Anyone discouraged over not having any good caster options that focus on healing but aren't tied to gods or deities? I'd love to have a wizard like healer that isn't tied to some divine being like Divine Sorc, Celestial Lock and Clerics are. I know Rangers, Bards and Druids have some healing abilities but none really have any good cantrips good options for curing conditions. I'd love the lore of a wizard, someone who has spent their life learning how to heal, with the spell options of a cleric.
Wizard Healing technically already exists in Unearthed Arcana and elsewhere.
Under "The Faithful" for a UA Subclass, "Life Transference" for a Spell in XGE, the "Healing Elixir" Spell in the "Starter Spells" UA. There are other spells that fit a traditional healing role as well: False Life, Shield, Dispel Magic, Remove Curse for instance. As can be seen through raw numbers (compare Inflict Wounds to Cure Wounds which are the same spell level), Damage and Prevention Spells are far more powerful than Healing Spells; Healing in D&D is what you do when luck isn't on your side or you fail preventative measures more often than not. In most campaigns you don't need a "Healer", you need the unique Divine Spells.
As to when this Unearthed Arcana stuff will be released officially? They're likely going to rework it or scrap it, as these were pretty early ones. Many of the things around the same time got finalized versions into XGE. However, you can always add UA stuff to your game or homebrew your own.
Try Divine soul sorcerer, I know that it is a bit like the cleric, but maybe you could play it like the assimars and have yourself less intamate with following your god. Also, you can twin healing spells, empower them, and overall beat the crap out of magic’s rules.
For straight up healing I'd go with potions and find an alchemist I could form a business relationship with, provided the DM would accept that approach. I wouldn't want to play a healing character unless I wanted to play that type. If I just needed to round out my party, I'd rather stock up on potions or scrolls. Of course potions can be lost/broken and scrolls can be wiped out too, so you have to have a DM that is OK with this approach.
I am preparing a back story for my Elven Wizard character. The character was raised to be an alchemist but on the occasion of a trip to the city to learn more advanced alchemical techniques, they are identified as prime wizard material and convinced to give it a try. That is the day the character began to pursue a career as an adventuring wizard, but still has a background in alchemy. I'm not trying to game the system because I believe the DM would place a sufficient cost to this character brewing up healing potions not to make it appealing in general, but I believe the experience with alchemy fits nicely with finding and storing material components for spells. Maybe some interesting substitutes or alternates can be found?
Perhaps Slade is right, maybe I am taking the wrong approach and should try my crowd control over direct healing. I just like the concept of a intellectual healer, like a doctor, that has learned their trade by choice. Thanks everyone for their input.
You could just be a wiz and then try to maximize your healing capabilities outside of class-specifications. Take herbalism kit proficiency to craft healing potions on down time, build up a decent store, take the Healer feat for emergencies, etc.
Remember; in combat it's more valuable to get someone from 0hp to 1hp than it is to get them from half-hp to full. You don't need to be fantastic at it to still do it, and finding ways around limitations can add another dimension of fun even if they involve accepting other limitations. Especially if they do, really.
I've been playing as a Theurgy Wizard since they released the UA. I choose the domain of life which grants you Life Cleric abilities, channel divinities and domain spells. The bad thing about it is as a wizard I tend to have better uses for my spell slots than healing, however whenever I do heal it packs a punch (and channel arcana has come in SO handy). I really hope they release it as an official subclass at some point
The Divine Soul sorcerer can be a very effective healer as well, Metamagics can allow you to pop off cure wounds as a bonus action or cast it on 2 different targets at once. And using sorcery points to make spell slots means you can magically heal in a snap.
Lore bards can make good healers too, using stolen secrets to learn the beat healing spells
The old alchemist (or was it called artificer, but it wasn't the class) Wizard subclass UA might also have healing. I'm probably going to make a Medic Wizard subclass after seeing this thread.
No. Healing is about the only thing a wizard cannot do. Wizards should not have a solution for every single problem.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Well, thanks to Eberron and Strixhaven, spells like Cure Wounds and the like are now available to many other spellcasters (my recommendation is to avoid the free 1/long rest extra spell, otherwise it’s fine), and thanks to Tasha’s, you can focus your racial bonuses into Int and Con (take Artificer as your initial class for the proficiencies in Int and Con saves).
Otherwise, I would like to hear some ideas for a build.
