D&D 5E Guidance...

[clearstream]

So... the guidance cantrip. Toward the end of my last campaign the group got pretty tired of it. What, if anything are groups doing about guidance spam?

I ask because I am thinking of making it a level 1 spell.

 

[billd91]

If they're actually tired of it, it's a self-correcting problem. It's within their power to stop using it.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

I just got rid of it entirely, along with all of the other disruptive cantrips.

 

[Oofta]

Fortunately I haven't run into this all that often. My rules on it

• Guidance can't be declared after the fact, once a D20 is rolled that's it.
• Guidance can't be cast if the caster has no reason to know that it's needed. If a player asks for guidance, their PC is as well; the PCs say whatever the players say.
• It's not particularly useful in social situations, if an NPC sees someone casting a spell they're going to assume the worst and become one step more hostile.
• If combat is a possibility casting any spell that can be detected by your opponents is considered a hostile act. Roll for initiative.

So some simple logic tends to keep it to a reasonable number. Or I've just been lucky and it hasn't been an issue.

 

[Usus]

I went the other way and changed the cantrip to an assist action, where any character can assist another, if they describe how they assist.
The players now all get to use the action, and as they describe how they assist each other, we learn new things either about the setting or the characters andet - and that makes it all worth it.

 

[iserith]

It only works on tasks that last less than a minute really and spamming it for tasks that last longer than a minute doesn't make sense since the ability check is not actually a thing in the fiction. The task is the thing.

So what I've found is that the problem goes away as long as you state that certain tasks take longer than a minute, when that makes sense in context.

 

[Salthorae]

Fortunately I haven't run into this all that often. My rules on it

• Guidance can't be declared after the fact, once a D20 is rolled that's it.
• Guidance can't be cast if the caster has no reason to know that it's needed. If a player asks for guidance, their PC is as well; the PCs say whatever the players say.
• It's not particularly useful in social situations, if an NPC sees someone casting a spell they're going to assume the worst and become one step more hostile.
• If combat is a possibility casting any spell that can be detected by your opponents is considered a hostile act. Roll for initiative.

So some simple logic tends to keep it to a reasonable number. Or I've just been lucky and it hasn't been an issue.

Most of this is what we do at our table. Casting guidance in social settings always has negative implications. and can certainly initiate combat. This is known by the players and never comes up. They might cast it right before a social encounter to get a boost on the first roll if it makes sense, but not otherwise.

The only thing I would expand on is

• You can't cast guidance on long time skill checks at our table. I.e. a survival roll to track something or guide the party. it's just not realistic that you're going to slow down to half or quarter movement every 6 seconds just to cast this on yourself or someone else. You'd go horse before 30 minutes were up.
• You can't cast guidance if you didn't know you needed it. I.e. things that happen and require reactive things but aren't in combat
  • A pit trap that gives an Acrobatics check... you're not in combat, it surprised you, etc.
  • You see something walk around the corner and try to identify it reactively with an Arcana or Nature check or something like that.
• We remember a few things:
  • It's a touch spell, so you have to be next to the caster
  • It's a concentration spell. So you can't have any other concentration spells up.
  • It does take an action to cast as well.
  • It's a spell. Spellcasting is loud. Good luck with that guidance Stealth check

Otherwise... it's not that big a deal for our games. It doesn't disrupt anything, its not a free resource despite being at will. it's an action, it's concentration, etc.

 

[5ekyu]

So... the guidance cantrip. Toward the end of my last campaign the group got pretty tired of it. What, if anything are groups doing about guidance spam?

I ask because I am thinking of making it a level 1 spell.

We dont do anything. If its cast before a roll, it gets used as described. That's it. No problem.

If it's an extended effort that would take longer than the duration from start to stop, the caster has to be with them for most of the effort for it to count (ruling).

Other than that it's not a problem.

I get others have a variety of issues - some practical some preference - but not an issue for us.

I mean, to us, it's kinda just a bit of divine flavor for a weak HELP action.

 

[Shiroiken]

I'll admit that Guidance is probably the best non-combat cantrip, but it does have some limitations. It has concentration, only lasts a minute, and has to be cast in advance. In addition, spellcasting (at least in most games) is considered hostile unless the spell is carefully explained in advanced. The primary benefit I've seen in it's use is for specific tasks you can prepare for (only 1 minute in advance). Athletics seems to be the primary check I've seen it used for.

 

[coolAlias]

It only works on tasks that last less than a minute really and spamming it for tasks that last longer than a minute doesn't make sense since the ability check is not actually a thing in the fiction. The task is the thing.

So what I've found is that the problem goes away as long as you state that certain tasks take longer than a minute, when that makes sense in context.

Exactly this.

That, and it's a spell. Casting a spell in a social interaction is typically both noticeable and bound to induce extremely negative, perhaps even violent, reactions.