Skip to main content

Barkskin

Transmutation
Level: 2nd-level
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Duration: Up to 1 hour
Components: V, S, M
Materials: A handful of oak bark.

You touch a willing creature. Until the spell ends, the target's skin has a rough, bark-like appearance, and the target's AC can't be less than 16, regardless of what kind of armor it is wearing.

Concentration

Spell Details

School: Transmutation
Level: 2
Ritual: No
Concentration: Yes
Classes: Cleric, Druid, Ranger
A-Tier Barkskin provides reliable, long-duration AC protection that scales excellently for unarmored or lightly-armored characters, making it one of the most efficient defensive spells available.

Player Guide

Cast Barkskin on your party's most fragile member or on yourself if you lack heavy armor—AC 16 is competitive with plate armor and stacks with shields. The spell lasts up to 1 hour with concentration, making it ideal for sustained adventuring or dungeon delves where you know combat is coming. Prioritize casting it before combat begins rather than in-combat to preserve your action economy, and remember it doesn't require concentration if cast as a ritual outside of battle. This spell is particularly potent on monks, rogues, and druids who have limited armor options but benefit immensely from AC improvements.

DM Tips

Clarify that Barkskin sets a floor, not a bonus—a monk with +2 DEX modifier (AC 12) still gets AC 16, not 18. Watch for abuse with unarmored defense or multiple stacking AC sources; Barkskin's fixed AC supersedes armor but doesn't stack with other AC-setting effects like the Monk's Unarmored Defense.