Summary
Spellcasters who want theirBaldur’s Gate 3gameplay to touch on the chaotic tapestries of fate and destiny can rely on theDivinationSchool to manipulate the environment they’re using magic on. InDungeons & Dragonslore, Divination Magic often manipulates destiny subtly, giving casters knowledge and advantages in situations they would otherwise not be able to access.
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Mechanics-wise, many Divination spells tinker with rolls and checks by adding bonuses and penalties, boosting or hindering the possibility of certain things happening. SinceBaldur’s Gate 3relies heavily on dice rolls to determine the success of actions, players may want to rely on certain Divination spells to secure the edge.
6Speak With Animals (1st-Level)
At first glance,Speak with Animalsdoesn’t make for a useful spell inDungeons & Dragons, especially in TTRPG sessions where combat and heavy roleplay blend together. However, inBaldur’s Gate 3gameplay where players have the freedom to converse with almost any interactive creature, Speak With Animals can give gamers an entertaining time.
When activated, Speak With Animals grants players the ability to communicate with beasts on a verbal level. This lasts until Long Rest, allowing players to enjoy touring Faerun and talking to animals to their heart’s content. These interactionscan yield useful results or end up in hilarious conversations, giving players a much-needed break from the game’s intense plot.
5See Invisibility (2nd-Level)
Invisibility can become difficult to deal with inBaldur’s Gate 3gameplay, especially when opponents become nowhere to be found while still making their moves. While Invisibility is broken as soon as affected creatures perform an Action or make an attack, a well-placed strike can make their detection too late to react upon.
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However, players do have a cost-effective way of ensuring enemies can’t use this condition to their advantage. WithSee Invisibility, casters can see Invisible creatures and react to them. Witha well-placed strike, players can reveal Invisible enemies to the rest of their team, removing the enemy’s advantage. Since it only costs a 2nd-Level spell slot, See Invisibility can become a hassle to deal with as well, as enemies who use this can remove an opportunity for sneaky Rogues to secure an advantage.
4Detect Thoughts (2nd-Level)
In its original form in theD&DTTRPG,Detect Thoughtsonly allows its caster to read a target’s surface thoughts before requiring a Wisdom Save to probe even further, lest the target contests the caster’s probing via an Intelligence Check. This spell is much simpler to use inBaldur’s Gate 3gameplay, wherein players can immediately use this ability in a dialogue option that allows it.
When properly used, Detect Thoughts isa decent way of getting more out of an NPC in conversations, especially if it’s with a person possibly withholding relevant information. However, its recommended use outside combat makes it unideal in dangerous situations.
3True Strike (Cantrip)
With combat inBaldur’s Gate 3being turn-based, players shouldn’t worry too much about precision timing with their attacks and dodges. Instead, skilled players should set up their attacks to deal as much damage as possible - something thatTrue Strikemakes easier for spellcasters who aren’t confident with their strikes.
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When used, True Strike will grant players Advantage to their next Attack Roll against the target creature for two turns. Casters who usually have access to True Strike are Warlocks, Wizards, and Eldritch Knight Fighters, all of whom can use the extra roll whenwanting to maximize their damage output. At its core, they can use this and have a one-turn leeway for heavy-hitting main attacks or use it immediately in conjunction with a Bonus Action off-hander.
2Hunter’s Mark (1st-Level)
Whereas the Rogueexcels in overpowering opponents with multiple attacks, the Ranger as aBaldur’s Gate 3class excels in manipulating the environment to dish out damage from various sources. And Rangers who want to duke it out on melee can become a close Rogue substitute withHunter’s Mark. When cast, this 1st-Level spell only takes a Bonus Action to mark an enemy as their quarry, allowing their weapon attacks to deal +1d6 Slashing damage during hits. Despite its small damage boost, +1d6 Slashing is extremely close to a regular Cantrip’s 1d6 to 1d8 Damage, making this bonus quite resource-friendly.
What makes Hunter’s Mark quite the favorable Ranger weapon is its secondary effect that allows Rangers to “switch” targets for free should they die before the spell ends its duration, which is a Long Rest. Should a Rogue dip into Ranger via Multiclass, Hunter’s Mark becomes a nifty +1d6 buff to their insanely powerful Sneak Attacks.
1Guidance (Cantrip)
Aside from combat, Ability Checks and Skill Checksacross environmental interactions and dialogueare the most prominent activities inBaldur’s Gate 3gameplay, withGuidanceproviding quite the invaluable boost to rolls that players just can’t miss. At first glance, Guidance as a Cantrip provides a measly +1d4 bonus to Ability Checks across 10 turns. However, Guidance’s effects make itquite the most useful Cantrip in the RPGdue to its versatility and the many ways players can use this.
The 10-turn +1d4 buff to Ability Checks is only ever important in combat encounters, especially for players who prefer Shoving enemies off cliffs and unfavorable positions. However, Guidance is bordering overpowered in exploration and dialogue. After all, players can cast Guidance as often as they want to help players pull off Skill Checks, while Guidance is almost always an available option to boost rolls during dialogue.
Baldur’s Gate 3is currently available on PC with a MacOS and PS5 release slated for May 18, 2025.
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