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Healing in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition may play a less important role than other systems. But, the game still has a multitude of healing spells to choose from. Each one offers its own take on restoring the health of creatures and some even offer additional effects to sweeten the deal.
But, what are the best healing spells in D&D 5e?
Well, you’ll probably find a different answer depending on who you ask. So, I’ve put together my own list of the top spells for healing in 5e.
Now, I will say; any list like this is pretty subjective. What I think are the best healing spells in 5e may differ from you, other sites, or content creators. That said, I include my reasoning for each of these spells so you can get a feel for my thought process.
With that little caveat out of the way, let’s go into the top 15 healing spells in 5e according to Role Player’s Respite.
1. Aura of Vitality
Aura of vitality is a phenomenal healing spell in 5e just based on how much its capable of healing in an incredibly short amount of time. Casting this spell creates a 30-foot radius area-of-effect around your character. Casting the spell uses your action, but as a bonus action, you may cause one creature within this radius to regain 2d6 hit points.
Now, the biggest issue with this spell is the fact that by default, only Paladins get it. Which means, despite aura of vitality being a relatively low-level spell, you might not get access to it until 9th-level.
That said, aura of vitality is a great healing spell in D&D. Especially when you consider other classes may have access to it with more recent but optional rules.
For the cost of a single spell slot and action, you get one minute or 10 combat rounds worth of bonus action healing. Even better, the amount of healing, two six-sided die, is much better than some other bonus action spells like healing word or even mass healing word.
To put it simply; aura of vitality gives you a maximum of 20d6 points of healing over the full course of its duration.
Now, aura of vitality is great in combat, but it’s fantastic as an out-of-combat spell. Instead of taking a short rest to heal which takes at least one hour by default, you may opt to cast this spell to expedite the healing process. This is especially amazing if you’re in a hurry to get some where since aura of vitality takes less than six seconds to cast and one minute to complete.
Aura of vitality is one of the best healing spells in 5e if you can manage to get ahold of it for your character.
Aura of Vitality spell description:
- 3rd-Level
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Self (30-foot radius)
- Components: Verbal
- Duration: up to 1 minute (concentration)
- Effect: bonus action restores 2d6 hit points to 1 creature within range
- Source: Player’s Handbook
Classes Which Can Cast Aura of Vitality
- Artificer*
- Cleric*
- Druid*
- Paladin
Originally, aura of vitality was only a Paladin spell. Technically, Bards could also prepare it with the use of their Magical Secrets feature, but it’s not explicitly included in their spell list.
With the release of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, the Artificer Battle Smith and Cleric Twilight Domain get aura of vitality as part of their subclass spells. Even better, both the Cleric and Druid classes have an optional feature called Additional Cleric / Druid Spells, giving both base classes access to aura of vitality.
That said, you need to remember the latter is an optional feature for either Cleric or Druid. And, it may replace another feature you get from the base class. So, talk with your Game Master first.
2. Heal
The 6th-level heal spell is great healing spell in 5e in the simple fact that it restores a flat number of hit points, starting at 70, as opposed to rolling for them. Additionally, it ends blindness, deafness, and any diseases afflicting the target.
To make things better, you may cast heal using higher-level spell slots, increasing the amount you heal by 10 for each level above 6th. So, you can restore up to 100 hit points if you cast this spell at 9th-level.
Now, the biggest drawback to heal is it’s a 6th-level spell, which means you won’t be able to cast it until 11th-level. Many D&D 5e games, roughly 90% according to a Dev Update from D&D Beyond, don’t make it past 10th-level. Which means you may never get the chance to cast heal to begin with.
That said, based purely on the amount this spell heals and its extra effects, heal is a phenomenal healing spell in D&D 5e.
Heal spell description:
- 6th-Level
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: Verbal, Somatic
- Duration: instantaneous
- Effect: restores 70 (to start) hit points to target; removes Blinded, Deafened, & diseases
- Source: Player’s Handbook
Classes Which Can Cast Heal
- Cleric
- Druid
3. Prayer of Healing
Prayer of healing is a fantastic out-of-combat healing spell.
Many healing spells in 5e focus on in-combat restoration. But, prayer of healing opts for quickening the post-combat recovery for player characters and creatures.
