Healer Class

[Falconer]

Quick question about the Healer class from Dragon #3. They have a lot of healing spells… but no Cure Light Wounds?

[captainjapan]

I just looked at this. Seems like the author had a specific vision for this class. See how all first level spells are detect-types. Then the level titles refer more or less to degrees of education of a modern doctor. The amount of experience needed to advance is more than double that for a cleric. Finally, the Healer gains Cure Disease and Raise Dead at 3rd level. I couldn't say for sure, but I don't think the absence of Cure Light Wounds is an oversight. The description says that they are "designed to allow rapid repair of other characters in large campaign games" Get a couple of these guys together and you have what amounts to a M.A.S.H unit.

[waysoftheearth]

Hettlestad's Healer seems OP to me; per the editor's leading comment I'd use cautiously, if at all.

"Basically the healer is a combination of magic user and cleric with a dash of fighter" is the first warning, followed by "would become a mere fighter if forced to change alignment".

I notice the Healer has 7 spell levels (like clerics), but attains 3rd level spells at the 3rd level, and a new spell level each level thereafter, attaining 7th level spells at 7th level (and 100,000 XP). Meanwhile, GH M-Us achieve 7th level spells at the 14th level (and 1.2M XP), and GH clerics achieve 7th level spells at 17th level (and 1M XP). What?

The Healer does have a somewhat narrower spell list, but also gets certain M-U and cleric spells at lower spells levels, e.g., Haste and Slow are 2nd level (not 3rd), Neutralise Poison is 2nd (not 4th), Raise Dead is 3rd (not 5th). So, not only does the healer gain access to spell levels waaaaaay faster, some of his spells come 1 or 2 spells levels sooner too!

Not to mention the healer reads cleric and M-U scrolls from 12th level, and later outright adds some low level M-U spells. Also "may use any weapons and/or magical items"...

"Mere fighter" indeed

[waysoftheearth]

Here's my version:

Use M-U stats for everything; Healer's level titles; cleric's spell list and magic items. Done.


If you wanted to get radical you could have: cure light, moderate, serious, and mortal wounds spells at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th spell levels, say.

[Falconer]

My goal is a nonreligious sage specializing in healing (as appropriate in some milieux), so, I have in mind: Use M-U stats for everything (incl. level and spell progression); Healer’s spell list but everything put back in their proper levels per Cleric/MU. I would redo the level titles from scratch.

[derv]

The Oracle zine (1982) had a Healer class for AD&D in it's first issue. There was a Kickstarter a few years ago that republished all five original issues.

This healer is more of a monk. No spells. He gains special abilities at each level. Mostly, the class uses its hp's to heal and it emphasizes being a non-combatant.

It has some bugs, but I could take a closer look at it if you want to know more.

[atlantean]

My observations on the Healer from The Dragon #3: I never understood why Cure Light Wounds was not one of their spells and
a 15 stat requirement for intelligence, wisdom, and dexterity is darn hard to roll up with 3D6 in order.

[Porphyre]

The more I think about all these "NPC-Classes" from Dragon (who someone, inevitably, would bring at the table as a PC) the more I think that I don't relly need them, and that they could just be played like a "Monster" entry like the original Druid (or the "human" entry from Moldvay/cook B/X), with Hit Dice, AC, and special spell-like abilities.

For instance :

Healer

Nb appearing: 1-4
HD: 3, 6, or 9 
AC: 9
Move: 12''
Saving throws: C3, C6, or C9
Nb of attacks: 1
Damage: by weapon.
Alignment: Lawful
Treasure Type: A 

A Healer is a person who seeks to cure diseases or heal injuries by means other than conventional medical treatment with combination of magic user and cleric.
The Healer can detect evil, poison or disease in a 30' radius a number of times a day equal to his HD. He can also cast a number of times a day equal to his HD any of the following spells as a MU or Cleric of equal level : Cure Disease, Cure Serious Wound, Detect Invisible, Haste Spell, Purify Food & Water, Neutralize Poison, Protection/Evil, 10'r., Slow Spell, Speak with plants. Stone to Flesh.
Besides  6-HD Healer car Raise Dead once a day and is able to identify potions as a alchemist. A 9-HD Healer can also Remove Curse once a day and may use clerical and MU scrolls. 

[Deleted]

Consider, at low levels, this NPC finds good augmenting pace in salubrious endeavors and in their administration, archival, and teaching. Genuinely, he fits naturally into curative service or declares his service at some other temple. He is also a welcome member for restorative defense among adventuring groups.

At mid-level, if deployed as an army surgeon or noble’s physician or when contracted out as an adventurer, the adventuring healer delivers healing with skill. This NPC becomes a man to know about. And, adventurers and others seek him out for care in a variety of curative matters. Coin so earned and that from adventuring also augments his burgeoning social presence.

At high-level, in addition to any church or temple ties, which the adventuring healer routinely undertakes to support, he’ll also head a staff of followers and maybe an inner circle. The top curative and restorative spells are now at his disposal. These skills are in demand. Their administration speaks of this NPC’s religion and its powerful divine. Indeed, this NPC’s availability may make or break a high-level adventuring expedition. Last, his group’s size, finally said, testifies to his alignment suited to the realm, charisma, current professional auspices, religion, and wisdom.

 

[Deleted]

My campaigns are a bit darker with Swords & Sorcery influences... No clerics.  Clerical magic is rolled into Magic-users as "white magic" while magic-user spells are "black magic" (and given some dark twists in capability and risk to the caster).

Here's the catch:  healing spells work by the caster taking on the 1/2 of the injury (rounded down) and then slowly regenerating over an accelerated -- but not instant -- period of time.  So a fighting-man takes 9 hp damage and has a broken arm.  The "healer" can take on the injury, instantly healing the warrior as per the spell used. So in this example, assume that the spell heals 7 hp to the warrior. This healing is instant.  But the caster takes 3 hp damage and their arm snaps.  The damage to the caster will then regenerate at an accelerated rate (but likely overnight, not in an hour) and the caster suffers all the pain assumed by the transfer of the injury.

This serves to put a dangerous twist on the availability of magical healing a bit -- both mechanically (magic-users have precious fewer hp than the warriors asking for healing) and the fact that your average npc caster isn't likely to want to suffer the pain and risk to heal some random_pc_01 character who wanders in their tower bleeding all over the carpet.