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D&D 5e spell changes
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This page and related pages summarize rule changes from the implementation of Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5e) rules to Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3).
The rule changes described on this page and related pages are written with the assumption the reader understands the relevant D&D 5e rule. These pages will not explain what the D&D 5e rule is, only what the changed or altered BG3 rule is. These pages also include many BG3 features and abilities that are unchanged from D&D 5e to help a D&D 5e player quickly see which options have changed and which have not, and make decisions without having to do additional research. If the BG3 rule aligns with a OneD&D rule or other playtest material from D&D 5e, that is considered a rule change from D&D 5e.
There will be rapid changes to these pages at BG3's launch, so leaving relevant comments with any edits are strongly encouraged.
Cantrips
| Spell Name | Range and
Duration Changes |
Other Changes |
|---|---|---|
| Acid splash | - | Affects all creatures within a 7 ft radius |
| Blade ward | - | While the spell's description says two turns, it is effectively until the end of the caster's next turn like in D&D 5e |
| Bone Chill (prev. Chill Touch) | Range reduced from 120 ft to 60 ft | Undead have disadvantage on all attacks for a round, not just attacks against the caster. |
| Dancing Lights | Range Reduced from 120 ft to 60 ft | Action to cast, cannot be moved as a bonus action, can only have one light at a time which sheds bright light in a 30 ft radius. |
| Eldritch Blast | Range Reduced from 120 ft to 60 ft | May cast three beams at level 10, rather than level 11. |
| Fire Bolt | - | - |
| Friends | - | You lose reputation with whoever you cast Friends on when the spell ends in Balanced difficulty and above. This can sometimes be avoided by casting friends while under effects of Disguise Self. |
| Guidance | Guidance persists for 1 minute, and can be applied to multiple skill checks in that time. | - |
| Light | Radius of shed light increased to 25 ft, and duration reduced to 10 minutes | - |
| Mage Hand | Range increased to 60 ft. | Requires concentration. |
| Minor Illusion | Range increased to 60 ft | Requires concentration, does not break stealth to cast. The spell is limited to making a distraction which NPCs may move or turn to investigate. |
| Poison Spray | - | - |
| Produce Flame | - | - |
| Ray of Frost | - | - |
| Resistance | - | The 1d4 to saving throws can be applied for as long as concentration is maintained up to the spell's duration (1 minute). |
| Sacred Flame | - | - |
| Shillelagh | - | - |
| Shocking Grasp | - | - |
| Thaumaturgy | Range reduced to self | Grants advantage on Intimidation and Performance checks |
| Thorn Whip | - | - |
| True Strike | Range increased to 60 ft | While the spell's description says two turns, it is effectively until the end of the caster's next turn like in D&D 5e |
| Vicious Mockery | - | The spell causes the caster to make a verbal quip which is voice acted. |
First Level Spells
| Spell Name | Range and
Duration Changes |
Other Changes |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Friendship | Range increased to 60 ft, duration reduced from 24 hrs to 1 minute | Once the spell ends, the creature knows it was Charmed and might attack the spellcaster. |
| Armour of Agathys | - | - |
| Arms of Hadar | - | - |
| Bane | - | - |
| Bless | - | - |
| Burning Hands | Range increased from 15 to 17 ft | - |
| Charm Person | Range increased from 30 to 60 feet, duration reduced from 1 hr to 1 minute | On Explorer and higher difficulty you will lose reputation with whoever you cast Charm Peson on when the spell ends. This can sometimes be avoided by casting Charm Person while under the effects of Disguise Self. |
| Chromatic Orb | Range reduced from 90 to 60 feet | The spell will only do 3d8 damage if you select thunder damage. If you choose any of the other elements it does 2d8 damage and creates a relevant surface at the target’s feet. |
| Colour Spray | Range increased from 15 to 17 ft | Always blinds creatures with an HP total of 33 hit points + 11 HP per upcast level. Instead of rolling the 6d10+2d10 per upcast level, though 33+11x is the average of such a roll. |
| Command | - | The spell's tooltip describes this as requiring Concentration, but this appears to be a typo. |
| Compelled Duel | Duration reduced to 3 rounds | The spell does NOT end if you attack another creature, or if an ally harms or targets, or end your turn more than 30 ft away. |
| Create or Destroy Water | The area of effect is a 15 ft radius circle, rather than 30 ft cube. This radius increases by 5 ft per spell level. | The option to fill or destroy water from a container is not present. Create water will create a water surface and cause creatures in the area to be subject to the wet condition, while destroy water removes water surfaces and the wet condition. |
| Cure Wounds | - | - |
| Disguise Self | Duration increased from 1 hr to until long rest | You can only choose from preset appearances that do not resemble any of the game's NPCs. |
