Vitalist
Dreamscarred Press's attempt to create a healer class that wasn't shit nor good at EVERYTHING except healing. They seem to have actually gotten it right. How? A couple of things.
Firstly Vitalist have a mechanic known as a "collective", which allows them to know who needs healing. On its own this isn't too exciting, as most GMs don't bother keeping that kind of information hidden between players, but it also offers many other benefits. All members of a collective gain the ability to communicate telepathically. A Vitalist can use it to increase the range or number of recipients of certain spells: No longer must your healer get next to the fighter surrounded by orcs to heal him. A Vitalist can also use this to split up healing between the entire group, avoiding overflow healing (this applies even to other sources of healing, such as potions, wands or another party member being a caster). If multiple members of the collective are psionic classes they can utilize the obscure rule that two manifester in contact with another one can use the other's powers known (though this doesn't allow them to bypass class list limitations) without being in physical contact.
Vitalist avoids the problem that healers are boring by being capable of more than just healing and defensive buffs. Thanks to the way psionics works, it's easy for a Vitalist to grab powers from the Psion's list with the Expanded Knowledge feat which greatly extends their versatility and/or lethality and these will generally remain relevant thanks to the ability to augment powers. Each Vitalist can pick from three specialties and while Mender (heal damage) and Guardian (buff defense so no one is injured) are fairly boring, Soulthief (vampric healing, which pairs well with the ability to grab damage powers) presents a number of options to do more than heal.
Vitalists have a slightly unusual method of manifesting. They are able to select their powers known at the start of each day, essentially the Spirit Shaman, or 5E casting, but psionic. This allows them to remove permanent conditions as easily as a Cleric can.
| The Classes of Pathfinder 1st Edition | |
|---|---|
| Core Classes: | Barbarian - Bard - Cleric - Druid - Fighter - Monk Paladin - Ranger - Rogue - Sorcerer - Wizard |
| Advanced Player's Guide: |
Alchemist - Antipaladin - Cavalier Inquisitor - Oracle - Summoner - Witch |
| Advanced Class Guide: |
Arcanist - Bloodrager - Brawler - Hunter - Investigator Shaman - Skald - Slayer - Swashbuckler - Warpriest |
| Occult Adventures: |
Kineticist - Medium - Mesmerist Occultist - Psychic - Spiritualist |
| Ultimate X: | Gunslinger - Magus - Ninja - Samurai - Shifter - Vigilante |
| The Third Party Classes of Pathfinder | |
|---|---|
| Psionics: | Psion - Psychic Warrior - Soulknife - Wilder Aegis - Cryptic - Dread - Marksman - Tactician - Vitalist |
| Path of War: | Stalker - Warder - Warlord - Harbinger - Mystic - Zealot |
| Akashic Mysteries: | Daevic - Eclipse - Guru - Nexus - Radiant - Rajah - Stormbound - Vizier - Zodiac |
| Spheres of Power: | Armorist - Elementalist - Eliciter - Fey Adept - Hedgewitch - Incanter Mageknight - Shifter - Soul Weaver - Symbiat - Thaumaturge - Wraith |
| Spheres of Might: | Armiger - Blacksmith - Commander - Conscript Savant - Scholar - Sentinel - Striker - Technician |
| Spheres of Guile: | Agent - Courser - Envoy - Mastermind - Professional |
| Champions of the Spheres: | Prodigy - Sage - Troubadour - Dragoon - Mountebank - Necros - Reaper Warden - Crimson Dancer |
| Pact Magic: | Pactmaker (formerly known as Medium) |