Resistance is an abjuration cantrip for Clerics and Druids. In the 2014 rules you touch a willing creature, and once before the spell ends (concentration, up to 1 minute) it can roll a d4 and add it to one saving throw. In the 2024 rules it works differently: you pick a damage type, and the target reduces damage of that type by 1d4, once per turn, for the full minute.
The two versions share a name, school, touch range and 1-minute concentration duration. Little else matches, so check which rules your table uses.
The 2014 cantrip is a one-shot save bonus. The target picks the save, rolls the d4 before or after the d20, and the spell ends. It is the saving-throw twin of the 2014 Guidance, which does the same thing for ability checks.
The 2024 cantrip is damage reduction. You choose one of eleven damage types, and once per turn the target subtracts 1d4 from damage of that type. It no longer ends after one use, so it can run for all 10 rounds of the minute.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Level | Cantrip |
| School | Abjuration |
| Casting Time | 1 action |
| Range | Touch |
| Components | V, S, M |
| Material | A miniature cloak |
| Duration | Up to 1 minute |
| Concentration | Yes |
| Ritual | No |
| Save/Attack | None |
| Classes | Cleric, Druid |
| Metric | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Slot Efficiency | Free. It's a cantrip, so it costs only an action and your concentration. |
| Action Economy | Poor in combat, excellent before it. Cast it while the party is still opening the door. |
| Opportunity Cost | Your concentration. Any concentration spell you cast afterward ends it. |
When worth it: Before a fight you can see coming, on the ally most likely to face a nasty save (2014) or the most damage of one type (2024).
None. Resistance doesn't scale with slot or character level in either edition; the die stays a d4.
Why it works: The spell lasts up to a minute. In 2014 the d4 sits unused until the target needs it. In 2024 the reduction is already running when initiative is rolled.
This avoids the mistake of: Spending your first combat action on a 1d4 buff.
Why it works: The text lets the target roll the die "before or after making the saving throw." Rolling after you see the d20 means you only spend the bonus on a save that is close. The text doesn't say whether you can wait until the DM announces success or failure; that part is a DM ruling, not rules text.
This avoids the mistake of: Burning the d4 on a natural 18 that was already a success.
Why it works: The reduction only triggers on the chosen type. Wolves bite for Piercing damage. A hell hound breathes Fire. Check what the enemy actually deals before you choose.
This avoids the mistake of: Guessing a type and then facing a fire breather.
Why it works: The limit is once per turn, and each monster takes its own turn. Three wolves biting one target means three separate turns and three chances to subtract 1d4. Against a single creature that hits three times in one turn, only one of those hits gets reduced.
This avoids the mistake of: Expecting it to blunt a dragon's multiattack.
Why it's bad: Damage Resistance halves damage. Neither version of the cantrip halves anything.
Do this instead: Read it as "+1d4 to one save" (2014) or "−1d4 damage of one type, once per turn" (2024).
Why it's bad: In 2014, once the target adds the d4 to a save, the spell ends. It is not a minute-long bonus to every save.
Do this instead: Save it for the save that matters, such as a paralysis or petrification effect.
Why it's bad: If you cast Bless, Spirit Guardians, or any other concentration spell, Resistance ends. Taking damage also forces a concentration save.
Do this instead: Treat it as a placeholder until you cast your real concentration spell. See the concentration rules.
These are the 2014 rules. The 2024 changes are in their own section below.
The 2024 rules rewrote Resistance. It is still a Cleric and Druid abjuration cantrip with touch range and a 1-minute concentration duration. Everything else changed.
Against one big hit, such as the 2024 hell hound's Fire Breath (17 average on a failed save), it removes only about 2.5. The reduction comes off "the total damage taken," so a 2024 hell hound Bite (Piercing plus Fire) triggers Resistance set to Fire and the d4 comes off the whole hit.
In the 2014 rules, the target adds 1d4 to one saving throw of its choice, once, within the next minute. In the 2024 rules, the target reduces damage of one chosen type by 1d4, once per turn, for up to a minute. Both need concentration.
No. Damage Resistance halves damage. The 2014 cantrip adds to a save and doesn't affect damage. The 2024 cantrip subtracts 1d4 from damage of one type.
Yes. It targets a willing creature you touch, and the targeting rules let you choose yourself when a spell targets a creature of your choice.
In 2014, yes. They are different spells, so the target can add both d4s to the same saving throw. You need two casters, because both spells need concentration.
Up to 1 minute with concentration. In 2014 it ends early as soon as the d4 is used. In 2024 it lasts the full minute unless concentration breaks.
Acid, Bludgeoning, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Necrotic, Piercing, Poison, Radiant, Slashing, and Thunder. Force and Psychic are not on the list.
Yes, on different turns. The limit is once per turn, and a round contains many turns. Three monsters attacking on three turns can each have one hit reduced.
Clerics and Druids in both editions. In 2024, any character with the Magic Initiate feat for the Cleric or Druid list can learn it, and the Acolyte background grants Magic Initiate (Cleric).
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.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.
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