Prayer of healing has a 10 minute casting time which means, unless you don’t want to do anything for 100 rounds, you won’t be casting it during combat. Instead, you’ll cast it after a fight in an attempt to avoid taking a short rest or maybe because your party is in a rush. 10 minutes for healing is much faster than one hour, after all.
Once you finish casting prayer of healing, you choose up to six creatures which may include your character and restore 2d8 + your spellcasting modifier worth of hit points to each target. Even better, you can cast this spell at higher levels, increasing the amount healed by 1d8 for each spell level above 2nd.
It’s a pretty good healing spell, all things considered. With its low-level, prayer of healing is accessible fairly early on. That said, this spell is only in the Cleric spell list by default, so you have a pretty tight limit on which class you can play if you want to prepare this spell.
Prayer of Healing spell description:
- 2nd-Level
- Casting Time: 10 minutes
- Range: 30 feet
- Components: Verbal
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Effect: up to 6 creatures, restore 2d8 + spellcasting modifier hit points
- Source: Player’s Handbook
Classes Which Can Cast Prayer of Healing
- Cleric
- Paladin*
Paladins only have access to prayer of healing from the optional Additional Paladin Spells feature in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.
4. Mass Cure Wounds
Mass cure wounds is one of the better healing spells in 5e for restoring a considerable number of hit points while staying at range.
The spell itself restores 3d8 + your spellcasting modifier worth of hit points to a target, but the part which makes it a great spell is its range and the fact it can target multiple creatures. Mass cure wounds has a base range of 60 feet but it actually creates a 30-foot radius sphere at a point the caster chooses. Within this sphere, the caster chooses up to six creatures to restore hit points to.
So, you heal a good amount of hit points to multiple creatures while staying at range.
The downside is its a fairly high-level spell. Mass cure wounds is a 5th-level spell which means the full caster classes that can prepare it need to be 9th-level at a minimum. It takes a while to get to that point, so you may not have the ability to cast it for a minute.
Additionally, while the number of hit points restored is good, it has less of an effect at such a high level.
The silverlining is you can cast mass cure wounds using higher-level spell slots, adding 1d8 to the healing for each spell slot used above 5th.
Mass Cure Wounds spell description:
- 5th-Level
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet then 30-foot radius
- Components: Verbal, Somatic
- Duration: instantaneous
- Effect: up to 6 creatures, restore 3d8 + spellcasting modifier hit points
- Source: Player’s Handbook
Classes Which Can Cast Mass Cure Wounds
- Artificer*
- Bard
- Cleric
- Druid
Only Battle Smith Artificers get access to mass cure wounds in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.
5. Revivify
Revivify is the earliest spell player character’s get access to expressly designed for bringing dead creatures back to life.
While not explicitly "healing", revivify is one of the best spells meant for restoring health in a creature. Literally, this spell brings a deceased creature back to life with one hit point assuming that creature died within the last minute and didn’t die of old age. Also, the spell doesn’t restore missing body parts.
Now, only Artificers, Clerics, and Paladins have access to revivify by default. But, a number of other classes and subclasses have more recently gained the ability to cast it though often requiring the use of optional rules.
Aside from that, revivify is a good semi-early-level spell for Clerics. Artificers and Paladins don’t get it until much later due simply to the fact they don’t gain access to higher-level (yes, even as low as 3rd-level) spell slots until later.
This is honestly one of the main drawbacks to revivify; only Clerics (and maybe Druids and Celestial Warlocks) have the ability to take it as low as 5th-level. That…and the fact you need 300 gold pieces worth of diamonds to cast it.
Revivify requires the caster have 300 gp worth of diamonds as part of its Material components. The availability of diamonds is pretty much entirely up to the discretion of your Game Master, not to mention having that much gold on your character’s person. So, even having the option of preparing the spell, you need to go out of your way to ensure you have the proper spell components on-hand.
Now, most GMs won’t make it too difficult to obtain the diamond assuming your character can afford it.
Finally, the target creature can’t be dead for longer than one minute which puts a pretty short timer on the effectiveness of the spell. Essentially, revivify is a great combat-resurrection spell in that a one minute in-combat is equivalent to 10 rounds, so you usually have plenty of time to bring a dead ally or important NPCs back to life.
