Aura of Vitality 5e Guide

Aura of Vitality 5e Guide

Healers are essential aspects of an adventure. You cannot risk going to battle without any way to recover health quickly and in the heat of the moment.

There are plenty of examples aside from the healer in Goblin Slayer; Chopper from One Piece acts as a healer since he is a doctor who treats the crew’s injuries. Log Horizon has several classes dedicated to healing others.

Likewise, video games also have healers; most of them come from online games or role-playing games with many characters like Valorant or Divinity: Original Sin 2.

In these games, there are different spells and methods to heal your teammates, and D&D has a similar approach. One of those healing spells that are pretty good is the Aura of Vitality, a level three evocation spell; however, it has its ups and downs.

This spell’s major downside is that only one class can cast it, but thanks to Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, many more can potentially have the Aura of Vitality spell through the Additional Spells class feature.

This Aura of Vitality 5e guide will help you know who can cast it, how to cast it, and many more. If you want to know if the spell’s upsides are more beneficial than the downsides, read this guide to find out.

Bottom Line Up Front: What is Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e?

Aura of Vitality is a level three evocation spell you can find in the Player’s Handbook on page 216. This spell is an evocation spell similar to Mass Cure Wounds and Moonbeam because you control the healing energy to heal the people near you.

Below are the crucial details about the Aura of Vitality spell in D&D 5e.

  • Aura of Vitality
    • Level three evocation
    • Casting Time: One action
    • Range: 30-foot radius from yourself
    • Components: V
    • Duration: Concentration, up to one minute

How to Use Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e

How to Use Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e

Aura of Vitality, like all spells, has standard requirements that you should always consider: the components, range, casting time, and spell slot. They are as follows:

  • You must know the Aura of Vitality spell or have it prepared. Spellcasters typically have spells in their mind (knowing them like Bards and Sorcerers), while some have them in their memory (preparing them like Clerics and Wizards). However, some class features or items can let you cast a spell without needing you to know or prepare it.
  • You must have at least a level three spell slot. Aura of Vitality is a level three spell, so you need at least an available level three spell slot to cast it. Using a higher-level spell slot does not change the effects of Aura of Vitality.
  • You must use your action to cast the Aura of Vitality spell in combat. Outside of combat, an action is equivalent to six seconds.
  • You must be able to talk to cast the Aura of Vitality spell. It needs the verbal component, i.e., you need to produce audible words.
  • You need to concentrate on the Aura of Vitality spell. As I have discussed in my previous guides, concentration spells need your undivided focus, and the Aura of Vitality is one of them. For a more detailed explanation of how it works, I suggest you read my Pass Without Trace 5e guide. However, below are some simplified points for this mechanic.
    • Casting two concentration spells at once is impossible; you must dismiss one if you want to cast another.
    • Receiving damage while concentrating on a spell will force you to make a Constitution saving throw; when you are successful, you retain the spell’s effects. Otherwise, the spell dismisses.
    • Being incapacitated or killed automatically makes you lose concentration.

Upon meeting the Aura of Vitality spell’s requirements and casting it, a 30-foot radius healing aura radiates from you. This spell can last up to one minute, which is ten rounds in combat. You can do the step below for every round during battle while the spell lasts.

  • Use your bonus action to heal anyone within a 30-foot radius of you. You can also heal yourself.

After choosing to heal someone by using a bonus action on your turn, they instantly recover a particular amount of HP. The next section details how the Aura of Vitality spell works.

How Does Aura of Vitality Work in D&D 5e?

The 30-foot radius healing aura reaches your target, reenergizing them with HP. The following effects immediately happen:

  • Your target recovers 2d6 HP. Per the healing rules, you do not heal above your maximum HP. For example, you recover 10 HP from Aura of Vitality, but your current HP is 25, and your maximum HP is 30. In this scenario, you only recover five HP to reach 30.

To summarize, casting this spell allows you to use your bonus action on each of your turns while Aura of Vitality lasts to heal one person. The maximum duration is one minute, which is ten rounds in combat.