You could certainly make a wizard healer work, even without multiclassing. Mark of Healing from Eberron, Witherbloom Initiate from Strixhaven and Selesnya Conclave are all good options for easily getting healing spells on your spell list.
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I think the point is that wizards have the biggest and best spell list and are overall just an insanely powerful class at higher levels. Giving them healing just puts too much in their favor. Wizards can't do everything, but healing is about the only thing they can't do, so it provides some balance. Also, there are only a few healing spells in 5e that just straight up heal you (heal, cure wounds, etc.) but high-level wizards also have wish and spells like that where they can insta-heal people no matter what. With the options they have, a higher-level wizard is so powerful that there's no point to tacking healing on there.
However, I do like the idea you said about having a non-divine healing subclass for something, I just don't think wizard is the right class for that. The nice thing about 5e is it has a lot of customizability and is easy to pick up. You could potentially homebrew a fighter or rogue subclass, something like a field medic or scout, who has some minor healing spells, but I'd also like to see a subclass that plays more into actual medical knowledge, so they would have abilities that reflect that. Oh well. just a thought
I am a black sheep when it comes to this topic, or maybe just an edge lord? I like the idea of necromancy wizards using dark secrets to restore life, form, and health.
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I am a black sheep when it comes to this topic, or maybe just an edge lord? I like the idea of necromancy wizards using dark secrets to restore life, form, and health.
that would make sense
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Strongly disagree with the existence of Cleric, Druid & Bard. I would argue that those classes can even do more WITH healing magic. In fact I've never even touched wizards, unless its for a dip/multiclassing for the sole reason of lack of healing alone. Healing spells just objectively make Cleric, Druid, Bard, Sorcerer & Warlock better honestly.
Anyone discouraged over not having any good caster options that focus on healing but aren't tied to gods or deities? I'd love to have a wizard like healer that isn't tied to some divine being like Divine Sorc, Celestial Lock and Clerics are. I know Rangers, Bards and Druids have some healing abilities but none really have any good cantrips good options for curing conditions. I'd love the lore of a wizard, someone who has spent their life learning how to heal, with the spell options of a cleric.
What do you guys think?
Wizard Healing technically already exists in Unearthed Arcana and elsewhere.
Under "The Faithful" for a UA Subclass, "Life Transference" for a Spell in XGE, the "Healing Elixir" Spell in the "Starter Spells" UA. There are other spells that fit a traditional healing role as well: False Life, Shield, Dispel Magic, Remove Curse for instance. As can be seen through raw numbers (compare Inflict Wounds to Cure Wounds which are the same spell level), Damage and Prevention Spells are far more powerful than Healing Spells; Healing in D&D is what you do when luck isn't on your side or you fail preventative measures more often than not. In most campaigns you don't need a "Healer", you need the unique Divine Spells.
As to when this Unearthed Arcana stuff will be released officially? They're likely going to rework it or scrap it, as these were pretty early ones. Many of the things around the same time got finalized versions into XGE. However, you can always add UA stuff to your game or homebrew your own.
Try Divine soul sorcerer, I know that it is a bit like the cleric, but maybe you could play it like the assimars and have yourself less intamate with following your god. Also, you can twin healing spells, empower them, and overall beat the crap out of magic’s rules.
heheh get rickrolled xdddddd
For straight up healing I'd go with potions and find an alchemist I could form a business relationship with, provided the DM would accept that approach. I wouldn't want to play a healing character unless I wanted to play that type. If I just needed to round out my party, I'd rather stock up on potions or scrolls. Of course potions can be lost/broken and scrolls can be wiped out too, so you have to have a DM that is OK with this approach.
I am preparing a back story for my Elven Wizard character. The character was raised to be an alchemist but on the occasion of a trip to the city to learn more advanced alchemical techniques, they are identified as prime wizard material and convinced to give it a try. That is the day the character began to pursue a career as an adventuring wizard, but still has a background in alchemy. I'm not trying to game the system because I believe the DM would place a sufficient cost to this character brewing up healing potions not to make it appealing in general, but I believe the experience with alchemy fits nicely with finding and storing material components for spells. Maybe some interesting substitutes or alternates can be found?
Good luck with your healing challenge.
Perhaps Slade is right, maybe I am taking the wrong approach and should try my crowd control over direct healing. I just like the concept of a intellectual healer, like a doctor, that has learned their trade by choice. Thanks everyone for their input.
