As a cleric, you support your party, but who supports you? Using Guardian of Faith in 5e can give you the ally you need to be even more survivable on the battlefield. This spectral guardian is powerful and excellent cannon fodder to protect you and your party.
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This article will teach you everything you need to know about using the Guardian of Faith in 5e Dungeons and Dragons. We will also give you tips to make the most of the 4th level conjuration in your campaign.
What is Guardian of Faith 5e, and how does it work
Attributes
- Casting time: 1 action
- Level: 4th level conjuration
- Range: 30 feet
- Target: Unoccupied space within range that you can see
- Components: Verbal
- Duration: 8 hours
- Classes: Cleric
The things I like the most about the Guardian of Faith are the following.
- The only component you need is verbal. So even when stripped naked without items and bound, you can summon the Guardian of Faith. You do need to be able to say audible words.
- The duration is excellent too. You can get a lot of utility from your specter in eight hours.
Building a Cleric? Look at our Life Transference guide 5e.
Spell description
When you say the words to cast Guardian of Faith, a sizeable spectral guardian will appear in a space that is unoccupied within sight.
The guardian will occupy this space and is only noticeable by its sword and shield that has been adorned with the symbol of a deity.
Creatures that are hostile to you and move within 10 feet of where the guardian has been located need to make a DEX save. If they fail the Dex Save, they will take 20 damage. If the creature successfully uses the DEX save, it will only take ten damage. The guardian will disappear after dealing 60 damage to creatures.
Guardian of Faith’s advantages and drawbacks
Advantages
- The duration of this spell is significant. Eight hours is quite a long time and perfect for a trap if you know the target is coming.
- The range is pretty good for a melee attack. Most melee attacks only have 5 feet range; this one has 10 feet.
- The Guardian of Faith spell only needs a verbal component to be cast and does not need any concentration to cast it.
Disadvantages
- No upcasting is a pretty significant downside to this conjuration.
- 60 damage is okay, but not a lot at the higher levels. That means the spell quickly drops in utility. However, 60 guaranteed radiant damage is pretty decent.
Best uses for Guardian of Faith 5e
1. Block of areas
The Guardian of Faith 5e is great to block off a particular area where creatures will pass through. This won’t outright kill the monsters passing at this level, but they will take a nice chunk of radiant damage.
If your Dungeon Master does want to take a specific route, he will have to take up to 60 radiant damage to get there. Or he will have to wait over eight hours to wait until the specter has disappeared.
2. Defend your front line
Are your fighter or barbarians on the front line again fighting? Just summon a Guardian of Faith to protect your party members. Anything close to the specter’s radius will have to take 10 to 20 radiant damage.
If your fighter or Barbarian hangs around there, he will have an excellent assist of up to 20 damage to help you. This extra damage can help your party have much easier kills and get done quickly with a boss and his annoying minions.
3. Thin the lines
Are you being rushed by weak minions that could overwhelm you? Then putting up a guardian of Faith in front of you is a great way to get rid of many of those monsters. Even more so, if you have a strong team that has access to exciting spells like Create Bonfire and Cloud of Daggers to make sure that anything that wants to reach your fighter, monk, or Barbarian will struggle, combining these spells will aid your party quite a bit when you are trying to escape.
Advice and final thoughts
As a cleric, you don’t have a ton of exciting spells that deal a good amount of damage. Guardian of Faith 5e is a great option; if you want a conjuration with a reasonable amount of power, then this is the way to go.
There are a couple of excellent benefits to using this conjuration. First, Guardian of Faith only needs a verbal component, has guaranteed damage to 60 radiant damage (if there are enough targets), and the duration is 8 hours long.
Of course, Guardian of Faith 5e also has a couple of downsides. First, you can not upcast the spell, so the utility starts going down soon. The guardian can not move, so if the area is big enough, a creature can just go around it.
Summary Table: Guardian of Faith Spell
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Spell Description | When cast, a spectral guardian appears in an unoccupied space within sight, recognizable by its sword and shield adorned with a deity’s symbol. Hostile creatures moving within 10 feet of the guardian must make a DEX save or take damage. The guardian disappears after dealing 60 damage. |
| Advantages | – Long duration of 8 hours, suitable for setting traps – 10 feet range for melee attacks, greater than typical melee attacks – Verbal component only, no concentration required |
| Disadvantages | – No upcasting available – Damage output of 60 may be insufficient at higher levels |
| Best Uses | 1. Blocking off areas and inflicting radiant damage on creatures passing through 2. Defending the front line and assisting fighters or barbarians with extra damage 3. Thinning enemy ranks and combining with other spells for effective crowd control |
Have you enjoyed this dnd 5e Guide? Check out:
Guardian of Faith 5e FAQ
Is Guardian of Faith worth it?
For a Cleric, Guardian of Faith is worth it if you want to do some extra damage. The guaranteed 60 radiant damage is the best amount you can get for a level 4 spell on a Cleric. If you make another kind of Cleric, like a life Cleric, it won’t have that much utility out of the spell.
How far does a guardian of faith move?
The Guardian of Faith does not move. You need to pick an unoccupied space and put the guardian there. The specter has a range of 10 feet for its attack but remains at the same spot where it was placed.
Keep in mind that this conjuration is a specter. So if you try to move the ground of the space where the guardian is standing, it will just keep standing there.
Can I relocate a guardian of Faith?
No, it is not possible to relocate the Guardian of Faith. Once you have cast the specter in a certain location, it will remain there for the spell’s duration or until you dispel it. So pick the spot where you will place your spectral ally wisely!