fatigue	20
Treat altitude sickness	25
Enable patient to benefit from magical healing of frostburn damage	35
Enable patient to benefit from magical healing of heatstroke damage in a hot area	35
Enable patient to benefit from magical healing of vile damage without benefit of a consecrate or hallow spell	35
Provide long-term care for self	35
Enable patient to benefit from mundane healing of vile damage within the area of a consecrate or hallow spell	50
Enable patient to benefit from mundane healing of frostburn damage	55
Enable patient to benefit from mundane healing of heatstroke damage in a hot area	55
Enable patient to benefit from mundane healing of vile damage without benefit of a consecrate or hallow spell	60
Discern that a creature is afflicted with a curse	Curse’s save DC
Assist a character recovering from a drug addiction	Recovery save DC
Treat a poison or disease that normally cannot be treated without magic*	+40
Treat a poison or disease that normally cannot be treated, even magically*	+60

*At the DM’s discretion, treating a poison or disease that cannot normally be treated by mundane means may require the would-be healer to procure exotic reagents, rare drugs, or obscure treatment regimens that are not readily available.

Augment Healing: Upon reaching 2nd level, the healer gains Augment Healing (CD 79) as a bonus feat, ignoring prerequisites.

Divine Surge (Su): A healer of 3rd level or higher can manipulate positive energy to cleanse the afflictions of his allies. To use this ability, the healer must be wielding or prominently wearing a holy (or unholy) symbol. As a standard action, the healer invokes spiritual cleansing for all allies within a 60-foot radius emanation, centered on himself. The healer is bathed in a pearly white radiance (which gives him a -40 penalty to Hide checks) for the duration of the effect, which lasts for as long as the healer concentrates, to a maximum of 1 round per three healer levels.

Each round on the healer’s turn, he cleanses his allies of one of the following negative conditions of his choice: dazzled, nauseated, shaken, or sickened.

By concentrating for two rounds, a healer with 11 or more ranks in the Heal skill can instead cleanse one of the following conditions: deafened, fatigued, frightened, panicked, or paralyzed.

By concentrating for three rounds, a healer with 16 or more ranks in the Heal skill can instead cleanse one of the following conditions: blinded, dazed, exhausted, or stunned.

By concentrating for four rounds, a healer with 21 or more ranks in the Heal skill can instead cleanse one of the following conditions: diseased, petrified, or poisoned. Alternately, a healer with 21 or more ranks in the Heal skill can devote four rounds of concentration to cause affected allies to shed one negative level.

The healer may remove no more than one condition per round, and must remove the same condition from all allies. Thus, if two of his allies are shaken and three of them are sickened, when he activates the power he can either remove the shaken condition from all allies or remove the sickened condition from all allies. He could remove both conditions, one per round, by concentrating on the power to sustain it for two rounds. If one of his allies had also been turned to stone and he had the ability to remove the petrified condition, he would need to concentrate for four additional rounds to cleanse his petrified companion.

Divine surge qualifies a healer for divine feats as if it was the Turn Undead ability, and the healer can expend divine surge uses in place of turn undead uses when using divine feats. However, some divine feats may not be usable for a healer, since he cannot actually turn undead – good judgment should be used in deciding which divine feats are appropriate.

The healer can use divine surge a number of times per day equal to his class level + his Charisma modifier.

Healer Feat: At 4th level, and every four levels thereafter, a healer may select a bonus feat from the following list: Charismatic Healer, Eternal Rest, Font of Life, Healing Buffer, Impenetrable Casting, Last Rites, Skill Focus: Heal. Alternately, he may select any metamagic feat or any feat that requires Divine Surge or Turn Undead as a prerequisite.

Effortless Healing (Ex): At 5th level, the healer has learned to cast Conjuration (healing) spells with minimal effort. He does not provoke attacks of opportunity when casting such spells.

Extra Domain (Ex): At 6th level, and every four levels thereafter, a healer may select an additional domain. You may select any domain from your list of allowable Healer domains (see Domain Casting, above), or any domain granted by your deity. You can select an alignment domain for your healer only if his alignment matches that domain. You gain the granted power for each of these domains and can spontaneously convert prepared divine spells to spells of this domain.

Divine Companion (Su): When a healer attains 8th level, his deity recognizes his devotion and grants him a mystical companion to aid him in his endeavors, typically a celestial unicorn.

See the spoiler below for details on the healer’s companion.

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The healer may select a bloodbag imp (FF 98), celestial pegasus, or celestial unicorn. At the DM’s discretion, the healer may receive a different creature of similar power, or one of an unusual alignment for its type (for example, a Lawful Good celestial pegasus), but the deity will not send a creature whose alignment is opposed to its own.

