On several of the last quests, I've noticed wands or rods of arcane healing on treasure drops, and very little in the way of divine healing for clerics specifically. Most healing items are usable by all classes, unless I'm just not paying close enough attention.

These arcane rods new? I play a healer slanted cleric, and I must admit I'm a bit disappointed to see them. It seems a bit odd to me, and I don't understand their existance. I'm always hoping to see a healer based item for clerics and they seem pretty rare. Yet there are a SLEW of books, rings, belts and armor that allow anyone to be a healer.

There is a strong consensus that clerics are the most powerful class, perhaps too powerful...is this an attempt to balance this?

I can see that battle-oriented, high level clerics with a high STR, CON and sweet buffs are wicked tough in combat and PvP. But one designed primarily for support purposes requires more RP in my opninion and more thought/creativity. I'm not sure I'm doing a good job of it, but it's tough to stand in the back and chuck crossbow bolts at hook horrors instead of charging/hacking/slaying or casting sweet offensive magics.

Do all of these "other" forms of healing effectively weaken the market value and need for a healer/cleric? I do like the cure minor rods for low level characters because I see the reason why, but an 8th level fighter with his trusty nearly limitless herb pouch with his heal slots maxed out doesn't have much need for a healer cleric after he gets his buffs early in the quest/adventure.

I understand the coolness and appeal of a low magic world, but sometimes it seems that the literally dozens of ways anyone can get magical healing cheapens the efforts of PCs to do so. This probably seems like I'm bitching, and I really don't mean to do so, but I'm concerned that this may dissuade people from playing a more RP based class and character.

Healers should be highly sought after in this type of harsh atmosphere and survivalist camp, and it doesn't seem that they are.

Just wondering if they glut of healing items reduces the need for that role?

Seriously, how many of your characters have a whole bag or box of glands/rings/books/ and various other hoo-has for healing?

Just wondering the rationale here, and am actually quite happy with the low magic nature.....but the "arcane healing wands" seemed to really underscore this point.

Or DMs, can you add some wands of Divine Fireballs for clerics? :-)

Well, for example bards can do healing spells? So can't they also make healing wands? I don't see anything wrong with arcane healing wands. Is there differences in the wands? I think cleric wands can be used by only certain classes, arcanes by others, or everyone but with more expenses or something else?

Craft wand is an awesome feat my friend, trust me the price is WELL worth it, I walk around with around 75-100 charges of cure seriou wounds all the time and cure minor wounds wands cost next to nothing to craft. I think its more a case of not wanting clerics with tons of wands AND items to cure things.

Also when playing a fighter havig a trusty cleric poke me in the back with a healing rod has saved me from such enemies as "Kain the unstopable" A skelotal warrior dealing around 20 damage per hit and rarely missing. There was no way in hell I could stop to heal because it would be futile.

Oh and on a side note. A decent level bard can create arcane healing wands. I'll tell you they'd sell REALLY well to those rich mages who like to keep their minions in good health.

But yeah mate if your a support cleric wands are really cheap to make. You don't even incur an attack of oppertunity for poking your mate with one.

Oh and with that I'm not sure I like these "no damage" knives going around with +2 healing, I mean non cleric people are dual wielding them and geting like +20 heal scores which is insane. Maybe make those only useable by cleric or something.

(Why are my opinions so broad! nobobody is ever going to read this bulk of text :( )

dual wielding +2 knives is shite. It's supposed to have a general sense of realism, and people are pulling out surgeon's knives everytime they use herbs. I think it really ruins the feel to see people pull out two knives, heal someone, then put them back, and everyone acts normally.

I HAD craft wands but some hook bastards crushed me when I misclicked into their midst... :-( I'll take it again when I get back to 6th :-)

yes, it rocks.

My question was directed at an item being usable by wizards that is primarily a cleric area. Since there are no signficant items (that I'm aware of...someone will correct me here and I'll shut up then) that allow clerics to cast decent arcane spells, it seems to devalue the healer type primarily.

The Heal skill is a bit overabused in my opinion. Perhaps fighters should have a cap on it, or it should be a cross-class skill? That +20 heal from a fighter with tons of herbs in his pouch makes a good healer relatively less important to a party IMO.

"That's OK priest, I have my own bandages." Nothing more deflating than that from the 18 strength half-orc fighter... :-(

Agree? Is this intentional? The consensus that clerics are super powerful doesn't hold water if you don't build it to frontline and usually cast your buffs on others - which would seem to be the way a true support cleric would ususally behave...

Don't mean to step on toes here.....just trying to generate some discussion.

A support cleric can not only provide many many buffs that a wizard can and cannot a supporting cleric can also craft wands and poke their minion with healing sticks keeping them alive alot longer.

Oh and if you get a cleric with the arcane spell as a domain spell. As in invisibility for example. You can have them craft divine wands of invisibility, same goes for other spells like mage armour, cats grace etc etc. I'd say these healing wands useable by arcane people were supposedly created by bards or some such.

Are thes eitems ONLY useable by wizard? or can they be used by wizard, sorcerer and bard. Thats the general rule for arcane wands and items I think. I know divine is paladin, ranger, druid and cleric.

Would seem silly if the arcane items were only useable by one arcane class.

Arcane healing items are relatively rare. I think the answer is that we're providing all kinds of loot for all kinds of characters.

Regardless of how you RP your character, the class itself is plenty strong.