What Are The Best D&D Healing Spells?
After a long, grueling battle, the best thing you can do is have a nice long rest and take care of your party’s wounds. Or, perhaps your loveable rogue forgot to check for traps, stumbled upon a Mimic, and needs some help. Thanks to the wonderful world of magic, there are many spells that can help heal your character and your friends, getting you back on your feet in time to make Last Call at the local pub. But sometimes, it can be hard to know which healing spell to use, and when it’s the best time to use it. To make these decisions a little easier for your party, here is a list of the best healing spells, ranked least to most effective.
1. Cure Wounds (Useable by Artificer, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger)
Does it hurt when I do this?
Cure Wounds is a 1st level healing spell, making it readily available to anyone who can cast it. It allows you to heal any single creature you touch by 1+d8 plus the user’s spellcasting ability modifier. While it has no effect on constructs or any undead creatures, it’s still handy to have around when your character is first starting out on their adventure. Using a 2nd level spell slot for Cure Wounds allows you to add another 1+d8 to the amount of HP healed, and that number continues to grow with each level spell slot you are able to use.
This spell is very useful because of how accessible it is right from the beginning, and with each level, you can make it a little more powerful. Its main drawback is that it is limited by range of Touch, meaning that you must go to the wounded creature in question and physically touch them in order for this spell to be effective. While it’s true that using this spell in battle would take a player’s entire turn, it could be worth it to give a fellow party member that little healing boost they need to stay in the fight. Cure Wounds might not be your go-to healing spell throughout your entire campaign, but it’s sure to be a lifesaver when you go on the first steps of your journey.
Cure Wounds:
- 1st level evocation
- Casting time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instant
- A creature you touch regains a number of hit points equal to 1d8 plus your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
- At higher levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the healing increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1.
Source: 5e Handbook
2. Healing Word (Useable by Bards, Clerics, and Druids)
Get up, we have people to hurt!
Another first-level spell that many find handy is Healing Word. Using a single word or phrase, you can heal a creature of your choice within a range of 60 feet, as long as you can see them. Once this spell is used, the intended creature regains hit points equal to 1d4 plus your spellcasting ability modifier. As with many healing spells, this will have no effect on any undead creatures or constructs.
Healing Word is great when you need to send a little help to someone out of immediate reach. As you increase in level, Healing Word’s effectiveness also gets a little better. Casting this spell with a 2nd level spell slot or higher will let you add 1d4 for each level above the first, allowing you to heal more hit points each level up you go.
Healing Word:
- 1st Level Evocation
- Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action
- Range: 60 ft.
- Components: V
- Duration: Instant
- A creature of your choice that you can see within range regains hit points equal to 1d4 plus your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
- Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the healing increases by 1d4 for each slot above 1st.
Source: 5e Handbook
3. Goodberry (Useable by Druids and Rangers)
Thank you berry much!
This classic spell is a fan favorite for a reason. At the cost of only a small sprig of mistletoe, Goodberry allows you to create ten small berries, infused with magic, that will not only heal you 1 hit point each, but it will also have enough nutrition to keep you full for a whole day. You can eat as many berries as you need, and it will increase the number of hit points restored. This spell is great for long treks through deserts, a mountain pass, or any long journey between towns, without relying on camp supplies or hunting to survive. Bear in mind two things: Goodberry does not fulfill the daily water requirement, and they are only good for 24 hours.
Goodberry doesn’t get any more potent as you level up, so as you become stronger, you’ll likely move on to other healing spells. But you’ll want to keep this one in mind, as its use as a food source can be invaluable. Any druid or ranger worth their salt keeps a sprig or three of mistletoe up their sleeve, just in case. In fact, a great way to use this spell is before you sleep or take a long rest. Use any remaining spell slots you have to cast Goodberry, and you’ll have a little extra insurance for the next day!
Goodberry
- 1st level transmutation
- Casting time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S, M (a sprig of mistletoe)
- Duration: Instant
- Up to ten berries appear in your hand and are infused with magic for the duration. A creature can use its action to eat one berry. Eating a berry restores 1 hit point, and the berry provides enough nourishment to sustain a creature for one day.
- The berries lose their potency if they have not been consumed within 24 hours of the casting of this spell.
- Source: 5e Handbook
4. Aid (Usable by Artificer, Bard, Cleric, Paladin, Ranger)
Observe, as my aide renders Aid.
The only thing better than a healing spell is the kind that increases your maximum health. That’s exactly what Aid does. By using this spell, you can choose up to three creatures within range and heal their HP by 5 points, as well as increasing their total hit points by 5. It may not seem like that big of a boost, but in the heat of battle, every drop of health counts!
