Player-cast cure spells

[Egon the Monkey]

These are basically pointless for PCs, as healing is so common on EFU. Which is a good thing, but means that the only point of CSW on a bard is "making potions" for example. I would doubt any Ranger has cast the Cure Light Wounds spell in the entire chapter. Interestingly, while playing a kobold necromancer, I got an idea for how to make player cast heals see the light of day.

Negative Energy Ray
The following two changes only come in to play the spell is not cast from an item.

• If a wizard has Spell School Necromancy or a Sorcerer has Spell Focus Necromancy, casting the spell deals an additional 1d6 negative energy damage to the target.
• Greater Spell Focus Necromancy also gives a targeted undead creature +2 regeneration for 1 round per caster level.

Inflict Spells now reduce healing received from Cure Spells by 10% per level of the Inflict Spell.

These were great changes and meant my yippy little boneboi held a couple of rays in reserve for topping up his skeletons.

I propose the following changes. Not linked to a Spell School or Focus, though.  Given how Cures aren't also a useful attack against most things, and are incredibly common as loot.

All of these only occur if not cast from an item:

• Cure Light Wounds: Applies +2 Regeneration for one round per level on a living target. Applies 10% physical damage vulnerability to an undead for 1 round per level (Will negates, does not stack)
• Cure Moderate Wounds: Applies +3 Regeneration for one round per level on a living target. Applies 15% physical damage vulnerability to an undead for 1 round per level (Will negates, does not stack)
• Cure Serious Wounds: Applies +3 Regeneration for one round per level on a living target. Applies 20% physical damage vulnerability to an undead for 1 round per level (Will negates, does not stack)
• Cure Critical Wounds: Applies +4 Regeneration for one round per level on a living target. Applies 25% physical damage vulnerability to an undead for 1 round per level ((Will negates, does not stack)
• Healing Circle  Available as a L3 Spell (it's the inverse of Negative burst, why is it L5 by default?).  Deals an extra +1d8 healing/damage with SF Abjuration. Applies +2 Regeneration for one round per level on all living allies. Applies 10% physical damage vulnerability to all target undead for 1 round per level (Will negates).

In line with the Negative Ray changes, they could also get an additional +1d6 from player casts.

Regen is pretty easy to apply off herbs in the short term now, and Monstrous Regeneration has been buffed to turn per level not round. Which means this change to player cast cures won't make it obsolete. Since a lot of undead have DI, lowering that seems like a useful utility to add to the Undead-smiting side of the spell. Meaning the spells become useful to slap boss monsters with, and for example CSW can compete with just defaulting to Magic Vestment (Cleric)  or Haste (Bard).

From my experience of using 3 Regen herbs, I find you rarely get the full benefit of regeneration with an effective team anyway, as they'll slap ash on you before the regen has a chance to patch up the damage. So I feel this is a change most likely to benefit less mechanically-adept players rather than massively force-multiply strong ones.

[SunrypeSlim]

I'd love an excuse to prepare a Cure that wasn't a cauldron. What a cool idea and well written. +1 my axe etc.

[Wench]

I think this is great idea tbh. Just giving a reason to prepare a heal that isn't for a potion or wand is p cool.  ;D

[in hoc signo vinces]

I feel like even with this change, a Cleric/Bard still is unlikely to prepare Cure spells. Why would a level 8 Bard prepare even Cure Light Wounds over Magic Weapon / Protection from Alignment / etc. - the 1 regeneration for 8 rounds is not really that impressive. It's just 8 more health.

I am a mechanical noob, though, so maybe even temporary regeneration has benefits that I am unclear about.

[Bearic]

For clerics at least, this is a decent option to use cure serious wounds, because you can always use a quicktab to cast it without preping it, and 3 regen for 8 rounds can save a pc from dying like monstrous regen can save a downed pc, but seven rounds or so goes by pretty quick, is it is kind of relative.

Still, really effective for healing pcs without consuming supplies!

[Egon the Monkey]

in hoc signo vinces: Yeah that's why I suggested +2 not +1. :P It's the amount of regen that's given to undead by a L1 spell.
With all the changes I suggested (inc. the 1d6 on top that Neg Ray gets) that makes a L8 Cure Light into a total of: 1d8+1d6+5+16. 
So an average of 13 healing +16 over time, for a total of 29HP.
For comparison, that's what I can get off a decent Heal roll on my specialised Rogue. So feels decent for a L1 spell. And I'd pick that in order to slap undead bosses with 10% damage vulnerability on top of the 13 damage. Other option would be to apply 2 damage a round like Combust, to Undead.

This is what I'd consider the minimum effect to try making Cure spells worthwhile, rather than slapping on every possible buff, finding it's OP, and rolling it back. Since Cure is sort of a free pick for Clerics, they get the most use here.

For Bards, I think the best way to make it definitely worth it would be to give them extra effects. Bards get Remove Blind/Deaf and Remove Curse but those are so situational it's a terrible pick. If Bardic Cure Light removed Fear, Bardic Cure Moderate removed Fear, Blind and Paralysis, and Bardic Cure Serious just cast Restoration at the same time, I think they'd become strong picks. Because then it's not about the healing, but the fact a bard can specialise in undoing magic.  Otherwise, they can't really compete with Haste, as it's easily possible to have 30 CSW charges kicking about but not 30 haste you can use on others.