Prayer of Healing 5e D&D Guide

The divine has given adventurers of faith their blessing. Providing them with a spell superior to others, with the ability to affect all who need assistance.

Casting Prayer of Healing closes the wounds of party members, restoring vigor and giving them new life.

Now they can carry on, fighting for their party, yet unaware of the ones who truly saved them.

The Player’s Handbook says the following:

Prayer of Healing 5e

2nd-level Evocation

Casting Time: 10 minutes

Range: 30 feet

Components: V

Duration: Instantaneous

You may choose up to six visible, nearby creatures that each regain hit points equal to 2d8 + the modifier of your spellcasting ability modifier.

Note: This spell doesn’t affect undead or constructs.

At Higher Levels: When you cast Prayer of Healing using a 3rd-level spell slot or higher, the healing will increase by 1d8 for each slot level above the 2nd.

Spell Type – Healing

Which Classes Can Pick Prayer of Healing 5e?

Traditional classes, such as the Cleric and Paladin, can freely unlock Prayer of Healing.

Clerics can unlock and use Prayer of Healing at level 3, while Paladins can only unlock it at level 5.

No subclasses can freely unlock Prayer of Healing.

Is Prayer of Healing Good in 5e?

Before the nerfs to Healing Spirit, Prayer of Healing wasn’t getting the love it deserved. It was just outclassed at every turn, but not anymore.

Currently, Prayer of Healing is a great spell that Clerics and Paladins should consider if they aim to be healers.

Advantages – Prayer of Healing

Multi-target

Prayer of Healing has a range of 30 feet and no area of effect. Instead, it has selective healing of up to 6 creatures within range.

If your party consisted of 7 players (including you), and they were all within 30 feet of you, then you could heal all of them.

No Concentration or Material

Prayer of Healing not having any Concentration makes up for its low range.

It also means you can be closer to the battle, assisting your party without worrying about your spell being canceled.

It also has no materials, making it much easier to cast when far away from merchants or alchemists.

You’ll also not lose any items on the way that had to be used for your spell.

Upcasting

Prayer of Healing has decent upcasting potential, with its healing increasing by 1d8 when using a spell slot above the 2nd level.

Note: At later stages of the game, better healing spells will be unlocked, but compare them to Prayer of Healing first.

One good aspect is that it uses your spellcasting ability modifier. So if you were to invest in raising that as much as possible, you’d always heal more than you expect!

Disadvantages – Prayer of Healing

Casting Time

One issue with Prayer of Healing is that it takes 10 minutes to cast. Most battles don’t take nearly that long and would result in characters receiving no healing.

If you were to start casting this spell while in combat, you’d most likely finish the casting after the battle ended.

It would be better to just use this spell after combat or while your party is resting.

Range

Prayer of Healing only has a range of 30 feet. That isn’t bad for a healing spell but can be dangerous for squishy spellcasters.

Most enemies will try and focus on a party’s healers, which leaves them in need of protection.

Note: Luckily, Prayer of Healing doesn’t have a range of touch like many healing spells do.

Spells Similar to Prayer of Healing 5e

Similar spells to Prayer of Healing are Cure Wounds, Healing Spirit, Mass Healing Word, Regenerate, and Beacon of Hope.

When or How Should I Use Prayer of Healing?

Grouped Allies

Prayer of Healing is most effective when a party is grouped. If every person is within 30 feet of the caster, then up to 6 people can be healed, which is a lot of players.

Using it while allies are grouped is also more time and resource-efficient.

You won’t have to recast the spell if someone was out of range, and the rest of your party won’t have to use their healing supplies.

Martial Advances

In those rare cases where a battle lasts longer than 10 minutes or you start the spell early, focusing on martial players is your best bet.

The martial classes are your first line of defense, stopping enemies from getting to the spellcasters. Keeping them alive is crucial for any battle to go smoothly.

Death Saves

When a player is close to death, they’ll have to make death saves. As a healer, your job is to ensure they don’t die.

A good course of action would be to remove the near-death player, positioning them away from the combat.

You can either retreat or have someone guard you. After you know you’re safe, you can start casting the spell.

When the casting the complete, you can then save the player and heal any players who have missing HP.

Note: In most cases, players will only be close to death at the end of a battle, so your party shouldn’t have a problem dealing with the remaining enemies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Use Prayer of Healing in Combat?

Players can use Prayer of Healing in Combat. It has good multi-targeting and is inexpensive. The only problem is the spell’s long casting time of 10 minutes.

So before using it in combat, take your time and ask yourself what would be more helpful. Helping your party or sitting in a corner and only healing them after the battle?

Which Class Is Best With Prayer of Healing?

Prayer of Healing can be taken by two classes, the Cleric and Paladin. Of them, the Cleric fits best.

Paladins are better at buffing their party, providing close combat assistance, and tanking damage.

Clerics are full casters and fit much better with a ranged supportive spell like Prayer of Healing.

Final Thoughts

Players understand that taking Prayer of Healing isn’t something they should do; it’s something they must do.

They’ve most likely been told about the great things this spell has to offer, and you can see that they weren’t lying.

Prayer of Healing is a spell DMs hate and players love. Next time you play a Cleric/Paladin, try incorporating Prayer of Healing into your build. Maybe you’ll find it so fun that you become a healer!