| Dissonant Whispers | - | The target does not have to use their reaction to flee, but is frightened for 2 rounds |
| Divine Favour | Duration reduced from 1 minute to 3 rounds | - |
| Ensnaring Strike | - | This is part of the attack action, and will only consume the bonus action and spell slot if the attack connects. The concentration is to maintain the ensared effect, rather than the spell's effect on your weapon. Help action automatically frees the target with no check required. |
| Enhance Leap | Spell is new | Spell is new |
| Entangle | Area changed from a 20 ft square to a circle with 10 ft radius | Creatures can be restrained each turn they are in the spell area, rather than just those present at the initial cast. |
| Expeditious Retreat | Duration increased from 10 minutes to until long rest, but still requires concentration | - |
| Faerie Fire | Area of effect is changed from a 20 ft cube to a circle with a 20 ft radius. | - |
| False Life | Duration increased from 1 hr to until long rest | Grants a flat 7 temp hp rather than the 1d4+4. Higher levels casts still grant an addition 5 more temporary hitpoints |
| Feather Fall | Radius reduced from 60 ft to 30 ft. | Feather fall becomes a bonus action to cast in most scenarios, but there are some cutscenes where you may use the spell as well. |
| Find Familiar | Casting time is instant, and can only be cast while out of combat | Limited to cat, crab, frog, rat, raven, and spider unless a class feature like Pact of the Chain grants additional options. They are able to attack, and have special moves with unique effects. Details found on her |
| Fog cloud | Range reduced from 120 ft to 60 ft. Persists for as long as you maintain concentration. | As of EA patch 9 there is no known way to dispel with gust of wind or other similar effect. |
| Goodberry | - | Only 4 berries are summoned, each of which can be consumed by a character holding as a bonus action for 1d4 healing |
| Grease | Instead of a 10 ft cube, it is a circle with 15 ft diameter | Grease can be lit on fire which does fire damage (amount of damage unknown) to creatures in the area and also ends the spell. |
| Guiding Bolt | Range reduced from 120 ft to 60 ft | - |
| Hail of Thorns | Radius slightly increased from 5 ft to 7 ft. | Concentration is not required. (uncertain if using the spell consumes a bonus action if the attack misses) |
| Healing Word | - | - |
| Hellish Rebuke | Unlimited range | - |
| Hex | Spell lasts for as long as the caster can maintain concentration, range reduced to 60 ft | As of EA patch 9 the spell is bugged, causing hex damage to activate a second time on eldritch blast if you have agonizing blast Eldritch Invocation. |
| Hunter's Mark | Spell lasts for as long as the caster can maintain concentration, range reduced to 60 ft | - |
| Inflict Wounds | - | - |
| Jump | - | - |
| Longstrider | Duration increased until long rest, concentration still not required | - |
| Mage Armour | Duration is until long rest | - |
| Magic Missile | Range reduced to 60 ft | - |
| Protection from Evil and Good | Duration is increased from 1 hr to until Long Rest, concentration is still required. | The effect does not mention granting advantage on future saves if the target is already charmed, frightened, or possessed. Verification required on if this means the spell automatically ends such conditions, or if the spell has no effect on an existing condition. |
| Ray of Sickness | While the spell's description says two turns, it is effectively until the end of your next turn like in 5e | - |
| Sanctuary | Range increased to 60 ft | Enemies cannot attack the warded target for the duration of the spell. They do not get to make a save and try to attack the protected creature. |
| Searing Smite | - | This is part of the attack action, and will only consume the bonus action and spell slot if the attack connects. The concentration is to maintain the burning effect on the target, rather than the spell's effect on your weapon. |
| Shield of Faith | Duration increased til long rest for as long as you can maintain concentration | - |
| Sleep | Range reduced to 60 ft, duration reduced to 2 turns | Always makes creatures with a hit point total of 24 fall asleep, which increases by 8 for higher level casts of the spell. There is no rolling of 5d8+2d8 per upcast level. Unusually, the average of such a roll would be 22.5+9x. Thus, this spell is, on average, more powerful in BG3 when cast with a level 1 and 2 spell slot. |
| Speak with Animals | Duration increased to until long rest, and concentration is still required. | Owlbears are classified as beasts in BG3, so this spell allows you to communicate with them. Similar houserules may exist elsewhere |
| Tasha's Hideous Laughter | Range increased to 60 ft | Currently the spell also applies the unconscious effect, meaning that melee attacks within 5 feet automatically crit. (possible bug) |
| Thunderous Smite | - | This is part of the attack action, and will only consume the bonus action and spell slot if the attack connects. Unlike the other Smite spells, Thunderous Smite does not require concentration, since BG3 applies that to the persistent affect which this spell does not have. The target always gets pushed back 10 feet on hit, and the save is only to resist falling prone. |
