Why is Aid a 2nd level spell?

[MerakSpielman]

I have honestly never seen it cast. I gave my players a few potions of Aid and they sold them.

Aid
Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Clr 2, Good 2, Luck 2
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Living creature touched
Duration: 1 min./level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

Aid grants the target a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saves against fear effects, plus temporary hit points equal to 1d8 + caster level (to a maximum of 1d8+10 temporary hit points at caster level 10th).

A Bless spell is only 1st level and give the whole party, potentially a great number of people, the +1 morale bonus to hit. And any PC I know would much rather be hit with a Cure Serious spell if he was injured than get a few of those annoying temporary hit points that can kill him when they wear off if he's not careful.

It has some minor use as a buffing spell, but it seems to me that it would be better if it were first level. It does what Bless does but only for one person and it does what CLW does, but with the more dangerous and annoying temporary hp.

 

[Droid101]

Temporary hit points aren't dangerous in any way. They are taken away first when you are damaged. So if you don't get damaged at all for the duration, that's the only time they go away.

 

[Scion]

While it isnt the best 2nd level spell in the world, although it definately has its uses, the main problem you are facing is not understanding temp hp.

With temp hp anytime you take damage you reduce the temp hp first. They cannot be healed back up, they are simply used up.

So, if you have 5 hp and 6 temp hp (for example) and are hit for 10 you would remove the 6 temp hp and take 4 points of actual damage. Still being alive and when the spell runs out that gave you those temp hp nothing special happens.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

I have honestly never seen it cast. I gave my players a few potions of Aid and they sold them.

A Bless spell is only 1st level and give the whole party, potentially a great number of people, the +1 morale bonus to hit. And any PC I know would much rather be hit with a Cure Serious spell if he was injured than get a few of those annoying temporary hit points that can kill him when they wear off if he's not careful.

Temporary hit points are essentially all-purpose ablative damage reduction. When damage is applied, temporary hit points are removed first, and if they are all gone, then regular hit points are counted. If the spell effect wears off, only those temporary hit points not already removed by damage disappear. If you haven't taken enough damage to eliminate all the temporary hit points, you are undamaged when the spell ends. You can never be harmed by temporary hit points.

However, if your Con modifier increases (like when in a barbarian rage or under the effects of Bear's Endurance), then you lose the extra hit points when the effect wears off, and your hit point total decreases by the same amount, which could kill or incapacitate you.

 

[Clueless]

*nod* Exactly. It's like "nopes - not hurt" sort of 'hit points'. And besides - exactly *how* many combats do you know last over 30 rounds?

3rd level to cast a second level spell, so minimum spell duration is 3 minutes. A round is 6 seconds. A minute has 10 rounds. And three minutes have 30 rounds. (At least this is according to my memory - I'm posting from work without a DMG or PHB at hand.) So unless your combats last 30 rounds - there's no possible *way* someone's just going to drop at the end of the combat unless there's no healing left in the party,

And if you guys were that far gone you wouldn't have survived that fight *anyway* and had a decent chance at a TPK if someone hadn't kept your foe busy longer than he could without the extra rounds of being up.

 

[Scion]

Remember, you dont always have up just the right spell ahead of time, especially with such an incredibly short duration.

I dont much care for this spell, although it does have a decent amount of temp hp which is nice. The morale bonus can be gained from a number of different sources (not the least of which is bless.. one level lower and the whole party benefits, both are good for roughly one battle, which is better?) but the duration is so short as to be useless beyond a single battle.

So, if you happen to have it up before battle it can be very nice. Spending a round to cast it instead of bless might just be wasted. All in all, not exactly the best spell in the world.

Now, if its duration was 10min/level and gave a couple other minor beanies that would be different. As is though? I have only seen it cast in video games and never actually in campaigns that I have been in.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

In 3.5, Aid benefits from several things that make it a semi-worthwhile spell:

1. It actually grants a decent number of temporary hit points now that "+ lvl" is included.

2. The other decent second level buff spells were largely removed.

I have seen it cast a few times but mostly that is because it's the second level Good domain spell. If it weren't on the domain lists, I know my clerics wouldn't prep it. But, as a domain spell, it beats Heat Metal (combats are often over before it takes effect) and is about as good as Bull's Strength (another pretty lousy second level spell).

If it were a first level spell, it would be a very good first level cleric spell, but I don't think it would break the game. As a second level spell it's on the weak end, but it's worth casting if you have it prepared for some reason.

 

[Scion]

For the good domain, aid (2nd level domain slot) vs protection from evil (1st level domain slot). Given the choice most of the time I would probably put an extra protection from evil in before aid. There are times when the aid would be more useful, but for general adventuring I think the protection would be a better choice.

 

[Clueless]

We use it when we're going to set up an ambush (or *know* there's a fight coming soon) or if a party member is about to die and we're low on the healing.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

Below average overall, but sometimes useful.

At low levels, I am more likely to prep Bull's Strength or Sound Burst. At mediumish levels it is a reasonable competitor with other 2nd level buff spells because PCs often have enhancement bonuses in key stats already. I may not bother with Protection from Evil because of in place resistance bonuses and I might have a Magic Circle up.

Also remember that in the middle of a tough fight, you are giving up d8 healing to get the morale bonus. If you prefer the healing, you just cast that sponteously instead.