Lesser Restoration 5e Guide: How Does it Work? - Explore DnD (2024)

Even in the , illnesses and plagues exist, and they can affect even the strongest fighters. It can be the driving force for the party to set out on an adventure; perhaps they need to collect the ingredients for a cure to end a plague that has been infesting a kingdom. Or maybe they need to defeat the big bad evil guy (commonly abbreviated as the BBEG) to stop a disease from ruining the land.

Even certain spells can inflict devastating diseases on their target. For example, the Contagion spell inflicts several diseases such as Blinding Sickness, Filth Fever, Flesh Rot, and more. When the party gets afflicted by a disease, it might get particularly difficult to carry on with the adventure. This might be a disadvantage during travel and combat.

If your campaign focuses around a certain plague, if you feel like there is a lurking danger from diseases around your party, or even if you just want to roleplay an extremely germophobic character, you need something that lets you cure up diseases right away. There are only a few spells that are capable of doing so, and one of those rare spells is the Lesser Restoration spell.

It is a nifty tool for clerics when having diseases and illnesses is not uncommon. It is a second-level spell, so it is not too late in the game. Even if diseases are not uncommon in your game, this spell can still cure certain conditions that players suffer from, such as poison. If you have stumbled upon this spell and are considering putting this in your spell list, keep on reading our Lesser Restoration 5e Guide.

What is Lesser Restoration?

Lesser Restoration is a level two abjuration spell that can be found in the Player’s Handbook on page 255. Abjuration spells are spells that have defensive and saving effects. It can be spells that can cast magical shields, magical armor that blocks projectiles or even healing spells. Below is the key information of the said spell.

• Lesser Restoration
• 2nd-level abjuration
• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Components: V, S
• Duration: Instantaneous

To understand more on how to use this spell and how it works, read on further.

How to use Lesser Restoration

Lesser Restoration is a second-level spell, and there are certain requirements a caster must meet to use it successfully. Listed below are the said requirements.

• You must be able to use this spell (e.g. have this spell in your spell list, have this spell as a racial feature, etc.).
• You must have at least a level two spell slot available that you can expand.
• You must be able to speak (e.g. your mouth must not be covered; you must be able to speak words out of your mouth)
• You must be able to move your hands freely (e.g. they must not be bound by shackles, ropes, etc.)
• You must be able to touch your opponent

First, you must be capable of casting this spell in the first place. There are certain classes, subclasses, and races that give the character access to such a spell (note that this topic will be talked about in a later section). Second, since Lesser Restoration is a second-level spell, you would need at least one level two spell slot available that you can expand. Level one spell slots would not work on this spell at all. Third, you need to fulfill the “vocal” and “somatic” component requirements of the spell.

The “vocal” component requirement means that you need to have the capability of speech to make this spell work. The “somatic” component requirement means that you need to have the capability of moving your hands freely in gestures. When both of these cannot be fulfilled, then the spell will not work.

Fourth, you must be able to touch your target so that the spell will take effect. When this spell is used during combat, your target must be 5 ft. near you. If your target is too far away, you must find a way to get near them. This is a spell more suited to be cast during breaks and rests between adventures, but when your ally is in a pinch during the heat of the battle, you can still use it.

How does Lesser Restoration work?

When you touch your target, healing magic would begin to fester up inside their body and eliminate one disease they have. You can also cure one condition of the target. However, do note that there are only four conditions that can be cured with this spell, which are listed in the “Curing a condition” section.

Curing a disease

There are a lot of diseases that can be added to a game. When your party member is suffering from a disease, you can use Lesser Restoration to cure them. It is not explicitly stated which diseases are curable and non-curable, so it is entirely up to the DM’s judgment if a disease is curable or not through Lesser Restoration.

Some DMs have a rule that you can only cure a disease if the disease was not present from birth until now. In other words, Lesser Restoration cannot cure congenital diseases. However, other DMs are more passive and allow any disease to be cured through Lesser Restoration. Again, it is up to the DM’s judgment on whether a certain disease should be easily cured in the game. As a note to DMs, at least be lenient enough to allow Lesser Restoration to cure diseases from spells such as Contagion.

Below is a table of sample diseases that can be added to the game and can be cured by Lesser Restoration. Along with the table is the source of where the disease comes from so that you can read more on how it works if you plan to add it to your game. However, a short description of the disease is also added to the spell.

Curing a condition

The Lesser Restoration spell can also cure a condition that the target is suffering from instead of a disease. The conditions that can be cured by Lesser Restoration are in the table below. The “Capable creatures in MM” column is the number of creatures in the Monster Manual that can inflict the said condition through their traits, actions, lair actions, regional effects, or spells. The following column “Sample creatures” are examples of creatures with various difficulties in the Monster Manual that can inflict the condition.

The other column, “Capable creatures from other sources” is the number of creatures that can still inflict the said condition through the same method, but come from other supplementary sources as well such as Volo’s Guide to Monsters and the Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes.

Who can use Lesser Restoration?

Classes

Even though Lesser Restoration is a second-level spell, it is still widely accessible because a lot of classes have access to this spell. Listed below are the classes as well as their source.

• Artificer (Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, page 9)
• Bard (Player’s Handbook, page 51)
• Cleric (Player’s Handbook, page 56)
• Druid (Player’s Handbook, page 64)
• Paladin (Player’s Handbook, page 82)
• Ranger (Player’s Handbook, page 89)

Do note that each class has access to level two spell slots during different class levels. For example, the Bard class first obtains level two spell slots at level three while the Paladin class obtains them at level five.

Subclasses

Several subclasses can gain access to this spell. They are listed down below and along with them are their sources as well as their originating class.

Warlocks who have The Celestial as their otherworldly patron have Lesser Restoration as part of their expanded spell list. Sorcerers who have Clockwork Soul as their sorcerous origin gain the spell through their Clockwork Magic subclass feature, while those who have the Divine Soul instead can gain the spell by replacing an existing spell to it, as described in the Divine Magic subclass feature.

Paladins who have sworn by the Oath of Devotion gain this spell as their oath spell by level five. Finally, the clerics in the Life Domain add the Lesser Restoration spell by the time they level up to three, as described in the Life Domain subclass feature.

Races

There are a couple of races out there that can cast Lesser Restoration just by being themselves. This ability is written in their DNA. These races are listed down below.

FAQs

Is Lesser Restoration good?

It depends. Lesser Restoration is very useful when your campaign or your adventure is focused on plagues, illnesses, and diseases. It is also a very useful spell when you are up against enemies who you think can inflict you with the Blinded, Deafened, Paralyzed, and Poisoned conditions. For example, there are 15 creatures in the Underdark that can inflict the Poisoned condition, so bringing in Lesser Restoration would be ideal. In the arctic, there are no such creatures, so the spell might get sidelined.

If you know that you are going in an area or a region that is infected with a certain disease, it would be best to have Lesser Restoration with you. Still, the best thing about Lesser Restoration is that it is not a rare spell in the sense that there are a lot of classes that have access to it. However, if you plan on bringing a spell with you that can regain hit points to you or your allies, Lesser Restoration is not your spell.