Shadow Healing

[Grakor456]

Interesting discussion between the forum helpers and a couple GMs over this topic, so I wanted to bring it up. The idea was mentioned of a priest healing undead via shadow, and so I wanted to bring this up.

The question: Can Shadow Priests heal using shadow magic specifically? Is this healing, if possible, specific to undead, or anyone?

Established facts: Priests can use both light and shadow magic regardless of their actual faith or spec, so logically shadow priests can still heal through holy magic, regardless of whether they can heal with shadow magic or not. Holy magic healing works on undead as-is, but is painful to receive (and painful to cast if the priest in question is undead as well.) The only known shadow magic spell that provides healing to another is Death Coil providing healing to undead, but this is an arcane, necromantic spell. For the purposes of this discussion, we're not including Vampiric Embrace, as that's a different sort of "healing" than we're talking about here.

I'll go over the arguments made as best as I can, given the hour.

Point: Forsaken healing through holy magic is painful, it'd be obvious that they'd choose to heal through the shadow rather than holy in order to avoid this.

Counterpoint: While desirable, this doesn't necessarily mean that it's possible. Similarly, isn't the fact that healing sucks for them part of the theme for Forsaken, that being dead sucks?

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Point: There are spells that provide healing via shadow on certain mobs in the game. Similarly, Shadowmend was, at one point, intended to be a shadow priest spec ability until it was later pulled.

Counterpoint: There are some things that mobs can do that we don't necessarily allow to players. Shadowmend, while once intended as a skill for PC priests, was not truly implemented. It certainly wasn't specific to healing undead and was rather inefficient (for the most part, it just seemed to be a way to allow some light healing while in Shadowform.)

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Point: There are many references to priests healing undead with "negative energy" in the d20.

Counterpoint: The d20 was decanonized. Indeed, many of these rules were put in place to keep the d20 similar to the game that it was based on: Dungeons and Dragons.

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There's more, but I'm too tired to really register anything at the moment. What I will say is that the priest class is, with the possible exception of the warlock class, the class that has the most fanon surrounding it. It's therefore rather difficult to separate the true canon lore from what's been imposed upon them by fan interpretation, rather than what has actually been given to us.

I might post more here, later, just putting this up to get discussion started.

[Scout]

I'm personally of the belief that shadow priests can heal, but only by draining life from one source and transmitting it to another (vampiric embrace and the like). In a similar vein, I feel as though the priest could choose themselves to be the one where they drain their life energy from for the healing, though many shadow priests may not want to do that.

Shadow has always occurred to me as more of a school that is designed to inflict pain and bodily harm. Direct healing with it seems out of character for it. I also tend to stray away from the concept of negative energy healing undead, to be honest.

I don't see why vampiric magic is out of the question, as it is technically a form of "healing," even if it's not the literal "I'm going to cast my healing powers on you!"

[flammos200]

I have always, always treated Shadow as healing Undead, if it was casted with this purpose in mind. Light can heal 'em too, but it's more like cauterizing the wound, in my opinion.

Negative energy in general - although I loathe the term, particularly when it comes to Shadow - has shown us Death Coils and other Unholy things healing Undead. There's very little distinction betweent he Unholy and Shadow, which is the general opposite of Holy.

Just like the Light/Holy, I believe Shadow can heal as well as harm. However, its healing is limited to a mental effect(Such as soothing or helping a character resolve their issues) when on the living, and both a mental and physical one to the undead.

That's how I've treated things.

Also, Priests get Shadowform healing in Mists of Pandaria. So Shadowmend was intended, and was discarded, to be implemented in the future once more.

[ImagenAshyun]

I always had the impression that Light hurts Undead, not heal them. Yes, it hurts, but I thought the pain was because of the harm it causes, not a side effect to healing. Therefore, Shadow is an alternative to healing Undead like Light is to the living.

But then again, I never naturally leveled a Priest past level 10.

[Scout]

The concept of healing is more something that appeals to the school of thought that the Light corresponds with, altruism, where Shadow tends more to focus on the self in a fashion correspondent with egoism. Direct healing just doesn't work with the philosophy of Shadow, in my opinion, even if it's undead. If an undead wants healing, they should find a necromancer, and even then it would be more akin to repairing their body than true healing.

[flammos200]

Light is just repairing as well, if that's the only thing you want to do with it. Only Druidism and Shamanism provide true healing.

And what would bar a practitioner of Shadow(NOT a follower of the Forgotten Shadow) from restoring a Forsaken to full force, that they might work to the detriment of all life together?

Just like you can wield Holy and not be a follower of the Light as religion, you can wield Shadow and not be a follower of the Forgotten Shadow as religion. If you believe enough, said beliefs will make it true. Similarly, X may be a peasant that's exceedingly devoted to the Light, or an Alchemist that's extremely devoted to the Forgotten Shadow. In either case, neither are capable of wielding Divine Magic(Holy and Shadow respectively) because they are not taught the techniques and methods of doing so. A Priest is trained, not born.

Why would Priests have Shadow Protection, Fear Wards, and Soothing and such, if Shadow was not useful for others beside oneself?

Nearly any force in Warcraft can heal as well as harm. Even Arcane and Fel(See Evocation and Healthstones/Soulstones). Necromancy can transfer life from one place to another to heal. Nature is obviously both nurturing and destructive. The Elemental Spirits can close one's wounds or open new ones. Pretty much everything works both ways - what truly matters is how you use it.

[Drak]

Firstly, as far as I remember only Forsaken and Trolls can be shadow priests with the rest being game mechanics.

Secondly, yes shadow and necromancy can be used to heal undead. If you use holy light on them you're doing the same as pouring a vial of acid down a human's throat. Holy magic doesn't heal undead, no it hurts them so bad they will die if they get enough of it. But of course some Forsaken can still use the Light if they remain firm believers and remain good, however that means they hurt themselves while casting.

