10 Baldur’s Gate 3 Spells That Are Way Less Fun In D&D

Baldur's Gate 3 provides a plethora of spells for Tav and the party to choose from during their adventures, all adapted from fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. Making the leap between mediums is no mean feat, but BG3 manages to not only keep many spells exactly the same as their tabletop counterparts, but in some cases improve on them. From cantrips to combat, there are plenty of spells that are much more fun in BG3.

Sadly, not all spells got the same makeover, with some Baldur's Gate 3 spells worse than in DnD. But luckily for spellcasters, there are still lots that have been changed in a way that makes them much more useful or much more fun. So whether the party needs to heal or harm, these spells are always worth keeping on hand.

10 Thaumaturgy - Transmutation Cantrip

Simplifying Thaumaturgy Makes Its Use Clearer

Thaumaturgy is an odd cantrip in DnD, described as manifesting a minor wonder, so much of what it does is left up to the DMs discretion or the player’s imagination. There are some examples given, such as making the character's voice louder, altering the appearance of their eyes, or creating ominous whispers. However, it can be difficult to know where to apply these effects without guidance, especially for newer players.

Thaumaturgy in BG3 is very different and will only appear during dialogue checks for classes and races that have the cantrip. Here it has been stripped back to its core intention, which is to enhance how the character is communicating, usually to fool or intimidate an NPC. In BG3, thaumaturgy gives advantage on Intimidation and Performance checks and will last for 10 turns, providing a boost in certain conversations for the party.

9 Longstrider - Level One Transmutation

Much More Useful Than In Tabletop Games

Longstrider in DnD is one of those spells that is useful, but only in a set of very specific circumstances. This first-level spell targets one creature and increases their movement speed by 10 feet for one hour; more creatures can be targeted at higher levels. Best cast prior to going into combat, longstrider can also be useful when attempting to outrun an enemy or reduce travel times.

Shadowheart and Gale from Baldur's Gate 3 casting magic with fire and lightning.

Baldur's Gate 3: All Ritual Spells, Ranked

Baldur's Gate 3 has nine amazing spells that don't need the party to spend precious spell slots to gain their benefits, but which is the most useful?

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However, in BG3 longstrider becomes a much more valuable spell, with it now lasting until the next long rest rather than just an hour. Instead of costing a spell slot, it can now be cast as a ritual, and I make it a point to cast it on the entire party after each long rest via a hireling. This extra movement can be especially useful at lower levels or on higher difficulties when every foot counts in combat.

8 Revivify - Level Three Necromancy

Removes The Time Limit & Material Cost

Revivify is a great spell and one that most healers will make sure to have prepared when going into tough fights. This third-level spell can return a dead creature to life, with one hit point, so long as it is cast within one minute of them falling. Costing a diamond worth at least 300 gold, revivify is great for bringing back dead party members after a fight, although it cannot restore any missing body parts.

One of the biggest changes to revivify in BG3 is that it no longer costs the same as a house, with the material component of the spell removed. The time limit is also removed, allowing revivify to do its work regardless of how long the party member has been down. Both of these changes greatly improve the spell's utility, making it much easier to use.

7 Mass Healing Word - Level Three Evocation

Healing For More Party Members

Mass healing word is a great spell for any healer to keep on hand in DnD. Using a bonus action, the caster can target up to six creatures within range and heal them for 1d4 plus their spellcasting modifier. This is wonderful, but with larger parties it means picking who gets healing and who must wait, especially as only one leveled spell can be cast per turn.

I found mass healing word incredibly useful during the attack on Moonrise Towers to keep Jaheira and the Harpers alive.

In BG3, mass healing word has been changed so that it affects all allies within the area of effect, which is a whopping 60-foot radius. While it still does that same amount of healing, this new delivery allows many more allies and party members to benefit. This becomes even more vital at higher difficulties, especially where potential companions such as Halsin and Jaheira are in combat but not yet part of the party properly.

6 Glyph Of Warding - Level Three Abjuration

Loses Versatility But Gains Utility

Glyph of warding in DnD is quite a complicated spell that can have two different effects of either an exploding rune or a spell glyph. This allows a second spell to be stored within it with a specific trigger to unleash the effect. With a material cost of incense and powdered diamond worth at least 200 gold and a casting time of an hour, glyph of warding is best used for setting traps or guarding an area.

