When my cleric or druid uses healing spells such as cure light wounds, etc... There are times when the caster has to walk up to the character being healed in combat as if the spell requires direct contact. Other times, the caster can simply cast cure wounds and heal my other party members that may be standing a few dozen feet away. I'm very confused about this discrepancy of healing position requirements, and knowing the difference WILL matter in combat at times for me. So does anybody know... Why this happens? When will the healing change between requiring direct contact and distance casting? How to tell or control this?
Most healing spells are a touch attack and others are a ranged area spell. I don't think TOEE makes you pass an attack against a flat footed AC, but it does make you adhere to the ranged verses the touch when casting a healing spell. Standard healing spells like cure light/moderate/serious wounds are touch attacks, meaning the cleric must touch the person in order to channel the healing into them. Later when casting these same spells, but as a mass spell the receivers of healing just have to be within range of the caster. Which healing spells have you been able to cast from a distance?
It doesn't seem to be working right then. My druid has been able to, randomly, cast cure light wounds (single), and cure moderate wounds (single) at a distance on my party members, while other times when I expect this to happen the same, she has to go run through a bugbear and incur attack of opportunity to give my barbarian a pat on the back. I believe that in my situation, they should technically behave as touch attacks all the time? But it sporadically changes to act like a ranged spell.
I agree with you, when in doubt I think sticking as close as possible to the actual rules is the best way to go. I was thinking, when your cleric casts the healing spells from a distance does he have a ranged weapon equipped? I'm pretty sure TOEE uses your weapons reach as a defining attribute when deciding how far away you can perform an action. Ie ... opening a chest with a reach weapon equipped as opposed to a standard weapon equipped.
My druid has a scimitar equipped, and when she goes into range casting mode with the healing spells, she is able to cast well beyond the range of a standard reach weapon.
I've noticed this, too. I think I've also seen cases where the cleric healed lower than the minimum amount of points the spell is supposed to heal (e.g., Cure Light Wounds healing 1-5 points when cast by a level 5 cleric, which should heal a minimum of 6 points).