This spell is easy to use, the only cost being a piece of white cloth. It’s also accessible to many different classes, so there’s really no excuse to not have this healing boost in your party’s repertoire. Aid is essential for giving a lower HP ally a little boost to give them a fighting chance when that perception check fails, and a crew of bandits pops out from behind a bush.
Aid
- 2nd level abjuration
- Casting time: 1 action
- Range: 60 ft
- Components: V, S, M (a strip of white cloth)
- Duration 8 hours
- Your spell bolsters your allies with toughness and resolve. Choose up to three creatures within range. Each target’s hit point maximum and current hit points increase by 5 for the duration.
- At higher levels, When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, a target’s hit points increase by an additional 5 points for each slot level above 2nd.
- Source: 5e Handbook
5. Healing Spirit (Useable by Druids and Rangers)
My gifts are for the injuries of battle, sir, not for hangovers.
Have you ever wished you had an extra pair of hands, helping you on the battlefield with your injured comrades? Your prayers have been answered with the Healing Spirit! This spell summons a spirit to the field with the sole purpose of healing you and your allies. The spirit takes on the appearance of either a beast or a fey (dealer’s choice). The spirit occupies a space of a 5 foot cube within your visual range.
Anyone that enters the space of this spirit can be healed by a factor of 1d6, and you don’t have to spend any action to do so. The spirit is able to heal a creature a number of times equal to 1 plus your spellcasting ability modifier, and is always able to heal at least twice before disappearing into the ether. As a bonus action, you can move the spirit to a spot within 30 feet. Essentially, this spell gives you a portable paramedic, for when you just can’t get to your bleeding Barbarian right this second.
Healing Spirit
- 2nd level conjuration
- Casting time: 1 Bonus Action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
- You call forth a nature spirit to soothe the wounded. The intangible spirit appears in a space that is a 5-foot cube you can see within range. The spirit looks like a transparent beast or fey (your choice).
- Until the spell ends, whenever you or a creature you can see moves into the spirits space for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, you can cause the spirit to restore 1d6 hit points to that creature (no action required). The spirit can’t heal constructs or undead.
- As a bonus action on your turn, you can move the Spirit up to 30 feet to a space you can see. The spirit can heal a number of times equal to 1 + your spellcasting ability modifier (minimum of twice). After healing that number of times, the spirit disappears.
- At higher levels, when you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the healing increases 1d6 for each slot level above 2nd.
Source: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
6. Wither and Bloom (Useable by Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard)
Good thing you’re not a houseplant!
We can all agree that healing magic on its own is pretty useful. It would be even more useful if you could hurt your enemies while healing your allies. Thanks to the tricky spell known as Wither and Bloom, you can do exactly that. By sacrificing a small withered vine tied into a loop, you can inflict necromantic damage upon attacking creatures in a 10 foot radius in your field of vision. As an added bonus, any ally in that same space can roll an unused hit dice and absorb some of that life energy, regaining a few hit points.
A side effect of this spell is that it will wither and kill any nonmagical vegetation within the circle. Grass will shrivel and die, leaves will dry and crumble, wood will rot. What makes this spell so great is that it only requires a 2nd level in necromancy, making it easy to obtain early in a new campaign. It also has the potential to really ruin an enemy’s day with a little extra damage from afar, all the while giving your buddies a little boost so they can finish the job. This spell is a great way to exercise a little teamwork among your party, and shouldn’t be overlooked.
Wither and Bloom
- 2nd level necromancy
- Casting time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S, M (a withered vine twisted into a loop)
- Duration: Instant
- You invoke both death and life upon a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within range. Each creature of your choice in that area must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 2d6 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Nonmagical vegetation in that area withers.
- In addition, one creature of your choice in that area can spend and roll one of its unspent Hit Dice and regain a number of hit points equal to the roll plus your spellcasting ability modifier.
- At higher levels, when you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot above 2nd, and the number of Hit Dice that can be spent and added to the healing roll increases by one for each slot above 2nd.
Source: Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
7. Prayer of Healing (Useable by Clerics and Paladins)
Giving you these hands so your enemies can take yours!
Sometimes in battle you need to heal a lot of people at once. Maybe then you’ll think twice before going after a dragon without building up supplies! In the meantime, what you need is a good old fashioned healing spell that affects multiple allies at once. Prayer of Healing does the job: It allows you to heal up to six creatures within range by a factor of 2d8 plus your spellcasting ability modifier. As you increase the level of spell slots, you can increase this amount by a factor of 1d8 each time.
