True Strike

True Strike is a cantrip (Divination). It gives the caster Advantage on their next Attack Roll against the target.

Description

Gain  Advantage on your next  Attack Roll.

This spell can be cast while you are  Silenced.

Properties

Cost

 Action

Details

 Range: 18 m (60 ft)

 Concentration

Technical details

UID

Target_TrueStrike

Spell flags

HasHighGroundRangeExtension, HasSomaticComponent, IsConcentration, IsHarmful, IsSpell

Condition: True Strike

 True Strike

Duration: 2 turns

• The spellcaster has  Advantage on  Attack Rolls against this creature.

How to learn

Classes:

• Class level 1: Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard
• Class level 3: Arcane Archer, Arcane Trickster, and Eldritch Knight

Races:

• Character level 1: High Elf and High Half-Elf

(Character level is the sum of all class levels for a multi-classed character.)

Granted by features:

•  Magic Initiate: Bard
•  Magic Initiate: Sorcerer
•  Magic Initiate: Warlock
•  Magic Initiate: Wizard

Other ways to learn:

• Mage Breaker (Ranger class feature)
• There are no scrolls available for wizards to transcribe to their spellbooks.

Notes

• The description of True Strike is among the more confusingly worded, and thus prone to being misunderstood. Specifically:
  • Only the caster of this spell gains  Advantage on their next attack against the affected target, not their allies.
  • Only the first attack roll following the application of the condition gains Advantage. The condition is removed immediately afterward, regardless of the result.
  • The duration is 2 turns, but includes the turn on which the condition is applied. This is true of many spells, but is especially important here.
• True Strike is rarely considered worth using due to its opportunity cost: a full  Action must be spent on it to improve the chances of hitting once. Attacking twice is often more effective.
  • At 50% hit chance, for example, True Strike brings that single attack up to 75%, while two normal attacks give a 50% chance to hit one and a 25% chance to hit both. If an enemy is eliminated on the first attack, the character can use their next turn action for something else.
• However, True Strike is not considered "aggressive", so the caster could cast it just before combat to gain its benefits without having to spend an action mid-fight, thus eliminating the opportunity cost.
• Another niche use case exists for an Arcane Trickster making a  Sneak Attack. If no allies can flank for a sneak attack and there is no other way to gain advantage for an attack roll (such as  Cunning Action: Hide), spending the action on True Strike to enable an offhand sneak attack could be considered efficient.
• True Strike can also be used when a  Concentration spell is needed, such as to activate  Vital Conduit,  Concentrated Blast, or just to bait attacks from enemies looking to break the player's spell concentration.

Bugs

• Though not displayed in its description, True Strike can be cast while  Silenced.

External links

•  True strike on the Forgotten Realms Wiki