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Does Faerie Fire Give Advantage?

Yes, Faerie Fire does give advantage. Specifically, any attack roll against a creature affected by Faerie Fire has advantage if the attacker can see the affected creature, and the affected creature doesn’t have total cover. This makes it a potent support spell for martial classes and other damage dealers, setting up opportunities for critical hits and increased damage output.

Understanding Faerie Fire in D&D 5e

Faerie Fire is a 1st-level evocation spell available to bards and druids, making it a readily accessible and powerful tool for many adventuring parties. The spell’s primary function is to illuminate creatures within a 20-foot cube, outlining them in a bright glow for the spell’s duration (up to 1 minute, concentration required). While the visual effect is certainly useful, the core benefit is the advantage granted on attack rolls.

The Mechanics of Advantage

Advantage is a crucial mechanic in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. When you have advantage on an attack roll, you roll the d20 twice and take the higher result. This significantly increases your chances of hitting your target and, statistically, greatly increases the chance of rolling a critical hit (rolling a natural 20 on one of the dice). Therefore, granting advantage to allies is often more effective than dealing a small amount of direct damage yourself.

Key Components for Faerie Fire’s Advantage

To effectively utilize Faerie Fire and guarantee the advantage it provides, it’s crucial to understand its limitations and stipulations:

Visibility: The attacker must be able to see the target. This means that if the attacker is blinded, in darkness and without darkvision, or otherwise unable to perceive the target, the advantage doesn’t apply.
Total Cover: The target must not have total cover. Total cover means that the target is completely obscured and cannot be targeted directly. Partial cover (half cover, three-quarters cover) doesn’t negate the advantage from Faerie Fire.
Affected Creatures: The spell only grants advantage against creatures within the 20-foot cube when the spell is cast, and who fail their Dexterity saving throw. Creatures entering the area after the spell is cast, or who succeed on their initial save, are unaffected.
Concentration: The caster must maintain concentration on the spell. If their concentration is broken (taking damage, being incapacitated, etc.), the spell ends, and the advantage is lost.

Tactical Applications of Faerie Fire

Faerie Fire shines in numerous tactical situations:

Combating Invisible Foes: While it doesn’t automatically make an invisible creature visible, Faerie Fire negates the advantage an invisible creature has on its attack rolls, and grants allies advantage to hit the now-glowing, previously invisible creature. This alone makes it invaluable against enemies like invisible stalkers or creatures using invisibility spells.
Buffing Martial Classes: Fighters, paladins, rangers, and rogues (especially rogues looking for Sneak Attack opportunities) greatly benefit from the advantage provided by Faerie Fire. Coordinating with the spellcaster to target enemies that your martial allies are engaging with can significantly increase the party’s damage output.
Dealing with Darkness: While not a replacement for a light spell, Faerie Fire illuminates creatures within its area. This can be helpful in dimly lit environments, particularly against creatures with darkvision who might otherwise have an advantage on their attacks.
Combating Pack Tactics: Some creatures, like wolves, gain advantage when attacking a creature if at least one of the attacker’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated. Faerie Fire helps the party to effectively target those specific creatures.
Targeting Difficult Opponents: Against enemies with high Armor Class (AC), advantage becomes even more critical. Increasing your chance to hit makes a significant difference in these encounters.

Why Faerie Fire is Underrated

Despite its power, Faerie Fire is often overlooked in favor of more flashy or directly damaging spells. However, the advantage it provides is a crucial force multiplier. The spell is a cost-effective way to significantly boost the party’s overall combat effectiveness, especially at lower levels. It also scales well, remaining useful even at higher levels when fighting invisible or heavily armored opponents. Effective team composition and coordinated tactics amplify the benefits of Faerie Fire.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 15 frequently asked questions regarding the spell Faerie Fire, along with their detailed answers:

If a creature is behind three-quarters cover, does Faerie Fire still grant advantage? No. Only total cover negates the advantage provided by Faerie Fire. Half cover and three-quarters cover do not prevent the advantage.
Can Faerie Fire reveal an invisible creature? No. While it doesn’t reveal the creature in the sense of dispelling the invisibility, it does outline the creature with light if it fails its saving throw. This cancels the benefit of being invisible (advantage on attacks, disadvantage to be attacked), and grants advantage to attackers who can see the outlined creature.
Does Faerie Fire work on creatures with truesight? Yes. Truesight allows a creature to see things as they truly are, but it doesn’t grant immunity to being outlined by light. The target still needs to make the saving throw and if they fail, they will be outlined.
If a rogue has advantage from Faerie Fire, can they use Sneak Attack? Yes, absolutely! As long as all the Sneak Attack requirements are met (another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, the rogue has advantage on the attack roll, etc.) the rogue can deal Sneak Attack damage. Faerie Fire is an excellent way for a rogue to consistently trigger Sneak Attack.
Does Faerie Fire affect creatures with the Sunlight Sensitivity trait? No, Faerie Fire does not produce actual sunlight. The light emitted is magical in nature, but it does not function as sunlight for the purposes of traits like Sunlight Sensitivity.
If a creature succeeds on its Dexterity saving throw against Faerie Fire, can it be affected by it later? No. Once a creature successfully saves against a particular casting of Faerie Fire, it is no longer affected by that instance of the spell. The caster would have to cast the spell again, and the creature would have to fail the new saving throw to be affected.
Can Faerie Fire be dispelled? Yes, like any magical effect, Faerie Fire can be dispelled with a Dispel Magic spell. It’s a 1st-level spell, so Dispel Magic cast at its lowest level (3rd) has a good chance of succeeding.
If a creature is deafened, does it affect its ability to be targeted by Faerie Fire? No. Deafness does not impact a creature’s ability to be affected by Faerie Fire. The spell relies on a Dexterity saving throw, which is unaffected by hearing.
What happens if the caster of Faerie Fire loses concentration? The spell ends immediately, and the affected creatures are no longer outlined in light, and the advantage is lost.
If a creature is blinded, can it still benefit from advantage granted by Faerie Fire if it attacks based on sound or other senses? No. The attacker must be able to see the target to gain advantage. The text says, “Any attack roll against an affected creature has advantage if the attacker can see it…”
Can I use Faerie Fire on a single object to illuminate it? The spell targets creatures, not objects. While the light will illuminate surrounding objects, the spell’s primary effect (granting advantage on attacks) only applies to creatures that fail their saving throw.
Does Faerie Fire work underwater? Yes, the spell functions underwater. The text does not indicate that there are restrictions for use underwater.
Can I target a specific creature within the cube of Faerie Fire, or does it automatically affect all creatures in the area? The spell states that each creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw. You don’t get to pick and choose who it affects.
If two creatures are grappling, and I cast Faerie Fire, do both need to make saving throws? Yes. If both creatures are within the 20-foot cube of Faerie Fire when the spell is cast, both creatures must make a Dexterity saving throw.
Is there any way to grant advantage on the saving throw against Faerie Fire? Yes. Spells and abilities that grant advantage on saving throws (such as a paladin’s Aura of Protection, granting a bonus to saving throws) would also apply to the saving throw against Faerie Fire. Similarly, anything that would impose disadvantage on saving throws would make it more likely for a creature to be affected.

Does faerie fire give advantage?