The trolls were massive, and their green skin was covered in warts. They had sharp teeth and were relentless in their attacks. The party had fought bravely, but they were outnumbered. An experienced Cleric, Ailene had done her best to heal the party members as they fell, but there were just too many monsters.
Finally, only Ailene and the Fighter, Aric, were left standing. The trolls closed in for the kill, but Aric held them off long enough for Ailene to cast a powerful healing spell. The spell revitalized Aric, allowing him to finish off the trolls.
When playing Pathfinder or any other roleplaying game, it is always beneficial to have a character who can heal the party. But what are the best sources of healing?
In this article, we will cover some of the main healing options in Pathfinder and how to use them.
Table of Contents
How Healing Works in Pathfinder
In Pathfinder, there are many different ways to heal. Some of these methods are magical, while others are not.
Some spells can heal a lot of hit points at once, and there are also abilities that let a character heal other people. You can also get healing from potions and other items.
If you want to heal another character, three main options are medicine, spells, and healing potions. To use medicine requires training, tools, and talent.
On the other hand, spells and healing potions rely on the power of magic to heal characters.
Do You Need a Healer in Your Party?
The world of Golarion is fraught with danger. From deadly monsters to bloodthirsty tyrants, there’s no telling what you’ll encounter on your Pathfinder journey.
A party without a healer is at a disadvantage. It can be challenging to survive without proper healing.
While it’s not necessary to have a healer in your party, it’s usually a good idea, especially for a novice group. There are many benefits to having a healer in the party. For one, they can help you recover from injuries quickly.
They can also cast spells that will protect you from harm and help you defeat your enemies.
Having a dedicated healer will keep your team alive longer and help them overcome troublesome encounters.
Healing Outside of Combat
It’s vital that players can heal their wounds outside of combat. Otherwise, they won’t last long in a dungeon or traveling in the wilderness. When it comes to recovering health, it’s usually best to wait until after an encounter when your party can concentrate on their wounds.
Here are some options for healing outside of combat:
- The Medicine skill lets you heal wounds and perform other medical tasks.
- Resting will slowly regenerate your hit points.
- Potions are a quick way to heal your wounds.
- Magic spells can cure a lot of hit points at once.
Treat Wounds
One way to heal outside of combat is to use the medicine skill. This skill lets you heal wounds and perform other medical tasks. You’ll need training in medicine to use this skill and a set of healer’s tools.
Treating someone’s wounds takes about 10 minutes. The check DC is usually 15, but it’s up to the GM to determine the difficulty level. If you succeed on the check, you can continue to treat your patient for up to an hour, doubling the amount of healing they’ll receive.
Players skilled in medicine will be able to heal injuries faster than those with little training. Be careful. If you fail in treating wounds, you can hurt the patient!
| Check Result | Skill Effect |
| Critical Success | Target regions 4d8 hit points |
| Success | Target regains 2d8 hit points |
| Critical Failure | Target receives 1d8 damage |
Treat Disease
Golarion is home to many deadly afflictions. If you’re not careful, you can contract a fatal disease. Some diseases will only weaken you, but others can kill!
With proper training and healer’s tools, you can attempt to treat a disease, but it isn’t easy. You’ll need 8 hours to care for your patient. With a successful check, the diseased creature will get a bonus to their next saving throw against their affliction.
Treat Poison
Poison can spread fast, causing illness or even death. You can use your medical training to treat a patient who’s been poisoned, helping them to recover quickly.
Even though poisons can be deadly, they’re pretty easy to treat. A skilled healer can give you a bonus on your saving throw against poison. The better the healer, the better chance of recovering.
However, if you put yourself in the hands of a novice, don’t be surprised if they make your problems worse. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Administer First Aid
It can be devastating when an ally falls unconscious during an encounter. You won’t last long without your party members. Golarion is full of bloodthirsty rogues and terrifying ogres, so you’ll need all the help you can get if you want to survive.
Ward Medic
Taking this feat gives you the ability to treat multiple patients at once. As a ward medic, you have experience working in large medical wards and understand the nuances of juggling several patients simultaneously.
With this training, you’ll be able to treat up to two targets when you use Treat Wounds or Treat Disease. As your skill in medicine increases, you’ll be able to treat even more patients. A ward medic with legendary skills can treat up to 8 characters at the same time!
Resting
One of the simplest ways to heal your character is to have them rest. When you rest for 8 hours, you’ll recover a modest amount of hit points. This is a good way to heal minor injuries.
How many hit points you recover after a day of rest will depend on your constitution modifier. The following equation shows you how to calculate how much you’ll receive from 8 hours of rest:
Hit Points = Constitution Modifier x Level
You must get good rest if you want to receive the healing benefits of resting. After all, eight hours of sleep in a cozy inn will leave you feeling better rested than napping outside.
Downtime Rest
Characters can recover more hit points by resting during downtime. By dedicating an entire day to rest as a downtime activity, characters can double the number of hit points they recover from a rest.
Combat Healing
In the heat of battle, it’s vital that your party quickly recover from injuries. There are many different ways to heal in combat, and each has its advantages and disadvantages.
Here are some of the most common methods of healing in combat:
- Healing Spells
- Healing Potions
- Healer’s Tools
Healing Spells
There are many different spells that can be used to heal in combat. Some of these spells heal many hit points at once, while others have a more limited effect.
The most important thing to remember is that healing spells require using spell slots. If you use all of your slots on healing spells, you won’t have any left for other spells.
- Breath of Life
- Healing Well
- Restoration
- Regenerate
- Remove Curse
- Revival
- Soothing Spring
- Goodberry
- Lay on Hands
Healing Potions
Potions are a quick and easy way to heal in combat. You can drink a potion with an Interact action, which means you can do it in the middle of a fight. However, healing potions can be expensive, so you might not want to use them all the time.
