How does the Spell Compendium change the healer spell list?

Question

The healer class from the Miniature's Handbook has on its spell list the close wounds spell. The Spell Compendium doesn't list the close wounds spell as a healer spell. Should a healer that's in a campaign that uses the Spell Compendium use the older version of the close wounds spell from the MH or the newer SpC version? If the newer one, what spell level should the close wounds spell be for a healer?

Answer 1

Spell Compendium deals exclusively with spells used by the classes and prestige classes introduced in the Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide,

^{(Spell Compendium pg. 3)}

Since healer is from Miniatures Handbook, Spell Compendium ignores it and does not list it on any spells. Despite this, it continues to use all the spells Miniatures Handbook listed on its spell list, and Spell Compendium furthermore recommends that DMs augment the healer spell list, saying to

Add spells concerned with healing, providing protections, removing affliction, and providing for needs. In particular, add higher-level versions of spells the healer can already cast, such as mass restoration.

^{(Spell Compendium pg. 3)}

Furthermore, the Sources sidebar on page 4 says

If you have been playing with a spell we’ve picked up and revised for this book, you should strongly consider updating your character or campaign to the new version.

[...]

Most of the changes we made to previously published material we made to create an improved version of that material—to help out spells that were formerly suboptimal choices,

^{(Spell Compendium pg. 4)}

All of this means that the fact that healer is not listed in close wounds on page 48 should be ignored—healer isn’t listed anywhere in Spell Compendium, for any spell. Nonetheless, this is the same close wounds as in Miniatures Handbook, just updated, and so since close wounds is a healer spell (per Miniatures Handbook, which covers the healer while Spell Compendium doesn’t), the healer would use the updated Spell Compendium version. Even if Miniatures Handbook didn’t make close wounds a healer spell, the description on page 3 certainly says that it should be one anyway, just like mass restoration.

And since the Miniatures Handbook version of close wounds is a 3rd-level spell for both cleric and healer, the Spell Compendium version, a 2nd-level spell for the cleric, should also be so for the healer.