No, we’re not talking about Wish, or Power Word Kill, or Time Stop.
We’re actually talking about the lowly, unassuming, adorable first-level spell that is…
Okay, seriously, just hear me out here.
- See also:
For those who don’t have all the D&D spells memorized (for shame!), here’s a quick summary of this incredibly powerful little spell:
“Up to ten berries appear in your hand and are infused with magic for the Duration. A creature can use its action to eat one berry. Eating a berry restores 1 hit point, and the berry provides enough nourishment to sustain a creature for one day. The berries lose their potency if they have not been consumed within 24 hours of the casting of this spell.”
It might not seem like a lot, but, because of the mechanics of 5e, this spell can actually work wonders.
Let me explain.
This entire argument revolves around the fact that healing spells in 5e don’t offer much in the way of hit point regeneration.
Sure, a first-level Healing Word is great for when you can’t physically reach your downed ally, but 1d4+ spell ability mod isn’t really worth the spell slot (and definitely not worth being the only leveled spell you can cast during your turn) if a damn goblin can do away with that amount of hit points on their initiative.
Cure Wounds‘ 1d8+spell mod doesn’t do much better, for the same reasons.
That’s why a lot of adventuring parties have realized that the best way to utilize healing in 5e is to simply wait until your party members actually start dropping to 0 hp.
And that’s where Goodberry comes in.
The single HP offered by a delicious little Goodberry isn’t going to do much to keep your allies up, but neither will the 5 – 15 hp offered by your other first level spells. All that any of these spells need to really do, though, is give that ally enough strength to stop their death saves, get up, and smack the baddies with whatever they’ve got left in the tank — before falling unconscious again.
Well, no worries at all if that happens, because you have 9 more Goodberries all ready to go.
(This is all obviously under the assumption that your DM allows you to force-feed your unconscious ally a berry while they’re down. Rulings may vary, and The D&D Dispatch claims no responsibility for arguments, resentments, or shenanigans that you may experience as a result.)
What’s especially great about this spell is that it works as an insurance of sorts against smart enemies who may target that back line healer. If your Druid has the forethought to make some Goodberries prior to the fight, say at the start of each day, and gives a few out to the party members, it’s basically like every member of the party is running around with 2 or 3 extremely weak health potions.
What’s even better is that, due to the spell’s 24 hour duration, spellcasters can actually dump whatever leftover spells they have at the end of the day to make tomorrow’s batch of Goodberries. They may expire just before midnight, sure, and you may need to have a merciful DM to allow it, but it just feels good to start the day with fully replenished spellslots and a few dozen Goodberries in hand.
I won’t even get started about how Goodberry will literally break any sort of survival/foraging/hunting out of necessity situation thanks to the fact that one berry is enough to sustain someone’s caloric needs for a full day.
Why bother lugging around rations when you’ve got these tasty little treats?
The spell is especially useful for spellcasters who have been unwillingly shoved into the role of Healer By Default. Now, instead of getting spammed with “I need healing” all fight, they can just point to the pile of Goodberries they gave the Rogue and tell them to waste their action healing.
I’m not salty. Who’s salty?
Seriously, give it a try in place of Healing Word or Cure Wounds the next time you prepare your spells. If for no other reason than that the berries make for some great RP by being able to hand them out like Halloween candies to the starving peasant kids in town.
Goodberry. Theeeeeey’re Good!
But that’s just my two coppers.
- See also:
