There is no shortage of D&D buff spells to be used both within and outside of battle. The majority of them are good, but a few are particularly noteworthy and are included below.
In Dungeons & Dragons, teamwork is crucial, especially when it comes to buff spells. These spells can power up even the weakest of allies, ensuring your party is well-prepared for whatever challenges the game throws at you.
Buff spells, for those unaware, are spells that raise a character’s level of ability or skill. They enhance a player’s abilities or buff them. A player in the D&D universe has to adjust or die, and buff spells give you the ability to do just that. So, here are the 10 best D&D buff spells.
Best D&D Buff Spells: The Top 10 Choices
Shield Of Faith
At first glance, Shield of Faith might not seem very impressive. It offers a +2 bonus to Armor Class for a D&D 5e paladin or cleric. However, this seemingly modest boost is more potent than it appears. In a game where small Armor Class bonuses are valuable due to the flat math system, Shield of Faith reduces the chance of attacks hitting by 10%.
As a D&D buff spell, Shield of Faith has additional benefits. It is a first-level spell that a character can cast repeatedly at no cost. Furthermore, casting it just needs one extra action. A character can still use their turn to cast a cantrip or make a weapon attack while shielding themselves or an ally with the shield of faith.
Enlarge/Reduce
This D&D buff spell has two versions: Reduce, usually a debuff, and Enlarge a more traditional buff. Enlarge/Reduce, even in its most basic form, allows an ally to occupy more space on the battlefield and does an additional 1d4 damage with each weapon attack. But there are certain specialized advantages. Reducing a creature makes it more adept at sneaking around or taking cover, while Enlarging a creature turns it into an effective grappler with various advantages.
Additionally, it gives them the benefit of using large weapons—weapons that are normally solely available to opponents.
Bless
This D&D buff spell is a boon for both offense and defense, bestowing a d4 to add to any attack roll or saving throw for up to three chosen friends (including the caster) for a minute. The best part is that it affects multiple creatures, making it an excellent choice to boost the combat abilities of the best characters in D&D 5e.
With a saving throw bonus thrown in for good measure, it’s an inexpensive method to provide the greatest D&D 5e combat characters an accuracy boost akin to the best magic weapons. Despite being limited to a first-level spell slot, Bless is still one of the finest buff spells in D&D 5e throughout the duration of a campaign.
Holy Weapon
Another one of the best D&D buff spells, bonus damage is always a pleasant spell. One simple technique to increase a party member’s power is to have each attack hit harder. Holy Weapon allows an ally to deal an additional 2d8 damage with each weapon attack. This significant buff, equivalent to a paladin using Divine Smite, ensures that few enemies can easily withstand the damage dealt.
Holy Weapon also makes a damaging kind that is rarely resisted possible, therefore few opponents will be able to ignore it. A spellcaster can even end the benefit to blind opponents nearby in desperate situations. As a potent buff spell, Holy Weapon’s only disadvantage is its expensive spell slot cost.
Shadow Blade
While this spell only impacts the caster, it’s invaluable for certain characters like Arcane Trickster Rogues. It deals 2d8 psychic damage, complements a sneak attack, and scales with the caster’s level, offering a minute’s worth of extra damage.
The uncommon self-buff known as “shadow blade” solely has an effect on the caster and only requires a bonus action to cast.
Tenser’s Transformation
This sixth-level spell completely alters a wizard’s playstyle, transforming them into a warrior during its duration. The spell allows the wizard to wield weapons and armor, make two attacks with an action, gain 50 temporary hit points, and deal an additional 2d12 damage with weapon attacks. However, it comes with drawbacks, including the risk of Exhaustion and an inability to cast spells during its duration.
Buff spells typically have restricted effects and work best on characters other than the caster. Tenser’s Transformation eliminates these guidelines and hence, costs more than other top-tier D&D buff spells.
Death Ward
This D&D buff spell isn’t about enhancing abilities but rather saving party members from worst-case scenarios. When a character falls to 0 hit points, Death Ward allows them to remain conscious with 1 hit point, keeping them in the fight.
Death Ward keeps characters from being eliminated from the battle or from passing away from high-damage spells or bursts of melee strikes in a single turn. It also gives friends more freedom to battle without worrying about running out of hit points. As a D&D buff spell, Death Ward’s greatest feature is that it doesn’t need concentration. A character can still use a more traditional buff in combat while casting it on as many teammates as they choose. However, considering its minimal influence outside of life-threatening conditions, it’s lower than many other alternatives.
Enhance Ability
Unlike most combat-focused D&D buff spells, Enhance Ability shines outside of combat. It grants an advantage to an ability check for an hour, ensuring crucial rolls aren’t ruined and desperate attempts are more likely to succeed.
While it’s not the most interesting buff spell in D&D 5e, Enhance Ability is one of the most reliable. Enhance Ability succeeds in the fact that it can grant additional benefits, such as temporary hit points or partial fall damage mitigation.
Shapechange
As a ninth-level spell, Shapechange allows a character to assume the form of any creature with a Challenge Rating lower than their level. What sets it apart from True Polymorph is that the character retains their abilities, offering immense power with few drawbacks.
At first glance, Shapechange could appear to be little more than a stronger variant of the fourth-level spell Polymorph, and less potent than True Polymorph, the ninth-level spell. However, to have the best of both worlds, a monster can use Shapechange while maintaining their skill proficiencies and spellcasting abilities.
Haste
Haste is one of the D&D buff spells that grants an additional action on a character’s turn, making it a top choice for many players. It significantly benefits those taking the Attack action, allowing fighters to gain extra attacks and rogues to perform multiple sneak attacks per round. But its usefulness extends beyond combat, offering additional options like dashing, disengaging, hiding, or using an object.
Anyone who casts this spell gets an additional action during their turn.
Well, all these D&D buff spells truly make a difference by enhancing abilities, providing critical advantages, and ensuring survival in the face of adversity.
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