Author Topic: Native American ARCANE Healing War Weaver Concept  (Read 3258 times)

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Tsabrak

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Native American ARCANE Healing War Weaver Concept
« on: September 08, 2008, 01:55:55 PM »
Ok, now that I have your attention! :)

I'm working on a character concept based on a couple of thoughts and I wanted to get some of the brilliance of the BG folk!

The first idea is in regards to the spontaneous domain casting alternate class ability from PHBII for clerics.  I read the ability a few times, and think that perhaps it opens up the doors to arcane healing capability more than a lot of other options that I've seen.  With a 1 level dip into cleric, make your domain the "Healing" domain, and from what I can tell, you can now level up in an prepared spell arcane class and convert your spells to healing spells as needed.

Assuming I'm correct in that assumption, I've got an interest in playing a War Weaver with healing capabilities.  The build I am tossing around is something like this (please note, this is not in order yet):

Cloistered Cleric 1/Dragon Shaman 1/War Weaver 5/Wu Jen 13

So question 2-  While I know it is not optimized, what do you all think of the Wu Jen as a War Weaver.  I've got a vision in my mind of a totem style Native American dream-catcher weaver...The Wu Jen flavor being fluffed to NA instead of Asian.

So does my healing theory work?  Can Wu Jen make a good War Weaver?

Whatcha think peeps??

Tsabrak
« Last Edit: September 16, 2008, 05:41:51 PM by Tsabrak »

GawainBS

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Re: Native American Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2008, 03:52:27 PM »
I find the Wu-Jen's spell selection far behind the Wizard's. They lack mainly in buff spells, IIRC, which would be the sole reason to go for Warweaver. If it's fluff you want, just fluff your Wizard that way and make him prepare his spells by studying his tribal feathers or something like that. Complete Arcane has suggestions on how to use other things than a spellbook.
As for spontaneous Domain casting, I think it would work, RAW. It does look a bit fishy, though. Better ask your DM about it just to be sure he agrees.

Blade2718

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Re: Native American Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #2 on: September 08, 2008, 09:49:29 PM »
You'd probably be better off with Spirit Shaman.

Tsabrak

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Re: Native American Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2008, 02:46:16 PM »
No offense Blade, but I'm not sure how spirit shaman helps this at all.  The only thing I think you might be thinking is that spirit shaman could make a pretty fluffy Native American style character, but aside from that it doesn't really do anything for the build or the meta-concept-

Unless I'm missing something of course.

Thanks for posting though, I always appreciate feedback.

Tsabrak

Stratovarius

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Re: Native American Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #4 on: September 09, 2008, 06:46:17 PM »
The Wu-Jen is far behind the Wizard, but it can also be used to assure a DM worried about the Wizard's power level. And the being far behind is mainly due to spell selection, so perhaps you can talk to him about getting more added to the WJs list. I'd certainly try it, and see how it turns out.

I haven't examined the build too closely, so I'm wondering why there's a level of Dragon Shaman in the mix.
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Tsabrak

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Re: Native American Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2008, 11:09:11 AM »
Ah-  The dragon shaman is really an ends to the party need.  This character is meant to be the primary healer for the party.  I wanted to see if there was a way to do it as an arcane caster and things kind of progressed from there.  The idea for the Dragon Shaman level is to take the fast healing (1) aura and to basically grant the party a persitant mass lesser vigor by level 2.  Since I won't get the healing reserve feats due to the manner in which I'll be getting my healing spells, this was a nice, efficient way to dig up some healing without much in the way of sacrifice.

Thanks for the look!

Tsabrak

GawainBS

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Re: Native American Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #6 on: September 10, 2008, 11:19:46 AM »
I may be off on this, but doesn't that Fast Healing Aura only work for up to half max HP?

Stratovarius

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Re: Native American Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #7 on: September 10, 2008, 11:56:46 AM »
Yes, it does. I'm not sure that the level is worth it, to be honest.

I think feeding the healing spells through the War Weaver net should work fairly well, but there's always the result that healing in combat is inferior to negating the source of the damage.

