Lookng for advice on a magic healer build

[danevans]

So our group just started running GURPS about 6 weeks ago, which was my first experience with the system, though I have also played D&D and Pathfinder. I've been running a melee build, but our group has no healer so I'm rerolling my character to create a magic healer, and I was hoping I could get some tips for the build and what type of skills, armor, equipment, etc that would be beneficial. Here are some of the details of our campaign (which is a homebrew).

Books used:
GURPS 4E Basic Set Characters
GURPS 4E Low Tech
GURPS 4E Magic
GURPS 4E Clerical Magic
GURPS Fantasy 4E
GURPS Fantasy 4E Fixed Magic
GURPS 4E Martial Arts
GURPS 4E Space
GURPS 4E Ultra-Tech
GURPS 4E High-Tech
GURPS 4E Psionic Powers

Other Parameters:
TL-12
Max LC- 3 (though sometimes LC 2 items can be found on the black market)
Starting Points- 150/-65/-5
Max Magery level- 5

So ultimately this is a space/ultra tech campaign. And although my main role will be as a healer, I'll still need to be able to protect myself and the group to some degree, as well as be able to do some damage. Any specialty skills such as electronic operations, hacking, etc are covered by other members of the party.

Again, I'm currently reading the Magic 4E book to try to learn how to create this character, but any tips, pointers, advice, etc would be greatly appreciated!

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by danevans

So

Other Parameters:
TL-12
Max LC- 3 (though sometimes LC 2 items can be found on the black market)
Starting Points- 150/-65/-5
Max Magery level- 5

So ultimately this is a space/ultra tech campaign. !

TL 12 healing technology is so strong I wonder why you think you need healing magic. 150 pt is not a lot and in particular will not support huge FP expenditures on Healing spells.

Anyway, Take First Aid, Diagnosis and Physician for tL12. you can probab;ly skip surgery. Then for spells follow the Healing College prereq chain up through Recover Energy, Minor Healing and Major Healing. Without some external source of energy you probably can't cast Great Healing. Add Stop Bleeding and Healing Slumber maybe.

This all looks redundant to me.

[Refplace]

The real advantage to magical healing is its fast and requires no gear.
For longer time your TL stuff will be sufficient.

[D10]

On this budget its hard to properly fulfill the healer niche without detracting from your self defense capabilities. That said.. I would recommend the following starter package.

Aside from investing points in healing spells, such as recover energy, minor healing, major healing, I strongly recommend trying to get, or having in your radar, instant neutralize poison, resist poison and resist disease.

For that you would need Vigor in the body control college, since its a pré-req for instant neutralize poison, and its worth getting because body control college is very good in many respects, I would specially recommend spells such as tanglefoot and fumble since they will even work on mindless killing machine.

The movement school is in my opinion one of the best general purpose colleges out there. With a small point investment you can cover many niches with the available spells, such as flight, walking on walls, etc. But the best support spells in that college to me are haste, great haste and grease (I always favor strongly spells that dont require an enemy defense roll, specially for a support character). And great haste might be the single most powerfull all purpose buff in the game, I would boost that up to 25 as soon as possible. Finally, it even has two good blocking spells, deflect missile and deflect energy, that could be even more usefull in a TL 12 setting.

Protection is also a very good tree and it sinergizes with movement since some of its spells have apportation as pre requisites. It has good blocking spells, such as 'block', reverse missile and catch missile for the eventual meteoric shenanigan, and excelent defensive spells such as shield, missile shield and etc.

Now this is more a matter of preference, but I think the mind college is very good defensive/offensive backbone for any mage. Mental stun is a good and generic spell to support other roles in combat, and when possible to get high levels in a spell, mass daze becomes one of the most powerfull battlefield control spells in the game. It also gives you access to perception and willpower buffs, as well as the very powerfull command spell.

Finally, knowledge is always a good choice for magic users with tons of good utilities.

Hope this helped.

[danevans]

Thanks for the input! I have some good bullet points I can follow as I build this character!