Fel magic is used to heal the Demons and would hurt just about everyone else, shadow doesn't work on them. However I think Nature healing can work on anyone.

Edit:

Just like you can wield Holy and not be a follower of the Light as religion

technically this is wrong. If you're a human, dwarf or draenei you have to have faith in the Holy Light and thus have to follow the 'rules', so you're basically follower of the religion. Same with Gnomish paladins/priests (although rare for them to exist). Night Elves' "holy light" is Elune, they draw the power from the Moon. Tauren from the Sun, Blood Elves from the Sunwell and the few Forsaken that remain faithful to the Light can still use Holy Light.

you can wield Shadow and not be a follower of the Forgotten Shadow as religion.

True, that's where Troll Shadow Priests come in. I don't 100% remember what they do, one of the Loa, is what makes them Shadowy Priests.

And what would bar a practitioner of Shadow(NOT a follower of the Forgotten Shadow) from restoring a Forsaken to full force, that they might work to the detriment of all life together?

Necromancer.

Why would Priests have Shadow Protection, Fear Wards, and Soothing and such, if Shadow was not useful for others beside oneself?

To say it's Shadow "Protection" may be overdueing it, merely shadow "resistance". I don't remember which class it was but I don't think Priests actually have Fear Wards.

[Rowgen]

I always thought that with Shadow and Light being faith-based, it was the intention of the spell that mattered, not the nature. By that logic, I think that Light can heal both Living and Undead, but it causes pain to the Undead. Meanwhile, I think that the Shadow can heal both, too, but it would also cause pain to the Living. By definition, applying a healing spell to something it wasn't intended for does heal, but it causes pain because their nature is different, too. Undead are unnatural creatures, while the Living are natural.

That's my view of it, anyway.

[Drak]

I always thought that with Shadow and Light being faith-based, it was the intention of the spell that mattered

In order to cast Holy Light spells you need to follow a few rules. Like:

#1: Always be a goodie
#2: Help where you can, but think. Sometimes no matter how much you want to, don't help. And if you do help don't over-help.
#3: Yada yada more rules

And if you follow those rules you're basically following the religion, even if it's in your own way.

Shadow healing Living and Holy healing Unliving I have to say no to. Nature is the only one that can heal any type. Holy hurts, and with enough, KILLS undead/demons. Shadow hurts, and with enough, KILLS living.

[Kaghuros]

That's not true at all. See: Naga Priestesses casting healing spells and being 100% plot-point evil. Only Paladins ever had to follow a path to get their power, and Blood Elven Paladins don't necessarily even need to do that since they're linked to a source of divinity.

Imagine Priestly energy as the energy of the soul, because that's exactly what it is. An altruistic soul reaches out to repair the wounds of a fellow (Holy), a disciplined Priest can make their soul manifest as a barrier (Discipline, Power Word: Shield), and an angry or narcissistic Priest can lash out at a foe with their own soul's painful thoughts or pull the energy into their own soul to drain the opponent's life.

It's not so much divine magic as it is harnessing the belief of the user to touch the spark of life and power inherent in the sapient, since in Warcraft even the gods are mortal, and sometimes the creatures of the world aren't mortal at all.

[Ural]

I've only messed with it on a Warlock / Necromancer, but here is my two cents.

Shadow magic is very destructive to living tissue. To be undead would not make you immune to it, but perhaps slightly resistant. Racial perk.

The only practical healing Undead are going to get is from a Necromancer. It is the ability to weave dead tissue, repair damage and reconnect flesh with the undead soul. This is my take on Death Coil. Not sure on resurrections, but I'd leave them to Necromancers as well. If I had to give this magic a term it would be Unholy, as that is what I see Unholy specialized Death Knights as.

[Drak]

If Elves draw their magical priestess powers from Elune, and Taurens from the sun, then that means... Naga has their own deity, they don't follow the holy light.

And to be able to actually use any form of magic you'd need to be taught how. I haven't seen records of any shadow priests that wasn't game-mechanics/NPCs except for Trolls and Forsaken. Neither did the Forsaken suddenly 'pop' with Shadow magic, they trained themselves to use it (possibly with the help of trolls).

[c0rzilla]

As far as the Forsaken using the Light goes...

It was affirmed at a lore panel that they can use it as a healing force without much detriment to themselves. I can't find any quotes, though.

[Drak]

Holy magic doesn't heal undead, no it hurts them so bad they will die if they get enough of it. But of course some Forsaken can still use the Light if they remain firm believers and remain good, however that means they hurt themselves while casting.

[Krilari]

Q: When undead use or are healed by the Holy Light, does it cause them any actual damage or harm, or does it only cause them pain (in addition to the intended effects of the spell)?

A: Channeling the Light in any way, or receiving healing from the Light, only causes pain. Forsaken priests do not disintegrate or explode from channeling the Light for an extended period of time… though they may wish they would.


Q: Are there long-term effects on an undead who is in regular contact with the Holy Light in a positive way?

A: It is difficult to say, as there are no known records of undead wielding the Holy Light before the Third War. There are reports, however, that some Forsaken have slowly experienced a sharpening of their dulled senses of touch, smell, etc., as well as an increase in the flashes of positive emotions that have otherwise become so rare since their fall into undeath. Unfortunately, this may be the cause of the Forsaken priesthood's increased attempts at self-destruction; regaining these senses would force the priests to smell their own rotting flesh, taste the decay in their mouths and throats, and even feel the maggots burrowing within their bodies.

From a Blizz Lore panel.

TL;DR - Basically it seems that Forsaken that receive Light healing receive both healing and pain, and if they're constantly exposed to the Light, they may begin to regain their senses.