Pass Without Trace

Level 2 Abjuration spell available to Druids and Rangers. A flat +10 bonus to Stealth Checks for you and every companion nearby. Not Advantage. Ten points. It is the largest single modifier any spell in the game hands out, and it turns your whole party, plate armour and all, into a competent stealth team.

Spell description: Call forth a veil of shadows and silence that gives you and all nearby companions a +10 bonus to Stealth Checks.

Spell properties

• Range: Self
• Area: 9m (30ft)
• Duration: Long Rest
• Concentration spell
• Conditions applied: You and all nearby companions gain a +10 bonus to Stealth Checks.
• Cost: Action + Spell Slot
• Recharge: Per action

Spell upcasting

Casting Pass Without Trace at higher levels provides no additional benefits.

How to obtain Pass Without Trace

• Druid at Class level 3
• Ranger at Class level 5

Source items: Ring of Shadows, Scroll of Pass Without Trace

When to cast Pass Without Trace

+10 in a d20 system is ridiculous. It is worth roughly double what Advantage gives you, and it applies to every companion in range, including the Barbarian whose heavy armour has him on a 5 point Stealth penalty and who normally functions as a walking alarm. With this running he is stealthier than an unbuffed Rogue.

That is the point of the spell. It does not make your sneaky character sneakier. It makes your whole party viable at stealth, which unlocks an entire way of playing Baldur’s Gate 3 that most people never touch. Ambushes from hiding, Sneak Attack on the opening round with every character, whole encounters skipped, guards walked straight past.

It lasts until a Long Rest, so cast it and forget about it, but it is Concentration, and one solid hit on the Druid drops it for everyone at once. Keep the caster out of harm’s way and re-cast after every fight.

The most reliable opener in the game: Pass Without Trace, split the party, everyone hides, then all four attack from stealth in the same round. Most encounters do not survive that.