The options for the glyph in BG3 are acid, cold, detonation, fire, lightning, sleep, and thunder.

BG3 simplifies glyph of warding to just its explosive rune effect, allowing the party to create traps on the floor to unleash one of seven different effects. The material component is again removed, but the best change is the casting time, which is reduced from one hour to one action. This makes glyph of warding much less situational as it can be quickly deployed to deal with groups of enemies or particularly tough bosses.

5 Spirit Guardians - Level Three Conjuration

Improved How Damage Is Implemented

In DnD, spirit guardians can be conjured by clerics, circling around the caster at a radius of 15 feet. These spectral helpers will do either radiant or necrotic damage based on the caster's alignment and only deal damage when an enemy enters their area for the first time or starts their turn there. Dealing 3d8 damage and slowing affected enemies, spirit guardians are great buffers between party healers and low-level enemies who may overwhelm them.

Cleric using a spell from Baldur's Gate 3

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The changes to spirit guardians for BG3 are small but very helpful, making the spell pack more of a punch at the right moments. The first change allows the caster to choose between radiant or necrotic damage, giving greater versatility when fighting different enemy types. The second change alters how spirit guardians damage enemies: the spirits will also deal damage if the caster moves into the enemy's space.

4 Spiritual Weapon - Level Two Evocation

Has Its Own Initiative Freeing The Caster's Bonus Action

Spiritual weapon is an incredibly useful spell in DnD, providing extra damage in a pinch for clerics. The spell is a bonus action to cast and, on subsequent turns, can be moved and used also using a bonus action. However, the biggest difference between DnD's spiritual weapons and BG3's is that the weapon cannot be targeted or harmed in DnD during combat.

In BG3, the weapon conjured by spiritual weapon will have its own initiative and act independently on its turn, so it no longer takes up the caster's bonus action to use. It also has hit points, which will increase for every two spell slots higher it is cast at, and crucially, can be attacked by enemies. This might sound like a drawback, but spiritual weapon is fantastic for keeping enemies engaged, allowing squishier party members to escape.

3 Aid - Level Two Abjuration

Aid More Party Members For Longer

Aid is a very useful spell for any healer to have at their disposal in DnD. Lasting for eight hours, aid can target up to three creatures and increases their hit point maximum and current hit points by five. This can be increased further for each spell slot higher aid is cast at, upping the number by five each time. However, as the spell only targets three party members, more spell slots would need to be expended for larger parties.

Two of Baldur's Gate 3 hirelings in front of a leafy background

There's One Really Good Reason You Should Be Using BG3 Hirelings More Often

Players are missing out on using hirelings in Baldur's Gate 3 as the quiet companions offer much more than simply filling empty party seats.

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BG3 immediately improved aid by making it an AOE spell rather than targeted, just like mass healing word. Now, rather than choosing three party members, the whole team can benefit from five additional hit points and an increase to their hit point maximum. But it gets even better as the effect of aid in BG3 is also increased, lasting until the party's next long rest, making it another daily buff I regularly use.

2 Haste - Level Three Transmutation

Double The Spells, Double The Fun

Haste is a fun spell to use in both DnD and BG3 and mostly acts the same way in both games. Haste increases the target's AC by two, doubles their movement speed, and gives them advantage to Dexterity saving throws. But the most important aspect of haste is that it gives the target an extra action per turn and this is where the difference becomes important.

In DnD,that extra action can only be used to dash, disengage, hide, use an object, or attack with a weapon. However, BG3 removed the weapon attack restriction, allowing spellcasters to have a lot of fun with haste. This is important as one crucial BG3 change to spellcasting makes haste very overpowered, as casters are able to cast two spells in the same turn, allowing for much greater damage to be dealt.

1 Grease - Level One Conjuration

Making It Flammable Makes All The Difference

Finally, there is grease, a spell that really came into its own in BG3. In DnD, grease is a very situational spell that can cause enemies to fall prone if they fail a Dexterity saving throw. This is useful for crowd control, as it also turned the area into difficult terrain, but otherwise wasn't of much help in combat.

However, grease in BG3 is fantastically versatile for both crowd control and damage thanks to how it interacts with the environment. The main reason for this is that the Baldur's Gate 3 version of grease explicitly states that it is flammable, allowing for the grease pools to be set alight by spells, candles, or other sources of fire. As it disables, damages, and slows large groups of enemies, grease is easily one of the best low-level spells in BG3.