The bard’s voice rose in power as he began to cast his spell. The champions fighting the dragon felt the power of the music wash over them, and they felt their strength begin to return.
The bard continued to sing, his voice a shield against the dragon’s attacks. With the champions’ renewed strength, they were able to triumph over the creature.
Buffs are a staple of support characters in Pathfinder and other roleplaying games. They provide a way to give your allies an edge in combat, whether through increased strength or protection from harm.
If you’re looking for the best buff spells for your Pathfinder adventures, look no further! These spells can help your party to overcome any obstacle.
In this article, we’ll discuss the best support spells and how to use them effectively. We’ll also cover which classes are best for providing support magic. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
What Is a Buff Spell?
A buff spell is a type of magic that positively affects the recipient, usually one that boosts the player’s defense. Buff spells can be cast on allies or yourself, depending on the spell’s effect.
There are many different types of buff spells, but some of the most common effects are:
- Increasing an ability score
- Giving extra hit points
- Enhancing armor or weapons
- Granting resistance to damage
How to Use Buff Spells Effectively
There are a few things to keep in mind when using buff spells. First, make sure you know the effects of the spell and who it can be cast on. Some buff spells can only be cast on allies, while others can be cast on yourself.
Second, consider the timing of the spell. Many spells only last for a short time, while others might last an entire day, so you’ll need to plan accordingly when you cast them.
Finally, think about how the spell will benefit your party. Each character has different strengths and weaknesses, so choose buff spells that will help them overcome their challenges. A fighter might need different buffs than a wizard, for example.
When selecting which buff spells to cast, remember that less is more. It’s better to have a few strong buffs than a bunch of weaker ones. Also, keep in mind that some spells can be used to buff multiple allies at once.
If you have the opportunity to cast one of these spells, take it!
Best Buffs in Pathfinder 2e
Now that we’ve gone over the basics, let’s take a look at some of the best buff spells in Pathfinder. With these spells, you can enhance your party to stand against fierce enemies.
Each spell has a different effect, so be sure to read the descriptions carefully. Some spells will help you avoid taking damage. Others will give you extra hit points or increase your strength.
This list was gathered from experienced players and GMs to provide the best options for support characters. Don’t be afraid to experiment with other options to find what works best for you and your party.
Best Buffs For Companions
Magic isn’t just for blowing things up; it’s for helping your friends too!
There are a few critical spells you should know about when it comes to keeping your teammates alive. These spells will keep your companions safe in battle while also providing other benefits.
Enlarge
With a range of 30 feet, this buff is effective even at a distance. The caster can target one willing creature with magic to make them grow large. The creature’s equipment grows along with it, creating an impressive display. However, if the character removes their equipment, it returns to its normal size.
While large, the creature will have clumsy 1, so the affected character won’t be able to move easily. However, the extra reach and damage this spell offers can be beneficial in battle.
Small or medium creatures receive an extra 5 feet of reach, and tiny creatures get an additional 10 feet of reach. Enlarged characters also get a +2 status bonus to melee damage.
If a Pathfinder character is already large or even bigger, this spell has no effect. This buff spell is meant to bulk up smaller, more vulnerable members of your party, so they can reach further and deal more damage to foes.
Haste
Another long-range spell, Haste, can be cast from up to 30 feet away, and one creature can be targeted. A hasted creature is faster than usual, gaining the quickened condition. The character can use an extra strike or stride action each round.
The haste spell is perfect in a situation where one needs to take down a tough opponent quickly before they have time to strike. Cast haste on a team member who deals a lot of damage to get the most out of this spell and eliminate the enemy before they can incapacitate or kill any of your companions.
Stoneskin
With stoneskin, you can harden a target’s skin like stone, giving them resistance 5 to physical damage, except when the attacker uses an adamantine weapon. Adamantine bites through the resistance created by this spell, rendering it useless.
This spell requires you to touch your target, and it lasts for 20 minutes unless your target takes slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning damage.
