Shillelagh

Shillelagh

Cantrip Transmutation spell available to Druids, cast as a Bonus Action. It turns your club or quarterstaff magical and lets it swing off your Spellcasting modifier instead of Strength.

Spell description: Imbue your staff or club with nature’s power. It becomes magical, deals 1d8+2 Bludgeoning damage, and uses your Spellcasting Ability for Attack Rolls.

Spell properties

  • Damage: 1d8 + Spellcasting modifier Bludgeoning
  • Damage type: Bludgeoning
  • Range: Self
  • Duration: 10 turns
  • Cost: Bonus Action
  • Recharge: Per action

Spell upcasting

This cantrip does not scale with character level, but the weapon damage grows as your Spellcasting modifier does.

How to obtain Shillelagh

  • Druid at Class level 1
  • Nature Domain (Cleric) at Class level 1, as a Domain Spell
  • Granted by features: Magic Initiate: Druid

Shillelagh

Transmutation Cantrip

Imbue your staff or club with nature’s power. It becomes magical and uses your Spellcasting Ability for Attack Rolls.

Range: Self Duration: 10 turns

When to cast Shillelagh

This is the cantrip that lets a Druid dump Strength and still hit things. With Shillelagh up, your staff attacks use your Wisdom, so you can build a caster and still hold the front line early on.

It costs a Bonus Action and lasts ten turns, so flick it on at the start of a fight and forget about it. It is at its best on a melee-leaning Druid or a Nature Cleric before Wild Shape and better weapons take over.

Sacred Flame

Sacred Flame

Cantrip Evocation spell available to Clerics. It calls down a flame-like radiance for 1d8 Radiant on a Dexterity save. Because it is a save rather than an attack roll, it ignores Armour Class entirely, which makes it a dependable poke against heavily armoured enemies.

Spell description: Conjure a flame-like radiance that deals 1d8 Radiant.

Spell properties

  • Damage: 1d8 Radiant
  • Damage type: Radiant
  • Range: 18m (60ft)
  • Save: DEX save
  • Attack type: Ranged
  • Cost: Action
  • Recharge: Per action

Spell upcasting

At character level 5, damage increases to 2d8 Radiant. At character level 10, damage increases to 3d8 Radiant.

How to obtain Sacred Flame

  • Cleric at Class level 1
  • Sanctified Stalker (Ranger) 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: Cleric

Sacred Flame

Evocation Cantrip
Damage: 1-8
1d8, Radiant

Conjure a flame-like radiance that deals 1d8 Radiant.

Range: 18m (60ft) Save: DEX save

When to cast Sacred Flame

It is a save, not an attack roll, so it ignores Armour Class entirely. That makes it your reliable poke against heavily armoured enemies your weapon attacks keep bouncing off, and Radiant is resisted by almost nothing.

The downside is the Dexterity save: nimble enemies dodge it completely, and there is no half-damage on a save. Against slow, armoured targets it is excellent. Against a rogue it is a coin flip.

Radiant also shines in Act 2 and against undead, and it pairs beautifully with the Radiating Orb items that stack Disadvantage every time you hit.

Resistance

Resistance

Cantrip Abjuration spell available to Clerics and Druids, and the defensive twin of Guidance. It gives a creature +1d4 on Saving Throws for ten turns.

Spell description: Magically bolster a creature’s defences. It receives a +1d4 bonus to Saving Throws.

Spell properties

  • Range: Melee (1.5m)
  • Duration: 10 turns
  • Concentration spell
  • Cost: Action
  • Recharge: Per action

Spell upcasting

This cantrip does not scale. The bonus stays at 1d4.

How to obtain Resistance

  • Cleric, Druid at Class level 1
  • Circle of the Land (Druid) at Class level 2
  • Granted by features: Magic Initiate: Cleric, Magic Initiate: Druid

Resistance

Abjuration Cantrip

Magically bolster a creature’s defences. It receives a +1d4 bonus to Saving Throws.

Range: Melee (1.5m) Duration: 10 turns

When to cast Resistance

It is more situational than Guidance because it is Concentration and only helps against effects that call for a save. Cast it on someone about to walk into a known save-or-suck, and the 1d4 can be the difference between shrugging off a Hold Person and losing a character for the fight.

The Concentration cost is the catch: your Cleric holding Resistance is not holding Spirit Guardians or Bless. In practice Bless does the same job for the whole party, so Resistance is a niche pick.

Guidance

Guidance

Cantrip Divination spell available to Clerics and Druids. It hands an ally a +1d4 bonus to Ability Checks for ten turns, which sounds tiny until you remember how many skill checks this game throws at you outside combat.

Spell description: Bestow guidance upon an ally. They gain a +1d4 bonus to Ability Checks.

Spell properties

  • Range: Melee (1.5m)
  • Duration: 10 turns
  • Concentration spell
  • Cost: Action
  • Recharge: Per action

Spell upcasting

This cantrip does not scale. The bonus stays at 1d4.

How to obtain Guidance

  • Cleric, Druid at Class level 1
  • Circle of the Stars (Druid) at Class level 2
  • Pact of the Tome (Warlock) and Arcane Archer (Fighter) at Class level 3
  • Granted by features: Magic Initiate: Cleric, Magic Initiate: Druid
  • Source item: Silver Pendant

Guidance

Divination Cantrip

Bestow guidance upon an ally. They gain a +1d4 bonus to Ability Checks.

Range: Melee (1.5m) Duration: 10 turns

When to cast Guidance

This is a dialogue and lockpicking cantrip, not a combat one. Cast it before a big persuasion check, a hard lock, or a disarm, and you have a free 1d4 swinging the roll your way. Over a whole playthrough that is a lot of checks quietly passed.

It is Concentration, so you cannot hold it alongside a control spell in a fight, but out of combat that never matters. There is almost no reason not to have it prepared on a Cleric or Druid.

Goodberry

Goodberry

Level 1 Transmutation spell available to Druids and Rangers. It conjures four berries that each heal 1d4 and sit in your inventory until you rest. Cheap, portable healing that costs no Action to use later.

Spell description: Conjure four magical berries for yourself or a companion. Creatures who eat a berry regain 1d4 Hit Points. The berries appear in the targeted creature’s inventory and disappear after a Long Rest.

Spell properties

  • Range: Melee (1.5m)
  • Duration: Until Long Rest
  • Cost: Action + Spell Slot
  • Recharge: Per action

Spell upcasting

Casting Goodberry at higher levels provides no additional benefits.

How to obtain Goodberry

  • Druid at Class level 1
  • Ranger at Class level 2
  • Granted by features: Magic Initiate: Druid

Goodberry

Level 1 Transmutation Spell

Conjure four magical berries for yourself or a companion. Creatures who eat a berry regain 1d4 Hit Points. The berries appear in the targeted creature’s inventory and disappear after a Long Rest.

Range: Melee (1.5m) Duration: Until Long Rest

When to cast Goodberry

Cast it after a Long Rest and hand the berries out. They sit in the inventory as free out-of-combat healing that does not cost anyone an Action later, and they last until you rest again, so a slot spent in the morning is four heals banked for the day.

In combat a berry is a Bonus Action to eat, so it is a cheap top-up mid-fight too. It is small healing, but for one Level 1 slot it is remarkably efficient, especially on a Druid who was not going to use that slot for much else.