Healing Personified (3.5e Optimized Character Build)

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Introduction

Summary::A cleric using only core material can make a passable healer sufficient for most adventuring parties. However, with carefully selected feats and a couple of prestige classes, your healing spells can far surpass the normal limits.

References

Heroes of Battle (Combat Medic)
Complete Divine (Augment Healing, Contemplative)
Races of the Wild (Magic of the Land)
Magic of Eberron (Dragon Prophesier, Prophecy's Shepherd, Prophecy's Shaper)
Player's Guide to Eberron (Mastery of Day and Night)
Complete Champion (Touch of Healing)
Unearthed Arcana (Two Flaws)

Variant Rules

Balanced Wealth (3.5e Variant Rule)

Game Rule Components

Race and Templates

Ortal-mak

Classes

Cleric, Hierophant, Combat Medic, Contemplative

Spells, Powers, Items

All spells of the healing subschool, particularly cure spells

Progression

Starting scores using the elite array: str 8, dex 13, con 14, int 10, wis 15, cha 12 Racial additions to ability scores: -2Str, -2Dex, +2Int, +2Wis

End Scores

ECL	Class/HD/LA	Feats	Special
1st	Cleric 1	Combat Casting, Dragon Prophesier, Maximize Spell	Turn Undead
2nd	Cleric 2
3rd	Cleric 3	Mastery of Day and Night
4th	Cleric 4
5th	Cleric 5
6th	Combat Medic 1	Prophecy's Shepherd	Healing Kicker (Sanctuary); Pearl of Power, 3rd level spells
7th	Combat Medic 2		Defensive Casting, Field Healer
8th	Combat Medic 3		Healing Kicker (Reflex Saves)
9th	Combat Medic 4	Touch of Healing	Evasion; Ring of Wizardry(III)
10th	Combat Medic 5		Healing Kicker (Aid), Spontaneous Heal
11th	Contemplative 1		Bonus Domain, Divine Health
12th	Contemplative 2	Prophecy's Shaper	Slippery Mind; Pearl of Power, 4th level spells
13th	Contemplative 3		Divine Wholeness
14th	Hierophant 1		Divine Reach
15th	Hierophant 2	Metamagic Feat(Repeat Spell)	Divine Reach; Ring of Wizardry(IV)
16th	Contemplative 4
17th	Contemplative 5		Divine Body
18th	Contemplative 6	Magic of the Land	Bonus Domain; Ring of Regeneration
19th	Contemplative 7		Divine Soul
20th	Contemplative 8

At level 20: Final Class Progression::Cleric 5 / Combat Medic 5 / Contemplative 8 / Hierophant 2

Highlights

There are many feats that boost your healing spells based on their spell level. With this build, you can automatically maximize and quicken cure spells, and empower them as well as long as they are not of the highest level you can cast. Magic of the land requires a successful knowledge (nature) check, so I'd recommend investing skill points in that beyond what's required for prerequisites.

• Just as an example, by level 6 you can cast two Cure Moderate Wounds in a single round (one quickened for free), each healing exactly 22 HP for up to 44 healing per round.

Healing Options(by level)

6th:

• Spiritual Power: 1d6+6
• Cure Serious Wounds-1/day: 3d8+15
  • Pearl of Power, 3rd level spells: one 3rd level spell can be done again.

12th:

• Spiritual Power: 1d6+8
• Cure Serious Wounds-3/day: 4d8+20
  • Ring of Wizardry(III): amount of 3rd level spells per day doubled.
  • Pearl of Power, 3rd level spells: one 3rd level spell can be done again.

20th:

• Spiritual Power: 1d6+16
• Cure Serious Wounds-5/day: 4d8+20
  • Ring of Wizardry(III): amount of 3rd level spells per day doubled.
  • Pearl of Power, 3rd level spells: one 3rd level spell can be done again.
• Cure Critical Wounds-3/day: 4d8+20
  • Ring of Wizardry(IV): (doubles 4th level spells per day)
  • If it did: 2 cure critical wounds; it would heal 76 damage in a round (on average).
    • This combo can be done three times a day.

Further Optimization

Not much to add currently.

Side Notes

Contemplative is completely optional; some other choices for classes include Celestial Mystic (Book of Exalted Deeds), Divine Oracle (Complete Divine), Fist of Raziel (Book of Exalted Deeds), Prophet of Erathaol (Book of Exalted Deeds), Radiant Servant of Pelor (Complete Divine), Sacred Exorcist (Complete Divine), or Sentinel of Bharrai. In fact, you could choose just about any prestige class that gives almost full spellcasting. However, note that you may have to take out or rearrange feats to qualify for these classes. (The first two feats that can go are Magic of the Land and Augment Healing, followed by Prophecy's Shaper.)

You can actually flip this build around, and use many of the abilities with Inflict rather than Cure spells, allowing you to cast automatically Maximized Quickened inflict spells.

Replaced weapon enhancement, and deflection gain (from variant); with items.

Limitations

The Mournland and other areas where healing spells are limited or do not work will limit your abilities strongly.

DM Counters

(Note by Edwin:) Make sure the player doesn't cheat with spontaneously casted cure spells. Metamagic abilities (like the Hierophant's Faith Healing or the Radiant Servant of Pelor's Supreme Healing) turn spontaneously casted spells into full-round actions. Use this to keep the player off balance: Swich between encounters that require a wide range of divine utility spells, and encounters where heavy healing is needed. When it is hard to determine how many cure spells are required for the day, the effect of Faith Healing and Supreme Healing are minimised.

If the healer prefers to stay back from the action and cast healing spells at range, use spells that block his line of effect, such as Wall of Force, or traps that for instance closes a door in his face. After a few encounters, the healer should have learnt to keep up.

Actually, none of the healing-focused prestige classes are truly all that powerful, so don't be too hard on the player.

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