Once per day, as a full-round action, the healer may magically call his companion from the plane where it resides. The creature immediately appears adjacent to the healer and remains for 2 hours per healer level; it may be dismissed at any time as a free action. The companion is the same creature each time it is summoned, though the healer may release a particular companion from service (if he wishes to call a creature of a different type, for instance). Each time the companion is called, it appears in full health, regardless of any damage it may have taken previously. The companion always appears wearing or carrying any gear it had when it was last dismissed (including barding, saddle, saddlebags, and the like). Calling a divine companion is a conjuration (calling) effect.

Should the healer's companion die, it immediately disappears, leaving behind any equipment it was carrying. The healer may not summon another companion for thirty days or until he gains a healer level, whichever comes first, even if the companion is somehow returned from the dead. During this thirty-day period, the healer is distraught and takes a -1 penalty on his caster level.

The divine companion advances as shown in the sidebar The Healer’s Companion (Miniatures Handbook 10). However, the table of alternate companions is replaced with the table below:

12th level or higher (Level -4)

Celestial or Fiendish Water naga (N, CR 8)

Lammasu (LG, CR 8)

Celestial or Fiendish Gynosphinx (N, CR 9)

Fiendish Dark Naga (LE, CR 9)

16th level or higher (Level -8)

Celestial Androsphinx (CG, CR 11)

Fiendish Spirit Naga (CE, CR 11)

Couatl (LG, CR 10)

Dragon Eel (NE, CR 11, MM3 44)

Metamagic Healing (Ex): At 19th level, a healer has mastered metamagic to such a degree that whenever he uses a metamagic feat to augment a Conjuration (healing) spell, the required increase in spell level (if any), is reduced by 1 to a minimum of +1 spell level). This benefit also applies to the healer’s other class abilities, such as divine surge. Thus, if he has the Divine Surge: Metamagic Surge feat, he may quicken a heal spell by expending three uses of divine surge rather than four.

“Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.”
- Hippocrates

HEALER SPELL LIST
The healer spell list appears below. All spells are notated with the name and page number of the sourcebook in which they appear.

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0 Level: cure minor wounds (PH 216), delay disease (SpC 63), detect magic (PH 219), foundation of stone (SpC 99), purify food and drink (PH 267), read magic (PH 269), summon holy symbol (CC 128), virtue (PH 298).

1st Level: aid (PH 196), bless (PH 205), conviction (SpC 52), cure light wounds (PH 216), endure elements (PH 226), entropic shield (PH 227), expeditious retreat, swift (SpC 85), faith healing (SpC 87), guiding light (SpC 108), healthful rest (SpC 111), inhibit (SpC 123), invest light protection (PH2 115), ironguts (SpC 126), obscuring mist (PH 258), protection from chaos/evil/good/law (PH 266), remove fear (PH 271), resurgence (SpC 174), sanctuary (PH 274), shield of faith (PH 278), sticky saddle (SC 206), vigor, lesser (SpC 229), vision of glory (SpC 231), whelm (PH2 128).

2nd Level: avoid planar effects (SpC 19), bear’s endurance (PH 203), benediction (CC 116), blade brothers (PH2 103), body ward (CC 117), bull’s strength (PH 207), calm emotions (PH 207), close wounds (SpC 48), conduit of life (CC 118), cure moderate wounds (PH 216), delay poison (PH 217), divine insight (SpC 70), divine interdiction (SpC 70), divine protection (SpC 70), eagle’s splendor (PH 225), enthrall (PH 227), false life (PH 229), gentle repose (PH 235), healing lorecall (SpC 110), insight of good fortune (PH2 115), interfaith blessing (CC 123), lore of the gods (CC 124), mark of judgment (PH2 119), master’s touch (PH2 119), owl’s wisdom (PH 259), remove paralysis (PH 271), protection from negative energy (SpC 163), resist energy (PH 272), restoration, lesser (PH 272), share talents (PH2 124), shield other (PH 278), silence (PH 279), soul ward (CC 127), spell immunity, lesser (SpC 199), stabilize (SpC 204), status (PH 284), stay the hand (PH2 126), substitute domain (CC 128), whelming blast (PH2 128).