The stoneskin spell works well to buff companions with relatively low hit points, like magic users, who need a little additional armor. It can also offer vital protection for the tank of a party since they’ll likely be taking the most hits and damage.
For example, if you have a fighter in your group who likes to race into the fray, Stoneskin may save your companion a few hit points.
Resist Energy
This buff spell creates an elemental shield that protects a creature against a specific type of energy damage. When you touch a companion and cast resist energy, you can choose to protect your ally against fire, cold, electricity, acid, or sonic damage. The ally receives resistance five against the chosen type of damage.
Resist energy works incredibly well when facing an enemy who relies on elemental attacks to deal large amounts of damage. If you know the type of elemental damage the opponent uses, you can effectively neutralize their special attacks for an easier win.
Fly
WIth the fly spell, you can give someone the ability to soar through the air like a bird. The target can end their flight early by landing on their feet or another solid surface. Otherwise, they can fly for up to 5 minutes.
The fly spell is perfect for getting your party out of tricky situations, like if they’re surrounded by enemies. It can also be used to reach high places or cross large gaps.
This buff spell is in the arcane, primal, occult traditions. The target of a fly spell must be within touching distance, so it’s not possible to cast this spell on an ally who’s too far away.
Bless
Bless harnesses help from beyond, so you can increase the likelihood of hitting your enemies. When cast, the bless spell creates a 5-foot emanation. You and any of your allies within the emanation’s radius get a +1 status bonus to attack rolls for 1 minute.
You can increase the radius of the emanation by 5 feet once per turn with a single action, blessing more of your allies. However, increasing the radius requires concentration.
Bless is ideal when fighting in tight spaces since its effects are area-based. If you and your allies are forced to fight in a small tomb, for example, and face an unrelenting foe, this buff spell gives any team members within the emanation better chances of hitting the opponent.
Elemental Gift
This incredible buff spell grants your target an elemental gift, giving them the benefits of an element of your choice: earth, water, fire, or air. The elemental gift spell can only be cast on one willing creature and lasts for 1 minute.
The element’s effects differ considerably, so choose the element to bless your companion with care and according to your party’s needs. This is a great buff for battles with enemies who have elemental magic that your companion can counter.
For example, an ally with the elemental gift of water will have a resistance 5 to fire, which is ideal when fighting a monster with a strong fire attack.
Magic Weapon
Add glimmering magic to you or your willing ally’s weapon with this fantastic buff spell. Touch a weapon to imbue it with magic, and it will become a +1 striking weapon, which means it will have a +1 bonus to attack rolls and use two-weapon damage dice instead of one. The spell lasts for 1 minute.
Magic weapon is the perfect buff spell to use when you’re fighting an enemy who can only be harmed with magic attacks, especially if you or a companion lack damaging spells or a weapon with magic properties. It also performs well as a basic buff when it comes to tough fights.
Blur
This unique spell, which requires the caster to touch the target, might make your enemies wonder if they need an eye doctor. Once cast, the spell causes the target’s form appear blurry. In fact, the individual becomes so blurry that they’re concealed for 1 minute, making them difficult to aim at.
Enemies who hope to hit the blurry form with a spell or attack must succeed at a DC 5 flat check, except in the case of area effects.
Since enemies can still see the affected player’s hazy body, the character’s location is apparent. As such, despite their concealment, they cannot use hide or sneak actions.
This is a good buff for those who want to evade damage while still making successful attacks themselves.
Invisibility
Now you see me; now you don’t! The Invisibility Spell is one of the most popular and useful spells in Pathfinder. It offers a wide range of applications for both offense and defense. When cast, the target becomes invisible for a minute or until they make an attack, cause damage, or cast a spell.
This buff is perfect for characters who want to get in a few quick hits without being seen. It’s also great for those who want to remain hidden while scouting ahead or laying traps.
