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  • Story: Curse of Strahd
  • Edition: 5th
  • Class: Bard
  • Current Level: 6

We found a Shield Guardian and I was able to be the one to get it. It's proving quite useful already but I've only been using his melee thus far. I'd like to try the Spell Storing capabilities but it doesn't say and I'm not clear....

Is the Spell Save DC whatever mine is or do I have to calculate a different one for the Guardian? If it is different for the guardian which stat does it use?

I read the little bit on Parameters but don't know what those entail. To me it sounds like the parameters are "predefined situations defined by the spellcaster." Do the parameters include the Spell Save DC?

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2 Answers 2

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It uses your Spell Save DC as it was when you cast the spell into the Guardian.

This feature for the Guardian says...

Spell Storing. A spellcaster who wears the shield guardian's amulet can cause the guardian to store one spell of 4th level or lower. To do so, the wearer must cast the spell on the guardian. The spell has no effect but is stored within the guardian. When commanded to do so by the wearer or when a situation arises that was predefined by the spellcaster, the guardian casts the stored spell with any parameters set by the original caster, requiring no components. When the spell is cast or a new spell is stored, any previously stored spell is lost.

Emphasis Mine from MM271

The spell's Save DC or Attack Bonus are parameters that go into a spell when you cast it. And these parameters are saved when you cast the spell into the Shield Guardian. The Shield Guardian is basically taking your spell and holding it in stasis until it is instructed to set it off.

This feature basically makes it a walking Ring of Spell Storing (DMG192)

Of note, these parameters are defined when you cast the spell, not when the Shield Guardian sets it off. So, if you cast a spell into your Guardian, then level up and your Spell Save DC increases--the spell stored in the Guardian is still using the DC you had when you cast the spell. If you want to use your new DC, you'll need to re-cast the spell.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Is there a page that states the DC Spell Save is one of those parameters? Maybe in the DMG or something? I took the parameters to be referring to the "predefined situations defined by the spellcaster." \$\endgroup\$
    – RyanFromGDSE
    Commented Mar 21, 2018 at 19:49
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    \$\begingroup\$ @RyanFromGDSE There is not a specific definition in the DMG, so we turn to the good old Plain English definitions for clarity: "any of a set of properties whose values determine the characteristics or behavior of something." Simplified: a Parameter is any value that determines how something functions when used. In the case of spellcasting, we can thus determine that the 'parameters' of a spell are Save DC, Attack Bonus, Spell Level, Range (if modified by feats), etc. Basically, any value that can be changed by the caster. \$\endgroup\$
    – guildsbounty
    Commented Mar 21, 2018 at 19:53
  • \$\begingroup\$ What's fun is a Warlock with 5th Level slots can't use that feature :(. \$\endgroup\$
    – Slagmoth
    Commented Mar 21, 2018 at 20:36
  • \$\begingroup\$ Can a shield guardian have a familiar? \$\endgroup\$
    – User 23415
    Commented Apr 5 at 18:02
  • \$\begingroup\$ @User23415 That sounds like a good question to ask as an actual question--rather than as a comment. \$\endgroup\$
    – guildsbounty
    Commented Apr 5 at 18:25
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The spell storing ability uses the spell save DC of the spellcaster

...the guardian casts the spell with any parameters set by the original caster, requiring no components.

Spell Save DC is one such parameter that is set by the caster of the spell. As such, it is stored, along with the spell, until the Shield Guardian releases the spell.

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