This all said, revivify is a staple spell for many healers in D&D, and its a great spell to have on hand when you need it. Saving a fallen party member from death is a major event and the effectiveness of this spell extends to even the highest-level of gameplay. To quote Franz Kafka, when it comes to revivify; "Better to have, and not need, than to need, and not have." (Goodreads)
Revivify spell description:
- 3rd-Level
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: Verbal, Somatic, Material
- Material Components: diamonds worth 300 gp, which the spell consumes
- Duration: instantaneous
- Effect: brings 1 dead creature back to life with 1 hit point
- Source: Player’s Handbook
Classes Which Can Cast Revivify
- Artificer
- Cleric
- Druid*
- Paladin
- Ranger*
- Warlock*
Druids and Rangers only have the option of preparing revivify if your Game Master allows you to take the optional Additional Druid / Ranger Spells features in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.
Only the Celestial Otherworldly Patron Warlock subclass in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything includes revivify in its spell list.
6. Cure Wounds
Cure wounds is one of the staple healing spells in D&D 5e. It’s an early level spell available to many classes and it restores a fair amount of hit points.
Honestly, this spell is about as simple as it gets.
Cure wounds is a 1st-level spell which, as an action, lets you touch a creature and restore 1d8 + your spellcasting modifier worth of hit points to it. Even better, for every spell level about 1st, so starting at 2nd, you can increase the healed amount by 1d8.
That said, cure wounds has one major drawback; it requires a range of touch. So, you need to be adjacent to the target creature to cast it. This isn’t ideal for healers who want to stay away from frontline fighters.
But, given its wide availability and the fact that 1st-level characters can use it, it’s still a great healing spell to have on hand.
Cure wounds spell description:
- 1st-Level
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: Verbal, Somatic
- Duration: instantaneous
- Effect: restore 1d8 + spellcasting modifier hit points
- Source: Player’s Handbook
Classes Which Can Cast Cure Wounds
- Artificer
- Bard
- Cleric
- Druid
- Paladin
- Ranger
- Sorcerer*
- Warlock*
The Divine Soul Sorcerous Origin Sorcerer subclass in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything has the option to gain access to cure wounds through choosing one of the Divine Magic affinity options.
Only the Celestial Otherworldly Patron Warlock subclass in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything includes revivify in its spell list.
7. Aid
While not directly a "healing" spell, aid is a great spell for bolstering a creature’s hit points.
As an action, you may cast aid targeting up to three creatures within 30 feet of your character. Each target increases both their current and maximum hit points by five for eight hours. Alternatively, you may use higher level spell slots to increase the hit point amount by five for each slot level above 2nd, so starting at 3rd.
It’s not a ton of hit points, but its a good buffer against some damage. Five extra hit points is five less damage a player character takes.
Now, it’s important to note, the bonus hit points granted by aid are not temporary hit points. They count as regular hit points which means they can be healed through the use of other spells.
Even better, despite having a long duration, aid doesn’t require concentration. The three creatures you cast it on simply get the bonus five hit points for eight hours and your character can cast other spells freely.
Aid spell description:
- 2nd-Level
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 30 feet
- Components: Verbal, Somatic, Material
- Material Components: a tiny strip of white cloth
- Duration: 8 hours
- Effect: up to 3 creatures increase their current & maximum hit points by 5
- Source: Player’s Handbook
Classes Which Can Cast Aid
- Artificer
- Bard*
- Cleric
- Paladin
- Ranger*
Bards and Rangers only have the option of using aid through the Additional Bard / Ranger Spells optional features found in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.
8. Lesser Restoration
Lesser restoration isn’t exactly a "healing" spell in it doesn’t actually restore any hit points. But, it is great to have on hand when a player character or allied NPC suffers certain specific conditions.
This spell requires an action and your character must touch the creature. Once you do so, it either ends one disease afflicting the target or the blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned condition.
Essentially, lesser restoration is another good spell to have on hand when you need it. But, it has only specific circumstances when its useful.
That isn’t to say it’s bad. In fact, it’s pretty much the fastest way to guarantee ending some of the more common conditions, short of maybe the Frightened condition, you’ll probably come across.
Unfortunately, it does require your character to touch the target creature, potentially putting the healer of the party more directly in harm’s way.
But, a lot of typical healer classes have access to it and it’s a pretty low-level spell. So, it’s still a good healing spell to have on hand.