I'd look to see if you can wedge 5 levels of Combat Medic in there instead of some Wu Jen levels. It will give you easier access to Heal, and some small boosts when healing.
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GawainBS

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Re: Native American Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #8 on: September 10, 2008, 06:50:07 PM »
With some careful selection of domains, you can grant your party other boosts via the Warweavers web. I think of Divine Power or Righteous Might, if they are legal for it. (It caps at 4th lvl, I'm afraid?)

Vidar

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Re: Native American Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #9 on: September 14, 2008, 08:15:05 AM »
With some careful selection of domains, you can grant your party other boosts via the Warweavers web. I think of Divine Power or Righteous Might, if they are legal for it. (It caps at 4th lvl, I'm afraid?)

Capping level = class level, so 5th level is go.

Tsabrak

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Re: Native American Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2008, 11:23:55 AM »
I haven't really worked feats into this build, but the idea that my other domains will help out is only for the 1st level spells that they offer.  The spontaneous domain casting ability requires you to pick a single domain that you can convert your spells into...and for that I am choosing Healing.  Now, through arcane disciple I could perhaps add some additional feats, but not through the initial 3 domains unfortunately.

And I know that the dragon shaman part is sub-optimal...but as I'll be starting at level 1, the ability to heal the entire party to 1/2 hp, the d10 HD, and the 2 damage per hit rebound abilities are really quite helpful.  Even at high level, in a "break" I can have the entire party healed to 1/2 in 5-10 minutes without using any spells.  It's not optimal, but it's practical I think.

Thanks for the responses ladies and gents-

Tsabrak

GawainBS

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Re: Native American Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #11 on: September 16, 2008, 11:45:17 AM »
I think you're better off with the Healing Reserve feat, in fact.

Tsabrak

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Re: Native American Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #12 on: September 16, 2008, 05:41:17 PM »
I'm not even sure I can qualify for the Touch of Healing feat (very sketchy wording regarding healing spells available to cast), but even if I can, I won't ever have more than 1st level healing spells memorized.  Healing 1 hp per person per touch really doesn't seem worth it regardless.  I may re-evaluate the level, but right now I'm not sure that's an open choice...

Vidar

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Re: Native American Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #13 on: September 18, 2008, 07:28:09 PM »
I'm not even sure I can qualify for the Touch of Healing feat (very sketchy wording regarding healing spells available to cast), but even if I can, I won't ever have more than 1st level healing spells memorized.  Healing 1 hp per person per touch really doesn't seem worth it regardless.  I may re-evaluate the level, but right now I'm not sure that's an open choice...

I'm not sure if I follow: "sketchy wording" and "not sure..." seem out of context when I look at the description of "touch of healing". Only thing you have to look at is "conjuration(healing)" in the spell descriptor. Shouldn't be a problem I think.

Tsabrak

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Re: Native American ARCANE Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #14 on: September 19, 2008, 05:31:00 PM »
So I changed the title of this thread to emphasize that this is an arcane caster using a trick to cast healing spells.  The way this works is that spell slots are spontaneously converted into domain spells (which I have chosen for the Healing domain.)  So the reason I say that touch of healing as a feat is "sketchy" for this is that you need to have a 2nd level or higher healing spell "available" to cast.  I am not sure that the ability to spontaneously convert spells into curing spells works as having "available" healing spells (at least RAI).

Another take on it-  Imagine you have a standard cleric who has not memorized a single "healing" spell.  Can they use the feat?  They have the ability to convert them into healing...  I just say that's pretty sketchy.

Arcane-surge

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Re: Native American ARCANE Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #15 on: September 19, 2008, 10:26:58 PM »
I'm pretty sure they can. They just need to have a spellslot of the appropriate level. Sorcerers can take reserve feats without taking Arcane Preparation, after all.
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GawainBS

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Re: Native American ARCANE Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #16 on: September 20, 2008, 06:49:26 AM »
That's the essence of a reserve feat: you have to be able to cast such a spell again. If you expend your last slot/last appropriate prepared spell, you lose access.

dobu

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Re: Native American ARCANE Healing War Weaver Concept
« Reply #17 on: September 22, 2008, 06:19:20 AM »
i did something similar some time ago. tried to get some arcane healer.

you could try something along the line of

Wizard 5/War Weaver 5/Combat Medic 5/Wyrm Wizard 5

with arcane disciple healing (healing) and spontaneous healing as feats.

wyrm wizard loses caster level, but you could snatch some resurrection spells from the cleric list.