Guidance — Complete D&D 5e Spell Guide

Table of Contents

• •Quick Answer
• •Overview
• •Stat Block
• •When NOT to Use This
• •Spell Slot Efficiency
• •Pro Tips
• •Common Mistakes to Avoid
• •Usage Tips
• •Rules Notes
• •Synergies
• •Anti-Patterns
• •Tactical Modules
• •Countermeasures
• •Guidance in the 2024 Rules
• •Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Answer

Guidance is a divination cantrip for Clerics and Druids. You touch a willing creature, and once before the spell ends (up to 1 minute, concentration) it can add 1d4 to one ability check, rolling the die before or after the check. In the 2024 rules you pick a skill instead, and the creature adds 1d4 to every check with that skill for the duration.

Overview

Guidance is a divination cantrip that adds 1d4 to an ability check. Clerics and Druids know it from 1st level, and since it is a cantrip it costs no spell slot. That makes it one of the most cast spells in the game outside combat.

The bonus is small: 2.5 on average. On a check that would succeed half the time, it raises the odds to 62.5%. That matters for a lock, a climb, a key Persuasion roll, or a knowledge check the party needs.

Its limits are the casting time and concentration. It takes an action and a touch, so you need warning before the check happens. It also uses your concentration, so you can't hold Guidance and another concentration spell at once. Many tables also set their own limits on how often it can be cast between checks. That is a DM call, so ask early.

Stat Block

When NOT to Use This

• •You are already concentrating on something that matters, such as Bless, Hold Person, or Spirit Guardians.
• •The roll is an attack roll or a saving throw. Guidance only affects ability checks.
• •The check happens without warning, such as a surprise Perception check. You can't cast an action-long touch spell in response.
• •In combat, when your action is better spent on a spell or attack. Guidance in combat is usually only worth it before a key grapple or shove check.

Spell Slot Efficiency

When worth it: Any planned ability check outside combat where failure has a cost.

When NOT worth it: Mid-fight, unless the check decides the fight.

Pro Tips

Tip #1: Cast it before the check, then let the player decide (2014).

Why it works: In the 2014 text, the target can roll the d4 before or after the ability check. A player can see the d20 result and only spend Guidance when the d4 could change the outcome.

This avoids the mistake of: Using the bonus on a check that already succeeded or could never succeed.

Tip #2: Pre-cast it before a fight you can see coming (2014).

Why it works: Initiative is a Dexterity check, and Guidance lasts up to 1 minute. If you cast it right before you open the door, the target can add the d4 to its initiative roll.

This avoids the mistake of: Thinking Guidance has no combat use.

Tip #3: Use it on grapples and shoves.

Why it works: In the 2014 rules, grappling and shoving are Strength (Athletics) checks, and escaping a grapple is an Athletics or Acrobatics check. All of them are ability checks. In the 2024 rules, escaping a grapple is still an Athletics or Acrobatics check.

This avoids the mistake of: Saving Guidance only for social and exploration scenes.

Tip #4: Pair it with another party member's support.

Why it works: Different effects stack. A Cleric casts Guidance while a Bard gives Bardic Inspiration, and both dice add to the same check.

This avoids the mistake of: Dropping Bless or another concentration spell just to cast Guidance.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Adding it to saving throws or attack rolls

Why it's bad: Guidance says "ability check." Saving throws and attack rolls are different rolls.

Do this instead: Use Bless for attacks and saves.

Stacking two castings on one check

Why it's bad: The effects of the same spell cast more than once don't combine. Two Clerics casting Guidance on one target still give only one d4.

Do this instead: Combine Guidance with a different effect, like the Help action or Bardic Inspiration.

Forgetting that the target must be willing

Why it's bad: Guidance targets a willing creature. You can't use it to help an NPC who doesn't want your help, and you can't touch someone across the room.

Do this instead: Plan ahead and move into touch range before the check.

Assuming it works on any roll the DM calls for

Why it's bad: Under the 2024 text, Guidance only applies to checks with the skill you chose. A plain Strength check or a tool check without a skill gets nothing.

Do this instead: Choose the skill that matches what the next minute will test.

Usage Tips

• •Worked example: A Rogue with +5 to Stealth faces a DC 15 check and needs a 10 on the d20, a 55% chance. With Guidance, a d4 roll of 1 to 4 lowers the target number to 9, 8, 7, or 6. That is a 60%, 65%, 70%, or 75% chance, which averages 67.5%.
• •The 2014 timing edge: Because the d4 can be added after seeing the d20, a 2014 player who rolls a 9 knows exactly what they need. They only spend Guidance when it can turn the failure into a success.
• •Compare with advantage: On a check that succeeds 50% of the time, Guidance raises it to 62.5% on average. Advantage from Enhance Ability or the Help action raises it to 75%. They stack, so a target with both does better still.
• •Roll the bonus with the dice roller.
• •If concentration rules come up a lot at your table, the concentration guide covers what breaks it.
• •Related guides: Bless, Enhance Ability, and Healing Word, another Cleric and Druid staple. Browse the full spell guide index.

