Steenkin’ Healers!

[Whysprr_Wyrd]

<p><i>The red-headed singer walks uncertainly into the sacred temple.  Timidly, she looks around, keeping to the shadows as she gingerly makes her way in, as if looking for someone, a brother, perhaps.  The holy warriors are about their daily business; singing hymns in deep, resonant voices, lifting weights, practicing with armor and weapons.  Her jaw drops as she walks past two wiry Koada-dal fencing in tight pants; her breath comes more quickly as the huge Barbarian bench-presses a chunk of granite only slightly more sculptured than his pecs.  She pauses, as if in thought, by a door marked ‘Lockers'.  Then a guard spots her.  </i></p><p><i>"OUT, you!  This is the fifth time this week, don't make us set the wargs on you again."  </i></p><p>Heh.  Hi, there.  I'm here in my capacity as a writer.  Very professional, you understand.  </p><p>I'm doing research for an article on the ‘ghetto' healers of Norrath; dirges, necromancers, and paladins.  I've got the dirge side covered, I'm fairly well-known as an authority on dirgeliness, though you could certainly get an argument on that if you wanted, and you wouldn't have to try that hard either.  But I'm not so hot on the paladins and necromancers.  None of my guild paladins will return my phone calls any more, maybe the acrylia rings and giant heart-shaped boxes of chocolate containing a set of my underwear (sensible cotton, of course, lace chafes like anything under chainmail) that I sent out last Erollisi Day was pushing it, I don't know.  They kind of edge away during raids, look, I'm just trying to buff you.  And on the necro side, my obnoxious sister Nyghtwynd is only level 23 and we're not speaking since the incident with the jum-jum.  </p><p>So I've come looking for information and, more importantly, your stories.  What healing and curing and raising abilities do you have?  How well do they work?  When do you employ them, and how do they fit into the overall scheme of your play within a group or raid?  </p><p>And, tell me, if you're willing, how you've used them.  What's your most memorable story of being a backup healer and saving the day?  Saving the day being the whole paladin thing, right?  </p><p>I'll monitor this thread, if you'll tell the guards to let me in.  I may contact some of you by PM if I need more help.  </p><p>Tell the guards I'm <b><i>allowed </i></b>in here, OK?  </p><p>Thank you most kindly, </p><p>Whysprr</p>

[Asdran]

The noble poet lauraette of norath visits our humble monastry ?Madam, we are but simple knights, not priestly at all.  Just a wee bit less high maintenance than those soldier or brawling types, healing wise, so to speak.We CAN heal its true, Group, Self, Perfect Strangers even.   The gods of Norath have even granted us special training if we so desire which bestows upon us another heal.  And if those gods are unkind, we can resurrect the dead to life.Curing? Alas, we cannot cure the sick.  Although through nobleness of spirit and ardorous training we can cure ourselves when the ungodly smite us with evil spells, chastising them in return.Always mindful of our priestly brothers many and ardorous duties, we seldom ask for more than one to accompany us and our companions.  We can even when such help is stretched too thin  triumph over even heroic foes sans priests.  Why I myself in attempt to cheat the dice of chance entered a crypt with a trio of friends, numbering amongst them no priest at all, but 2 enchanters and a noble pirate, and returned victorious with "Class Armour"

[Boethius_Permafrost]

I think this is a bit offensive, but maybe I am merely unaware of the capabilities of a dirge or necromancer.  Paladins can do a considerable amount of healing, if needed, but usually have other things to do.  I think the truly under-appreciated healers are probably debuffers, as there is no heal to parse, there.

[Whysprr_Wyrd]

<p>I'm certainly not trying to be offensive; we've probably all got things to do other than healing, at the same time, sometimes you do what you have to; and I'd like to see the paladin side of that.  Dirges' healing abilities are quite modest.  </p><p>Whysp</p>

[Boethius_Permafrost]

(ooc - that was delivered in a jestful way, not an angry tone, as if to say we're weak healers in comparison to the true priests, but we are still in their league.  It's a rhetorical device to say that we don't belong in the dirge/necro category of healing.  But we're still backups, and I would not be worked up over that.)Actually, it's not uncommon for a paladin to outheal several of the pure priests, since our runes go on first while they are waiting for the tank to be hurt, or nuking.  They have other things to do, too.   However, the MT group's priests will double or triple me if I am support healing (and attacking).The best places to find healing paladins are probably casual raid guilds, where we must alternate between tank and healer depending on who shows up.

[Rast]

<p>Our healing ability is modest and mostly unnoteworthy.  Sure, we can heal, but it is very draining on us and far more practical to allow one of a more...  priestly nature endeavor to produce those results.  Our ward is the only real heal we have that isn't so taxing on us or so rare to be useful.</p><p>That being said, we have trained long and hard in our weaponstyles and when performed correctly do heal us and sometimes others.</p><p>While we do have the ability to raise those that have been stuck down, our ministrations to do that are very personal and require us to attend them very directly for an extended period of time, in the heat of battle, it makes is most inpractical for us to do so, though we can when straights are dire.</p><p>The gods grant us the ability to shrug off with devastating results the occasional evil spell, but without excessive training, we can not extend that out to others.</p><p>In short, we are not much unlike the dirges and necromancers in that we should only really heal in emergency circumstances and then not expect too much from the results.</p>

[Mantell]

<p>I am usually brought along to deal damage to foes, but in an emergency my healing magic is very good. I use power twice as fast as a real healer, though. So I am good to have along when a healer dies and someone needs to finish up the encounter, but if you want me to heal through an entire dungeon you had best use caution and plan to sit and wait a bit between rooms.</p><p>Back in the day I could be the only healer on a trip to Poet's Palace or Scornfeather Roost and meet with some success. But the progression of my heals has not kept pace with the damage dealt by the evil denizens of such lairs these days. </p><p>But, since the rediscovery of Kunark I have been squirrelling away a set of gear to use on those occasions when I find myself the only healer in the party. I have not seen the necessity of using it yet, but I am collecting it nonetheless.</p>

[RAYVEN2]

<p>Madam, the gods have bestowed upon paladin's this power to heal to offset the possible shortcomings in the way of wearing armor that might affect one who spends quite some days studying His word before resuming his martial training.  He might not become as accustomed to his heavy protection as one who wears it all day.  However, unlike some of the lot you mentioned whose supposed ability to heal is a mere cantrip the paladin's ability to heal is real and effective.  With a single touch a paladin may mend mortal wounds and with a few other blessings restore the man to the picture of health and vigor.  Instead of asking milady for an example of "when have our heals have saved the day," you should be asking when don't they.  My faith constantly shields me from blows; my prayers constantly keep me healed.  And if my companion, whose protection is my oath, is crippled and in need of immediate intervention providence has seen it wise to bestow upon paladins the ability to intercede for his life with his touch or his own person.  None of the lot of notorious ruffians and tricksters you would like to group heroic warriors such as these with can make any similar claim.  </p>

[duuf]

This ol pally stopped posting in this forum because certain pally brethren are a lil too sensitive about their abilities sometimes.But since this is a whysp post, hopefully a non flame post, will bend my rule for once.Having a lvl 80 dirge and a lvl 80 pally I think I can help especially since my pally is fully healing specced.Rez:    Dirges have by far the best on this with decent range, AA enhancement on time and AA curing sickness.    Pally rez while giving 100% health requires the pally to squat on the corpse a major pain.Heals:    Dirge heal is just short of pathetic small heals over time, loong recast and reduces Dirges health.    Pally: All heals are direct.  The group heal is decent, the single heal is fair and raidwide, the extra AA heal is very costly in power but is on a separate timer can be a real  saver.  The big heal is around 4k instant no power cost but is on a 10 15 min timer based on AA.  We have one other heal that heals only the pally on a 5 min recast.  And our damage ward will heal for the balance left on termination. Cures:     Dirge ha ha Potions for the win...    Pally has an AA end ability that cures magical (but not trauma) on single target with a decent recast timer.Whoops got to run raid time will update later...Update Later...My impressions:In group if we are tanking our healing abilities are somewhat broken.  Long cast times coupled with high interrupt rates means getting a heal off is an exception not the rule.In addition trying to target another player for a heal compromises the tank role.The best is our ward on ourselves, our group heal, and the big butt saver instant heal.If not tanking we are probably the best ghetto group healer available, especially if we have a battery in the group.  I would venture we are about 2/3 as effective as a true healer.Raid:In raid we can help some just not as much..  Healing there is all about reactives, wards, heals over time.By the time our direct heals can take effect its often too late.  That said our ward, intercede, butt saver heal and especially our group heal can contribute making us still the ghetto champ.Best Memory:My pally has never been a main raider but has been lucky enough to be included in a fair number of  t7 raids.   My best memory was way.. back when our old guild the hawks took down Vyhmm and Alzid together.. we had no Coercer to  mem wipe ol Alzid.Three groups took care of Vyhmm while our group with a SK tanking, off tanked AlzidWe were able to keep the SK up until all us healers were OOP, the  SK caved and my pally was able to tank Alzid just long enough for the other 3 groups to finish off Vyhmm and take over Alzid FTW.IMO without the Pally ghetto heals, wards, intercede and mit buffs it would have been FTL.And oh.. on the heal parse my pally was at the top probably because the majority of my heals were group and the "real" healers were mainly single healing the tank.. but when you're a pally yah take your glory where and when you can get it.Duufuss

