Healers

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A lot of people refer to their clerics as healers. I don't get this, I mean: do people really use the cleric as a healer?
Let's look at their healing spells:
Cure Light Wounds: heals up to a whopping maximum of 8 hp.
Cure Medium Wounds: 14hp!!
Cure Serious Wounds: 17hp (that's three more than medium wounds).
Cure Critical Wounds: 27hp, the same as a potion of extra healing would do.
Mass Cure: 1d8 + caster's level hp to all members. I admit, this one could be kind of nice.
Heal: totally heals a character, nice.

There are pretty few healing spells and only two of them could be useful. So why do people use clerics as healers? I even have a picture in my head where a cleric is running from one fighter to another to cast cure medium wounds on them. Please tell me I'm wrong.
But if not in mid-battle, why would you want to cast heal spells? If not in battle, you might just as well rest somewhere.
I really don't get it, clerics can be pretty powerful, but using them as healers just seems like such a waste.
Can someone explain to me the use of healers and why people seem to use their clerics only solely for this purpose?

 

I agree.. I dont get it either..

I never used a cleric for healing and only a druid if I had one..

Perhaps someone else can shed light over this matter ?

 

I agree, at higher levels that role does seem a bit silly. Walking up to a fighter with 125 hp and healing back a whopping 14 hp won't make or break any battle, especially since a potion heals instantly with no casting time or chance of failure. Those lesser heal spells were much more usefull in the first BG and IWD, when your characters don't have quite as much hp and a Cure Moderate Wounds actually does go a long way.

However, the spell Heal really does take the cake. It can absolutely tip the tide of battle in your favor in 1 round flat. Mass Cure I've found moderately useful, especially to offset the difference mid-battle of the Fireball you didn't see coming. But Clerics also cure disease, poison and other unpleasentries, also considered healing. Furthermore, they have some of the best buffing spells around.

So the term "healer" is a bit more vague than it should be, but still fits since their spell assortment is overwhelmingly protective and curitive rather than offensive. Maybe "band-aid" or "buffer" is a bit more fitting, depending on your playing style.

 

I guess I only ever used a cleric as a healer because I had a four-fighter/cleric/mage party and most of the time the fighters could handle all the fights with a bit of back up from the mage. Didn't want someone idle so I set my cleric as a healer. Just one of those things

 

For me, I've never used just a stand-alone cleric. Not enough oomph for me, and I'm unveriably pro-oomph.

AFAIC, there are 2 cleric roles: Tank Cleric and Slinger Cleric. A backrow cleric with a high dex, high strength and the Sling of Seeking is a great asset to any battle, especially since a shield can still be used. The tank cleric must be combined with a fighter or ranger. Either be multi-classed (more tanking) or dual-classed (more clericing...is even that a word?!) in ToB, though the multiclass has more potential either way. There are battle-buffing spells that turn any cleric into a great tank if needed, and they can be a sling-a-thon the rest of the time.

 

@Aldazar:
I don't understand what you are saying. First of all, what was your party? You say 4 fighter/mage/clerics (as in the multiclass), but I don't think you mean that.

Your fighters + mage could handle every battle, but you didn't want your cleric to be idle, so you used him as a healer? Maybe you could use him for some useful spells if you don't want him to be idle, or give him the crom faeyr and let him crush stuff.

@Deathmage:
Heal is indeed a pretty good spell. Mass Cure doesn't really work for me, because I'm a multiclass (and it's level based), although it is a prett nice spell (heals without causing everyone to having to wait a round before they can doe stuff again, as with a potion).

I know clerics can also cure diseas and posion and that they can restore levels. I don't think that people are pointing to this when they say 'healer'. Because the word 'heal' (I think) refers to wounds (hp). The word 'cure' would then refer to stuff like diseases.
The cleric can also buff up the party, summon stuff and even has some offensive spells.

This is why I don't understand why people would like to use him as a healer.

 

Sorry, haven't slept in 38 hours, apt to mess up.
I mean 4 fighters (or variations), a mage and a cleric (actually mage/cleric)

Man I gotta sleep soon!

**she did end up becoming basically "just" another fighter once I got Crom Faeyr, but I was still sort of learning the ropes, still am now actually**