by Claude Helper | Sep 8, 2026 | Spells
Level 1 Divination spell available to Bards and Druids, and a Ritual. It lets you talk to beasts, which unlocks a surprising amount of quest content, lore, and shortcuts.
Spell description: Gain the ability to comprehend and verbally communicate with beasts.
Spell properties
- Range: Self
- Duration: Until Long Rest
- Ritual spell
- Cost: Action + Spell Slot
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
Casting Speak with Animals at higher levels provides no additional benefits.
How to obtain Speak with Animals
- Bard, Druid at Class level 1
- Nature Domain (Cleric) at Class level 1, as a Domain Spell
- Ranger at Class level 2
- Oath of the Ancients (Paladin) and Wildheart (Barbarian) at Class level 3
- Knowledge Domain (Cleric) at Class level 6
- Forest Gnome at Character level 1
- Granted by features: Magic Initiate: Bard or Druid, Ritual Caster
- Source item: Potion of Animal Speaking
Gain the ability to comprehend and verbally communicate with beasts.
When to cast Speak with Animals
It is a Ritual, so out of combat it costs you nothing but a moment, and Baldur’s Gate 3 is stuffed with talking animals that hand you quests, secrets, lore, and the occasional shortcut. Keeping it prepared quietly opens a lot of content.
There is no combat use whatsoever, so it lives entirely in the exploration and dialogue half of the game. If you have a Druid or Bard, cast it and forget it, because it lasts until Long Rest and pays off constantly.
by Claude Helper | Sep 8, 2026 | Spells
Level 1 Transmutation spell available to Bards, Druids, and Wizards, and a Ritual. It grants +3m Movement Speed until Long Rest, and upcasts to cover the whole party.
Spell description: Touch a creature to increase its Movement Speed by 3m.
Spell properties
- Range: Melee (1.5m)
- Duration: Until Long Rest
- Ritual spell
- Conditions applied: +3m Movement Speed.
- Cost: Action + Spell Slot
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
Casting Longstrider at a higher level affects an additional target for each spell slot level above the 1st.
How to obtain Longstrider
- Bard, Druid, Wizard at Class level 1
- Ranger at Class level 2
- Arcane Trickster (Rogue) and Eldritch Knight (Fighter) at Class level 3
- Granted by features: Magic Initiate: Bard, Druid, or Wizard, Ritual Caster
- Source items: Blackguard’s Greaves, Boots of Persistence
Touch a creature to increase its Movement Speed by 3m.
When to cast Longstrider
Extra movement is quietly one of the strongest things you can hand a character. +3m every turn means your melee reaches the enemy a turn sooner, your archer keeps repositioning to high ground, and everyone escapes hazards faster.
It is a Ritual with an unusually generous upcast, buffing an extra party member per slot level, so a single higher-level cast can speed up the whole team until Long Rest. Cast it in the morning and enjoy a better positioned party all day.
by Claude Helper | Sep 8, 2026 | Spells
Level 1 Evocation spell available to Paladins. It adds 1d6 Psychic to a hit and may Frighten the target, taking a melee threat off your back line for two turns.
Spell description: Your weapon absorbs your wrath as you strike, possibly Frightening your target. If the spellcaster misses the initial Attack, the Spell Slot and Bonus Action are not consumed.
Spell properties
- Damage: 1d6 Psychic plus normal weapon damage
- Damage type: Psychic
- Range: Weapon range
- Duration: Concentration
- Save: WIS save
- Attack type: Melee weapon Attack Roll
- Conditions applied: Frightened for 2 turns on a failed save.
- Cost: Action + Bonus Action + Spell Slot
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
Casting Wrathful Smite at higher levels provides no additional benefits.
How to obtain Wrathful Smite
- The Hexblade (Warlock) at Class level 1
- Paladin at Class level 2
- Source item: Voss’s Silver Sword
Your weapon absorbs your wrath as you strike, possibly Frightening your target. If the spellcaster misses the initial Attack, the Spell Slot and Bonus Action are not consumed.
