# Summoning creatures with healing?



## Thurbane (Jul 29, 2007)

Just curious, is there any creatures on the Monster Summoning lists (either standard or expanded) that has any sort of curing or healing ability?

The reason I ask is that it might allow a party to go without a Cleric if the Wizard or Sorcerer can summon up a creature and have it cast Cures on the party...


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## Thurbane (Jul 30, 2007)

OK, here's the standard options at a glance:

SM VI - Bralani (Cure Serious 2/day)
SM VII - Avoral (Lay on hands)
SM VIII -  Lillend (Cure Light Wounds 4/day)
SM IX - Couatl (Cure Minor Wounds, Cure Moderate Wounds)
SM iX - Leonal (Cure Critical Wounds 3/day, Heal 1/day, Lay on hands)

...not a lot of help for lower level casters...


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## Jack Simth (Jul 30, 2007)

You'll do a little better with Planar Binding (6th) (if you pick up the associated required spells - Dimensional Anchor (keep them on this plane, 4th), Magic Circle Against Good (to hold them in spot, 3rd), Dispel Magic (in case you need to get rid of the Dimensional Anchor; 3rd) and Dismissal (for when things get ugly, 5th)).  In a pinch, you can do without Dispel Magic and Dismissal... but I wouldn't recommend it.  Depending on your DM, you can get away with a Planar Binding without the trappings, and treat it much like the Cleric's Planar Ally.

Edit:
Do note healing isn't an arcanist's forte.

However, the Sorcerer can (potentially) cast Cure spells directly.  It's the only Core class that has wiggle room in where they get their spells.

Edit 2:
If the party is entirely made up of Warforged, then the Wizard/Sorcerer can know the Repair line, and do all the healing that way.  

If the Rogue or Bard has lots of ranks in Use Magic Device, then a Wand of Cure Light wounds is only a DC 20 roll to activate.


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## Shayuri (Jul 30, 2007)

Druids get Unicorns at spell level 4.

An arcane caster with Fey Heritage can get Fey Legacy at level 9 which gives Confusion, Dimension Door and Summon Nature's Ally V as SLA's 1/day each. That's two unicorns at once!


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## Fedifensor (Jul 30, 2007)

Jack Simth said:
			
		

> If the party is entirely made up of Warforged, then the Wizard/Sorcerer can know the Repair line, and do all the healing that way.
> 
> If the Rogue or Bard has lots of ranks in Use Magic Device, then a Wand of Cure Light wounds is only a DC 20 roll to activate.




Eberron is perhaps the most flexible setting for arcane healing.  Repair spells in a party of warforged is the best method.  There is also the Silver Pyromancer (from Five Nations) who adds the paladin spell list to his class spells - that means a sorcerer can choose to take things like _cure light wounds_ and _lesser restoration_.  Eternal Wands in combination with UMD are also useful.


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## TheGogmagog (Jul 30, 2007)

You shouldn't force the group to have someone play a certian class.  As mentioned there is use magic device, or other classes like bard, ranger, paladins have cure light on thier class list so they can use wands.  By 7th level or so, someone focused on UMD should be able to do so reliably.  The cost of the wands are minimal and allow the party to heal between combats, but won't help much when you get mixed up with heavey hitters that are doing 30 to 50 points of damage a round.

Arcane healing sources won't help there much either.  A cleric cohort would be a smart addition for the group who doesn't want to play one.  Better yet, Healer or Favored Soul for thier fixed spell list will cut down on having to decide spell list each day.


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## szilard (Jul 30, 2007)

Jack Simth said:
			
		

> If the Rogue or Bard has lots of ranks in Use Magic Device, then a Wand of Cure Light wounds is only a DC 20 roll to activate.




...or, you know, the bard could just use a wand of cure light wounds... it being on the bard spell list and all.

-Stuart


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## Thurbane (Jul 30, 2007)

Yes yes yes, I am well aware there are many, MANY other ways to get healing without a cleric, mmmkay? Please don't ascribe motives to the question that simply aren't there.

I was specifically enquiring about Summon Monster, cheers.


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## Arkhandus (Jul 30, 2007)

What was meant by the comment that a Sorcerer could potentially cast cure spells directly?  Buh?

Anyway.....

Bralani Eladrins, Avoral Guardinals, Leonal Guardinals, and Ghaele Eladrins have healing ability.

Couatls and Lillends also have healing ability and are summonable.

.......unfortunately it looks like the 3.5 Summon Monster lists are nerfed from the 3.0 versions, which had a few different summonable healers, like lammasu, celestial unicorns, astral devas, and formian workers (though it takes 8 formian workers to produce a healing effect, they can use it at will).

It looks like there are no summons below 6th-level that can heal stuff.  In 3.0 the formian worker was summonable from the SM5 list, which still wasn't low-level though.


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## Thurbane (Jul 30, 2007)

I know some of the Monster Manuals add extra creatures to the summoning lists - any of those have healing?


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## TheGogmagog (Jul 31, 2007)

Well, you are the DM?  You could adopt the more leinient interpretation of 'Extra Spell' or allow a version that lets you add a spell known.  But there's a reason why no one wants to be the cleric, and somone learn/memorize certain spells to fill the role of cleric completely re-creates the problem.

If no one wants to be a cleric....  Don't make them.  Hence the value of NPC hirling or cohort with pacifist and slow reaction flaws, plus feats that augment healing, and a wand of cure light through the first five levels or so.

I hate to harp on tangential suggestions, since I hate when people do it to me, but... It looks like you have your answer and you added 'the reason I asked' part.


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## Thurbane (Aug 1, 2007)

Again I have to say, that is NOT the point of the excercise. The party I DM for already includes a cleric, as does the other group I play with.

This is basically a scholastic exercise rather than a practical one.


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## Mistwell (Aug 1, 2007)

Yeah I'd say Unicorn is a pretty good option.  A unicorn can use cure light wounds three times per day and cure moderate wounds once per day (caster level 5th).


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