Divine energy radiates from you, distorting and diffusing magical energy within 30 feet of you. Until the spell ends, the sphere moves with you, centered on you. For the duration, each friendly creature in the area (including you) has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Additionally, when an affected creature succeeds on a saving throw made against a spell or magical effect that allows it to make a saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throws.

Circle of Power: The Spell Checker

Usable By: Paladin

Spell Level: 5

School: Abjuration

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Self (30-foot radius)

Duration: Concentration up to 10 minutes

Components: V

Review by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold

Big area of effect buff spells can be finicky. Concentration spells on paladins can feel impossible to use. Circle of Power lands in both camps; while the effect its offering is sweet, it just can’t flourish on the majority of paladins.

Evasion is the feature that lets monks and rogues take no damage on failed saves, functionally what Circle of Power is offering. The difference between half and no damage is a massive deal, especially in high tier play. Half of 180 damage dealt by an ancient breath weapon is still 90, potentially still dropping any number of low HP characters, whereas taking ZERO damage from the same breath weapon can prevent characters dropping outright. The bonus to saving throws pairs nicely with the protection from damage being offered as well. Sure, failure can still happen, but with both mitigation and improvement, the effect can be a game changer.

Unfortunately, paladin spells that require concentration for long durations can feel terrible. The majority of paladins out there are building to be in the thick of it, hacking and slashing through monsters while simultaneously taking a beating. They’re built to take damage and hits; Concentration is all or nothing, and when you’re playing a d20 system, even at the upper tiers the quantity of dice rolls tend to matter way more than any modifiers you have to improve your chances. The bulk of the determination as to whether or not you can maintain concentration on anything is the number of times you’re hit, and paladins are going to be hit a lot.

This fundamentally kills Circle of Power to me. If you’re against smart villains who see Circle of Power come down, all they need to do is wail on the paladin enough times that it drops. I do have good news for the spell, though. If you’re a College of Lore bard, this is one of my favorite magical secrets to get. A support character with access to Circle of Power can play safer. They can maintain concentration significantly easier, and can grant a major protective boon to everyone nearby. The bard can use the paladin as a bulwark to keep attacks off of them, and provide said paladin tools to stay alive from area of effect saves. The ten minute duration makes it an excellent prep spell for bards, too, and so long as you know you’re going into a high stakes fight, the saves will very likely matter. You can mitigate stupid amounts of damage with this.

If you’re going to specifically play a supportive College of Lore bard, I’d consider Circle of Power. If you’re a paladin who isn’t hacking and slashing with a sword and you can reasonably maintain concentration, you can try to make Circle of Power work. If you’re a more traditional paladin build, I’d look to sink those slots into smites, or otherwise use out of combat utility spells for your slots.

5e Spells

Circle of Power: The Spell Checker