Healer

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A healer is a character who focuses on restoring and/or preventing health loss in others. Additionally, healers are expected to deal with other maladies affecting teammates, such as conditions and hexes.

As such, it's a basic concept not only in Guild Wars, but in most CRPGs.

[edit] Philosophy

Most combats come down to a contest between a team's ability to deal damage and their opponents' ability to heal or prevent it. Since most teams have a greater ability to deal damage than to heal it, attempting to simply outheal the opponents' damage will generally result in failure. Thus, good healing relies on preventing damage as well as restoring life; teammates can also help mitigate damage against themselves with techniques such as kiting and the use of defensive stances, and help to heal themselves via self heal skills.

[edit] Professions

Most commonly, healing is done via effects in the Restoration Magic (Ritualist) and Healing Prayers (Monk) lines, although some effects in Protection Prayers (Monk), Wind Prayers (Dervish) and Motivation (Paragon) also heal. All classes have additional self-only healing effects.

[edit] Tools

While there are no general equipment dedicated to this, there are a large number of skills dedicated to this purpose. Most Monk skills and almost all Restoration Magic skills fit here, making ritualists and monks seen as healer professions. Paragons have a large selection of suitable skills too, but can only fullfill some aspects of the role. Dervishes, and rangers also have skills related to healing, but they are not considered healer professions. Mesmers don't, but have good hex removal.

[edit] Techniques

Various healing skills and tactics have different advantages, and a well-designed backline should cover them all.

Spike healing skills typically deliver poor efficiency (life gain per energy), but can heal a large amount very quickly and are used to catch spikes.
Party healing skills provide very good efficiency if many people in the party need healing, but are often slow and do not deliver much health to any one target. A team lacking this is vulnerable to party-wide pressure from degeneration or AoE.
Spot healing skills provide efficient, spammable healing on a single target, and are used in conjunction with prots to save single targets under sustained attack.