Mass Healing Word 5e guide: what makes it great!

A fifth-level Cleric can give his whole party a quick burst of healing by speaking restorative words. This evocation spell ranges from 60 feet, healing up to 6 creatures.

How Mass Healing Word 5e works

Attributes

• School: Evocation
• Casting Time: 1 bonus action
• Level: 3rd level
• Range: 60 feet
• Targets: Up to 6 creatures
• Components: Verbal only
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Classes: Cleric, Bard (Optional)
• Subclasses: Artificer (Alchemist), Sorcerer (Divine Soul)

Spell Description

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.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th Level or higher, the Healing increases by 1d4 for each slot level above 3rd.

Advantages and Drawbacks of Mass Healing Word

Advantages

• Casting Time: The spell is cast using a bonus action, meaning you can attack or use another action and cast this spell in one turn.
• Multiple Targets: The spell can target up to 6 creatures, giving each equal healing.
• Components: As the name Mass Healing Word implies, the spell only has a verbal component. With only a verbal component, you can cast the spell as long as you can say the words of restoration.
• Range: The spell covers an area of 60 feet, allowing you to heal a player while not entering the dangerous range of the opponents.
• Chosen Targets: When you cast the spell, you choose which creatures in the range you heal, avoiding enemies and creatures that don’t require healing.
• Upcast: You can cast the spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher
• Healing Bonus: Like other healing spells, the hit points regained are not just based on the roll of a die. You also add your spell attack.
• Duration: When the spell is cast, it takes effect immediately without requiring concentration or time.
• Seen Creatures: While the spell uses verbal components to be cast, it does not require the recipient to hear the caster speak the words of restoration. The only requirement is that the creature is within range and the caster can see it.

Disadvantages

• Low Healing Die: The healing done by the spell is only a 1d4.
• Undead and Constructs: This spell does not affect Undead and Constructs. This is not an issue in most games, but occasionally a player will make a character which’s race is a skeleton or another Undead/Construct. This spell would provide no healing to the player.
• Lack of Classes: Only one class learns this spell and two subclasses if they choose specific paths making it a rare spell in many parties.
• Self Heal: The spell Mass Healing Word can target up to 6 creatures, but these creatures exclude the caster themselves.

Best uses for Mass Healing Word 5e

1. Endure

The spell grants a small amount of healing compared to other healing spells, but it can target multiple creatures. This quality of the spell can give the party some quick healing, keeping them in the fight for an extra round which could turn the tables on the opponents.

2. Reinvigorate and Heal

It is not rare to have a player drop to 0 hit points halfway through combat while the rest are mostly healthy. Since the spell only requires a bonus action and has 60 feet of range, the Cleric could cast the spell from the back lines bringing the downed player back to the action and giving the allies some healing without needing to enter melee range.

3. Assist to Escape

While the spell has no clear qualities to help the party escape a bad situation or combat, its effective range and healing could prove useful. When players attempt to exit the melee range, they provoke an opportunity attack on them. The spell cannot avoid the opportunity attack but can indirectly avoid its damage by healing the player beforehand.

The regained health could completely mitigate an opportunity attack’s damage or at least lessen its impact. Using the spell at the right time can be detrimental to the party’s safe escape.

4. Mass Arising

The spell Mass Healing Word grants a small amount of healing to 6 creatures up to 60 feet away. A creature at 0 hit points is unconscious and regains consciousness when it receives any number of hit points from healing sources or after 1d4 hours after succeeding on its death saving throws.

A Cleric with this spell at hand (or tongue) can bring back to consciousness up to six creatures avoiding death-saving throws altogether. Six-party members do not often fall unconscious, but having more than one down is not rare. In those cases, the spell will come in handy.

Advice and final thoughts

Mass Healing Word is a spell with many targets, meaning it would have much greater use in larger parties. For example, a party of 4 wouldn’t gain as much use from their Cleric learning the spell as a party of 6+ players. Using the spell with smaller sizes of parties is viable, but in most cases, it wastes its potential. The lower-level spell Healing Word could cover some of the uses for lower-sized parties. 

While useful, Mass Healing Word provides a low amount of healing, especially for a level 5 party. Therefore, if and when a Cleric or another player learns this spell, it should be accompanied by another healing spell that provides more healing, such as Prayer of Healing or simply Cure Wounds.

Some tips

Using a variety of healing spells will be the most optimal for the support member of the party, allowing them to provide quick and weak healing on a whim or grant great healing with time.

The nature of Mass Healing Word, cast with a bonus action and a large number of targets but low healing, shows that its primary use is not to heal but to provide a window of opportunity to the party.

Casting the spell to heal the party when not in danger should only be done as a last resort if no other options (rest, potions, or another spell) are available. The party will get the most use out of the spell when it is cast at the right time and communicated correctly.

Summary table

Aspect	Details
Attributes
School	Evocation
Casting Time	1 bonus action
Level	3rd level
Range	60 feet
Targets	Up to 6 creatures
Components	Verbal only
Duration	Instantaneous
Classes	Cleric, Bard (Optional)
Subclasses	Artificer (Alchemist), Sorcerer (Divine Soul)
Spell Description	Up to six creatures within range regain hit points equal to 1d4 + spellcasting ability modifier. No effect on Undead/Constructs. Increases by 1d4 per slot level above 3rd.
Advantages	– Quick casting as a bonus action allows for additional actions in a turn – Can target up to 6 creatures, providing group healing – Only requires verbal component, enabling casting in various situations – 60 feet range allows healing from a safe distance – Selective targeting avoids healing enemies or unnecessary targets – Upcasting increases healing effectiveness – Adds spellcasting ability modifier to healing, enhancing effectiveness – Instant effect provides immediate healing – Does not require recipients to hear caster, only to be seen within range
Disadvantages	– Low base healing amount (1d4) – Ineffective against Undead and Constructs – Limited class availability; primarily Clerics and specific subclasses – Cannot target the caster themselves for healing
Best Uses	1. Endure: Provides quick, albeit small, healing to multiple party members. 2. Reinvigorate and Heal: Useful for reviving downed players and healing others in one action 3. Assist to Escape: Can mitigate damage from opportunity attacks during retreats. 4. Mass Arising: Effective for reviving multiple unconscious allies simultaneously.
Advice and Final Thoughts	– More beneficial in larger parties. – Should be complemented with other healing spells for optimal support. – Primarily a tactical spell for creating opportunities rather than a primary healing source. – Use in non-combat situations as a last resort.
FAQ	– Visibility Requirement: Needs line of sight, doesn’t work through walls. – Self-Healing: Cannot target the caster. – Target Limit: Number of targets cannot be increased, even with higher-level slots. – Subtle Spell Usage: Can be cast without verbal components using Subtle Spell metamagic.

Mass Healing Word 5e FAQ