InDungeons & Dragons, healing and being injured in general can be boring if you play exactly by the rules. Depending on how your Dungeon Master (DM) describes actions as they are happening or their consequences, instead of having a character panic over a wound, a healer can just tap them or say some simple words and poof! The wound heals, everyone’s good, keep swinging your sword or lute or whatever.
Okay, the state of healing isn’t all that bad. But most players can simply say, “I cast healing word, you recover 1d4 + my modifier” and be done with it. So why not spice up those healing spells and create a scene or some drama?
8Describe Your Actions
Descriptions Are Your Friends
One of the simplest ways toadd some roleplaying flavor to your spellcastingis to describe what you are doing in your mind’s eye. With a game like Dungeons & Dragons, it’s all taking place in imagined spaces. Even if you have an amazing map and minis to see where everyone and everything is, the others around the table don’t see your actions coming to life or how you cast your spells.
Are you a Cleric using your Holy Symbol? How does that look? Do you clutch this silvered symbol around your neck and plead with your God to spare your allies from any pain? Are you a Druid who has to quickly pull ingredients together and mash them up, smearing this natural remedy over the wounds of your friends? Take a brief moment to tell everyone how you heal, not just that you do the thing.
7Give Your Spells An Interesting Look
Do Your Spells Glitter Or Glow?
In the heat of combat or when events are moving quickly, you might not be able to do an in-depth description of how you cast your spells. What you can do instead is give your spells their own look. “I cast Healing Word. This blue energy leaves my body and wraps around you.”
With one sentence, you added a visual to what this spell looks like. If you aren’t in combat, or when you’re first introducing your character’s abilities, you may certainly go into more detail. For instance, when you cast healing spells, you’re reminded of your mother’s famous hot chocolate, so the target of your spell can smell this comforting scent, warming them up and healing their wounds.
6Change Up Your Touch Spells
Healing Is Only A High Five Away
When reading through spells, you often see that you have to touch a willing creature to perform whatever it is. There’s no reason that has to always be a pat on the arm that lasts a second or two. Just changing this small detail can both change the look of your spell but also really personalize your character and make them feel more real.
Paladins get an ability called Lay On Hands. You have a certain amount of health pooled up that you can give away by touching the target you want to help. Maybe you give little forehead kisses instead? That instantly softens up the appearance of your Paladin, who is often viewed as rigid and stoic.
5Have Your Healing Attached To Items
Not Just Holy Symbols Or Focuses Either
Generally speaking, most healing spells rely on some form of touch or the use of something to channel magic. Putting the standard equipment aside for a moment, you can come up with or create your own items to help in the roleplaying process of healing.
If a character loves potion-making, you’re able to work with your DM to have their spells attach to a newly crafted draft that, in combat, you throw at your allies to heal them. Rangers who pick up healing magic can have special ammunition that delivers health with pinpoint accuracy. Or you use a Holy Grail-like cup your party can drink from. There are so many options.
Whenever changing how a spell or item functions, always talk to your DM first.
Every DM is different and may not approve of the change or have different ideas on how to implement something for your character or party.
4Play With Your Components
Similar To Playing With Your Food
A lot of spells call for specialized items you need to use for the magic to work. The items can be simple, like a vial of Holy Water. Others call for diamonds or jewel-inlaid chalices. But either way, you can change how you use or interact with these items.
Sticking with Holy Water, how would your character use that to make your spell work? Would your character splash it over your friends? Would you hold the bottle and pray over it, blessing it with healing energy before having an ally drink it? Maybe you smash the vial into their skin and the shards of glass that dig into their wounds and start to seal the new and old cuts? If you need to use components, why not make them more fun?
3Create A Ritual
Gather Your Friends For A Touching Moment
Matthew Mercer is most certainly not the first to do this, but in his actual play series,Critical Role, bringing someone back to life isn’t as simple as touching them with Revivify. If a character loses all their hit points, perform a ritual or a service for that character.
Do you surround them with candles? Do you create a safe, quiet space where your party can gather and work together to make this spell work? Do you even threaten your character’s God or Goddess into action? “Save them, or you will lose one of your most devoted followers this day!” It can create powerful and emotional moments for you and your party as you set a scene of uncertainty or grief for everyone to participate in.
2Set Restrictions For Your Healing
You’ve Got To Earn This HP
Who said you have to be at your party’s beck and call? Not all Clerics and Paladins have to prioritize healing. Perhaps, like all the memes say, your Paladin character hates the Rogue of the party and you aren’t willing to reward their bad behavior with curative magic.
You can certainly flip the script and make players either have to earn your help or wait for it. On the opposite side of the spectrum, you can start out not healing. Maybe you’re keeping your class a secret until your character trusts others. Then, as the story goes on, you can gradually heal more and more.
1Bring Your God/Goddess Into The Mix
The Power Of Pelor Compels You
Some spells in the Cleric and Paladin arsenal have youcall upon your deity for Divine Intervention. Though, if you get the all-clear from your DM, you could have a much closer relationship with them and receive tangible assistance. And that goes for any character who follows a religion.
Using Healing Spirit as inspiration, what’s to say you may’t have a spectral guardian or image helping you heal your allies? It doesn’t have to change the gameplay at all. If you have to touch your friend to heal them, maybe they see both your hand and the hand of your deity. If you speak words of healing, maybe they hear the Celestial of a being far beyond this mortal place? The whole party could end up feeling attached to your God or Goddess if they feel and see them in the room or the fray.
