Healing Spirit 5e Spell

This once-broken DnD spell is now healed.

A magnificent, ghostly beast watched over the battle…and as the enemy danced with it, the beast gave them strength…

What is Healing Spirit 5e Spell?

Healing Spirit 5e is a level 2 conjuration spell for Druids and Rangers that summons a healing beast or fey spirit.

When a creature is within the five-foot cube of the healing spirit, the caster can have the spirit heal them for 1d6 per turn. The number of times the spirit can heal is 1 + the caster’s spellcasting ability modifier (minimum twice).

Healing Spirit 5e Stats

Source: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything

Level	2
Casting Time	1 Bonus Action
Range/Area	60 feet
Classes	Druid, Ranger
Components	Verbal, Somatic
Duration	Concentration, up to 1 minute
School	Conjuration
Attack/Save	None
Damage/Effect	Healing

Healing Spirit 5e Spell Description

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 spirit’s 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.

How does Healing Spirit work?

Healing Spirit got nerfed after crafty DnD players found a loophole that let entire parties cycle through the Healing Spirit over and over again. So Healing Spirit doesn’t work the same as it used to, but it’s still a handy low-level healing spell.

Here’s how Healing Spirit works currently:

• Using their bonus action, a caster can send a Healing Spirit out to a range of 60 feet in any direction. They don’t need any material components to do so. A 5-foot “healing cube” surrounds the Healing Spirit.

• When a creature moves into the 5-foot healing cube or starts its turn inside it, the caster can choose to roll 1d6 to heal them. The language “choose” is important, because it means that enemies (or party members that have annoyed the caster…) cannot freely use the healing cube.

• The caster has to concentrate while using Healing Spirit, which means they have to pass a Constitution saving throw when targeted for damage. If they fail, they lose concentration (and their Healing Spirit). Becoming incapacitated or casting another concentration spell also dispels Healing Spirit. 

• The number of times the healing spirit can heal is 1 + the caster’s spellcasting ability modifier. Druids and Rangers both use Wisdom for their spellcasting ability modifier since their power derives from harmony with nature (including harmony with the healing spirit). This means Healing Spirit can heal for a maximum of 6 times, assuming a modifier of +5. Creatures can only be healed once per turn. 

• The caster can also choose to move the Healing Spirit up to 30 feet with another bonus action. This helps the Healing Spirit adapt to changing battle conditions, such as a newly damaged party member in need of healing.

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GameCows Tip: Drop Healing Spirit on a downed ally so they gain HP at the start of their turn!

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What does Healing Spirit look like?

You can make the healing spirit look like any beast or fey that you want. It should be a creature related to nature in some way since Ranger and Druid attunement with nature is part of the logic of the spell.

It makes sense to summon a healing spirit with a similar alignment to yours, such as a unicorn for a good alignment, a troll for an evil alignment, or a dryad for neutral alignment. But do whatever feels right!

Why did they change Healing Spirit?

When Healing Spirit 5e first came out, it quickly became clear that the creators goofed. The designers of the spell did not put a limit on how many times the spirit could heal, which meant that party members could cycle through the cube endlessly.

This unlimited healing outside of battle severely unbalanced the game.

Healing Spirit’s power also made other healing spells moot. For comparison, Prayer of Healing is the Cleric’s 2nd level option. It takes 10 minutes to cast and allows up to six creatures to heal 2d8 + the caster’s spell-casting ability modifier.

This maxes out to about 19-20 HP per member every 10 minutes. The original Healing Spirit could heal each member for up to 60 HP a minute!

Original Healing Spirit 5e

The original Healing Spirit 5e let creatures heal once a round (or once per their turn). A round in DnD 5e is about 6 seconds. The healing cube lasts for 60 seconds and heals for 1d6. This meant that players could potentially heal for 10d6 per round! The original Healing Spirit made life very difficult for DMs and turned battles boring.

In combat, abuse of the original Healing Spirit was somewhat limited since party members had other combat tasks to worry about besides healing, and enemies could target the caster if need be. Outside of combat, players could simply line up and pass through the cube without a worry in the world. 

After coming out, Healing Spirit 5e instantly became the most powerful healing spell in DnD 5e. And only at level 2! 

Healing Spirit 5e nerf

Before Healing Spirit was changed, players tried different house rules to curb Healing Spirit’s power. For a while many players followed DnD game designer Jeremy Crawford’s unofficial Twitter advice: “Healing Spirit ends once the spirit has restored hit points a number of times equal to twice the caster’s spellcasting ability modifier.” 

Healing Spirit 5e was then officially nerfed in April 2020. Healing Spirit 5e’s errata reads:

The following text has been appended to the second paragraph: “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.”