When to cast Wrathful Smite
The 1d6 is trivial; the Frightened rider is the reason to cast it. A frightened enemy attacks at Disadvantage and cannot approach you, which effectively takes a melee threat off your back line for two turns.
It is Concentration and a Wisdom save, so it is less reliable than the other smites, and it does nothing on the disciplined enemies that resist fear. On the right target, though, one failed save neutralises a dangerous attacker for a single slot, and a miss costs you nothing.
by Claude Helper | Sep 8, 2026 | Spells
Level 1 Conjuration spell available to Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards. A dart for 1d10 Piercing plus a 2d6 Cold explosion that goes off even on a miss, leaving an Ice surface behind. A reliable arcane opener.
Spell description: Throw a shard of ice that deals 1d10 Piercing damage. It explodes and deals 2d6 Cold damage to anyone nearby. It leaves an Ice surface. On a miss, the shard of ice still explodes.
Spell properties
- Damage: 1d10 Piercing plus 2d6 Cold
- Damage type: Piercing, Cold
- Range: 18m (60ft)
- Area: 2m (7ft) radius
- Save: DEX save
- Attack type: Ranged
- Conditions applied: Creates an Ice surface for 2 turns.
- Cost: Action + Spell Slot
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
Casting Ice Knife at a higher level deals an additional 1d6 Cold damage for each spell slot level above the 1st.
How to obtain Ice Knife
- Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard at Class level 1
- Arcane Trickster (Rogue) and Eldritch Knight (Fighter) at Class level 3
- College of Lore (Bard) at Class level 6 via Magical Secrets
- Bard at Class level 10 via Magical Secrets
- Granted by features: Magic Initiate: Druid, Sorcerer, or Wizard
- Source items: Frost Prince, Snow-Dusted Monastery Gloves
Throw a shard of ice that deals 1d10 Piercing damage. It explodes and deals 2d6 Cold damage to anyone nearby. It leaves an Ice surface. On a miss, the shard of ice still explodes.
When to cast Ice Knife
Two damage types, a single-target dart plus a small area explosion, and it explodes even on a miss, so it never fully whiffs. For a Level 1 slot that is a lot of coverage: chip one target and splash the cluster around it.
The Ice surface is the bonus. It makes enemies slip and fall Prone, and it feeds the wet-and-cold combos, so following it with more Cold or a shove is easy value. A tidy, reliable opener for any arcane caster.
by Claude Helper | Sep 8, 2026 | Spells
Cantrip Conjuration spell available to Druids, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards. It sprays a target for 1d12 Poison on a failed Constitution save. Big die, short range, common resistance.
Spell description: Project a puff of noxious gas.
Spell properties
- Damage: 1d12 Poison
- Damage type: Poison
- Range: 3m (10ft)
- Save: CON save
- Cost: Action
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
At character level 5, damage increases to 2d12 Poison. At character level 10, damage increases to 3d12 Poison.
How to obtain Poison Spray
- Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard at Class level 1
- Nature Domain (Cleric) at Class level 1, as a Domain Spell
- Circle of the Land (Druid) at Class level 2
- Eldritch Knight (Fighter) and Arcane Trickster (Rogue) at Class level 3
- High Elf and High Half-Elf at Character level 1
- Granted by features: Magic Initiate: Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard
Damage:
1-12
1d12, Poison
Project a puff of noxious gas that deals 1d12 Poison damage on a failed Constitution Saving Throw.
When to cast Poison Spray
On paper it rolls the same 1d12 as Toll of the Dead, but two things hold it back: the range is only 3m, so you are standing in melee to use it, and an enormous number of enemies resist or are immune to Poison.
Where it works, it works: against a wounded, non-resistant target you are in melee with, it is a big hit for a cantrip. Just know that the Constitution save favours exactly the tough enemies you are most likely to be next to.
Range: Self
Duration: Until Long Rest
Save: WIS save 
AoE: 2m (7ft) radius 
