Guardian of Faith

Level 4 Conjuration spell available to Clerics. A stationary spectral guardian that hits anything that comes near it, paying for every point of damage with its own Hit Points. It is a damage budget you drop on the floor, not a summon you steer.

Spell description: Call forth a divine guardian that attacks nearby enemies. Every time it deals damage, the guardian loses an equal amount of Hit Points.

Spell properties

• Range: 9m (30ft)
• Duration: 10 turns
• Conditions applied: Summons a Guardian of Faith for 10 turns. It strikes nearby enemies and retaliates when attacked, losing Hit Points equal to the damage it deals.
• Cost: Action + Spell Slot
• Recharge: Per action

Spell upcasting

Casting Guardian of Faith at higher levels provides no additional benefits.

How to obtain Guardian of Faith

• Cleric at Class level 7
• Light Domain and Life Domain Clerics get it as a Domain spell at Class level 7
• Bard via Magical Secrets at Class level 10

When to cast Guardian of Faith

Think of it as a pile of damage sitting in a spot. The guardian does not move, so put it where enemies are going to be: on the chokepoint, next to your tank, or right in the middle of a group that is already engaged.

It does not need Concentration, which is why it is worth a Level 4 slot. Your Cleric can drop the guardian and then Concentrate on Spirit Guardians or Bless, and the two effects stack into a very unpleasant space for enemies to stand in.

The Hit Point trade is the whole design. It burns itself out as it deals damage, so you get roughly its Hit Point total in damage over its lifetime, no more. It is not a tank, and it will not last ten turns in a real fight.

Skip it in fights that are mobile or spread out. If nothing walks up to the guardian it just stands there looking holy.