Prayer of Healing was tailor-made for dedicated healers who hang back from the action, and support from the rear. Being only a 2nd level spell, it’s a great way for your party healer to help everyone at once, which could easily turn the tide of battle. The only major drawback is that it takes 10 minutes of game time to prepare, so make sure you plan ahead before using this one!
Prayer of Healing
- 2nd level evocation
- Casting time: 10 minutes
- Range: 30 ft
- Components: V
- Duration: Instant
- Up to six creatures of your choice that you can see within range each regain hit points equal to 2d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
- At higher levels, when you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd or higher, the healing increases by 1d8 for each level above 2nd.
Source: 5e Handbook
8. Aura of Vitality (Useable by Cleric, Druid, Paladin)
Sending positive vibes!
Have you ever had a friend that makes your day better just by standing near them? Aura of Vitality is that friend. With this spell, you create an aura of healing energy around yourself. Using a bonus action, you can then heal a nearby creature’s hit points by a factor of 2d6.
Aura of Vitality requires concentration, and it doesn’t last very long. However, it requires no physical cost, and it comes in handy in an emergency. It also does a decent amount of healing for not having to be right next to the target creature.
Aura of Vitality
- 3rd level evocation
- Casting time: 1 action
- Range: Self (30-foot radius)
- Components: V
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
- Healing energy radiates from you in an aura with a 30-foot radius. Until the spell ends, the aura moves with you, centered on you. You can use a bonus action to cause one creature in the aura (including you) to regain 2d6 hit points.
Source: 5e Handbook
9. Life Transference (Useable by Cleric and Wizard)
It’s like donating blood, only worse!
As a healer, your main goal is to keep everybody in your party healthy and safe. But what happens when you run out of potions and elixirs? What if you reach for a cloth or an herb, only to find your satchel empty? For that answer, just look inside yourself. No, really. Using Life Transference allows you to sacrifice your own health and give it to another member of your party.
It’s a risky spell, sure. It causes necromantic damage to the user, and there’s no way to reduce it. But seeing as its range goes to pretty much anyone you can see nearby, it’s perfect for dealing with an emergency. You never know when you’re going to be ambushed in a dungeon, and if you’re not prepared, or a little low on supplies, Life Transference will give your allies a generous boost.
Life Transference
- 3rd level necromancy
- Casting time: 1 action
- Range: 30 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instant
- You sacrifice some of your health to mend another creature’s injuries. You take 4d8 necromantic damage, which can’t be reduced in any way, and one creature of your choice that you can see within range regains a number of hit points equal to twice the necrotic damage you take.
- At higher levels, when you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each level above 3rd.
Source: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
10. Mass Healing Word (Useable by Clerics)
This is what happens when you don’t check for traps!
Another great healing spell that affects multiple targets at once is Mass Healing Word. Using this spell lets you heal up to six creatures that you can see by an amount determined by rolling 1d4 plus your spellcasting ability modifier. It’s not a bad spell to have in your back pocket when things go south.
Mass Healing Word is a bonus action, so it’s not taking anything away from the rest of your turn. This enables you to get where you need to go, and maybe deal a little justice of your own before giving your party a helping hand. It also doesn’t require any components or ingredients, just your word, which puts this spell fairly high on this list.
Mass Healing Word
- 3rd level evocation
- Casting time: 1 bonus action
- Range: 60 ft
- Components: V
- Duration: Instant
- As you call out words of restoration, up to six creatures of your choice that you can see within range regain hit points equal to 1d4 plus your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
- At higher levels, When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the healing increases by 1d4 for each slot level above 3rd.
Source: 5e Handbook
11. Mass Cure Wounds (Useable by Bard, Cleric, Druid)
Did somebody call for a miracle?
As you journey through the fantastic worlds your DM has created, you’ll gradually become stronger. As you get stronger, so will your enemies, and along with better weapons and armor, you’ll need more advanced healing magic to deal with the extra damage your party will take. Mass Cure Wounds is that spell. It has an area of effect of 30 feet, and heals up to six creatures by a whopping 3d8 in addition to your spellcasting modifier.
This spell is perfect for when your party has bitten off a little more than they can chew. It works immediately, requires no components, and could potentially restore a very generous amount of hit points all at once. It’s a perfect tool to use when your party ventures into a swamp or forest with a lot of unexpected dangers.
Mass Cure Wounds
- 5th level evocation
- Casting time: 1 action
- Range: 60 ft
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instant
- A wave of healing energy washes out from a point of your choice within range. Choose up to six creatures in a 30-foot radius sphere centered on that point. Each target regains hit points equal to 3d8 plus your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
- At higher levels, when you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th or higher, the healing increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 5th.
Source: 5e Handbook
12. Heal (Useable by Cleric and Druid)
You can have a little health, as a treat!