Rules Notes

• •Guidance is a cantrip, so it never uses a spell slot.
• •It takes an action and requires touching a willing creature. You can target yourself.
• •In the 2014 text, the bonus is used once, on one ability check, and then the spell ends. The d4 can be rolled before or after the check.
• •It requires concentration for up to 1 minute. Casting another concentration spell ends it.
• •Two castings of Guidance on the same target do not combine.
• •It only affects ability checks. In the 2014 rules, initiative, grapples, shoves, and skill checks are all ability checks.

Synergies

• •Help action or Enhance Ability: Advantage plus the d4 stack.
• •Bardic Inspiration: A different source, so it adds on top.
• •Expertise: Characters with large bonuses turn the d4 into near-certain success on moderate DCs.
• •Ritual and downtime scenes: Researching, crafting, and social scenes are full of checks with no time pressure.

Anti-Patterns

• •Casting Guidance in combat while a better spell sits unused.
• •Dropping concentration on Bless or another key spell to add 1d4 to one check.
• •Asking for Guidance on every roll without a table agreement. Many DMs treat that as slowing the game.

Tactical Modules

• •Scout prep: Cast on the stealth scout before they move ahead. The bonus applies to their Stealth check (2014: one check; 2024: every Stealth check for a minute).
• •Grapple support (2014): Cast on the party grappler before a planned grapple, since the grapple itself is an Athletics check.
• •Social scene: Cast on the party face before they walk up to the noble.

Countermeasures

• •Threat: The DM rules there is no time to cast before a check. Response: Cast it earlier, at the start of the scene. Fallback: Use the Help action instead.
• •Threat: You need your concentration for a combat spell. Response: Let another caster handle Guidance. Fallback: Skip it.

Guidance in the 2024 Rules

The 2024 Player's Handbook changes how Guidance works. It is still a divination cantrip for Clerics and Druids. It still takes an action, needs a touch, and lasts up to 1 minute with concentration.

The effect is different. When you cast it, you choose a skill. Until the spell ends, the creature adds 1d4 to any ability check using that skill. It is no longer a one-use bonus, so a creature can add it to several checks within the minute. The "before or after the roll" timing choice is gone, because the bonus simply applies to every check with that skill.

That change has side effects. Initiative in 2024 is a Dexterity check with no skill, so Guidance no longer helps it. Tool checks and plain ability checks without a skill also get no bonus. In the 2024 rules, any character can pick up Guidance through the Magic Initiate (Cleric or Druid) feat.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Guidance work in 5e?

You touch a willing creature as an action and concentrate for up to 1 minute. In the 2014 rules, the creature adds 1d4 to one ability check of its choice and the spell ends. In the 2024 rules, you pick a skill, and the creature adds 1d4 to every check with that skill until the spell ends.

Can you cast Guidance on yourself in 5e?

Yes. Guidance targets a willing creature you touch, and you can choose yourself. It still uses your action and concentration.

Does Guidance work on initiative in 5e?

Under the 2014 rules, yes, if you cast it within a minute before combat starts. Initiative is a Dexterity check. Under the 2024 rules, no, because 2024 Guidance applies only to checks using the chosen skill and initiative uses no skill.

Does Guidance work on saving throws or attack rolls in 5e?

No. Guidance only adds to ability checks. Bless adds 1d4 to attack rolls and saving throws. In the 2014 rules, the Resistance cantrip adds 1d4 to one saving throw.

Can you use Guidance after you roll in 5e?

In the 2014 rules, yes. The target can roll the d4 before or after making the check, as long as the spell is still active. The 2024 version has no timing choice. The bonus applies to every check with the chosen skill.

Does Guidance stack with Bardic Inspiration in 5e?

Yes. They are different effects, so both dice add to the same check. Two castings of Guidance on one target do not stack.

Can you cast Guidance before every check in 5e?

The rules allow it as long as you have an action and can touch the target. In practice, many DMs limit this because it slows the game or because there was no time to cast. Agree on a ruling with your DM before it comes up.

Is Guidance worth taking in 5e?

Yes, for almost every Cleric and Druid. It costs no slot, and adding 2.5 on average to important checks pays off every session. The only real cost is concentration.

Citations: SRD 5.1 (2014 rules), SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules)

Includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, licensed under CC BY 4.0.