| Thunderwave | Cube size slightly increased from 15 ft to 17 ft | - |
| Witch Bolt | Range increased form 30 ft to 60 ft | - |
| Wrathful Smite | Verification required on duration | This is part of the attack action, and will only consume the bonus action and spell slot if the attack connects. The concentration is to maintain the frightened effect on the target, rather than the spell's effect on your weapon. |
Second Level Spells
| Spell Name | Range and
Duration Changes |
Other Changes |
|---|---|---|
| Aid | Lasts until long rest | Affects all allies within range, not a limited number. But it does not affect an ally if they are downed. |
| Barkskin | Lasts until long rest, but still requires concentration | - |
| Blindness/Deafness | Distance increased to 60 ft | Deafen is not an option, the target can only be blinded |
| Blur | - | - |
| Branding Smite | - | This is part of the attack action, and will only consume the bonus action and spell slot if the attack lands. The concentration is to maintain the frightened effect on the target, rather than the spell's effect on the caster's weapon. |
| Calm Emotions | - | The spell only includes the option to make humanoids in the area immune to charmed or frightened |
| Cloud of Daggers | Size increased from a 5 ft square to a 7 ft radius circle. | Damage is applied on cast as well as the start of turn of any creatures in the area. |
| Crown of Madness | Duration is reduced to three rounds | Does not require the caster to use their action to control the target. The target will automatically attack the closest creature to them, rather than a target of the caster's choosing within melee range. |
| Darkness | Duration reduced to 1 minute. Can only be targetted on a point, and cannot target an object. | Devil's Sight eldritch invocation prevents darkness from blinding those with the eldritch invocation or creatures like Imps, and allows one to make melee attacks in Darkness properly. But as of EA patch 9 Devil's Sight does not allow for ranged attacks through magical darkness. (possible bug) |
| Darkvision | Duration changed from 8 hours to until Long Rest | The range of darkvision granted by the spell is reduced to 40 feet in line with reductions to the racial darkvision features. |
| Detect Thoughts | Duration increased from 1 minute to until Long Rest so long as the caster maintains concentration | There are dialogue prompts to use detect thoughts at specific instances. |
| Enhance ability | Duration increased from 1 hour to until long rest for as long as the caster can maintain concentration. | Bear's Endurance gives 7 temp hp, rather than 2d6. Cat's grace gives resistance to falling damage rather than mitigating fall damage from 20 ft or less. |
| Enlarge/Reduce | - | The weight changes according to whether the caster uses enlarge or reduce, but the formula for determining the new weight of the affected creature is different. |
| Flame Blade | Duration increased from 10 minutes to until long rest as long as the caster can maintain concentration | The blade can be equipped or unequipped, but cannot leave the caster's inventory. |
| Flaming Sphere | - | At the end of combat the chained party members of your group will all group back together. That includes this flaming sphere returning to its caster, where it may damage them and others for the remaining duration of the spell. If you have this spell active at the end of combat, prepare to pause and drop concentration or give orders for the sphere to stay away. |
| Heat Metal | - | If a target has a metal weapon and metal armor then this spell will prioritize the weapon. If a weapon is the spell's target then they must pass a Constitution save or else drop the weapon. |
| Hold Person | - | - |
| Invisibility | Duration reduced to 1 minute instead of 1 hr. | - |
| Lesser Restoration | - | The tooltip just says it removes a disease or "condition" afflicting the target.Verification required on what "conditions" this encapsulates. |
| Magic Weapon | Lasts until long rest or until the caster loses concentration | As of EA patch 9 this spell can be applied to magic weapons, and does stack with any magical bonuses from that weapon. |
| Melf's Acid Arrow | Range reduced from 90 ft to 60 ft. | - |
| Mirror Image | - | The spell still grants three illusory duplicates, but each gives you a +3 to AC. Each time an attack misses, one of these duplicates disappears. |
| Misty Step | Range increased from 30 ft to 60 ft | - |
| Moonbeam | Range reduced from 120 ft to 60 ft, cylinder radius reduced from 5 ft to 3.3 ft | Does not have the effect to revert shapechangers. The damage is applied when a creature enters the area (whether that be by an initial cast of the spell, or moving the spell over the creature) as well as the start of a creature's turn who begins that turn in the affected area which can effectively double the spell's damage. |
| Pass without Trace | Duration increased from 1 hr to until long rest for as long as the caster maintains concentration. | - |
