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Heal

Heal
  • Level: 6
  • School: Abjuration
  • Class: Cleric, Druid
  • Casting Time: Action
  • Range: 60 feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Instantaneous

Choose a creature that you can see within range. Positive energy washes through the target, restoring 70 Hit Points. This spell also ends the Blinded, Deafened, and Poisoned conditions on the target.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. The healing increases by 10 for each spell slot level above 6.

Tactical Usage​

Heal provides the most powerful single-target healing available, restoring a massive 70 hit points while simultaneously clearing multiple debilitating conditions. Use this spell to bring critically wounded allies back to full fighting capability instantly. The combination of healing and condition removal makes it invaluable against enemies that inflict blindness, deafness, or poison.

The 60-foot range allows safe casting from protected positions while reaching allies in danger. Unlike lesser healing spells, Heal can bring unconscious allies back to significant hit point totals, preventing immediate re-knockouts from area damage or ongoing effects.

Resource management requires careful consideration of the 6th-level spell slot cost. Reserve Heal for critical moments when massive healing is essential - after devastating attacks, during boss encounters, or when multiple conditions threaten party effectiveness. The instantaneous effect makes it excellent for emergency healing during combat.

Spell Combinations​

Heal synergizes powerfully with defensive spells to maximize ally survivability after major healing. Follow Heal with Shield of Faith, Barkskin, or Protection from Energy to prevent immediate re-damage. Death Ward provides insurance against future fatal attacks.

Layer with battlefield control to protect healed allies. Sanctuary on the healed target prevents immediate targeting, while Misty Step allows repositioning to safety. Counterspell protects against enemy dispelling or damage spells that might negate the healing.

For comprehensive recovery, combine Heal with restoration magic. Greater Restoration can address conditions that Heal doesn't cover, while Remove Curse eliminates magical afflictions. Mass Cure Wounds can address multiple wounded allies after using Heal on the most critical target.

Material Component Details​

Heal requires only verbal and somatic components, making it exceptionally reliable for emergency healing situations. The lack of material components means the spell cannot be disrupted through component destruction or environmental interference, providing consistent accessibility when healing is most needed.

The purely divine component requirements align with the spell's nature as channeled positive energy or divine grace. No rare materials or expensive focuses are needed, making Heal economical for repeated use when spell slots are available.

However, the somatic component requires free hands for effective casting. Consider this limitation when planning spell usage in situations where weapon readiness or environmental constraints might interfere with the necessary gestures.

Creator Notes​

Heal provides clerics and druids with powerful emergency healing that can dramatically shift encounter momentum. The massive healing combined with condition removal often turns desperate situations into manageable ones, requiring careful encounter balance considerations.

When designing encounters featuring Heal, remember that the spell can effectively reset a single character's combat effectiveness. Plan for this possibility by using sustained damage, multiple targets, or conditions that Heal doesn't address to maintain encounter tension.

The spell works best in encounters where single powerful attacks threaten party members rather than sustained damage over time. Design dramatic moments where Heal can create satisfying comeback opportunities without trivializing the overall challenge.

Environmental Interactions​

Heal functions consistently across environments, channeling positive energy regardless of external conditions. However, areas with strong negative energy, undead concentrations, or necrotic influences might reduce the spell's effectiveness or require higher-level casting.

Conversely, areas blessed by life-giving deities, positive energy planes, or locations associated with healing and growth might enhance Heal's power. Some sacred sites could provide bonus healing or extend the condition removal effects.

The spell's divine nature means it might interact with religious or spiritual environments in campaign-specific ways. Areas where the casting cleric's deity holds particular power might enhance effects, while opposing divine influences could hinder them.

Common Rulings & Clarifications​

Condition Removal: Heal specifically removes blinded, deafened, and poisoned conditions. It doesn't affect other conditions like charmed, frightened, paralyzed, or cursed states, though it does remove the hit point maximum reductions from some effects.

Healing Calculations: The base 70 hit points plus scaling provides substantial healing that can exceed a creature's maximum hit points. Excess healing is lost, but the spell reliably brings most creatures to or near full health.

Target Requirements: The spell requires seeing the target, but doesn't require touch. This allows healing across battlefields or through barriers that don't block line of sight.

Divine Energy: The positive energy channeled might have additional effects on undead creatures if targeted, typically causing damage instead of healing, though this depends on DM interpretation.

Alternative Applications​

Heal excels in medical and humanitarian scenarios beyond combat healing. Use it to treat serious injuries from accidents, natural disasters, or magical mishaps. The condition removal makes it invaluable for treating victims of poisoning, magical blindness, or deafness.

For social applications, casting Heal demonstrates significant divine favor and magical capability. Many cultures view such powerful healing as miraculous, creating opportunities for diplomatic influence or religious authority demonstration.

Emergency applications include treating plague victims, healing torture survivors, or restoring health to important NPCs whose well-being affects campaign outcomes. The dramatic healing can create pivotal story moments and character development opportunities.

Healing Magic: Cure Wounds provides scaling healing at lower levels. Mass Cure Wounds heals multiple targets with less individual healing. Healing Word offers bonus action healing for emergencies.

Condition Removal: Lesser Restoration removes different conditions more economically. Greater Restoration addresses conditions that Heal cannot. Remove Curse eliminates specific magical afflictions.

Divine Power: Harm provides the opposite effect with necrotic damage. Regenerate offers different but complementary healing over time. Resurrection magic becomes unnecessary when Heal prevents death.

Scaling Analysis​

As a 6th-level spell, Heal provides tremendous healing that remains relevant throughout high-level play. The base 70 hit points plus scaling ensures the spell keeps pace with increasing creature hit point totals at higher levels.

Higher-level casting provides substantial healing increases - 80 hit points at 7th level, 90 at 8th level, reaching 100+ hit points with 9th-level slots. This scaling maintains the spell's emergency healing utility throughout all campaign levels.

Cost-effectiveness improves with character level and available spell slots. The significant healing amount justifies the 6th-level slot investment when facing serious threats that can deal comparable damage amounts.

Narrative Flavor​

Heal manifestation should emphasize the overwhelming positive energy and divine grace involved. Describe brilliant light surrounding the target, wounds closing instantly, and vitality flooding back into weakened bodies. The condition removal should feel like spiritual cleansing.

The healing should appear miraculous and awe-inspiring to observers. Describe the target's obvious transformation from injured to healthy, the removal of afflictions, and the renewed strength and clarity. The effect should feel like divine intervention.

Different divine traditions might produce varying Heal effects. Life domain clerics could manifest pure white light, while nature domain clerics might channel green energy that resembles natural growth. The healing should reflect the caster's divine patron and religious philosophy.