Not all healing potions are the same. You’ll need to get stronger potions as your character advances. However, the more potent the potion, the more it’ll cost you. For this reason, it’s wise to save your potions until you need them and instead rely on magic or other abilities to recover hit points.
| Type | Level | Price | Healing |
| Minor | 1 | 4 gp | 1d8 HP |
| Lesser | 3 | 12 gp | 2d8+5 |
| Moderate | 6 | 50 gp | 3d8+10 |
| Greater | 12 | 400 gp | 6d8+20 |
| Major | 18 | 5,000 gp | 8d8+30 |
Battle Medicine
Players trained in Battle Medicine can treat wounds during combat. With a successful attempt, you’ll be able to patch up minor injuries without missing a beat.
Once you’ve used Battle Medicine on a character, they’ll be temporarily immune to your healing skills for at least a day. Players can take these skills further with Medic Dedication, allowing them to heal more hit points during combat. This feat maximizes your healing potential, and you can overcome a player’s temporary immunity to battle medicine.
Lay On Hands
Lay on Hands is a unique ability that allows a Champion to heal and protect another creature. As a Focus Spell, it doesn’t require any spell slots. It can also be used offensively against the undead.
To use Lay on Hands, you must be able to touch the creature you want to heal. The amount of hit points recovered depends on the character’s level. At 1st level, this spell heals up to 1d6 hit points.
Players can heighten Lay on Hands by casting it with a higher spell slot, increasing the number of hit points they’ll receive. If the creature is an ally, they’ll also get a temporary +1 AC bonus that lasts for one round.
Healing with Equipment
There are many different pieces of equipment that can be used to heal damage. Some are more effective than others, and some are more expensive.
While healer’s tools are the bread and butter of any healer, you’ll need more than bandages and salves to face the worse Golarion has to offer. To help you stay alive, look for these powerful healing items.
- Elixier of Life
- Healer’s Tools
- Elixer of Rejuvenation
- Holy Prayer Beads
- Knapsack of Halflingkind
- Phoenix Necklace
- Wand of Overflowing Life
Healer’s Tools
The foundation of the healing arts, this kit includes bandages, salves, and other tools that can be used to treat wounds. Healer’s tools are a cheap and easy way to recover hit points. They don’t require spell slots and can be used anywhere. However, they only heal a small amount of hp.
Healer’s tools are unlimited, so there’s no need to replenish your supplies once you’ve obtained them. You’ll need these tools to make use of skills like Treat Wounds. Treat Poison and Battle Medicine.
Best Class for Healers
There are many different classes that can make good healers in Pathfinder, but some characters are better at healing than others.
The best classes for healing are the Champion and the Cleric. These classes have special abilities that allow them to heal quickly and effectively. They also have a lot of hit points, which means they can take a punch.
The worst class for healing is the Wizard. This class doesn’t have any special abilities that allow them to heal efficiently. They also have very few hit points, so they can’t take much damage.
Clerics
A cleric is a scholarly priest trained in the use of spells and holy rites. Clerics are often found in temples, where they serve as healers and counselors. Some clerics are trained in combat, while others dedicate themselves to the healing arts.
Clerics have a wide range of spells that they can use to heal their allies. In the game Pathfinder, they often serve as a support class that heals their friends during combat with spells and items.
Champions
The ultimate holy warriors, champions use their divine powers to protect the innocent and destroy the wicked. The champion’s unmatched devotion wins her the grace of the gods. In return, she is imbued with powerful healing magic.
Champions learn the healing spell Lay on Hands at level one. As their power develops, they learn spells to boost their allies’ defenses and prevent diseases.
Honorable to a fault; champions never run from a fight. They make good healers because they are proficient in healing spells and have a lot of hit points, which makes them tougher than most other characters.
Druids
While Druids are well known for their affinity with nature, they are also practitioners of the healing arts. They have access to a wide range of healing spells, making them perfect for supporting the party during combat.
Druids can also shapeshift into animals, giving them unique advantages in battle. Skilled in herbalism, Druids can brew powerful healing potions. And spells like Goodberry allow Druids to imbue nature’s bounty with healing magic.
Bards
The Bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they weave through their words. Bards use their magical songs to inspire their allies and charm their enemies. Part rogue and part wizard, the Bard is an excellent support class with a wide range of spells to aid their party.
Bards have skills that allow them to perform well in various situations. This makes them versatile characters that can be used in many different types of campaigns.
How to Roleplay a Healer
When playing a healer in Pathfinder, there are a few things to keep in mind. Try to roleplay your character as someone calm and collected. This will help keep the party from panicking in battle.
Remember that healing is critical during encounters. You’ll need to heal your party quickly so they can continue fighting. Try to use spells and abilities that heal lots of hit points at once. This will save you time and spell slots in the long run.
Don’t be afraid to use healing potions. They can be a quick and easy way to heal wounds. Just keep in mind that relying on portions can get expensive. Also, make sure you always have Healer’s Tools on hand. These will come in handy in emergencies.
Finally, don’t forget to have fun! Playing a healer can be very rewarding, especially when you see your party members get back up and continue fighting after being injured.
Final Thoughts
Pathfinder is a roleplaying game with many types of healing. Pathfinder has magical and non-magical sources that can heal wounds, protect other creatures, or even inflict damage on the undead.
Clerics and Champions are some of Pathfinder’s best healers, while Druids and Bards can also provide helpful healing abilities. Your healer will be a vital part of any pathfinder game with the right spells, items, and attitude.