Therefore, you can potentially recover 2d6 HP ten times, either with the same person or with different people. The next section demonstrates how Aura of Vitality works to give you a clearer picture.

Example Scenario for Using Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e

Health may be wealth, but it sure cannot pay your taxes! Welcome to Arthur’s Lab, where we demonstrate various spells for a better understanding of the topic. This time, we will look into the Aura of Vitality spell, a level three evocation spell.

We will conduct the experiment on the islands, and Marshal will not be the spellcaster. Instead, his friend, Guardian the Dwarf Paladin, will do the honors.

She has the appropriate spell slots to cast Aura of Vitality. She also has the spell prepared. Along with her, on the island will be a few bandits that she will heal because they deserve to have a bit of care from time to time.

The picture below gives a visual representation of the bandits around her, along with their HP. They are fighting against a wild wolf who somehow reached the islands.

Example Scenario for Using Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e

Below is the turn order while in combat.

  • Guardian
  • Wolf
  • Bandit 2
  • Bandit 1
  • Bandit 3

First Scenario: Casting Aura of Vitality Using a Level Three Spell Slot

It’s Guardian’s turn first, and she casts the Aura of Vitality spell using an available level three spell slot. She meets the requirements for the spell since she can freely speak audible words.

She focuses on the spell, and a healing aura bursts from her, reaching 30 ft. away from her. Below is a visual representation of how the Aura of Vitality reaches the other characters.

Casting Aura of Vitality Using a Level Three Spell Slot

As you can see, Bandit 1, Bandit 2, and the wolf is inside Guardian’s healing aura from Aura of Vitality. Therefore, she can choose either of these three creatures per turn to heal via her bonus action. Since Bandit 3 is outside the area, Guardian cannot heal him.

Second Scenario: Healing a Bandit Using Aura of Vitality

Guardian used her action to cast Aura of Vitality during her turn, but she can still use her bonus action to heal other people on the same turn.

So, after casting the spell, she then uses her bonus action to heal Bandit 1, who has 19 HP. Because Bandit 1 is within her aura, he recovers 2d6 HP. Guardian rolls for it and gets five and four, which is equal to nine. Therefore, Bandit 1 recovers nine HP.

Healing a Bandit Using Aura of Vitality

Third Scenario: Healing a Bandit but Going Over Maximum HP

It is the wolf’s turn, and it bites Bandit 2 on the hand. The wolf successfully landed a hit, and Bandit 2 suffered a loss of five HP. Therefore, his current HP is 25 out of 30.

It is Bandit 2’s turn, but he does not move or do anything due to the pain. Bandits 1 and 3 also do the same. Thus, it is Guardian’s turn once more, and she is still concentrating on the Aura of Vitality spell.

Healing a Bandit but Going Over Maximum HP

During her turn, she uses her action to attack the wolf with her weapon. She successfully lands a hit (i.e., her attack roll, after applying the appropriate modifiers, reach the wolf’s armor class) and deals ten damage. Then, she uses her bonus action to heal Bandit 2 through her Aura of Vitality. She rolls 2d6 and gets six and one, which is equal to seven.

Bandit 2’s HP is 25, and his maximum HP is 30. Adding seven HP to his current HP would not make it 32 because it would go above his maximum HP. Instead, it becomes full (i.e., his HP is 30 out of 30).

Healing a Bandit but Going Over Maximum HP

Fourth Scenario: Casting Aura of Vitality Using a Level Five Spell Slot

It is the wolf’s turn, and it attacks Bandit 1. It successfully lands a hit, dealing six piercing damage to Bandit 1. All the bandits also stayed still as we instructed them to (we definitely did not threaten them to do so). It’s Guardian’s turn again, and this time, she wants to use her action to cast the Aura of Vitality spell using a level five spell slot.

Casting Aura of Vitality Using a Level Five Spell Slot

Since she cannot focus on two concentration spells at once, she dismisses the first one to cast the second one. She successfully casts the spell, but the spell’s effects do not change because the spell slot level does not matter for this spell.