| Phantasmal Force | - | The target cannot make investigation checks to end the spell. The flavorful aspects of the spell are replaced by changing the damage type on subsequent turns from psychic to the damage type that affected it last. |
| Prayer of Healing | Can only be cast outside of combat, where it is then cast instantaneously | - |
| Protection from Poison | Duration increased from 1 hour to until long rest, and concentration is still not required | Neutralizes all poisons affecting the targets instead of just one, continues to grant the other effects. |
| Ray of Enfeeblement | - | The creature does not get to make a save to end the effect. |
| Scorching Ray | Range reduced from 120 ft to 60 ft | - |
| Shatter | - | - |
| Silence | Range reduced from 120 ft to 60 ft | Casting all spells is impossible while in the area of effect |
| Spike Growth | Range reduced from 150 ft to 60 ft. Duration increased from 10 minutes to until long rest for as long as you can maintain concentration. | - |
| Web | Duration increased from 1 hour to until long rest for as long as you can maintain concentration. | If a creature jumps onto web, then it will prevent all falling damage. Web can be lit on fire and does fire damage (formula for fire damage needs verification) which also burns away the web. |
Third Level Spells
| Spell Name | Range and
Duration Changes |
Other Changes |
|---|---|---|
| Animate Dead | - | The caster can choose between a zombie or skeleton with each cast. Both creatures have different statblocks than what is in the Monster Manual, and can be found on the spell's page |
| Beacon of Hope | - | - |
| Bestow Curse | - | - |
| Call Lightning | Range reduced from 120 ft to 60 ft. Duration reduced from 10 minutes to 1 minute | The radius is 7 ft, and therefore able to hit a group of targets that are tightly packed together. |
| Counterspell | - | Verification required on mechanics for countering spells cast at a higher level than the spell slot. |
| Daylight | The light radius is only 50 ft | The spell can only target a point or a weapon, but not other objects. |
| Fear | Duration reduced to 3 turns. | - |
| Feign Death | Duration reduced to 1 minute | - |
| Fireball | Range reduced to 60 ft | - |
| Fly | Duration reduced to 1 minute | The target's movement speed increases to 60 ft and they are able to fly between two points, but they must end each move on the ground. |
| Gaseous Form | Duration increased from 1 hour to until long rest so long as the caster maintains concentration | Does not reduce the target's movement speed. The target becomes tiny in size, which is how the game mechanically allows them to fit through small spaces |
| Glyph of Warding | Range increased from touch to 30 feet, and only takes an action to cast. The radius is fixed to 13 ft | The caster may select from the Explosive Runes option with all associated damage types, or use glyphs that cause creatures to fall asleep or get pushed away. |
| Haste | - | The hastened condition the target receives from the spell is allows the target to take an additional action with no limits, similar to Action Surge. The target can multiattack or cast a spell with the hastened action. |
| Hunger of Hadar | Range reduced from 150 ft to 60 ft | - |
| Hypnotic Pattern | Duration reduced to two rounds. Range reduced from 120 ft to 60 ft. Area of effect changed from a 30 ft square to a circle with radius 15 ft. | - |
| Mass Healing Word | - | This spell is cast like bless or bane, where the caster can't select individual targets but only up to 6 targets within 30 ft of a point of the caster's choice. (verification required) |
| Plant Growth | Range reduced from 150 ft to 60 ft. Radius reduced from 100 ft to 20 ft. | The caster can only choose the option that causes creatures to use quadruple movement. The spell can be ended if it is hit by any fire damage. |
| Protection from Energy | Duration increased from 1 hr to until long rest | - |
| Remove Curse | - | There is no mention of removing cursed magic item effects in the description, and it may be that there are no cursed items in the game (verification required). |
| Revivify | The spell's range is increased to 30 feet, and when cast the caster can bring the ally back to life with 1 hp at any location in the spell's AOE. | There is no time limit on using revivify. |
| Sleet Storm | Range reduced to 60 feet, radius reduced to 30 feet | Spell does not make the area heavily obscured. Fire damage will melt away the ice surface, but it will return if the caster continues to concentrate. |
| Speak with Dead | The spell is cast on self, giving the caster the ability to speak with the dead. The duration is increased from 10 minutes to until long rest. Concentration is not required. | The creature will still not talk with their killer, but one can sometimes get around this by using disguise self. Each corpse can only be subject to the spell once. The deceased will not be able to talk if they were finished off by acid, fire, lightning, necrotic, or radiant damage. |
| Spirit Guardians | The radius is reduced to 10 ft. Duration reduced to 1 minute | - |
| Stinking Cloud | Range is reduced to 60 ft | The spell is considered a poison effect for the purposes of immunity or advantage on saving throws. It is unable to be dispelled using wind effects. |
| Vampiric Touch | - | - |