Cure Wounds 5e Spell

The Cleric leans down, a worried expression on his face as he crouches over his friend. They are unconscious on the ground, and the battle continues to rage on around them. He carefully places a hand out on their chest and casts cure wounds, reviving them and bringing them back into combat.

Find out more about the cure wounds spell below.

What is Cure Wounds Spell?

The spell’s text from the Player’s Handbook reads: “A creature you touch regains a number of hit points equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs. In addition, the text notes that when you cast the spell using a spell slot of 2^nd level or higher, the healing increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1^st.“

Cure Wounds 5e Stats

Level	1
Casting Time	1 action
Range/Area	Touch
Classes	Bard, Cleric*, Druid*, Paladin, Ranger, Warlock** & Artificer
Components	Verbal, Somatic
Duration	Instantaneous
School	Evocation
Attack/Save	None
Damage/Effect	Healing

How Does Cure Wounds Work?

Cure Wounds is a pretty simple spell. You spend your action imbuing another creature with hit points. If your friend is unconscious, regaining hit points will bring them back to consciousness. The spell also scales, so it is valuable beyond low levels of play. As the spell text notes, with each increased spell level above 1^st, you increase the number of dice you roll for regained hit points.

For example, if you cast Cure Wounds at 4^th level, you would roll 4d8 + your spellcasting modifier. Suppose your spellcasting modifier is +4 (a normal number for a spellcaster of 7th level, which is when 4th level spells come online). In that case, the minimum number of hit points you can give is 8, the maximum number is 36, and the average is 22.

Is Cure Wounds a Good Spell?

Cure Wounds isn’t a bad spell, but if your character has the option to take Healing Word instead, you should. Healing Word is only a bonus action, whereas Cure Wounds takes up your entire action. However, if Cure Wounds is your only 1^st level healing spell, it is always better to have something than nothing. 

Which Classes Can Use Cure Wounds?

Cure Wounds is available for Bards, Clerics, Druids, Paladins, Rangers, Celestial Warlocks, and Artificers. It is always prepared for Life Domain Clerics and Circle of Wildfire Druids.