She can still use her bonus action to heal someone during this turn. So, she heals Bandit 1, which is within her Aura of Vitality, and he recovers four HP.

Casting Aura of Vitality Using a Level Five Spell Slot

Fifth Scenario: Losing Concentration on Aura of Vitality

It is the wolf’s turn again, and it attacks Guardian. The wolf successfully bites her, dealing four piercing damage to her. Since she is concentrating on a spell, she must make a Constitution saving throw to keep her focus, or else the spell will end.

Its Difficulty Class is either ten or half the damage received, whichever is higher. Since Guardian only received four piercing damage, the DC is ten.

So, she rolls a d20 and gets a six. Her Constitution saving throw modifier is a +3. Therefore, her final saving throw equals nine, which is too low to reach the DC of ten. Therefore, she loses concentration on the Aura of Vitality spell. If she wants to heal her teammates through it, she must cast it again using a level three spell slot or higher.

Who Can Cast Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e?

Only one class, i.e., the Paladin, three subclasses (Battle Smith Artificer, Crown Paladin, and Twilight Cleric), and one race, i.e., the Halfling with the Mark of Healing, can get the Aura of Vitality spell.

However, thanks to Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, two more classes and one subclass can get the spell via the Additional Spells class feature: the Cleric, Druid, and Divine Soul Sorcerer.

Classes that Can Cast Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e

According to the Player’s Handbook, only the Paladin has access to the Aura of Vitality spell. Paladins get to level three spell slots when they reach level nine; therefore, they can cast this spell upon reaching this level.

Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything contains a bunch of spells for some classes and flavored them as Additional Spells, which means the classes can get the spell if they want to.

Aura of Vitality is an Additional Spell for the Cleric and Druid. Below is a table containing each of the class’s sources, along with the source where you can read more about their Additional Spell class feature.

Classes that can cast Aura of Vitality

Class Source

Additional Spell Class Feature Source

Paladin Player’s Handbook, page 82 N/A
Cleric Player’s Handbook, page 56 Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, page 30
Druid Player’s Handbook, page 64 Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, page 35

Subclasses that Can Cast Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e

Subclasses that Can Cast Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e

Initially, only three subclasses have access to the Aura of Vitality spell. However, thanks to Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything for adding the spell to the Cleric’s spell list, one more subclass can benefit from it. Below is a table with their essential details.

Subclasses that can cast Aura of Vitality

Originating Class Subclass Feature for Aura of Vitality Subclass Source

Class Source

Battle Smith Artificer Battle Smith Spells Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, page 18 Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, page 9
Divine Soul Sorcerer Divine Magic Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, page 50 Player’s Handbook, page 99
Oath of the Crown Paladin Oath of the Crown Spells Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, page 132 Player’s Handbook, page 82
Twilight Domain Cleric Twilight Domain Spells Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, page 34 Player’s Handbook, page 56

When Battle Smith Artificers reach a particular level, they have a number of spells that are always prepared thanks to their Battle Smith Spells subclass feature. Plus, these spells do not count to their prepared spells count. When they reach level nine, they have the Aura of Vitality spell always prepared.

Usually, Divine Soul Sorcerers do not have access to the Aura of Vitality spell. However, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything adds the spell in the Cleric’s spell list as part of their Additional Spells.

Therefore, Divine Soul Sorcerers can get this spell through their Divine Magic subclass feature; it allows them to learn or replace a level one or higher spell from the Sorcerer spell list to the Cleric spell list. If you are using Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything’s rules, Aura of Vitality can be a legit spell for Divine Soul Sorcerers.

Much like the Battle Smith Artificers, Paladins swearing to the Oath of the Crown and Clerics in the Twilight Domain can have the Aura of Vitality spell always prepared due to their Oath Spells and Domain Spells subclass features, respectively.

To summarize, these subclass features allow them to have a number of spells always prepared. Furthermore, these spells are not part of their count of prepared spells.

Races that Can Cast Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e

Halflings with the Mark of Healing have access to the Aura of Vitality spell. They are part of the Eberron campaign; therefore, if the game you are playing is not set in it, having a Halfling with the Mark of Healing may not make sense.