Magic Fang
This buff spell lets you pick one willing creature’s unarmed attacks and cause them to have primal energy. The primal energy enhances the unarmed attack, making it a +1 striking unarmed attack.
Similar to the magic weapon spell, magic fang gives the recipient a +1 item bonus to attack rolls and an extra damage dice if the character only had one.
That said, magic fang is an excellent choice for those who have a low-level monk in their party or an animal companion. Monks and animal companions typically don’t use weapons.
Instead, they rely on their fists, feet, claws, or teeth to attack and damage their opponent, so this buff highlights their strengths.
Best Self-Buffs
One of the best ways to make sure you’re always contributing to the fight is to buff yourself with spells. In fact, some buff spells can only be used on yourself. These are still incredibly useful and can often be the difference between life and death.
There are a variety of spells that offer different benefits, so it’s essential to choose the right ones for your character. Here are some of the best self-buffs in Pathfinder.
True Strike
It’s great to be lucky, but knowing the future is even better. The true strike spell gives the caster the ability to see the future for a single attack. As long as the caster makes their attack before the end of their turn, they’ll have a better chance of striking true.
This is a beneficial buff for characters who want to increase their accuracy. It’s perfect for trying to hit a specific target or for when you need to make sure your attack hits its mark.
And because True Strike is a cantrip, it can be cast easily and often.
Mirror Image
Confuse your enemies with the mirror image spell! Create three illusory versions of yourself to float about the space you occupy. With three versions of you, your foe’s attacks have a random chance of hitting the illusory images instead of you.
When all three images are present, your attackers must roll a d4 (after their initial attack roll) and have only a 1 in 4 chance of hitting you with the attack. If the enemy rolls anything but a 1, they hit one of your false selves and destroy it. Each illusion that’s destroyed heightens your chances of being hit.
If you ever get caught without a group of adventurers at your side, the mirror image spell may prove invaluable! This buff spell provides great cover when facing multiple enemies alone.
Mage Armor
This buff spell allows you to ward yourself with magical energy, generating a shimmering barrier around yourself that adds a +1 item bonus to your AC and a maximum dexterity modifier of +5. You use your unarmored proficiency when calculating your AC.
This spell gives the caster extra protection from physical damage. It’s perfect for characters who want to play more offensively without sacrificing defense.
False Life
This fascinating buff spell gives you the ability to fabricate a reservoir of vitality using necromantic energy. The reservoir gives you a number of temporary hit points equal to 6 plus your spellcasting ability modifier.
The hit point boost provided by false life may seem minor, but it can make a huge difference to players at low levels who don’t have a lot of hit points or great armor.
Shield
This spell creates a magical barrier around the caster that absorbs damage. It’s excellent for protecting yourself in combat. Unlike a normal shield, a magic shield will even provide protection against magic missiles.
Raising a magic shield gives you +1 to your AC until the start of your next turn. What’s more, you don’t need a free hand to raise the magic shield, and it has a hardness of 5.
Shield block is a cantrip, so it doesn’t cost you a spell slot to cast. However, his spell has a cooldown of 10 minutes, so you can only use it about once per battle. It’s possible to increase the toughness of the shield by heightening the spell.
Summon Fey
Fight for me! With summon fey, you summon a creature to aid you in battle. The creature must be summoned within 30 feet of you, its level must be -1, and it must have the fey trait.
The summoned fey can only be sustained for up to 1 minute, so use your attacks wisely to get the most out of this buff spell. It’s a good option for cases where you need an ally but find yourself alone or for when you need to inflict as much damage as you can in a short amount of time.
How to Get Buff
You don’t have to spend hours at the gym to get buff in Pathfinder. Wizards, sorcerers, and other spellcasters can save you time and effort by buffing you up in the blink of an eye.
Pathfinder buffs can help your party deal more damage, avoid attacks, and perform actions more quickly. Casting these spells will help your party defeat enemies and survive tough encounters. Before your next fight, take the time to buff up!
