Cure Wounds is melee????

[Bitula]

This spell is not even an attack (subject to disadvantage), so why is it: Melee: 2 metres. I mean what is the difference between "Range: 2 metres" and "Melee: 2 metres" in case of a spell which is not an attack spell. I guess there is zero difference. Correct? But, if there is, then what?
Thanks in advance,
I googled and found nothing, so probably someone here knows.

Edit: since this spell actually can probably wound undead, lets see an other example:
Goodbery, Longstride.
These for sure don't harm anyone. But they are marked as melee in the description popup (of Druid Tiefling in my case).
Edit2:
in case as suggested below "melee: 2m" is an alias for "Touch spell", then what is the difference between Touch spell and Range2 m spell in this case (Goodbery)? I mean are there cases when I cannot touch my own party member (or myself) to heal him? If no we can end this discussion :), otherwise please explain!
(Background info: I want to build a melee caster, but seems that melee icon doesn't have to do anything with a "melee build/fighter type char"). So just wonder should I ignore it.

[spasti696969]

bro you gotta touch them to heal them, that's been a thing since like the 80's

[lefty1117]

a Touch range spell always hits, a Melee range spell requires an attack roll.

As far as cure light wounds being touch range, that's how it has always been in D&D and it causes you to make a decision between taking that or Healing Word in your spell list. Pure healers may take both, though I find healing word to be more valuable.

[Rachel Dawn Amber]

sex is melee spell as well, just so you know

[Bitula]

First i should admit I am not native English, so probably you misunderstood something about my question. Let me try it again. You know there is an info panel which popups when you hover over spells. When you do this for spells I mentioned in the OP (Original Post), like Goodbery, you will see in one of the last rows a word "Melee" preceded by double sword icon. Then when you hover over that one (after pressing T) it will write: Melee: 2 metres. Now when you do this for other spells, instead there is only an icon representing range, and then after T it reads as "Range: XY metre". So my question was, what does melee mean? A suggestion was, that it stands for "Ranged touch spell". We'll OK, but why is it called melee? With melee there should be an attack roll involved. Whereas these spells have no attack roll.

[Bitula]

Originally posted by lefty1117:

a Touch range spell always hits, a Melee range spell requires an attack roll.

As far as cure light wounds being touch range, that's how it has always been in D&D and it causes you to make a decision between taking that or Healing Word in your spell list. Pure healers may take both, though I find healing word to be more valuable.

Well yeah, so my question was why in BG they are marked a melee and not just specifiying a range. Btw I didn't know that touch range always hits, is it since dnd 5.5? In the older versions they missed, like for example in Kingmaker (game).

[lefty1117]

Originally posted by Bitula:

Originally posted by lefty1117:

a Touch range spell always hits, a Melee range spell requires an attack roll.

As far as cure light wounds being touch range, that's how it has always been in D&D and it causes you to make a decision between taking that or Healing Word in your spell list. Pure healers may take both, though I find healing word to be more valuable.

Well yeah, so my question was why in BG they are marked a melee and not just specifiying a range. Btw I didn't know that touch range always hits, is it since dnd 5.5? In the older versions they missed, like for example in Kingmaker (game).

On a touch-range spell If the target is unwilling then it would be a saving throw to resist the effect. Bestow Curse is an example. On a melee spell it would be an attack roll to hit, such as inflict wounds or contagion. The spell descriptions don't usually differentiate between "touch" vs "melee" - it will usually say something like "touch the creature" int he spell description but the important part is whether it indicates to roll an attack or a target saving throw. You're right that they don't make a clear distinction in terms of classifying or tagging the spell as "touch vs melee" but that is the basic difference. Would be good for them to clean that up - it doesn't make a ton of sense that touching in one instance would require a saving throw vs an attack roll in another.

[Iron Reaper]

Originally posted by Night Foxx:

Originally posted by Meat Cannon:

You literally have a long range single target heal as well, so why the fuss?

Because the short range one heals more, obviously. Not a lot more, but it can make a difference.

Not enough to matter

[igor140]

I believe "touch" and "melee" were slightly different things in previous versions of DnD, and that got simplified in 5e.

The short version is that "melee" range is defined as being within 5ft (2m, i guess), such that you could reach out and touch the target.

In previous editions (as well as PF and some others), you had to make an attack roll against unwilling creatures to "touch" them before the spell went into effect... but that got complicated.

The assumption in 5e is that if the target is within 5ft of you, you can touch them. (Unless there's some weird-ass reason you can't like being incorporeal or something.)

tl;dr
You have to be able to physically touch the recipient of Cure Wounds. This is reason 53 that Healing Word is better.

[Bitula]

Yes, that is how i remember from PF, so was surprised. But I just checked, that all my mentioned spells have wisdome saving throws which is as Lefty mentioned: "On a touch-range spell If the target is unwilling then it would be a saving throw". But now I wonder. Does this mean the enemy will save against Goodberry??? Or they will be willing?