So, ask your DM first if you can play this race in your game. If they allow it, they may integrate some sort of magical or divine reason for how you got there in the first place.

They can get the Aura of Vitality spell thanks to their Spells of the Mark racial feature. It allows them to pick a number of spells as dictated in the race’s details, and Aura of Vitality is part of it.

However, not everyone can get this spell; if your class cannot cast spells (e.g., the Barbarian or Monk), then you cannot get a spell through the Spells of the Mark. You must think of it like an extended spell list.

You can read more about this race in Eberron: Rising from the Last War on page 43.

Creative and Useful Ways to Use Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e

Creative and Useful Ways to Use Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e

Similar to the Mass Cure Wounds spell, Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e is incredibly straightforward; you cast it, and you heal other players (or yourself) during your turn for ten rounds.

It does not deal any damage to anyone, and it does not have any other effects aside from healing. However, I think it is much more versatile than other healing spells. So, below are a number of innovative ways to use Aura of Vitality.

  • Restoring HP without resting
  • Healing undead or constructs
  • Waking unconscious allies up during battle
  • Empowering Life Cleric’s healing

Restoring HP without Resting Using Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e

There are multiple ways to recover your character’s HP, such as potions of healing, spells, etc. However, the most common method to restore HP would be through resting.

In D&D, there are two kinds of rest: a long rest and a short rest. A long rest lasts for at least eight hours wherein the party sleeps, and you can only perform a long rest again after a day (i.e., after 24 hours).

Meanwhile, a short rest lasts for one hour, wherein the characters perform light activities like eating, drinking, and more. Long rests recover all your HP and half their total Hite Dice, while short rests allow you to use Hit Dice to recover HP.

Because of the limited rules of rests, you cannot continuously do them to recover HP. So, a more thoughtful way would be through the use of healing spells.

I think one of the best ways to heal a lot of people with a lot of HPs would be through the Aura of Vitality spell. You can cast this spell while outside of combat; you recover 2d6 ten times since it lasts for a minute, and you can heal someone per turn using a bonus action. One round is six seconds, so one minute of Aura of Vitality would be ten times of healing.

Therefore, the total amount you can heal via Aura of Vitality is 20d6, which is an average of 70 HP and a maximum of 120 HP (if you are crazily lucky). Initially, only Paladins could cast this spell, and they could cast it when they reached level nine.

Thus, it is not too overpowered. However, thanks to Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, a Cleric or Druid can cast this spell as early as level five!

Healing Undead or Constructs Using Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e

Healing Undead or Constructs Using Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e

Many healing spells do not have an effect on the undead or constructs; out of the 26 spells from various sources that can potentially restore HP, 11 of them cannot heal the HP of the undead or constructs.

Common examples of such spells are Cure Wounds, Healing Word, and Prayer of Healing. Aura of Vitality excels in this area because it does not have such limitations.

If you have allied yourselves with undead creatures or constructs, you can now heal them via the Aura of Vitality. As long as they are within the caster’s radius of 30 ft., the caster can heal them up.

Even if you do not want to heal the undead or constructs around you, they do not automatically become healed since it is still your decision who can benefit from your Aura of Vitality.

Waking unconscious allies up during battle using Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e

Fights can get intense and challenging; when you are in a disadvantageous state against an enemy, you can expect someone to drop to zero HP and become unconscious.

Sometimes, you cannot immediately tend to your unconscious friend; you still have an enemy to take care of! There is a big chance that, if the enemy is smart enough, they will target you if you try to go to your unconscious ally.

A lot of times, the best approach would be to take care of the threat first before saving your friend. However, the threat of death is still lurking around. Therefore, the best approach for such scenarios would be the Aura of Vitality.

With it, you can wake up your unconscious allies while attacking the enemy; you use your action to attack while using your bonus action to heal using the spell.

Doing this method would ensure that your friends do not die. It also allows your friends to help out in defeating the threat. Plus, you do not become too hassled since you use bonus actions to heal your allies. It is the best approach to the problem.

