Arcane Healing [D&D 3.5]

[SurlySeraph]

I always thought it would be great to have arcane healing, but with a catch. Maybe it functions like fast healing, or maybe is just isn't as powerful as the stuff clerics can pull off.

I still think higher-level stuff like heal and raise dead should stay with the cleric, but a few healing spells wont really hurt.

There is. I know there's a Necromancy spell in the Spell Compendium that transfers HP from the caster to a target.

EDIT: Healing Touch. Wizard 3, heals 1/2 CL d6s, caster takes half that as damage.

[Reynard]

Um, Spell Compendium, page 218.

Synostodweomer. Bam!

Arcane healing spell. 7th level for some reason, though.

Did you just not read this?

[Kobold-Bard]

Aren't there any creatures on the Summon Monster lists that offer easy healing?

Avoral from SM7 can heal 66HP with Lay on Hands. I'm sure there are others too.

[Count D20]

Avoral from SM7 can heal 66HP with Lay on Hands. I'm sure there are others too.

coatls and several celestial creatures.

[nedz]

False Life and Vampiric Touch kind of do pro-active healing

There are some sorceror only feats from dragon magazine, but I'm not sure that counts.

[Echoes]

I may be missing something, but what's to stop a wizard or sorcerer from worshipping a god with the Healing domain, and taking the "Arcane Disciple" feat (CDiv. 79).

Benefit: Add the chosen domain’s spells to your class list of arcane spells. [...] Each day, you may prepare (or cast, if you cast spells without preparation) a maximum of one of these domains spells of each level.

To do it would require some careful planning and the caster would be sacrificing a lot for only minimal healing capability, but unless I'm misreading it, seems like that should get you 1 healing spell/level.

[FMArthur]

A feat slot.

Also it doesn't quite cover a full party's worth of wounds for the day.

[Marnath]

A feat slot.

Also it doesn't quite cover a full party's worth of wounds for the day.

It would be more useful for a sorceror if you ruled it adds to their spells known, not the list they can choose spells known from. Seriously, burning a feat is harsh enough without making it 1/day, or making a sorc use a real spell for something you paid a feat for.

[HunterOfJello]

A lack of Arcane healing is that big of a deal.


UMD with Lesser Vigor wands along with a Healing belt or two make up for most healing anyone ever needs.

[aboyd]

Also it doesn't quite cover a full party's worth of wounds for the day.

Well, once you have the ability to cast those spells, it doesn't matter that you can only cast once per day. You get a wand, and then you will be able to cover a full party's worth of wounds. Or do wands not work with this?

[Marnath]

Pretty sure they do work with this. You might have to use arcane versions though, idk if bards have arcane cure wands or if they use the divine ones.

[Fizban]

I always thought it would be great to have arcane healing, but with a catch. Maybe it functions like fast healing, or maybe is just isn't as powerful as the stuff clerics can pull off.

I still think higher-level stuff like heal and raise dead should stay with the cleric, but a few healing spells wont really hurt.

Here's a pair of ideas ripped from the Wheel of Time setting: have the spells only affect a target once per day, or instead of healing they just convert lethal damage to nonlethal damage. Both at the same time is what the setting uses, but for normal DnD that's not going to be very useful at all. The once per day limit is effective but feels arbitrary. I like the nonlethal conversion the most since if you "heal" everyone before resting for the night, 8 hours of rest is enough to cure all the nonlethal damage off of anyone but those with the highest constitution scores. It's useless for prolonging the combat day on it's own, so the cleric isn't invalidated, but when paired with a cleric you can maximize your healing potential (since magical healing cures nonlethal damage as a bonus on the side). Basically it would let arcanists heal, but they'd still need a leg up from a divine caster or an extra spell to remove the nonlethal damage.

[gorfnab]

After taking the Arcane Disciple: Healing Domain feat you could just go into the Combat Medic (HoB) prestige class so that you can spontaneously "Heal".

[Dr.Epic]

Bards get healing spells.

[Kobold-Bard]

After taking the Arcane Disciple: Healing Domain feat you could just go into the Combat Medic (HoB) prestige class so that you can spontaneously "Heal".

What book is HoB?

[gorfnab]

What book is HoB?

Heroes of Battle
The Combat Medic prestige class is on page 99.

[Runestar]

Limited wish can replicate heal.

[Iceforge]

Sorcerers and healing spells, as discussed, I do not know where in the SRD it says it, or if the SRD does indeed say it, but the book clearly in the magic section clearifies that Sorcerers can learn ANY ARCANE spell, even if it does not figure on the Sorcerer/Wizard spell list, as long as he observes it first (I cannot remember if there is an actual mechanic for it involving spellcraft or not), so a sorcerer can learn spells from the bard list as well

In 3.0, iirc, this was not restricted to Arcane spells, which iirc was a restriction added in 3.5

[tyckspoon]

Sorcerers and healing spells, as discussed, I do not know where in the SRD it says it, or if the SRD does indeed say it, but the book clearly in the magic section clearifies that Sorcerers can learn ANY ARCANE spell, even if it does not figure on the Sorcerer/Wizard spell list, as long as he observes it first (I cannot remember if there is an actual mechanic for it involving spellcraft or not), so a sorcerer can learn spells from the bard list as well

It doesn't say it at all clearly. It says

These new spells can be common spells chosen from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, or they can be unusual spells that the sorcerer has gained some understanding of by study.

Which boils down to 'ask your DM really nicely', and was probably just intended to let Sorcerers perform spell research to make custom spells in the same way Wizards can. Which, again, is basically just "ask your DM and hope he agrees with you about what appropriate spells are."

[Jack_Simth]

The Polymorph spell (and anything that inherits from it) can also be used for healing (although VERY inefficient, up until Shapechange).

Aren't there any creatures on the Summon Monster lists that offer easy healing?

Yeah - you can get basic HP healing off of the Core lists for:
Summon Monster IX: Leonal, Couatl
Summon Monster VIII: Lillend
Summon Monster VII: Avoral
Summon Monster VI: Bralani

Limited wish can replicate heal.

Through the Adept spell list, yes.

And Restoration, and Raise Dead (although you'll need the material components), and Reincarnate, and a few particularly useful Cleric spells from the Spell Compendium (like, say, Revivify).

[Southern Cross]

Or you could play a spellcaster from Arcana Evolved. No silly arcane/divine separation there.....

[Frosty]

If you use Arcane Disciple, you can heal effectively assuming you have enough Pearls of Power. Prepare Heal once. Use it in battle once. Use Pearl of Power at end of battle to regain the Heal. You don't want to spend an action in-battle to use the Pearl, but if you're casting Heal more than once per battle you're probably doing something wrong.

[Callista]

What about emergency healing? Something that would cure one or maybe a small die of HP, or just stabilize somebody. Are there options for that? Mostly it would be used for when the cleric is out cold and someone needs to revive him... In general, of course, you'd be using healing potions for that... still, a spell can be re-memorized and a potion gets used up. Maybe a 1st-level spell that can duplicate Cure Minor?

[Echoes]

Honestly, if you were in need of a single point of health that desparately, I would just advise a few ranks in the Heal skill, or a healer's kit and whatever that alchemy item is from Complete Scoundrel that gives the heal circumstance bonus.

[Jack_Simth]

What about emergency healing? Something that would cure one or maybe a small die of HP, or just stabilize somebody. Are there options for that? Mostly it would be used for when the cleric is out cold and someone needs to revive him... In general, of course, you'd be using healing potions for that... still, a spell can be re-memorized and a potion gets used up. Maybe a 1st-level spell that can duplicate Cure Minor?

Ring of Spell Storing, Minor. 18k - and curiously, doesn't have the same clause about cantrips and orisons taking up a half-level that scrolls, wands, and potions do.

Alternately, Imbue with Spell Ability a bit in advance. By the time you can cast it, anyone in your party can carry around two 1st level spells, and one 2nd level spell.

[Tvtyrant]

False Life for emergencies, the conversion to subdual damage for the long run. Sounds good to me.

[n00b killa]

Pathfinder gave us Infernal Healing, wich is kinda cool.

You outheal the cleric on out-of-battle healing at lvl 1.