D&D: The Five Best Healing Spells
Healing spells are a popular choice for a reason. Sooner or later everyone needs one. Here are D&D’s five best healing spells.
Adventuring is dangerous business. You might get ambushed by goblins. Ambushed by kobolds. Assassin vines. From A to Z, there’s no end of creatures that might sneak up on you and try to kill you when you least suspect.
Fortunately, in most circumstances (aside from the odd disintegration), all it takes is a little magic and you’re back on your feet with none of the lingering trauma that comes from injuries to muscles and bones.
But healing comes at a price! It’s one of the best ways to learn about opportunity costs. Because if you stop to cast a healing spell, then you might not be casting something else. Something that could defeat the monster that ambushed you so you can lick your wounds after the fact.
So what makes a healing spell the best? To answer this, we’re looking at whether or not a spell takes your whole action, how long it lasts, how many party members it can potentially effect, and the answers might surprise you. Here they are, our five best healing spells in D&D in no particular order.
Healing Word
This is perhaps the Cleric’s best friend–it’s not the most powerful healing spell, not by a long shot, but it’s just a bonus action to cast. That means you can heal someone for 1d4 + your modifier (or more if you upcast) and still have the rest of your turn to do something. Of course, you can’t cast a spell other than a Cantrip, but other than that the door is wide open. And, especially in the early levels, even a few hit points can make all the difference.
At later levels, this spell is perfect for getting someone back on their feet after they’re making Death Saves. Plus it doesn’t require touch, which Cure Wounds does, making this the better option in every case.
Aid
This spell is an incredibly powerful option. The healing might not seem like a lot–it’s only 5 hit points–but it’s 5 hit points to three different creatures as one action. So even though you’re spending your turn on the spell, you’re at least helping multiple party members. And the spell lasts 8 hours without requiring concentration and it increases the party member’s maximum HP for the duration, so it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Aura of Vitality
This spell gives you a 30-foot aura within which you can use a bonus action to heal a party member of 2d6 hit points. It’s a 3rd level spell, sure, and it takes concentration, but you can set up a big encounter with this fight, and still have the rest of your actions to cast spells or make attacks.
Mass Cure Wounds
Finally Cure Wounds starts to look like it’s worth it. This is the only version of Cure Wounds you’ll need. This spell can patch up your whole party with a single action (and for 3d8 + modifier at that). A great way to turn around a fight that’s going pear shaped.
Prayer of Healing
Sometimes the best healing spells keep you going when you’re not in the middle of combat. Short rests are fine, but you may not always have the hit dice to top yourselves back up. Prayer of Healing takes 10 minutes, but at the earlier levels it’s a great way to keep everyone ship shape and in fighting form for the next encounter.
