![spell guidance spell guidance](https://ms.yugipedia.com/7/76/GoddessVerdandesGuidance-SHVA-EN-SR-1E.png)
In 5 th Edition D&D, guidance is a cantrip that allows the caster to touch one willing creature and grant them +1d4 to any ability check of their choice made within the next minute. (Another common example of this in D&D are DMs who resolve traps as purely declaration gotchas: “Whoops! You forgot to say, ‘I search for traps,’ so here’s your random damage tax!” See Rulings in Practice: Traps for a better way of running traps. Just imagine Dennis Nedry laughing in your face for eternity: This is basically the, “Whoops! You forgot to say ‘Simon Says’ before collecting your victory points, so I automatically win the game!” school of game design and it almost always results in terrible experiences.
![spell guidance spell guidance](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/e/a/ea247a74-b0e9-4ace-98f2-b563467ab60c.jpg)
Second, declaration gotcha mechanics aren’t fun. The auto-choose ability flattens the game by reducing the diversity and variety of characters. Whether or not the ability actually breaks the play of the game, it has broken the process of choosing abilities. There are two principles of game design on which this rant is based.įirst, in a game where players choose between different abilities, any ability which is so good that everyone should pick it every single time is almost always an indication that the ability is broken. Guidance is not only incredibly powerful, it is constantly useful. If you’re casting the spell, it’s absolutely fantastic. I mean, not if you’re the character casting it. It’s so bad, in fact, that I’d argue it flirts with being objectively bad. Warning: This is a rant about game design.