D&D 5E Mass Healing Word

[Evilpope43]

The way the spell is written
[FONT=&quot]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 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.

Does that mean you can't cast it on the same creature/person more then once?[/FONT]

 

[Satyrn]

The way the spell is written
[FONT="]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 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.

Does that mean you can't cast it on the same creature/person more then once?[/FONT]

I don't quite understand what you're asking.

I think you are asking if one character could count as all of those 6 targets? The answer to that is no, and you can see why if you compare how much better this spell would be for healing one person compared to the spell that can only target one person.

 

[jaelis]

With one casting, you can't affect the same creature more than once. You could of course cast it again the next round.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

You can cast the spell as many times as you have the appropriate spell level to do so, taking the listed casting time each time, and you can choose the same or different creatures with each casting, so long as they are within range and you can see them at the time of casting the spell.

If you are meaning to ask if you can say "I choose Jim's fighter as 3 of the 6 creatures I can choose," as a means to increase the healing that one creature receives, then the answer is no.

 

[Leatherhead]

Does that mean you can't cast it on the same creature/person more then once?

This is correct, Mass Healing Word cannot target the same person twice with one casting. Some spells, like Eldritch Blast, can target the same creature multiple times per casting, and explicitly say so by using a phrase like "You can direct the beams at the same target or at different ones."

 

[Evilpope43]

thanks everyone

 

[Satyrn]

. . . Although I just realized that it wouldn't be that much stronger than an upcast 3rd level cure wounds.

I would be tempted to reword the spell a little to make it work, except that the healed character only gains the +ability mod part of the healing once instead of with each d4.

 

[Satyrn]

Oh my. So many posts pretty much all at once. And we all agreed! Crazy.

 

[Lancelot]

. . . Although I just realized that it wouldn't be that much stronger than an upcast 3rd level cure wounds.

I would be tempted to reword the spell a little to make it work, except that the healed character only gains the +ability mod part of the healing once instead of with each d4.

6d4+4 (if you house-ruled mass healing word so that it could target the same creature 6 times) vs 3d8+4 (for cure wounds) is, on average, only a 2 hp improvement... but I think you may be forgetting the key benefits of healing word and mass healing word. They're ranged healing spells, instead of requiring a touch. And, most importantly, they're cast as Bonus Actions. These are already significant advantages. Making it more potent than an up-levelled cure wounds as well would, I think, be overkill.

 

[Satyrn]

6d4+4 (if you house-ruled mass healing word so that it could target the same creature 6 times) vs 3d8+4 (for cure wounds) is, on average, only a 2 hp improvement... but I think you may be forgetting the key benefits of healing word and mass healing word. They're ranged healing spells, instead of requiring a touch. And, most importantly, they're cast as Bonus Actions. These are already significant advantages. Making it more potent than an up-levelled cure wounds as well would, I think, be overkill.

I was considering both the range and casting time.

It is definitely better than an upcast cure, but then lightning bolt is definitely better than an upcast chromatic orb - and it was that sort of comparison I was making. I would never actually bother changing mass healing word, but I also don't think that making such a change would break anything,