Empowering Life Cleric’s healing using Aura of Vitality in D&D 5e

As I mentioned in my previous guide about Mass Cure Wounds, healing spells like Aura of Vitality become more efficient for Clerics in the Life Domain thanks to their subclass features.

Firstly, the Disciple of Life subclass feature they get at level one gives additional HP to the target equal to 2 + the spell’s level (which is at least three, depending on the spell slot you used to cast it).

Some people argue that the Blessed Healer subclass feature they get at level six does not affect Aura of Vitality. They say that the Aura of Vitality can heal the caster, and the Blessed Healer does not activate if the caster recovers health from casting a healing spell.

Furthermore, healing someone through the Aura of Vitality happens during your bonus action, not your action or upon casting the spell.

For the unaware, Blessed Healer heals the caster when you cast spells that can restore HP to others but not yourself. As a DM, I would agree with the sentiment that Aura of Vitality potentially healing the caster disallows the feature to affect themselves.

Even if the caster does not heal themselves with Aura of Vitality, the feature dictates that it only affects spells that restore HP to others but not the caster.

Finally, the Supreme Healing subclass feature they get at level 17 allows them to maximize the rolls for restoring HP. Therefore, the Aura of Vitality always restores 12 HP instead of rolling 2d6 to determine the HP restored.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Is Aura of Vitality a Cleric Spell in D&D 5e?

Answer: Yes, aura of vitality is a cleric spell in d&d 5e, thanks to tasha’s cauldron of everything. Originally, it was exclusively a spell in the paladin’s spell list.

However, tasha’s cauldron of everything includes the spell in the cleric’s additional spell list. Therefore, clerics can pick this spell up as early as level five, which is the level they can get level three spell slots.

QUESTION: DOES AURA OF VITALITY REQUIRE CONCENTRATION IN D&D 5E?

Answer: Yes, aura of vitality requires concentration in d&d 5e. Concentrating on a spell means that you cannot cast another spell that also requires you to focus on it, I.E., you can only concentrate on one spell.

You can cast other spells that do not require concentration while aura of vitality is in effect, though. Losing concentration through the various methods would end the spell abruptly.

QUESTION: IS AURA OF VITALITY A DRUID SPELL IN D&D 5E?

Answer: Yes, aura of vitality is a druid spell in d&d 5e, thanks to tasha’s cauldron of everything. Similar to the clerics, druids gained this spell because tasha’s cauldron of everything included it in their additional spells list.

QUESTION: CAN YOU CAST AURA OF VITALITY OUT OF COMBAT IN D&D 5E?

Answer: Yes, you can cast aura of vitality out of combat in d&d 5e. Doing so would allow the caster to heal characters ten times within one minute since doing so in war happens in one turn, and a round is equivalent to six seconds.

Thus, the caster can potentially recover 20d6 hp, which is an average of 70 hp and a maximum of 120 hp (which is always possible for level 17 life clerics).

Conclusion: Is Aura of Vitality a Good Spell in D&D 5e?

I think Aura of Vitality is the best healing spell for Clerics and Druids due to it being available to them when they reach level five. Initially, the spell was only available to Paladins, and they gain level three spell slots when they reach level nine.

A level nine character would potentially have a lot of HPs by then, so Aura of Vitality is not entirely busted for them. However, that changes for Clerics and Druids.

A Cleric or Druid without any Constitution modifiers would be, on average, at 26 maximum HP. Having a spell that can heal 2d6 (which is an average of 7) HP is superbly helpful for them.

In contrast, a level nine Paladin without any Constitution modifiers would be, on average, at 54 maximum HP. The spell is also insanely good to use outside of battle; you can heal potentially heal 20d6 for your party!

Still, I think the best characters that can get the most use of Aura of Vitality would be Clerics in the Life Domain, thanks to their subclass features that boost up healing spells.

A lot of threads have popped up over the years that the spell seems to be overpowered, especially after the Clerics and Druids have access to it, and I would agree. It can recover a lot of HPs within a minute, and I think it is a great choice.

Latest posts by Arthur Monteclar (see all)

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top