Lesser restoration spell description:
- 2nd-Level
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: Verbal, Somatic
- Duration: instantaneous
- Effect: remove 1 disease or the blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned condition
- Source: Player’s Handbook
Classes Which Can Cast Lesser Restoration
- Artificer
- Bard
- Cleric
- Druid
- Paladin
- Ranger
- Warlock*
Only the Celestial Otherworldly Patron Warlock subclass in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything includes lesser restoration in its spell list.
9. Healing Spirit
Healing spirit is a 2nd-level spell from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and was once one of the most powerful healing spells in D&D 5e.
As it stands now, healing spirit is still a pretty good healing spell. It basically creates a healing zone which lets the caster restore a small amount of hit points whenever a creature either starts its turn within the area or enters it for the first time on a turn.
See, prior to the healing spirit errata, this spell didn’t have a limit. You could heal as many times and as many creatures as you liked within the minute long duration. But, the errata put a limit on it based on the caster’s spellcasting ability modifier.
Even after this change, it’s still a good healing spell. Part of that lies in the fact that the wording of healing spirit says "…whenever you or a creature you can see moves into the spirits space for the first time on a turn…." The healing can apply even on another creature’s turn. So, you could use something like the Bait and Switch or Maneuvering Attack Battle Master Maneuvers to cause a friendly creature to enter the healing spirit’s area-of-effect outside of that creature’s turn.
One last downside of healing spirit is its availability. Not many classes have access to it, so your options in characters who can use it are limited.
But, healing spirit is still a pretty solid healing spell considering it doesn’t take a reaction to cause the restoration of hit points.
Healing spirit spell description:
- 2nd-Level
- Casting Time: 1 bonus action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: Verbal, Somatic
- Duration: up to 1 minute (concentration)
- Effect: restores 1d6 hit points when a creature starts its turn on or moves into its space
- Source: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
Classes Which Can Cast Healing Spirit
- Druid
- Ranger
10. Heroes’ Feast
Heroes’ feast is less a healing spell and more of a buff. But, it does aid in healing in that it can help lessen the amount of healing required later on.
This spell does a lot and all of it is great.
First off, it can affect of you to 12 creatures, so pretty much the party plus seven allies (give or take depending on party size).
Second, it confers a load of benefits. Creatures who partake in the feast:
- Are cured of all diseases and poison
- Become immune to poison (both the damage & condition) and the Frightened condition
- Make all Wisdom saving throws at advantage for the duration
- Gains 2d10 in its current and maximum hit points
Third, all of these benefits last for 24 hours without requiring concentration by the caster.
Given all that, it’s easy to see why it’s a great spell. While it might not quite count as a "healing" spell, it does reduce the potential of requiring healing over the course of its duration.
All this said, heroes’ feast has a few downsides to it.
The first drawback to this spell is it’s a 6th-level spell, meaning your character needs to be 11th-level to cast it. That’s a pretty high level for D&D 5e all things considered.
Second, it has a 10 minute casting time. This isn’t a spell you cast in the middle of combat, so it won’t help in-the-moment. You need to plan ahead to maximize the efficiency of this spell.
Finally, and perhaps the most important, heroes’ feast requires a Material spell component of a gem-encrusted chalice worth at least 1,000 gold. It’s specific; it’s expensive; it’s entirely up to your Game Master to determine its availability. Granted, for an 11th-level player character, 1,000 gold pieces probably isn’t that difficult to come by. But, it’s still a tricky pre-requisite to casting this spell.
To make matters worse, casting heroes’ feast consumes the chalice needed. So, if you want to cast it multiple days in a row, your character needs to basically become a traveling antique road show for gaudy glassware.
Overall, heroes’ feast is a good spell to curtail the amount of healing required on a single adventuring day. But, some of the requirements may make it more trouble than it’s worth especially if you don’t plan for it ahead of time.
Heroes’ feast spell description:
- 6th-Level
- Casting Time: 10 minutes
- Range: 30 feet
- Components: Verbal, Somatic, Material
- Material Components: a gem-encrusted bowl worth at least 1,000 gp, which the spell consumes
- Duration: instantaneous (effects last 24 hours)
- Effect: up to 12 creatures are cured of all diseases & poison, become immune to poison & frightened, make all Wisdom saving throws at advantage, & current & maximum hit points increase by 2d10
- Source: Player’s Handbook
Classes Which Can Cast Heroes’ Feast
- Bard*
- Cleric
- Druid
Bards only have the option of using heroes’ feast through the Additional Bard Spells optional feature found in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.
