10 Baldur’s Gate 3 Spells That Fall Short Compared to Their D&D Originals

Baldur’s Gate 3 boasts a vast array of spells for both players and enemies, many inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) universe. However, as these spells transitioned from tabletop role-playing games (TTRPG) to a video game format, significant adjustments were made to their mechanics and overall effectiveness. This evolution has led to some spells becoming more advantageous in combat, while others have suffered noticeable downgrades, making them less impactful in gameplay.

Particularly, numerous spells that rely heavily on open-ended mechanics from D&D find their potency diminished in the structured environment of Baldur’s Gate 3. Here, we’ll explore ten spells that, when compared to their D&D counterparts, appear to have taken a hit in effectiveness.

10 Mage Hand’s Short Rest Limitation Holds It Back Significantly

Cantrips Don’t Usually Have Casting Limits

Mage Hand serves as a versatile cantrip in both Baldur’s Gate 3 and D&D, allowing players to manipulate objects and creatures from a distance. While it’s particularly useful for avoiding danger during exploration or in combat without a flying speed, Baldur’s Gate imposes significant restrictions on its usage.

In this game, players can only utilize Mage Hand once per short rest, and its duration is limited to one minute or until it is destroyed. With just three hit points, it frequently succumbs to damage in combat, reducing its efficacy in prolonged encounters. Although versions of this cantrip from the githyanki and Arcane Trickster rogue subclass offer invisibility and extended duration, the standard version pales in comparison to its D&D analogue.

9 Arcane Gate Is Held Back By The Size Of BG3’s Maps

A Spell Intended For Larger Battlefields

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While Mage Hand suffers from a lack of duration, Arcane Gate is hindered by its range due to the limited size of Baldur’s Gate 3’s maps. Similar to dimension door, Arcane Gate was designed for covering substantial distances, initially boasting ranges of up to 500 feet. However, in the game, this range has been reduced to just 120 feet, significantly limiting its effectiveness.

Unlike other teleportation spells that whisk away the caster, Arcane Gate creates two connected portals for any creature to utilize. Unfortunately, its diminished range makes it less valuable for a sixth-level spell, especially considering that foes can also exploit these portals. Such constraints may be a necessary adaptation due to the scale of BG3’s environment, but they ultimately render Arcane Gate less impactful than in the D&D realm.

8 Glyph Of Warding’s Uses Have Been Shrunken Down

A Simpler Version Of This Complex Spell

In D&D, Glyph of Warding is a versatile spell that can encapsulate another spell, activating under specific conditions set by the caster. This allows for creative traps and magical items to be fashioned by players. However, in Baldur’s Gate 3, the complexity of this aspect presents challenges.

While D&D incorporates a gold cost to balance out Glyph of Warding’s potential, BG3 simplifies it significantly, restricting its use to the creation of basic floor traps. These traps can deal varying types of damage and push enemies away but lack the full range of strategic utility found in the TTRPG. Critical capabilities, such as storing spells like Hold Person or Mass Healing Word, are no longer an option, greatly diminishing its usefulness.

7 Conjure Woodland Being Doesn’t Offer Much Choice To Its Caster

A Downgrade That Was Probably For The Best

In D&D, the Conjure Woodland Being spell allows players to summon a variety of fey creatures based on their preference, including quicklings and pixies. In contrast, Baldur’s Gate 3 limits this spell to specifically summon a single dryad, reducing player choice significantly. While the dryad possesses some inherent power, it falls short compared to the broader options available in D&D.

6 Grasping Vine Is Almost Useless When It Has Health

Turning A Niche Spell Into A Complete Joke

Grasping Vine, like many spells, has its limitations in both formats. Designed as a fourth-level concentration spell meant to maneuver enemies on the battlefield, the mechanics in Baldur’s Gate 3 make it less viable. Players face the constant threat of losing the vine if the caster is distracted, compounded by the fact that the vine cannot move from its initial position.

Moreover, Baldur’s Gate 3 introduces health points to the vine, giving it an armor class of only 13 and a mere 20 hit points. These parameters make the summon vulnerable to enemy attacks, and its failure to provide any damage output while being easily dispatchable discourages its use in battle.

5 Greater Invisibility Tends To Fail At Inopportune Moments

This Heightened Version Of Invisibility Is Not Worth The Higher Spell Slot

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Invisibility in both D&D and Baldur’s Gate 3 significantly aids players by preventing opportunity attacks and enhancing overall maneuverability. However, the greater invisibility spell fails to deliver on its promises in BG3. Unlike the tabletop version, where the spell thrives without conditions, players must make continuous stealth checks whenever they interact with anything while affected by greater invisibility.

This makes it significantly less reliable for spellcasters who may not excel in stealth checks. As a result, the spell becomes troublesome at critical moments, hampering its overall effectiveness and making it less worthwhile for higher-level spell slots.

4 Polymorph Received Some Obvious Downgrades

Making A Great Buff Spell Into A Middling Debuff Option

Among the most significant changes between BG3 and D&D versions of spells is found in Polymorph. In D&D, players enjoy the ability to change a target creature into a chosen beast of equivalent or lower challenge rating. This opens the possibility for strategic transformations into powerful allies, like direwolves or even dinosaurs later in the game.

However, in Baldur’s Gate 3, Polymorph’s capability is reduced to transforming targets only into sheep. While this can still effectively nullify adversaries, it eliminates the option of buffing allies, thus substantially diminishing its versatility in combat situations.

3 Gust Of Wind’s Change To An Instantaneous Spell Hurts Its Utility

One Case Where Making A Spell Concentration Would Have Been Better

While concentration is generally viewed as a limitation for spells, Gust of Wind is a notable exception to that perception. In D&D, this spell provides a durable and evolving line of strong winds that can overcome enemies, disrupt battlefield dynamics, and control the movement of foes. However, the lack of concentration in BG3 strips away many of these strategic benefits.

Instead, Baldur’s Gate 3 versions create an instantaneous gust that acts much like a non-damaging spell. Though it can clear out dangerous gas clouds effectively, the limitations due to its lack of sustained effect reduce its overall utility during critical encounters.

2 Charm Person Is Rendered Useless By An Updated Cantrip

This Spell Needed Something More To Make It Stand Out

The utility of Charm Person, while decent, suffers significantly in BG3 due to the introduction of the Friends cantrip. Charm Person is not without merit, as it grants the caster an advantage on charisma checks and prevents enemies from targeting them if they fail their saving throw.However, Friends accomplishes the identical effect without requiring a saving throw, making Charm Person seem largely redundant.

Moreover, unlike Charm Person, the Friends cantrip can be employed effectively in dialogue scenarios, making its utility in social interactions hard to ignore. When weighed against the benefits of spells like Sanctuary or Compelled Duel, which can redirect enemy aggression, there is little incentive to utilize a first-level spell with nearly identical outcomes.

1 Seeming Is Woefully Underpowered For A Fifth-Level Spell

A Powerful Incantation With Hardly Any Uses

The potential of the Seeming spell is vast, yet it falls short in Baldur’s Gate 3. Although it permits changes in race, which has implications for dialogue and interactions, it pales in comparison to its tabletop counterpart where it can transform multiple characters into any desired likeness. In this video game, it mirrors the functionality of Disguise Self but applies it to an entire party, which rarely proves useful.

The spell’s effectiveness diminishes further because typically only one party member engages in dialogue at a time, limiting its practical applications. Additionally, it cannot alter summoned creatures, which means that a comprehensive disguise remains unachievable when party summons are present. Despite being functional in specific contexts, Seeming ranks among the least effective fifth-level spells, fundamentally lacking the versatility showcased in Dungeons & Dragons.

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