The Healing Spirit 5e nerf was a controversial decision since the spell had become an in-combat mainstay at many tables by that point. Most players were fine with Healing Spirit’s in-combat use and only objected to Healing Spirit’s abuse outside of combat. Many adventurers even liked the idea of an HP reset outside of battle.

The nerf also hurt Rangers more than Druids. Druids have other healing options and can upcast Healing Spirit to great effect. Rangers have limited healing spells and only unlock 3rd level spells at level 9, making “upcasting” at level 2 worthless. 

The nerf made Healing Spirit less powerful, but it still has a lot of spirit.

How good is Healing Spirit 5e?

Healing Spirit 5e is a very strong healing spell for Druids, especially when upcast. Healing Spirit is decent for Rangers, who typically don’t get healing spells. 

Healing Spirit is an Area of Effect spell, which is unusual for healing spells and can stay active for a whole battle. You can also move Healing Spirit around the battlefield. This flexibility and convenience make it great for any Ranger or Druid spellbook.

Using a 2nd level spell slot is a bit expensive for the amount Healing Spirit can heal, but it is worth it depending on the makeup of your party. If you have other healers you may want to save your spell slot for an offensive spell.

Upcasting Healing Spirit can be quite powerful for Druids, as it adds 1d6 per upcasted level. If you have a Wisdom modifier, you can cast it multiple times for mega healing in a pinch.

Rangers can get better synergy out of Healing Spirit if they take a Druidic Warrior fighting style, and choose Shillelagh for their Druid cantrip. The version of Beast Master in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything is also a good choice since it lets the Ranger multitask better and save their precious concentration.

The nerfed Healing Spirit has pros and cons but is still a net positive overall.

Healing Spirit 5e Pros and Cons

Healing Spirit Pros:

• Offers party healing flexibility
• Can be used at start of turn
• Can be used at your party members’ discretion
• Can be moved
• Area of Effect
• Convenient out-of-combat healing
• Upcast + Wisdom modifier scales great (Druid only)

Healing Spirit Cons:

• Takes concentration in combat
• Can provoke an opportunity attack in combat
• Can be hard to get to
• Can be targeted by enemies

Healing Spirit vs. Other DnD 5e Healing Spells

Healing Spirit’s main benefit is its flexibility. You can spend it all on one character, or let characters heal when they need to. Other healing spells might be cheaper or situationally stronger, but Healing Spirit is a jack of all trades.

Healing Spirit vs Heal

Heal is possibly the best single-target healer in 5e, but is a level 6 spell. With lucky rolls and a high enough wisdom modifier, Healing Spirit can offer about half of Heal’s HP gain for a single creature at just level 2.

Healing Spirit vs Healing Word 

Healing Word is not an Area of Effect spell like Healing Spirit, so you have to directly choose your target. It is also 1d4 instead of 1d6. For rangers, Healing Spirit is essentially a more expensive Healing Word since it takes a 2nd level spell slot without the benefit of upcasting.

Healing Spirit vs Cure Wounds                                

At 1d8 + spellcasting modifier per level, Cure Wounds is one of the best single-target healing spells in terms of hitpoints regained. On the other hand, it’s a touch spell, which can be…touchy in combat. Healing Spirit, in comparison, can be taken advantage of whenever it’s safe to do so.           

Healing Spirit vs Aura of Vitality                        

Though powerful at 3rd level, Aura of Vitality is a situational spell for a Druid for the most part, while Healing Spirit can be used in any situation. Aura of Vitality is also centered around you, which offers less flexibility, though it heals for 2d6 instead of 1d6. Druids also can’t unlock level 3 spells until level 5.

Healing Spirit 5e FAQ

What book is Healing Spirit in?

Healing Spirit is on page 157 of Xanathar’s Guide To Everything.

Who can use Healing Spirit 5e?

Normally only Druids and Rangers have Healing Spirit in their spell lists, but Bards can also put Healing Spirit on their spell list through the feat Magical Secrets. 

Does Healing Spirit 5e heal enemies?

No, the caster chooses whether to heal the creature entering with the Healing Spirit’s cube. This prevents enemies from using the Healing Spirit, or anyone else the caster doesn’t deem worthy.

Is Healing Spirit still good?

Healing Spirit is significantly weakened since the 2020 errata. It can be tricky to make work in combat since each target must move through a single location and it also takes the concentration of the caster. It remains a solid out-of-combat healing option even after the errata.

We hope that healed what ails you! If you’re feeling better check out these other healers like Aid 5e, Healing Word 5e, and Prayer of Healing 5e.