If you want to buff your buds (ahead of time), Aid is the spell for you in DnD 5e.
This 2nd level spell for Clerics, Paladins, and Artificers is also available for Clockwork Soul or Divine Soul Sorcerers.
Where the buff bois at because this abjuration spell from the Players Handbook let’s you boost the MAXIMUM hit points and CURRENT hit points of up to three creatures within 30 feet by 5.
We like to think of this as everyone getting a little more muscly than before, or at least a more chiseled jawline. Best of all, no concentration needed and it lasts for 8 hours.
Want to ratchet it up further? For every level above 2nd you use Aid, you get to add 5 MORE hit points.
Who Can Cast Aid in DnD 5e?
Clerics, Paladins, and Artificers along with Clockwork Soul or Divine Soul Sorcerers can cast this 2nd Level Spell from the Player’s Handbook.
What School of Magic is Aid From?
In DnD 5e, Aid is an Abjuration spell
What are the Rules As Written for Aid in DnD 5e?
Your spell bolsters your allies with toughness and resolve. Choose up to three creatures within range. Each target’s hit point maximum and current hit points increase by 5 for the duration.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, a target’s hit points increase by an additional 5 for each slot level above 2nd.
There are verbal, somatic and material components for this spell, with the material being a tiny strip of white cloth.
As for the size of the cloth, we can look at what is considered tiny and determine the cloth itself could be between one inch by one inch, up to the size of an intellect devourer or brain doggies as we like to call them.
Left to be determined is what happens when the duration ends? RAW, the max hit points would drop back to normal. But would the current hit points be lost as well? My ruling would be you drop back to your previous max and if your current HP is above the max, you bump down to max.
Can you cast Aid on Yourself in DnD 5e?
You may be wondering if you can cast aid on yourself. After all, philosophically, you ARE allied with yourself (most likely) AND you are a creature within 30 feet. There are two ways to think about it.
The first is “specific trumps general,” where if the spell is written in such a way to be specific (in this case it denotes “allies”), it generally trumps the looser interpretation. Rules as written for Aid, it specifies three allies, that to me means three of your homies, not including yourself. If we roll with the “specific trumps general” mantra, then no, you cannot cast Aid on yourself.
Threads disagreed, but not unanimously when we polled our followers.
The second thought, as Jack Kellum pointed out in the replies of that poll, is that if a spell let’s you target a creature (3 in this case), you can target yourself. From the Player’s Handbook, page 204:
Targeting Yourself
If a spell targets a creature of your choice, you can choose yourself, unless the creature must be hostile or specifically a creature other than you. If you are in the area of effect of a spell you cast, you can target yourself.
I still read “specifically a creature other than you” to mean “allies being a creature other than you” but hey, this is what we love about DnD, no two interpretations or games are the same.
What are the Best Uses of Aid in DnD 5e?
Your wizard pal’s at 10 HP? No longer, Aid gives them 5 more hit points. Three members downed and you’re nearing a TPK? Aid stabilizes them (0+5=5 after all).
This is really the only time you should use Aid in combat. Definitely don’t waste it when only one member is down. If you’re going to burn a 2nd level spell slot, make it count.
While you COULD use Aid in combat, because it has a duration of 8 hours, it is more beneficial to use at the beginning of the day, prior to heading into the dungeon or just before a short rest.
Especially if you’re upcasting we’re talking a potential 20-40 additional health points to three members of your party. Have seven members of your party? You can cast Aid twice and hit everyone.
Especially if you multiclass into Clockwork Soul Sorcerer or Divine Soul Sorcerer, you only need 3 levels before you can Metamagic your way to nearly an entire day of expanded health. How this works is If you want to spend a sorcerer point you could also extend the duration so it lasts for 16 hours instead of the standard 8. We all need a solid 8, so the 16 buffs for the whole time you’re awake.
IF your DM allows restcasting, which to me is insane, you don’t even need Metamagic to get the benefit of an unused spell slot to bolster your group. Just slap it on your buds with a minute left in your long rest, expending your highest available spell slot, and you’re good!
Additional Uses in the form of Stacking Aid in DnD 5e
You can further improve the effects of aid with feats, because the effects stack. Two good ones are Inspiring Leader and Heroes’ Feast. Inspiring leader grants additional temporary hit points equal to your level + your Charisma modifier
Heroes’ Feast increases max HP by 2d10 and gains the same number of hit points. Heroes’ feast is a 6th level spell, but it last for 24 hours. Combined with an upcast aid, you could be looking at 50-70 additional health points for three of your party members. Pretty crazy. Even crazier if you can do it through restcasting.
What spells are similar to Aid in DnD 5e?
What is the history of Aid in DnD?
New for Aid in DnD 5e is the ability to reach targets up to 30 feet away. Previously in 1st, 2nd and 3rd Edition, Aid could only be used by touching someone. It’s also shifted from the schools of Necromancy and Conjuration to enchantment in 3rd edition to 5th saying “ah, to hell with it” and making it a Peace Domain Abjuration spell.
Aid in ADnD 2e (Priest)
The recipient of this spell gains the benefit of a bless spell (+1 to attack rolls and saving throws) and a special bonus of 1d8 additional hit points for the duration of the spell. The aid spell enables the recipient to actually have more hit points than his full normal total. The bonus hit points are lost first when the recipient takes damage; they cannot be regained by curative magic.
For example, a 1st-level fighter has 8 hit points, suffers 2 points of damage (8-2 = 6), and then receives an aid spell that gives 5 additional hit points. The fighter now has 11 hit points, 5 of which are temporary. If he is then hit for 7 points of damage, 2 normal hit points and all 5 temporary hit points are lost. He then receives a cure light wounds spell that heals 4 points of damage, restoring him to his original 8 hit points.
Note that the operation of the spell is unaffected by permanent hit point losses due to energy drain, Hit Die losses, the loss of a familiar, or the operation of certain artifacts; the temporary hit point gain is figured from the new, lower total.
The material components of this spell are a tiny strip of white cloth with a sticky substance (such as tree sap) on the ends, plus the priest’s holy symbol.
ADnD2e Wiki
2nd edition had 1d8 additional hit points for the duration AND the benefit of a bless spell, but only one target. The hit points also went away when damaged and were not retained in max.
3rd edition, same thing 1d8 temporary hit points, one target, by touch, only for 1 minute per level. Also a morale bonus of +1 on attack rolls
Aid in DnD 3.5e
Aid grants the target a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saves against fear effects, plus temporary hit points equal to 1d8 + caster level (to a maximum of 1d8+10 temporary hit points at caster level 10th).
The Hypertext d20 SRD
In 3.5e they boosted it further to 1d8 + caster level with 1d8+10 being the max.
5th edition is by far the best version of Aid and I challenge you to prove us wrong!