3rd Level: aid mass, (SpC 8), attune form (SpC 17), conviction, mass (SpC 52), create food and water (PH 214), channeled divine shield (PH2 106), cloak of bravery (SpC 47), crown of protection (PH2 108), cure serious wounds (PH 216), dispel magic (PH 223), divine retaliation (PH2 110), energy aegis (PH2 111), footsteps of the divine (CC 120), grace (SpC 107), inevitable defeat (PH2 115), invest moderate protection (PH2 115), invisibility purge (PH 245), magic circle against chaos/evil/good/law (PH 249), magic vestment (PH 251), mantle of chaos/evil/good/law, prayer (PH 264), protection from energy (PH 266), remove blindness/deafness (PH 270), remove curse (PH 270), remove disease (PH 271), renewed vigor (Ph2 123), resist energy, mass (SpC 174), resistance, greater (SpC 174), resurgence, mass, (SpC 175), safety (SpC 179), sonorous hum (SpC 196), stifle spell (PH2 126), vigor (SpC 229), vigor, mass lesser (SpC 229), wall of light (SpC 234), weapon of energy (SpC 236), wind wall (PH 302).

4th Level: aligned aura (CC 116), blessing of the righteous (CC 104), channeled divine health (PH2 106), contingent energy resistance (SpC 52), cure critical wounds (PH 215), cure minor wounds, mass (new spell), dampen magic (CC 118), death ward (PH 217), delay death (SpC 63), freedom of movement (PH 233), globe of invulnerability, lesser (PHB 236), hand of the faithful (SpC 109), healing spirit (PH2 114), imbue with spell ability (PH 243), magic weapon, greater (PH 51), mystic aegis (PH2 120), neutralize poison (PH 257), panacea (SpC 152), planar tolerance (SpC 158), positive energy aura (SpC 161), recitation (SpC 170), repel vermin (PH 271), restoration (PH 272), revenance (SpC 175), seed of life (CC 127), sheltered vitality (SpC 188), shield of faith, mass (SpC 188), spell immunity (PH 282), wall of chaos/evil/good/law (SpC 233), wall of sand (SpC 235), whelm, mass (PH2 128).

5th Level: break enchantment (PH 207), cure light wounds, mass (PH 216), darts of life (CC 118), dispel chaos/evil/good/law (PH 222), divine retribution (CC 119), etherealness, swift (PH2 113), hallow (PH 238), healing circle (CC 122), invest heavy protection (PH2 115), life’s grace (SpC 131), magic convalescence (PH2 118), mana flux (PH2 119), plane shift (PH 262), raise dead (PH 268), revivify (SpC 176), righteous wrath of the faithful (SpC 177), sanctuary, mass (SpC 179), spell resistance (PH 282), stalwart pact (SpC 204), surge of fortune (CC 129), triadspell (SpC 224), unhallow (PH 297), vigor, greater (SpC 229), wall of dispel magic (SpC 233), wall of stone (PH 299), zone of respite (SpC 244), zone of revelation (SpC 244).

6th Level: antilife shell (PH 199), bear’s endurance, mass (PH 203), blade barrier (PH 205), bull’s strength, mass (PH 207), chasing perfection (PH2 106), cure moderate wounds, mass (PH 216), dispel magic, greater (PH 223), eagle’s splendor, mass (PH 225), energy immunity (SpC 80), forbiddance (PH 232), globe of invulnerability (PHB 236), heal (PH 239), heroes’ feast (PH 240), overwhelm (PH2 120), owl’s wisdom, mass (PH 259), rejection (SpC 172), resistance, superior (SpC 174), restoration, mass (SpC 174), revive outsider (SpC 175), righteous burst (PH2 123), vigorous circle (SpC 229), word of recall (PH 303), zealot pact (SpC 244).

7th Level: brilliant blade (SpC 40), cure serious wounds, mass (PH 216), ethereal jaunt (PH 227), fortunate fate (SpC 99), planar bubble (SpC 158), plane shift, greater (SpC 159), refuge (PH 269), regenerate (PH 270), rejuvenating light (CC 126), renewal pact (SpC 173), repulsion (PH 271), restoration, greater (PH 272), resurrection (PH 272), spell resistance, mass (SpC 199).

8th Level: antimagic field (PH 200), brilliant aura (SpC 39), chain dispel (PH2 105), cloak of chaos (PH 210), cure critical wounds mass (PH 215), death pact (SpC 60), death ward, mass (SpC 61), dimensional lock (PH 221), holy aura (PH 241), lion’s roar (SpC 133), shield of law (PH 278), spell immunity, greater (PH 282), unholy aura (PH 297), wall of greater dispel magic (SpC 234).

9th Level: astral projection (PH 201), etherealness (PH 228), gate (PH 234), heal, mass (PH 239), mind blank (PHB 253), miracle (PH 254), true resurrection (PH 296).