Enhance Ability
Level 2 · Transmutation
- Concentration
- Buff
Carried by bard, cleric, druid, ranger, sorcerer, and wizard, Enhance Ability operates at the 2nd level of the transmutation school. Cast time: Action. Range Touch, components V/S/M, duration up to 1 hour. Material: fur or a feather. Marked concentration. Effect: You touch a creature and choose Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. At higher levels: You can target one additional creature for each spell slot level above 2. You can choose a different ability for each target.
Stat Block
- Level
- 2
- School
- Transmutation
- Casting Time
- Action
- Range / Area
- Touch
- Components
- V, S, M
- Duration
- up to 1 Hour
- Ritual
- No
- Concentration
- Yes
- Classes
- Bard, Cleric, Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Wizard
- Material
- fur or a feather
Description
You touch a creature and choose Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. For the duration, the target has Advantage on ability checks using the chosen ability.
5e (2014) vs 2024 changes
This spell has both a 5e (2014) and 2024 Player's Handbook version. Doungim shows the current 2024 stat block above. Differences between editions typically affect components, range, or scaling — check both source books for the table.
Doungim Lore
School Fit
Transmutation is the school that breaks parts of D&D's combat math on purpose. The system trusts that a Transmuter understands what they have done to a creature when they Polymorph it. Enhance Ability sits in Transmutation because the spell rewrites a property of a body, an object, or terrain. 2nd-level slots become common enough that Enhance Ability can be cast in two or three encounters per long rest.
Class Fit
- Bard: For a Bard, Enhance Ability is best paired with another spell using the same target on the same turn — Bonus-Action plus Action layering is where the class wins fights. As a concentration spell, Enhance Ability occupies the caster's single concentration slot.
- Cleric: Life Domain Clerics value Enhance Ability differently from War or Trickery Clerics; the Domain's identity shapes which spells become signature. The higher-level scaling on Enhance Ability is described in the spell text; check it before upcasting.
- Druid: Druids prepare Enhance Ability from the full list each day, but the Wild Shape economy means prep cycles look different from a Cleric's. Damage taken while concentrating on Enhance Ability forces a Con save at DC 10 or half damage, whichever is higher.
- Ranger: Wisdom is the Ranger's casting stat. Enhance Ability casts at the build's normal spell-save DC, which is competitive but not the focus of most Ranger builds. The concentration tag on Enhance Ability means a single failed Constitution save can end the effect mid-encounter.
- Sorcerer: Subtle Spell removes the verbal and somatic components; if Enhance Ability normally has both, Subtle lets the Sorcerer cast in chains or in a noble's parlor. Note that Enhance Ability requires concentration; switching to a second concentration spell ends it.
- Wizard: Tier 3 and tier 4 Wizards add 5th-9th level spells to the book — Enhance Ability interacts with those upper-tier picks as part of a full prep loadout. Keep in mind that Enhance Ability ends the moment the caster takes concentration off it for any reason.
Related Spells
Frequently Asked Questions about Enhance Ability
- What level spell is Enhance Ability?
- The spell Enhance Ability is a level 2 spell in the Transmutation school. Bard, Cleric, Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Wizard all have access to it.
- What is the range of Enhance Ability?
- Enhance Ability is cast via touch. The caster has to reach the target with a successful melee touch (if the target is unwilling).
- Is Enhance Ability a concentration spell?
- Concentration is required for Enhance Ability, with a maximum duration up to 1 hour. The concentration rules apply: one at a time, and Con saves on damage.
- What components and casting time does Enhance Ability need?
- Enhance Ability is cast with V, S, M. Material component: fur or a feather.
- Can Enhance Ability be upcast?
- Yes — You can target one additional creature for each spell slot level above 2. You can choose a different ability for each target.