Pathfinder 2e: How do I play a healer? What build should I use?

[@RexfelisLXIX]

Seven word comment. KZbin algorithm rules. Visibility.

[@RobLi123]

Cleric is fantastic in PF2e. I really enjoy playing WarPriest. I’m playing in a group with a Water Kineticist, he does a great job healing. Great video!

[@RebelThenKing]

I'm playing as a wood kineticist and it's been amazing for healing and support. Remember that if you are single gate wood kineticist, your Impulse Junction grants you temp HP when you use a 2-action impulse, and that at L5 you grant temp HP in your aura. Lots of healing going around! I'm also glad to see bard on the list. I recently made a video where I created a party only using bards, and had a healer pretty much exactly as you outlined.

[@Cydewyn-fl4pm]

My goal was really to communicate to new players what the options were, so both of these fit well!

[@rafasiqalv]

Great video! I kinda miss a mention to the Alchemist Chirurgeon as Jack of All Trades, Master of None, but I understand that Alchemists aren't generally a begginer friendly class (learn the Divine spell list and you can play five classes, learn Alchemical Items and you can play... two, being generous). For a suggestion on future videos, what about talking about buffs to they party? I think even more than Healing, it's the interesting part of supporting allies. For example, I quite like giving the Barbarian in my party a Titanic Fury Cocktail and the Silvertongue Mutagen to the Bard (even though it's not exactly action efficient)

[@Cydewyn-fl4pm]

Yeah, others have mentioned the Alchemist. I have a corrections video releasing soon correcting that (I seriously would dissuade beginners, though). I may make a video about specific ways to assist allies, but might have to split by class due to the differences.

[@Nercrontyr]

Nice video. Thank you. Imho Support= buffers AND debuffers. Im suprised to see in my gaming history so many who dont see it. Here are some examples, making someone offguard supports the party in their accuracy while me frightening enemies make them easier to be hit and improves the casters landing the spells they need and reduces the enemies chances to harm allies with spells and attacks thus offering protection. Making enemies slowed, sickened, stunned supports the team by reducing the actions enemies have to do things and thus reducing the enemies effect on the party. I agree buffing is easier than debuffing, but once everyone has those buffs, debuff support is what is needed to really swing the combat. I have been pondering 2 off healee builds. 1 is a tanuki thaumaturge with chalice and amulet and the wood kineticist dedication for timber sentinel and life oracle dedication for life link. The plan I think would be for the chalice go absorb the damage from life link. You could go kholo and medic dedication instead and use medicine offensively with blood from the right hand medic visitations. Both would use giving self bleed to increase chalice effect. The second is a wood kineticist with champion dedication and life oracle for life link. Would love to here you builds. You mentioned thaumaturge is more advance. Any suggestions? Additionally, i didn't here anything about life link or spirit link spells. Basically the type of spells that redirect damage to self and how to deal with it. I know its not popular compared to things like timber sentinel or regular healing.

[@Cydewyn-fl4pm]

For the life-exchange type spells, I just generally wouldn't recommend them for beginners because they can be dangerous. I also have a personal aversion to it (I prefer support characters as well) because it can increase the chance of a character going down, especially if used without a heavy dose of carful tactics. The one thing I will say is make sure, if you use that type of ability, you have a secondary healer. Don't pick it if you are the only person with *any* decent healing ability. You need at least one other person with medicine proficiency so that you don't just die. Some people have a total aversion to healers, mostly stubborn people who have never played a ttrpg and don't play tactical video games (not everyone with those traits. Just a small proportion). There's a sentiment that healers are losers in some spaces. Most groups do not have this problem, but some might. But as I said, I usually avoid those types of abilities in all types of games due to my habit of getting in the line of fire (...probably why I like martials and martial-like casters). For thaumaturge, the main suggestion is read all the abilities. Especially Esoteric Lore, Esoterica, and Exploit Vulnerability. I say it's complicated because those abilities interact with implements and feats in many different ways. When combined with the number of implements, the tactics are very diverse. That is why the class is more complex than some other classes. A fighter, for example, could use only one or two actions (besides movement and strike) across a full combat, or even just move and strike (it wouldn't be wise) and still be effective. A warpriest can pull similar, although slightly more complex (somewhere around seven to eight likely actions depending on spell and feat selection). A thaumaturge can't have the same effectiveness without using all the abilities. A thaumaturge not using their abilities is like a cleric not casting spells. To drill it down: you'll be fine if you read the ability a few times and understand it. It won't end well if the player doesn't read and assumes it'll be just like playing the Witcher 3 with no out of combat preparation.

[@EpsilonIsGreaterThan]

What about Chirurgeon Alchemist?

[@Cydewyn-fl4pm]

I forgot them because they're complex. Generally, I wouldn't advise a beginner play it *unless* I knew they were going to read everything and be ready for more complex tactics. Usually, other classes will fit the same niche. I may put in a quick correction to mention it, but I wouldn't advise it for a beginner.

[@matthaddix900]

Slow doesn't actually have the incapicitation trait

[@Cydewyn-fl4pm]

I mixed it up with paralyze. Unfortunately, I cannot edit the video.