Why is Guidance a Cantrip

[ArtemisHunt]

I feel like this is backwards. Guidance is basically a +2.5 on every roll, effectively reducing every check in the game by 2 unless for some reason you decide not to use it despite there being no penalties to doing so. It's stupid powerful and sure I could make my run harder by not using it but I could also make Bloodborne harder by only using the torch as a weapon.

I feel like a number of spells need to be shuffled around a little bit for balance sake.

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

It requires concentration.

[dolby]

Well you have to use cleric in you game that is like one limitions but larian made one item that gives it so ...yeah not sure if i like that item. And yes outside of combat there are really no downside. apart from time...

Anyway i think it's fine i failed loads of rolls with it, honesty it would be a pain in the ass without it. I'm not really a fan of roll checks in dialogues cos you can't adapt to a failed roll like you can in DNd.. BuT at least they added a few more after fail choices since EA start.

Not sure if it even works in combat or if it's worth it. maybe you get better Initiative and hide that's about it? But the way i was failing at Initiative the past times i played and still crush fights i got a feeling that Initiative is just not that important...

[N/A]

Originally posted by ArtemisHunt:

Guidance is basically a +2.5 on every roll

Nah, just skill checks, not stuff like attack rolls or saves

Originally posted by ArtemisHunt:

It's stupid powerful

It'll sometimes make up the difference if your roll is just short of success, but nah, the d20 always has the biggest sway

Originally posted by ArtemisHunt:

I could make my run harder by not using it but I could also make Bloodborne harder by only using the torch as a weapon.

Both true but exclusively using a weak offhand adds substantially more difficulty than eschewing a free d4 on checks

It's just a nice thing to make the cleric and druid helpful support classes outside of combat, not really above cantrip tier

[DCRWrites]

Guidance is a cantrip because guidance is a cantrip in the source material and I can't see Larian being empowered to change spells that way.

[Deraius]

You should try having a Warlock with the friends cantrip now when it works. Free Advantage on pretty much all social checks. XD

[psibot]

My issue with guidance would be completely different angle. I find it a boring game mechanic to be casting Guidance every 1 min or so. Is that fun? Add a checkbox to automatically cast when not in combat...

[DCRWrites]

Originally posted by Deraius:

You should try having a Warlock with the friends cantrip now when it works. Free Advantage on pretty much all social checks. XD

My arcane trickster takes full advantage of Friends... and I use Guidance whenever possible.

[valkyrie]

In the source material it's concentration, touch, verbal and only lasts for 1 minute, which is very limited. I agree you don't really feel those limitations as much in BG3. I'm not really sure what they should do about it though.

Imagine in a DnD session, while you're having a conversation with an NPC, your cleric friend walks over and touches you while chanting a 6 second long incantation. That should certainly make that NPC suspicious, I think.

[Necrosian]

Originally posted by valkyrie:

Imagine in a DnD session, while you're having a conversation with an NPC, your cleric friend walks over and touches you while chanting a 6 second long incantation. That should certainly make that NPC suspicious, I think.

Then again prebuffing before every conversation get really tedious. So i think this should be a gameplay element separated from the story.

[Vixziค็็็็็n]

I mean, it is WAY improved from what it was before so I can't complain right now.

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

If my only caster with Guidance (this tends to be Shadowheart for me) needs to use another concentration spell that lasts all day (such as Shield of Faith, which is my go-to concentration spell for her) then I will skip using Guidance and just save scum rolls until I get the Harper amulet and put it on a character that does't typically use concentration, at least not out of combat.

[Mosey]

If you're talking about conversations and the like, there is no need to 'pre-cast' guidance you can simply apply it from the dice roll screen without ever actually 'casting' the spell at all.

You'll note after you're done with such a conversation, guidance does not remain on the character that used it for conversation.

It's a useful cantrip, to be sure, but hardly the end all be all of useful cantrips. It only makes a 'big' difference if you roll lucky with it OR if you're also stacking a bunch of other stuff on top of it.