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Aid

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Aid
  • Level: 2
  • School: Abjuration
  • Class: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger
  • Casting Time: Action
  • Range: 30 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (a strip of white cloth)
  • Duration: 8 hours

Choose up to three creatures within range. Each target's Hit Point maximum and current Hit Points increase by 5 for the duration.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. Each target's Hit Points increase by 5 for each spell slot level above 2.

Tactical Usage​

When to Choose Aid:

  • Essential pre-combat preparation for anticipated difficult encounters
  • Excellent for protecting fragile party members (wizards, sorcerers)
  • Strong choice when facing enemies with instant-death effects
  • Valuable for extending adventuring day endurance

Positioning Considerations:

  • 30-foot range allows flexibility in targeting
  • Can target unconscious or unwilling creatures
  • Best cast during short rests or before anticipated danger
  • Consider casting on frontline fighters and fragile allies

Target Prioritization:

  • Prioritize characters with lowest maximum hit points
  • Focus on party members likely to face concentrated attacks
  • Include yourself if you're in a support role
  • Consider animal companions, familiars, and summons

Spell Combinations​

Synergistic Spells:

  • Bless: Combined defensive/offensive enhancement
  • Sanctuary: Protect aided allies from targeting
  • Death Ward: Stack multiple layers of protection
  • Heroes' Feast: Multiple protective effects

Multi-Round Strategies:

  • Cast before long rests to maintain overnight
  • Combine with healing spells for maximum survivability
  • Use with battlefield control to protect enhanced allies
  • Stack with other long-duration defensive magic

Material Component Details​

Strip of White Cloth:

  • Availability: Common fabric, easily obtained
  • Cost: Negligible (few copper pieces)
  • Alternatives: Bandages, torn clothing, handkerchiefs work
  • Flavor: White represents purity and healing energy

Roleplay Opportunities:

  • Wrap cloth around targets' wrists or foreheads
  • Use blessed or consecrated cloth for religious characters
  • Describe the cloth glowing or warming during casting
  • Reference the symbolic connection to healing and protection

Creator Notes​

Adjudication Guidance:

  • Hit point increases are immediately applied to both maximum and current
  • If cast multiple times, effects don't stack (use highest value)
  • Temporary hit points from other sources stack with Aid
  • Effect ends when duration expires, potentially reducing current HP below maximum

Encounter Design Considerations:

  • Significantly increases party survivability in long encounters
  • NPCs can benefit from this spell for dramatic effect
  • Consider enemy dispelling tactics against long-duration buffs
  • Affects encounter balance calculations for CR

Balancing Notes:

  • 8-hour duration makes this excellent value for spell slot investment
  • Scaling provides meaningful choices for higher-level slots
  • No concentration required allows stacking with other effects
  • Preventive rather than reactive, encouraging strategic planning

Environmental Interactions​

Duration Considerations:

  • Lasts through most adventuring days
  • Survives short rests but not long rests
  • Weather and environmental hazards don't affect the magic
  • Can be dispelled by magical effects or antimagic fields

Social Interactions:

  • Visible magical enhancement may affect NPC reactions
  • Useful for diplomatic missions where danger is anticipated
  • Can demonstrate magical capability without aggression
  • May be required or prohibited in certain social contexts

Exploration Applications:

  • Provides buffer against environmental damage
  • Useful before entering known dangerous areas
  • Helps survive unexpected falls or traps
  • Extends survival in harsh conditions

Common Rulings & Clarifications​

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What happens if Aid expires when I'm below my original maximum HP? A: Your current hit points remain unchanged, but your maximum decreases. You could end up with current HP above your new maximum.

Q: Does Aid stack with temporary hit points? A: Yes, Aid increases your actual hit point maximum, while temporary hit points are separate.

Q: Can I target the same creatures multiple times with different castings? A: No, multiple castings don't stack. Use the highest enhancement value.

Q: Does Aid help against instant death effects? A: Yes, by increasing your maximum hit points, you're less likely to be reduced to 0 HP by massive damage.

Alternative Applications​

Non-Combat Uses:

  • Dangerous Labor: Protect workers in hazardous environments
  • Medical Procedures: Enhance patient survival during risky treatments
  • Exploration Prep: Buffer against unknown environmental dangers
  • Social Protection: Safeguard during potentially violent negotiations

Creative Problem-Solving:

  • Enhance animal companions for dangerous tasks
  • Protect NPCs during escort missions
  • Buffer against known trap damage
  • Survive dangerous magical experiments

Similar Support Spells:

  • False Life: Single target, temporary hit points
  • Death Ward: Protection against instant death
  • Heroes' Feast: Multiple benefits including hit points
  • Mass Cure Wounds: Immediate healing vs. prevention

Protective Magic:

  • Bless: Offensive and defensive bonuses
  • Protection from Evil and Good: Specific creature protection
  • Shield of Faith: AC bonus with similar duration
  • Sanctuary: Defensive targeting protection

2nd-Level Alternatives:

  • Lesser Restoration: Remove conditions
  • Prayer of Healing: Group healing
  • Enhance Ability: Ability score improvements
  • Barkskin: Natural armor enhancement

Scaling Analysis​

Level Progression:

  • Early Game (Levels 3-6): Significant percentage increase to hit points
  • Mid Game (Levels 7-12): Solid defensive option, good scaling
  • Late Game (Levels 13+): Still valuable for action economy and duration

Spell Slot Efficiency:

  • 2nd Level: 15 total hit points (5×3 targets) for 8 hours
  • 3rd Level: 30 total hit points - excellent scaling
  • 4th Level: 45 total hit points - very efficient
  • Higher Levels: Continues to scale linearly

Long-Term Viability:

  • Duration makes it valuable throughout character progression
  • No concentration allows stacking with other defensive magic
  • Percentage benefit decreases but absolute benefit remains solid
  • Always useful for protecting fragile party members

Narrative Flavor​

Extended Description: You speak words of encouragement and resilience while binding strips of white cloth around your allies' limbs. As the magic takes hold, a warm, golden radiance suffuses their bodies, strengthening muscle, fortifying bone, and steeling their resolve. The cloth glows briefly before fading, leaving behind an enduring sense of vitality and determination that courses through their veins like liquid courage.

Sensory Details:

  • Visual: Golden light emanating from the white cloth bindings
  • Auditory: Whispered prayers or words of encouragement
  • Tactile: Warmth spreading through the body, feeling of increased strength
  • Emotional: Sense of confidence, determination, and readiness

Cultural Context: In many traditions, white cloth represents purity, healing, and divine protection. Clerics often use blessed bandages or strips from sacred vestments, while druids might employ cloth made from plant fibers grown in sacred groves. The spell embodies the principle that true strength comes not just from individual power, but from the support and care of one's companions.