You could just be a wiz and then try to maximize your healing capabilities outside of class-specifications. Take herbalism kit proficiency to craft healing potions on down time, build up a decent store, take the Healer feat for emergencies, etc.
Remember; in combat it's more valuable to get someone from 0hp to 1hp than it is to get them from half-hp to full. You don't need to be fantastic at it to still do it, and finding ways around limitations can add another dimension of fun even if they involve accepting other limitations. Especially if they do, really.
I've been playing as a Theurgy Wizard since they released the UA. I choose the domain of life which grants you Life Cleric abilities, channel divinities and domain spells. The bad thing about it is as a wizard I tend to have better uses for my spell slots than healing, however whenever I do heal it packs a punch (and channel arcana has come in SO handy). I really hope they release it as an official subclass at some point
The Divine Soul sorcerer can be a very effective healer as well, Metamagics can allow you to pop off cure wounds as a bonus action or cast it on 2 different targets at once. And using sorcery points to make spell slots means you can magically heal in a snap.
Lore bards can make good healers too, using stolen secrets to learn the beat healing spells
Theurgy wizards doesn't really grab me since the original point was to have a healer/caster not dependent on gods.
The old alchemist (or was it called artificer, but it wasn't the class) Wizard subclass UA might also have healing. I'm probably going to make a Medic Wizard subclass after seeing this thread.
Ummm... Why not just multiclass Wizard / Cleric? And keep your background story as "normal" wizard.
No. Healing is about the only thing a wizard cannot do. Wizards should not have a solution for every single problem.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
Sounds like you want to play an artificer (alchemist subclass especially), they get cure wounds, the restorations and revivify.
Vote here for an interim solution for homebrew classes:
https://dndbeyond.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/360036951934-Homebrew-class-interim-solution
Well, thanks to Eberron and Strixhaven, spells like Cure Wounds and the like are now available to many other spellcasters (my recommendation is to avoid the free 1/long rest extra spell, otherwise it’s fine), and thanks to Tasha’s, you can focus your racial bonuses into Int and Con (take Artificer as your initial class for the proficiencies in Int and Con saves).
Otherwise, I would like to hear some ideas for a build.
You could certainly make a wizard healer work, even without multiclassing. Mark of Healing from Eberron, Witherbloom Initiate from Strixhaven and Selesnya Conclave are all good options for easily getting healing spells on your spell list.
+ Instaboot to murderhobos + I don't watch Critical Role, and no, I really shouldn't either +
I think the point is that wizards have the biggest and best spell list and are overall just an insanely powerful class at higher levels. Giving them healing just puts too much in their favor. Wizards can't do everything, but healing is about the only thing they can't do, so it provides some balance. Also, there are only a few healing spells in 5e that just straight up heal you (heal, cure wounds, etc.) but high-level wizards also have wish and spells like that where they can insta-heal people no matter what. With the options they have, a higher-level wizard is so powerful that there's no point to tacking healing on there.
However, I do like the idea you said about having a non-divine healing subclass for something, I just don't think wizard is the right class for that. The nice thing about 5e is it has a lot of customizability and is easy to pick up. You could potentially homebrew a fighter or rogue subclass, something like a field medic or scout, who has some minor healing spells, but I'd also like to see a subclass that plays more into actual medical knowledge, so they would have abilities that reflect that. Oh well. just a thought
Updog
Transmutation wizards can use their Stone to use an ability called Panacea to give a creature all of their hit points.
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I am a black sheep when it comes to this topic, or maybe just an edge lord? I like the idea of necromancy wizards using dark secrets to restore life, form, and health.
DM: Adventures in Phandalin [Khessa], The Dread of Strahd [Darya], Dragons of Stormwreck Isle [Rook], Baldur's Gate Mysteries [4-Player]
Player: Oona in MO's Icewind Dale
Ru's Current Status
that would make sense
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...and started me on my way into my next chapter in life...
⌞╚════════════ Extended Signature ════════════╝⌟
Strongly disagree with the existence of Cleric, Druid & Bard. I would argue that those classes can even do more WITH healing magic. In fact I've never even touched wizards, unless its for a dip/multiclassing for the sole reason of lack of healing alone. Healing spells just objectively make Cleric, Druid, Bard, Sorcerer & Warlock better honestly.
You could take the strixhaven witherbloom background for your wizard to be a healer, and you get a free feat.
I have the artificer initiate on one of my wizards, giving him guidance (or you could do resistance) and cure wounds.
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