11. Mass Healing Word
Mass healing word is basically an upgraded version of healing word, healing for the same amount but targeting multiple creatures.
The fantastic thing about mass healing word is its still just a bonus action to cast. It’s a 3rd-level spell which lets you choose up to six creatures within 60 feet you and cause them to regain 1d4 + your spellcasting modifier hit points. Even better, you can use higher level spells slots above 3rd to increase the amount healed by 1d4 for each level.
Honestly, there’s not much more to it.
The biggest downsides to mass healing word are the facts that 1) only two classes have access to it by default (one of which won’t get it until much later than the other) and 2) it still doesn’t heal a considerable amount of damage. It’s basically best used as a way to bring multiple creatures back to consciousness from reaching zero hit points. But, in those circumstances, it’s great for what it does.
That said, mass healing word is a pretty good healing spell in 5e by virtue it can most likely target every player character assuming you’re not playing with an abnormally large group.
Mass healing word spell description:
- 3rd-Level
- Casting Time: 1 bonus action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: Verbal
- Duration: instantaneous
- Effect: up to 6 creatures restore 1d4 + spellcasting modifier hit points
- Source: Player’s Handbook
Classes Which Can Cast Mass Healing Word
- Artificer*
- Bard*
- Cleric
Only the Alchemist Specialist Artificer subclass in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything has access to mass healing word. Bards also only have the ability to cast this spell through the use of the Additional Bard Spells optional feature in the same book.
12. Healing Word
The classic choice and the staple healing spell in 5e. Healing word is probably the default choice when it comes to selecting healing spells for characters opting to use that kind of magic.
Healing word’s major advantage is the fact it uses a bonus action to cast. This means your character can still use their full action to attack, cast a Cantrip, or something else.
However, the biggest downside is the amount this spell actually heals. Healing word only restores 1d4 + your spellcasting modifier on a single creature within 60 feet of you. Now, you can cast it at higher levels to increase the amount healed by 1d4 for each spell slot level above 1st (starting at 2nd), but it’s still at most 9d4 hit points.
Despite the comparatively low amount of health restored, healing word is still great for immediately providing aid to another character or creature making death saves due to hitting zero hit points. It’s often better than other options like cure wounds or spare the dying in these situations since healing word has a range further than touch.
Healing word spell description:
- 1st-Level
- Casting Time: 1 bonus action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: Verbal
- Duration: instantaneous
- Effect: restore 1d4 + spellcasting modifier hit points to a single creature
- Source: Player’s Handbook
Classes Which Can Cast Healing Word
- Artificer*
- Bard
- Cleric
- Druid
Only the Alchemist Specialist Artificer subclass in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything has access to healing word.
13. Life Transference
Life transference is a bit of an odd healing spell as it first requires the caster to sacrifice some of their own health.
Essentially, life transference causes the caster to lose 4d8 hit points to then restore double that amount to a target creature. It can get cast using higher level spell slots, increasing the damage done and increasing the amount healed.
It has the potential to heal a lot of damage at the cost of your healer’s own wellbeing. So, it’s good especially when passing on hit points to, say, a Barbarian where the hit points are basically doubled again thanks to their Rage feature. But, it’s all up to how well the caster balances the risk and reward.
Mathematically, it’s a phenomenal healing spell. The average number for 4d8 is 18, which means healing 36 hit points to the target creature. That’s pretty darn good for a 3rd-level spell. But, it’s still a gamble.
One really cool thing about life transference is it’s one of the few, if not the only explicit healing spell available to Wizards (at least for healing other creatures). The downside is its only available to them and Clerics. So, not too many classes are able to use it.
So, life transference is a good healing spell, but you need to be really careful when deciding to use it.
Life transference spell description:
- 3rd-Level
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 30 feet
- Components: Verbal, Somatic
- Duration: instantaneous
- Effect: you take 4d8 necrotic damage to restore double that amount to another creature
- Source: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
Classes Which Can Cast Life Transference
- Cleric
- Wizard
14. Goodberry
Goodberry is a great adventuring spell. While it doesn’t provide much in the way of healing, with proper preparation, it gives your adventuring party widespread capabilities for stabilizing downed allies.
This 1st-level spell requires the use of an action. When you cast it, you create 10 berries in your hand which hold their magical properties for 24 hours. Each berry may be consumed as an action. When eaten, a berry restores one hit point and provides enough nourishment for the day.