Don’t let the simple name fool you; Heal is a really powerful spell! It’s especially handy since it doesn’t need any ingredients or prep time. Using this wonderful spell, you can heal any creature you can see within range a total of 70 hit points. No dice rolling needed here, you just bestow health upon the creature that needs it. In addition to its incredible bounty of hit points, Heal also removes any diseases, blindness, and deafness that currently plagues the target creature.
Maybe you had some bad rolls in a battle. Maybe you stood too close to a cannon when it fired. Maybe light reflected off a mirror at just the wrong angle.Or maybe your bard has, once again, decided to not be overly careful when visiting the local house of delights. All of these situations can be fixed with a wave from your friendly neighborhood healer. If you ask nicely, that is.
Heal
- 6th level evocation
- Casting time: 1 action
- Range: 60 ft
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instant
- Choose a creature that you can see within range. A surge of positive energy washes through the creature, causing it to regain 70 hit points. This spell also ends blindness, deafness, and any diseases affecting the target. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
- At higher levels, when you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the amount of healing increases by 10 for each slot level above 6th.
Source: 5e Handbook
13. Regenerate (Useable by Bard, Cleric, Druid)
I told you that the stew went bad.
Dungeons and Dragons is all about choices. Sometimes, you make a bad one. This can lead to you not only losing precious hit points, but you could also lose a limb or three. Fortunately, Regenerate is here to help you when you literally need a hand. This spell requires the use of a prayer wheel and holy water, and takes about a minute to prepare. By touching a creature, it will heal by 4d8 plus 15 hit points. It also regrows any lost limbs or organs within two game minutes (provided, of course, that you can find the missing limb). The creature also gains 1 hit point at that start of each turn, continuing the healing process.
This spell is great for dealing with heavy damage that causes a creature to lose a leg or a tail. Regenerate is a good choice of spell when you need to “heal and run.” The targeted creature will have continued healing for a few turns, and you can direct your attention to other members that may need your help.
Regenerate
- 7th level transmutation
- Casting time: 1 minute
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S, M (a prayer wheel and holy water)
- Duration: 1 hour
- You touch a creature and stimulate its natural healing ability. The target regains 4d8 plus 15 hit points. For the duration of the spell, the target regains 1 hit point at the start of each of its turns (10 hit points each minute). The severed body members (fingers, legs, tails, and so on), if any, are restored after 2 minutes. If you have the severed part and hold it to the stump, the spell instantaneously causes the limb to knit to the stump.
Source: 5e Handbook
14. Mass Heal (Useable by Cleric)
Sure, I can heal you all. But common sense is cheaper.
Easily one of the most powerful healing spells in the game, Mass Heal allows you to restore an unlimited number of creatures within your visual range, for a total of a whopping 700 hit points. As an added benefit, any diseases, blindness, or deafness they suffer from is instantly cured. Top that off with the fact that you don’t need any components or supplies to cast this wonderful spell, Mass Heal will likely become your go-to restorative magic when it becomes available.
An unlimited number of spell targets means you could heal an entire army with a wave of your hand. In the largest, most grueling battles you may have, you can easily turn the tide with Mass Heal. The only limit to this spell is that it is restricted to Clerics, so be sure there’s one in your party.
Mass Heal
- 9th level evocation
- Casting time: 1 action
- Range: 60 ft
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instant
- A flood of healing energy flows from you into injured creatures around you. You restore up to 700 hit points, divided as you choose among any number of creatures that you can see within range. Creatures healed by this spell are also cured of all diseases and any effect making them blinded or deafened. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
Source: 5e Handbook
15. Power Word Heal (Bard, Cleric)
May I have a Word with you?
Finishing off this list is Power Word Heal, a spell that has many benefits. For starters, this spell will restore all hit points for the targeted creature. That’s right, it doesn’t matter if they need 10, 50, or 1000, this spell will instantly heal a creature to perfect health. If that wasn’t good enough, Power Word Heal also will restore a creature that has been charmed, frightened, paralyzed, or stunned. If the creature was knocked down into a prone position, they get back up immediately.
This spell is perfect for going up against a Big Bad that loves to mess with your party’s heads. Also, having a reliable way to fully heal your comrades without the luck of the dice roll can take a lot of pressure out of an overworked healer, and let’s be honest, we would be lost without our healers.
Power Word Heal
- 9th level evocation
- Casting time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instant
- A wave of healing energy washes over the creature you touch. The target regains all its hit points. If the creature is charmed, frightened, paralyzed, or stunned, the condition ends. If the creature is prone, it can use its reaction to stand up. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
Source: 5e Handbook
If you enjoyed this article, here are a few more you might want to check out:
