Spirit Guardians

Level 3 Conjuration spell available to Clerics. Spirits swirl around you dealing 3d8 a turn to every enemy within 3m and halving their movement. It turns your Cleric into a walking area of denial, and it is the best Level 3 spell in the game for anyone who can cast it.

Spell description: Call forth spirits to protect you. Nearby enemies take damage per turn, and their Movement Speed is halved.

Spell properties

• Range: Self
• Area: 3m (10ft) radius
• Duration: 10 turns
• Concentration spell
• Save: WIS save
• Damage: 3d8 Radiant or 3d8 Necrotic per turn
• Conditions applied: Movement Speed halved. Caster cannot become Invisible.
• Cost: Action + Spell Slot
• Recharge: Per action

Spell upcasting

Casting Spirit Guardians at a higher level increases the damage by 1d8 Radiant or 1d8 Necrotic for each spell slot level above the 3rd.

How to obtain Spirit Guardians

• Cleric at Class level 5
• College of Lore (Bard) at Class level 6 via Magical Secrets
• Bard at Class level 10 via Magical Secrets

Source item: None. No item in the game grants Spirit Guardians.

SPIRIT GUARDIANS

Level 3 Conjuration Spell

Call forth spirits to protect you. Nearby enemies take damage per turn, and their Movement Speed is halved.

On save: The creature takes half damage.

Range: Self Save: WIS save AoE: 3m (10ft) Radius Duration: 10 turns

Action Level 3 Spell Slot

AREA: SPIRIT GUARDIANS

Duration: 10 turns

AoE: 3m (10ft) Radius

3d8 Radiant or Necrotic damage to enemies in the area each turn. Their Movement Speed is halved.

Notes

• Damage type depends on your Cleric’s alignment of domain: Radiant for most, Necrotic for others.
• The caster cannot become Invisible while it is active.
• Concentration.

When to cast Spirit Guardians

Cast it and then walk at people. The spirits damage every enemy in range every turn without you spending anything, so your Action is still free to swing a mace, cast Spiritual Weapon, or heal somebody. It is 3d8 a turn to everyone nearby, for free, for ten turns.

Halved movement is the other half of the spell, and it is what makes a Cleric a wall. Enemies trying to reach your backline have to cross the aura at half speed, taking 3d8 every turn they are in it. Most of them do not get through.

Stand in a doorway. This is the single most effective thing a Cleric can do in Baldur’s Gate 3 and it borders on parody. One Cleric with Spirit Guardians in a corridor can hold an entire encounter on their own.

It is Concentration, so armour up and stay standing. And it prevents you turning Invisible, which occasionally matters. Upcast it freely: +1d8 per slot level on a per-turn effect is much better scaling than it looks.