D&D Spell Focus: Cure Wounds

Welcome to the first ever episode of "Spell Focus", where we cast an arcane eye over a D&D 5e spell and see how you can use it at your table. Let’s begin with perhaps the most cast spell ever… Cure Wounds.

Cure Wounds, like most spells, predictably does what it says on the tin. Someone gets hurt, you reverse that damage so they can fight on. Simples! It is basically an essential Level 1 spell that every party has to have access to if you don’t want to be begging your DM for short rests more than a Warlock with a Shatter addiction. In the 2014 PHB, the spell allowed you touch a creature in a special way and make them feel good on the inside, to recover 1d8+ your spellcasting modifier in HP…which was great at Level 1 through to about Level 3.

From then on, especially your beefcake barbarian buddies were not going to be feeling the joy of your magic fingers unless you upcast, adding 1d8 per spell slot. This meant that characters with access to the spell like Clerics often felt like they had to a) hoard their spell slots to keep the party alive and therefore not do cool stuff with their other spells and b) feel like in battle they would often had to cast Cure Wounds constantly as their full action meaning they also couldn’t get involved in the biffo good times.  It honestly is one of the reasons no one wants to be the healer… It’s just not as fun, or heroic as the more battle-focused classes, but kind of an essential role soooo…. What do you do?

Now luckily, the game designers at D&D must agree with me because in the 2024 PHB we saw one of the most significant buffs and balance changes to the game tackling these exact issues, and Cure Wounds, Mass Cure Wounds, Healing Word and other healing spells all had their dice DOUBLED. Yes, Doubled! That’s right, Cure Wounds now heals 2d8+mods making it a much more feel good option not only for the player receiving the gentle warm touch that stops their life juices flowing into the dirt, but the caster only has to do it half as often meaning they are less encumbered by the obligation of keeping that bloody barbarian topped up every round. It of course doesn’t stop there, as upcasting now adds TWO d8, meaning a 2nd level Cure Wounds could easily heal over 30HP if the dice gods smile on you… and that is a wonderful thing.

Couple this with one of my favourite official rule changes in 2024 that has made drinking a potion a bonus action (I mean, come on, who didn’t have that as a homebrew rule already?!) and they’ve gone a long way to helping remove the healing grind and freeing up our Clerics and utility healers from their life-saving obligations to actual deal out some hurt for a change and hopefully having more fun. Finally, the buff helps to alleviate another common issue of using the spell to bring a comrade recently dropped to 0HP back to life, only to have them easily felled by a single goblin love tap before they even get to act…

"I could be smiting evil with my Spiritual Weapon, but no, you had to go and get maulled again..."

Appropriately, the spell has also been moved from the school of Evocation to the school of Abjuration, which to me just makes more sense. It is literally protective magic 101. So if you play an Artificer, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger or Celestial Warlock, enjoy this buff and feel good about making your allies feel better.

Now, if you are after some class-based spell cards for Cure Wounds and every other 2014 and 2024 spell for your gaming table, click here to visit the ZG Store where you will find affordable print-your-own versions of these essential gaming tools that I designed for my table and want to share with you all.

That's it for now, join us next episode for a cantrip that packs a BIG punch... Acid Splash!