Is the amount healed for multiple-target healing spells rolled separately per target, or once for all of them?

Question

Take, for instance, the spell prayer of healing:

Up to six creatures of your choice that you can see within range each regain hit points equal to 2d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.

The "Damage Rolls" rule says that "If a spell or other effect deals damage to more than one target at the same time, roll the damage once for all of them." Does that same principle apply to "Healing Rolls"?

That is, if I target my whole party with a spell like this, is it a separate 2d8+modifier that gets rolled independently for each target, or do I just roll the once and that same amount is what each target gains?

Obviously the game "works" either way, and playing it however one's table finds most fun is great. But, I'm looking for official sources or references if available. If there aren't any, then I would accept any semi-official or well-informed well-reasoned arguments, preferably backed up by evidence that it's the usual way that groups handle this.

Answer 1

It Can (and possibly should) Be but we don't have an official rule

The rules do specifically call out damage of AOE or Multi-target effects to be roll once apply to all. However, it doesn't say the same about healing AOE or Multi-target spells.

With this absence of a rule specifically about healing you can fall back on how damage works and just assume that is how it should be handled and that has one big advantage, less time rolling dice. If your table doesn't care to much for rolling dice and wants to get back to the story you just roll once. Everyone adds it to their health. Then you get back to the action.

However you can also roll for each recipient or have each recipient roll themselves. This has one big advantage, more time rolling dice. this might be preferable if your table likes rolling dice, everyone has enough dice to do it at the same time, or you are using a RNG dice rollers. This also gives the players more of a hand in how much they get healed.

The case can also be made that individual rolls for heals will be less swingy in over all healing. It can suck to do an AOE 2d6 heal and roll snake eyes, thus giving everyone in the group 2 health when the average would be 7. Where rolling for each recipient would tend closer to the average, even if one of the group only gets 2 health back.

Ultimately it comes down to how your table and GM want to handle it. It would be difficult to determine what general practice is without a poll of some sort, and baring a direct statement from a designer or an errata added there is not going to be a more authoritative than a table level.

Answer 2

As Darth Pseudonym has pointed out, I could not find an explicit statement for healing spells.

However, Jeremy Crawford has noted on Twitter that for multitarget spells like Magic Missile, the intent is for damage to be rolled once for all darts (Or I'd imagine, targets). Similarly for Burning Hands and the like.

Answer 3

It isn't stated explicitly, but yes, the same rule should apply. It's not a balance thing, it's just for keeping play moving along quickly. Nobody wants to sit while you roll six times...

Answer 4

The healing should be constant for the spell if it heals multiple targets at the same time.

See the description under "What Is a Spell?" on p. 201 of the PHB (emphasis mine):

A spell is a discrete magical effect, a single shaping of the magical energies that suffuse the multiverse into a specific, limited expression. In casting a spell, a character carefully plucks at the invisible strands of raw magic suffusing the world, pins them in place in a particular pattern, sets them vibrating in a specific way, and then releases them to unleash the desired effect — in most cases, all in the span of seconds.

This shows that the magical effect is unleashed, implying that the same effect is uniform throughout the spell. If a spell is a "single shaping" of magic, then a spell that heals multiple targets at one instant in time should have a consistent impact on every target.