Aura of Vitality: Vital Signs Look Good

Usable By: Cleric, Druid, Paladin

Spell Level: 3

School: Evocation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Self (30-foot radius)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Components: V

Healing energy radiates from you in an aura with a 30-foot radius. Until the spell ends, the aura moves with you, centered on you. You can use a bonus action to cause one creature in the aura (including you) to regain 2d6 hit points.

Review by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold

We’ve all had encounters where both sides are just wailing on each other for WAY more damage than either side has health. These are the kinds of encounters where the cleric has spent the past four rounds casting Healing Words and smashing demons with their mace to keep people off of death saves while whittling down enemy forces bit by bit. In those moments, while Healing Word is doing the job just fine, there could be a better way: Aura of Vitality.

I’ve written at length about the downfalls of healing. I think it's way overrated at most tables; my motto is grab Healing Word or Goodberry and forget about every other healing spell out there. If you have at least 1 hit point, you have enough hit points. Aura of Vitality is the rare case where I’d consider deviating from this way of thinking. Numerically, 1d4 + mod is hitting around the same average as 2d6 making it nearly identical to Healing Word; the spell functionally gives you at will Healing Words for up to a minute. In specifically deadly encounters, Aura of Vitality can net your side a tremendous action advantage that can turn a loss into a win.

For it to be worth it, you do need a lot to go right. First, you need to get at least three activations off for this to justify its level and initial action cost. If you’re going to be dropping concentration immediately, this is a worse Healing Word; yikes. If you have enough players and you know you can reasonably position safely to get three activations of this off, I think you’ll get enough out of it to justify the cast. Each bonus action at minimum can eat an attack from a typical low CR enemy, and at all tiers bringing somebody off death saves is massively impactful. While you really want the latter to occur to get your money’s worth here, the floor of buffering damage across a large area on a case by case basis elevates the value tremendously, specifically if you don’t already have another go to bonus action.

Unlike Healing Word, subsequent uses don’t count as casting a spell as a bonus action, meaning you’re free to cast other 1st level or higher spells while dishing out heals. If you’re a full caster cleric who has no desire to invest in armor and weapons, having the ability to fire off Guiding Bolts while simultaneously keeping your idiot barbarian and fighter alive and kicking is a major bonus. The bonus action does compete with Spiritual Weapon, which is a real bummer, but if that’s not something you're committed to this is one of the best bonus action options available to clerics.

If you're a druid, the concentration is a bit much to ask as comparable summon options are REALLY good. If you’re the kind of player who wants to sling out Blights and heal your friends while you do it, though, this provides you a tool to make that a reality. If you’re a paladin, don’t cast this spell. It requires concentration, and you have lay on hands and divine smite. This spell may be on your spell list, but it's not really for you.

This is certainly a game dependent spell that will work best in large groups facing deadly encounters. In those cases, you can get a lot of benefits out of Aura of Vitality, and it can quickly become your default concentration spell. In games where death is less of a constant threat, or where there aren’t cases where you’ll be able to maintain concentration on it for more than a couple rounds, stick to the tried and true strategies of Healing Word and Goodberry.

5e Spells

Aura of Vitality: Vital Signs Look Good