[PF] Non-Magical Healing

[anmgarmvits]

One of my players is interested in playing a completely Non-Magical healer like a surgeon or battle medic.

What class would be a good fit?
How would the Healing work?

I found a nifty post on a different forum

Spoiler

Show

http://www.dndonlinegames.com/showthread.php?t=112515

But it didn't make much sense.

[grarrrg]

One of my players is interested in playing a completely Non-Magical healer like a surgeon or battle medic.

What class would be a good fit?
How would the Healing work?

No.

Depending on your exact definition of non-magical... No.

Either the healing is a Spell or Supernatural Ability, or it's directly attached to a Casting class.

Non-spell/non-potion healing is also horribly inefficient.

I've found 3 options, none of them all that great.
The first is an Extraordinary (non-magic) ability on the 'least casty' of the casting classes, Alchemist, take Spontaneous Healing, and Healing Touch.
You can now heal 5HP with a Standard action. You're limit on HP is your Alchemist level times 5. Oh, and it doesn't come online until level 6.
woo.

Next up a Supernatural ability from a Monk Archetype. Monk of the Healing Hand, this doesn't start working until level 7.
You can spend TWO Ki points as a FULL round action to heal HP equal to your Monk level.
woo.

Lastly, there IS a way to get completely Magic-free healing. But I still wouldn't recommend it.
Battle Herald PrC, earliest entry is level 6 (due to skills), you need the Challenge and Inspire Courage abilities. Challenge demands Cavalier, Inspire Courage 'normally' means Bard, but Bard is magic, instead we go with yet another Monk archetype: Sensei. You trade away most of your "monk-ness" and get Inspire Courage as a Bard.
Then at level 1 of Battle Herald you can use your Performance rounds to heal...1d6 damage...to ONE ally...as a Move action...
woo.


Long story short (too late!), if you want any kind of useable healing, it's going to NEED to be magical.

[NamelessNPC]

option 1 (easiest for you): make him play a vitalist (psionics: mind over body)

option 2: You have to work to make it work, create some kind of system.

Some ideas, some may be bad.

I'd use potions. The effect is determined by heal skill ranks or maybe craft alchemy, instead of caster levels.

Alchemists should make them, because that is alchemy at work. Maybe clerics and druids, because the sheperd has to take care of the herd. Or maybe rangers can make them, because you need to be self sufficient when you live in the wild. Or maybe fighters, or a special fighter archetype.

Or ditch potions, and have healing based in bandages that you make with profession: medic or whatnot, that you apply to characters when they rest, and hp recovery is improved. That would remove in combat healing, of course, so you need to make a decision about that
EDIT: this already exists. bandages of rapid recovery, you can just change the requisites to craft them.

[Benly]

At very low levels (1 or 2) and with a high Wisdom and an optimized Heal check you can sort of swing it with the Treat Deadly Wounds function of the Heal skill. It heals someone for their level in HP, plus the healer's Wis bonus with a high enough check; if you can make the higher check that's enough healing to be somewhat useful at very low levels. It's only once per day per person, though, so it's not really a great primary healing resource even then.

There's also troll styptic, which is an alchemical item that grants fast healing 2 for 2d4 rounds. This is actually pretty decent healing, but at 100 GP a dose it's not really a long-term solution even if you craft it yourself with Alchemy skill. You're just not going to be able to afford to keep up with your party's healing needs.

When it comes to restoring hit points on an immediate basis you pretty much need magic. What the Heal skill actually can do usefully is treat poison and disease at low-to-mid levels. Poison starts showing up on enemies before clerics have enough slots for anti-poison spells to be worth preparing on a regular basis, so that's when the guy with the healer's kit gets his moment to shine.

[Ravens_cry]

Chirurgeon archetype mixed with Vivisectionist Alchemist is something I have considered for a secondary healer/striker.
Depending on how 'magical' you consider an Alchemist, it could work.

[Corlindale]

I agree that the Alchemist seems to be the best options. Many of his extracts could be refluffed to something less magical, though a truly non-magical healer is not really viable in PF without major houseruling of the Heal skill.

[Ravens_cry]

I agree that the Alchemist seems to be the best options. Many of his extracts could be refluffed to something less magical, though a truly non-magical healer is not really viable in PF without major houseruling of the Heal skill.

Unfortunately, yes. I did have an idea before the Alchemist came out for a Rogue with being healer as their fluff, with Poison and Drugs as other aspects of their skill as a physician.
The poison is in the dose after all, and they knew that dose.
They weren't much of a healer in actual play though.
As for houserulling Heal, I had an idea for a series of feats that upped the healing granted for treat deadly wounds, the first of which let you use Treat Deadly Wounds on a single person a number of times equal to your wisdom modifier.