DPSing as a healer - best practices

[kro]

Use Stoneskin liberally while in Cleric Stance. Stoneskin always shields for a set amount (18% of max HP) even in cleric stance.

Use <tt> macros to reduce the amount of target switching you need to do. <tt> = target of target. Here's an example:

/micon "Stone II"
/ac "Stone II" <t>
/ac "Stone II" <tt>

The first line enables the Stone II icon for your macro. The second line casts Stone II on your target if it's an enemy. The third line casts Stone II on the target of your current target (you cast on whatever your tank is attacking). This lets you deal damage and heal without ever having to switch targets manually in a party. If you're solo, it functions as usual.

Learn what tank cooldowns do and memorize what the buff icons look like. This lets you know when the tank won't need heavy amounts of healing. This is especially useful in WP speed runs.

Know the abilities of the enemies you're fighting so that you can predict spike damage. For example, the Tonberry King's ability Everyone Grudge deals ~1,000 dmg per stack regardless of abilities like shield oath and rampart. If that boss has 4-5 stacks, get out of Cleric Stance and make sure your tank is topped off and has Stoneskin. If you understand all the possible sources of incoming damage, it's easy to know when you're free to deal damage safely.

[Tursiops]

Use Stoneskin liberally while in Cleric Stance. Stoneskin always shields for a set amount (18% of max HP) even in cleric stance.

Yep. My healing usually follows this pattern:
1. Top off tank
2/3. Add Stoneskin/Enter Cleric Stance
4. Aero II -> Aero I
5. Stone II; repeat until tank's Stoneskin is gone.
6/7. Reapply Stoneskin/Exit Cleric Stance
goto 1

If we're down to just one target, I'll stay in CS and switch over to playing pure DPS. Can't let 400+ INT go to waste

Of course, this is all conditional on the rest of my party. If they're well-geared and I trust them, I'm not super concerned about them taking a ton of damage. If I get a bull-headed tank who won't wait for me to cast Stoneskin before pulling mobs, I tend to just stick to pure heals.

[Sirantha]

Use Stoneskin liberally while in Cleric Stance. Stoneskin always shields for a set amount (18% of max HP) even in cleric stance.

Thank you, an FC member and I were theorising about that this weekend, I'd thought about doing this while I was DPSing. Thanks for the tip. And thanks to everyone else for the tips as well!