[Whysprr_Wyrd]

<p>Thanks to everyone for your replies!</p><p> Whysp</p>

[Galavant]

I've solo healed VoES without letting the tank drop to yellow health, and without any healing aa's. If I were heal / cure speced, I could solo heal any heroic instance. A good paladin can easily surpass the healing of a mediocre priest. We don't have any healer buffs or reactives (per se, cycling our 2k ward every 10 seconds is like a mini stoneskin)  so we aren't very effective at healing in a raid setting, but when all is said and done paladins potentially have 3/4ths the healing ability of a cleric.As for our heals sucking when tanking, I have healed for over 40k before while MTing a named (again without any healing aa). I have saved myself (and the raid) by dropping Sacrament of Bayle just as many times as I've died from being interrupted. If healers were constantly getting knocked around, they'd get interrupted, too. Fortunately that doesn't happen when I'm around /flex

[denmom]

I can't speak from the position of a Paladin who's healed a group and saved the day...I've yet to do such, my partner is a very apt Warden and we've yet to face down mobs like that.  We're just in our 40's.However, I do have a 77 Warden who duos with a 76 Paladin, and I <b><i>can</i></b> speak in high regard of many times being saved by what Xylin has done.  They're a Half Elf male and Dark Elf female married pair (we're RL spouses).There have been numerous occasions where damage has gotten away from me, usually when we have one too many mobs.  Xylin will cast her largest heal on either herself or the Zerker tank we're trioing with to give me breathing room and to regain footing on the damage.The greatest single most healing, tho I'm not sure if that's technically correct, is the warding which Xylin casts.Here's an example...we were finally completing Ghoulbane Empowered with four of us, 78 Zerker, 73 Assassin (whom had all three of us highers mentored to him), myself, and Xylin.  We were heading into the basement of MMCastle for Kassar.  After clearing the watchers, suddenly the Zerker had a huge drop in health first to yellow then orange, I didn't see what it was at first, busy healing...I nearly lost the Zerker but Xylin used one of her heals to help.  The Assassin evac'd us, I was too busy keeping us alive to do so myself, and I learned it was Veingore, the epic borebeak in the catacombs, who caught us flatfooted after fighting three of the triple ups.  Making our way back, we faced down Veingore...the Zerker hardly gained damage due to Xylin's warding coupled with my heals.Time and time again, Xylin's warding has been what saves the main tank, one of our group, or herself.

[hawsecav19d]

I have been the 6th healer for LAbs and Lyceum raids in a casual guild and I normaly was about 3rd on heal parse for zone Defiler would beat me and sometimes templar but we can heal very well long as we dont have to spam it. If your tanks getting rocked I dont think a pally can heal well enough, if you got good healers and your tanks good gear and dont pull more mobs than expected we can do very well on parse cause of our ward and emergency heals  and group heals. If it comes down to a spam fest no paladin will ever keep up with any pure healer we should come last everytime if the damage incoming is that bad.