This spell, on its surface, seems pretty useless. It only heals 1d4 plus your spellcasting modifier. This perception of a lack of utility vanishes when you see that casting time. Bonus action to possibly bring someone back from the brink of death? Yes, please! This is something anyone can see the value of, and the casting time is why this spell makes this list.
Why is Healing Word such a great spell?
It has a bonus action casting time. That’s huge.
Any amount of healing is good when someone is unconscious. Quickly bring allies back from the brink of death!
Use when someone is making death saves.
Spell Details
1st Level Evocation
Available to Bards, Clerics, and Druids.
Bonus Action to Cast
Heals 1d4 + your casting modifier, and an additional d4 when cast at higher levels
9. Goodberry
Image
Available to Druids and Rangers
Goodberry is another one of those spells that seems pretty useless, with a berry only healing a single hit point, until you take into account how important that 1HP can be when you are about to bleed out. This spell lets you make 10 berries, each healing a hit point. That’s 10 times you can keep allies from dying in battle. That is huge.
Why is Goodberry so good?
10 berries worth 1 HP means you can spread this spell out and bring back up to 10 allies with one use of this spell.
Casts in a single action
One berry also feeds the eater for an entire day. This is important on long journeys when food can be scarce. A Druid or Ranger can feed up to 10 people indefinitely.
Spell Details
1st Level Transmutation
Available to Druids and Rangers
1 Action to cast
Creates 10 berries
Each berry heals 1 HP and feeds the eater for a day
8. Spare the Dying
Image
Available to Clerics
This spell makes the list because it is a cantrip. It can be used as many times a day as it is needed, and can keep your allies alive, even if not conscious. This is important and will be used many times throughout a campaign.
Why is Spare the Dying so good?
It’s a cantrip. It is essentially free to cast.
It’s instantaneous. It takes a single action.
It stabilizes an unconscious character. Especially useful if they are making death saves.
Spell Details
Necromancy Cantrip
Available to Clerics
1 Action to Cast
Makes a creature at 0 hit points stable, instantaneously.
7. Cure Wounds
Image
Available to Bards, Clerics, Druids, Paladins, and Rangers
This is your bread-and-butter healing spell. Every “healing” class has it, and everyone needs it, all the time. You will cast this spell more than any other healing spell.
Why is Cure Wounds so good?
Heals a good chunk of HP. More at higher levels.
Instantaneous
Has no material components
Spell Details
1st Level Evocation
1 action to cast
Heals 1d8 + your spellcasting modifier, and an additional d8 at higher levels.
6. Lesser Restoration
Image
Available to Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, and Ranger
While it does not heal hit points, this is one of the most important support spells you will ever learn. Lesser Restoration can be a lifesaver when you have an ally who has been hurt by a magic effect, but not one that damages their hit points. I can’t even count the times that this spell has come in handy!
Why is Lesser Restoration so good?
Immediately end a status effect on an ally!
No material components!
Works in a variety of situations
Spell Details
2nd Level Conjuration
1 action to cast
Ends 1 disease or condition such as blind, deaf, paralyzed, or poisoned.
5. Mass Cure Wounds
Image
Available to Bards, Clerics, and Druids
This is one of the more “big-daddy” spells in a healer’s spell list. This spell allows you to heal multiple allies for a lot of hit points and can change the tide of battle in an instant, bringing a party back from the brink of a TPK.
Why is Mass Cure Wounds so good?
Bring vital healz down upon your poor teammates when they need it most!
Affects your whole party, as long as they stick close to their healer (which they should know to do)
Can instantly save a party from TPK.
Spell Details
5th Level Evocation
1 Action to Cast
Heals up to 6 people within a 30-foot sphere for 3d8 + modifier in Hit Points. Can be cast at a higher level for extra d8s.
4. Greater Restoration
Image
Available to Clerics and Druids
When the Lesser variant simply won’t cut it, it’s time to break out the big spells! This spell is one of the most valuable support spells you will ever learn. This spell affects conditions that Lesser Restoration doesn’t, such as petrification, charms, curses, ability damage, etc. A vital spell to add to any healer’s list.
Why is Greater Restoration so good?
Ends Charms, Petrification, curses, ability damage, and Max HP damage.
Can remove levels of exhaustion from allies
Instantaneous!
Spell Details
5th Level Abjuration
1 action to cast
Requires 100 GP worth of diamond dust
3. Mass Healing Word
Image
Available to Clerics
If you liked Healing Word, then you’ll love the Mass variant of it! While this spell doesn’t heal as many hit points as, say, Mass Cure Wounds, where it shines is that it is a bonus action to cast! This is a big deal and will free up your action economy to do other feats of magical badassery.
Why is Mass Healing Word so good?
Only takes a bonus action to cast!
Has only verbal components!
Can change the tide of battle, even as an afterthought.
Spell Details
3rd Level Evocation
Bonus Action to Cast
Heals 1d4+mod in HP. Can be cast at higher levels for additional d4s
2. Heal
Image
Available to Clerics and Druids
This is the spell you use when you want to, well, heal someone. This is a monster of a healing spell and can bring someone from the brink of death back to top fighting condition in an instant. It also ends effects like blindness, deafness, and diseases on the affected target. It’s your one-stop healing shop!
Why is Heal so good?
Heals for a lot of hit points
Eliminates the risk of bad rolls
Ends effects in the same kind of way lesser restoration does.
Spell Details
6th Level Evocation
1 Action to cast
Instantly heals the target for 70 HP, and ends blindness, deafness, and disease.
Can be cast at higher levels for 10 more HP per extra level.
1. Power Word Heal
Image
Available to Bards
This is, in my opinion, the best healing spell in the game. Available to bards, the caster simply speaks a word, and an ally regains all of their hit points. No rolling, no hassle. Also, it ends the charmed, frightened, and stunned condition, and allows a prone ally to stand up with a reaction. This spell is designed to change the course of a battle in a single act.
Why is Power word Heal so good?
Fully heal an ally. It’s the best support spell you can imagine!
Takes only 1 action
You can bring someone from making death saves to top shape in a second.
Spell Details
9th Level Evocation
1 Action to cast
Heals target for all of their hit points
Ends the Charmed, Frightened, Paralyzed, and stunned conditions, instantly.
Allows the target to stand up, if prone, with a reaction.
