For the DnD Druids and Rangers that protect nature’s realm, the Healing Spirit 5e spell provides flexible and deceptively effective multi-target heals for your party – but it takes some finesse to use properly. This guide explains how Healing Spirit works, who can cast it, and how to use it to best effect in your game.
It feels right for the nature-attuned DnD classes to summon a beautiful spirit that takes the form of whatever its caster desires. The fact that it’s a genuinely effective support tool for Druid 5e and Ranger 5e characters – both inside and outside combat – is icing on the cake.
That said, Healing Spirit requires a bit more thought than the average healing DnD spell. The caster controls a nature spirit with a healing radius that you can move. Since the healing source is a mobile entity, this opens up strategies that would be impossible with instant healing spells.
Here’s everything you need to know about using Healing Spirit effectively:
Healing Spirit 5e Features
| Character level | 2nd |
| Casting time | One bonus action (Verbal, Somatic) |
| Duration | Concentration, one minute |
| Range | 60 feet |
| Area | 5 feet |
| Healing dice | 1d6 per spell level |
| School | Conjuration |
What does Healing Spirit 5e do?
Healing Spirit summons a nature spirit that heals wounded allies. The spirit is intangible, and enemies can’t harm it. The caster chooses what type of transparent beast or fey creature the spirit manifests itself as.
Until the spell ends, the caster can command the spirit to heal 1d6 hit points on any creature that walks into its space for the first time that round. They can heal an additional 1d6 hit points per spell slot level – to a maximum of 8d6.
As a bonus action, the caster can move the spirit up to 30 feet anywhere they can see. A Healing Spirit can heal a number of times equal to 1 + the caster’s spellcasting ability modifier, then it disappears.
Who can cast Healing Spirit 5e?
Druids and Rangers can cast the Healing Spirit spell. In practice, Druids will reap much more benefit from Healing Spirit than rangers do.
Druids are full casters instead of half-casters, and Healing Spirit is much stronger when cast at higher levels, or if the caster has extra spell slots to play with.
That doesn’t mean Rangers can’t benefit from Healing Spirit. With the right DnD character build, even a moderately powerful Healing Spirit can turn the tide of battle.
The pros and cons of Healing Spirit 5e
Pros
- Keeps healing every round without an action
- Controlling the spirit’s movement adds mobility and flexibility
- Useful for healing multiple party members
Cons
- Heals less HP per turn than the best single use spells
- Number of heals is limited, tied to your spellcasting modifier
- Requires full caster and multiple spell slots for full effectiveness
Once upon a time, Healing Spirit basically had no cons. Before an errata to Xanathar’s Guide to Everything in April 2020, Healing Spirit had no use limit.
As long as concentration held up for one minute, party members could do a conga line through the spirit each turn for a maximum of 10d6 on the lowest level. Outside combat, it outpaced every other healing spell, even those of a higher level.
After the Healing Spirit nerf imposed a limit of (spellcasting ability modifier +1) uses, many players struggled to find ways to deploy the spell without its broken features.
Thankfully, though, Healing Spirit remains a powerful yet balanced healing tool in a dedicated support caster’s arsenal. The best benefit that Healing Spirit provides to support casters is its efficient action economy.
Unlike most healing spells, which often dish out their healing in a single instance at the cost of a spell slot, Healing Spirit gives free healing every round it’s active. While Healing Spirit may not heal as much HP per turn as more powerful healing spells, its mobility, versatility, and efficiency balance those shortcomings.
Best strategies for Healing Spirit 5e
If several party members are dangerously low on health, it’s far more efficient to cast Healing Spirit over single-target heals like Healing Word. Not only does it heal more, but good positioning could mean a single bonus action in the next turn heals up the rest of your party without wasting spell slots.
For example, a DnD multiclass Ranger that dipped into Rogue 5e could also see a lot of use out of their bonus action economy. That extra dash means hiding and dodging more attacks, thereby making the Healing Spirit last much longer, even in the thick of battle.
In contrast, spells like Healing Word and Cure Wounds can only heal a single creature per turn. Even compared to other area-of-effect heals, Healing Spirit performs better in certain situations.
Mass Cure Wounds takes up a whopping 5th-level spell slot and costs an action. While it may be better after a party-wiping attack, it’s a bit overkill in situations where damage mitigation is more important.
Healing Spirit may not be the conga line of free heals it once was, but its utility on the battlefield makes it a solid choice for any support caster.
If healing is your jam, you should also check out our full Cleric 5e class guide; those holy warriors throw out heals like nobody’s business.
For more character building and DnD level up assistance, we can recommend our guides to the best unofficial DnD character sheets, and the best online DnD character creator tools to make rolling up a new character easier. While you’re at it, why not pick a new and different species to play as from our full list of DnD races?
Source: Wargamer