Now, one hit point doesn’t sound like much and it honestly isn’t. At least, not until someone falls unconscious from reaching zero hit points.
Once an unconscious creature that is making death saving throws regains at least one hit point, they stabilize and return to consciousness. This means they no longer make death saves, any they already made reset, and they can re-enter the fight.
This does require you to plan ahead. Usually, your character casts goodberry at the start of an adventuring day and distributes the berries amongst the party for later use.
Aside from that, goodberry trivializes the danger of starving as eating a single berry means your character gets enough nourishment for the day.
Overall, goodberry is a pretty solid healing spell to have on hand despite the comparatively few hit points it actually restores.
Goodberry spell description:
- 1st-Level
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: Verbal, Somatic, Material
- Material Components: a sprig of mistletoe
- Duration: instantaneous (berries last 24 hours)
- Effect: creates 10 berries, each berry restores 1 hit point & provides nourishment for 1 day when consumed
- Source: Player’s Handbook
Classes Which Can Cast Goodberry
- Druid
- Ranger
15. Spare the Dying
Spare the dying is another fairly staple Cleric spell. While it doesn’t restore any hit points, it’s still good to have on hand when a player character falls to zero hit points and starts making death saves.
The only Cantrip on this list (mostly because it’s the only "healing" one), spare the dying uses your action to cause a living creature at zero hit points to become stable. This means they stop making death saving throws, but they don’t regain any hit points.
That’s pretty much it.
It’s a good Cantrip to have on hand when another player character falls unconscious during combat. But, has the disadvantage of being a Touch-ranged spell. So, you need to be right next to them to use it. Unless you’re playing a Grave Domain Cleric who may cast spare the dying at a range which makes this Cantrip much more useful.
At the end of the day, spare the dying is a really good Cantrip to have on hand when you need it. It has it’s drawbacks and it’s objectively better to actually heal a downed ally. But, if it’s all you have, you and your ally will be glad you do.
Spare the dying spell description:
- Cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: Verbal, Somatic
- Duration: instantaneous
- Effect: stabilizes a living creature at 0 hit points
- Source: Player’s Handbook
Classes Which Can Cast Spare the Dying
- Artificer
- Cleric
Reasoning Behind This List
Now, are these all the healing spell in D&D 5e?
Not at all. But, these are the ones I felt players were most likely to see in their games.
Essentially, I ranked these spells according to:
- Spell level
- How much they heal
- Class availability
- Range
- Other effects
Personally, these four aspects are what make up a good healing spell. Though, not necessarily weighted in importance in that order.
First off, if you don’t get a spell until 9th-level, you probably won’t even get the ability to cast the dang thing. As I pointed out earlier, 90% of games don’t even reach 11th-level. So, any 7th-level spells are pretty much off the table both figuratively and literally.
Second, while healing has less of a place in 5e, how much a spell actually heals is important for getting and keeping a creature in a fight. For example, healing word is strictly worse than mass healing word because the latter heals a total of more hit points. Granted, it’s spread out across multiple targets, but it’s mathematically, significantly more than the former.
Third, if a spell is only available to one or two classes, it restricts players in what kind of character they may want to play. While not the most important element in determining the best healing spells in 5e, it does play a part in ranking them.
Fourth, ranged healing spells are usually better than Touch-ranged ones. I ranked cure wounds higher than healing word solely on the fact that it has the potential to heal a lot more. But, that’s also the trade-off.
Finally, some "healing" spells don’t even offer and healing (looking at your lesser restoration) but aid in playing the part of a healer. I considered these spells and their place as a healing spell for helping keep the party alive. On the other hand, this is also why life transference ranks so low for me. Yes, it has the potential to heal a lot of hit points, but for a Cleric or especially a Wizard, taking that damage is a huge gamble.
Summary of the Best Healing Spells in 5e
There you have Role Player’s Respite’s ranked list of the best healing spells in 5e.
Now remember; this list is entirely subjective. That also isn’t to say I think the lower-ranked spells are bad. Healing word is a great spell to start off with at 1st-level and goodberry is fantastic for adventuring. I just feel there are better spells as you level-up while still staying within the realm of fairly low-level play.
What’s your favorite healing spell in D&D? Leave a comment with your choice and why it’s your favorite!
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