Spells

Overview

All spells

Cantrips

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5

Level 6

Spells are magical effects that are created by creatures via spellcasting. Spells are frequently cast to deal damage and provide healing, or to inflict conditions on the targets.

All classes are capable of casting spells with the help of scrolls and magic items, and classes with the Spellcasting or Pact Magic features – called spellcasters – have spell slots they can expend to cast spells they know, without the need for scrolls.

List of all spells

Overview

Spells are created from the Weave, the magical energies of the multiverse. They are conjured through experience, knowledge or innate ability, or via the use of scrolls and magical items.

Similarly to class actions, most spells are cast by taking an Action, but some are cast by taking a Bonus action or a Reaction.

However, unlike class actions, spells have levels – a measure of how powerful a spell is, as well as how difficult it is to cast it, and generally require the caster to expend a spell slot of sufficient level. Spells cast from scrolls do not rely on spell slots to be cast.

Most spells can be interrupted by  Counterspell before they are cast. Additionally, many spells cannot be cast by  Silenced creatures.

Spellcasting ability

Every class – including those without the Spellcasting feature – has a designated ability known as their spellcasting ability, which represents their capacity to cast spells.

Intelligence

Fighter, Rogue, Wizard.

Wisdom

Cleric, Druid, Monk, Ranger.

Charisma

Barbarian, Bard, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock.

Spells learned from taking levels in a class will use that class' spellcasting ability modifier. Spells from other sources use the spellcasting ability of the class the creature most recently took a first level in.

Spell saves

Harmful spells which create a surface, target an area or a specific point in space ( Fireball), or affect a character directly ( Hold Person), often allow targeted creatures to attempt to save against the spell, ignoring or reducing the spell's effect.

The Difficulty Class (DC) of these saves – called spell save DC – is generally based on the caster's spellcasting DC:

8 + proficiency bonus + spellcasting ability modifier

Spell attack rolls

Some harmful spells require the caster to make an attack roll against the target's AC in order to determine if it's a hit or miss.

Spells in the form of rays (like  Ray of Enfeeblement) or projectiles (like  Fire Bolt or  Eldritch Blast) often require attacks rolls.

The caster adds their spellcasting ability modifier, as well as their proficiency bonus, to the results of the attack roll:

 d20 + proficiency bonus + spellcasting ability modifier

Concentration

Main article: Concentration

Concentration icon in the hotbar. Clicking "X" will end concentration.

Spells with the Concentration tag require the caster to focus on that spell for its duration. A caster may only maintain the effect of one concentration spell at a time. If concentration on a spell is broken, the spell's effects are ended.

Ending concentration

Although concentration normally lasts for a spell's full duration, or until another concentration spell is cast, there are multiple ways for concentration to break:

Manually

Concentration can be manually interrupted at any time via the x on the concentrated spell's icon, next to the caster's main portrait.

Taking damage

When a creature concentrating on a spell takes damage, they make a Constitution save against a DC equal to half the damage taken, or 10, whichever is higher. If the save fails, concentration ends.

Conditions

Some conditions – such as  Downed or  Sleeping – also interrupt conditions, without allowing a save.

Long rests

Taking a long rest ends concentration.

Spellcasters

Spellcasters can either be full casters – meaning they can learn spells up to 6th level spells, half casters – meaning they can learn spells up to 3rd level spells, or one-third casters – meaning they can learn spells up to 2nd level spells.

Full casters:

•  Bard
•  Cleric
•  Druid
•  Sorcerer
•  Warlock
•  Wizard

Half casters:

•  Paladin
•  Ranger

One-third casters:

•  Arcane Trickster
•  Eldritch Knight

Spell slots

All spellcasters have spell slots, which they expend to cast their known spells. Cantrips do not expend spell slots and can be cast at will. Depleted spell slots are generally replenished by taking a long rest or – for warlocks – a short rest.

A spell of a given level requires a spell slot of the same level or higher to be expended to cast it. Many spells will be upcast when cast with a higher spell slot, and are then cast as more powerful versions of themselves.

Spellcasting spell slots

ESL	Spell Slots per Spell Level
1	2	-	-	-	-	-
2	3	-	-	-	-	-
3	4	2	-	-	-	-
4	4	3	-	-	-	-
5	4	3	2	-	-	-
6	4	3	3	-	-	-
7	4	3	3	1	-	-
8	4	3	3	2	-	-
9	4	3	3	3	1	-
10	4	3	3	3	2	-
11	4	3	3	3	2	1
12	4	3	3	3	2	1

A caster's available Spellcasting spell slots are determined by the their effective spellcaster level (ESL). A full caster's ESL is exactly their class level, whereas the ESL of half-casters and one-third casters is equal to half and one third their level, respectively, rounded up.

When multiple classes with the Spellcasting feature are chosen for a character, the character's ESL is instead the ESL of every individual spellcasting class that the character has, each rounded down, and then summed up.

Pact Magic

Warlocks do not cast spells through the Spellcasting feature, but through their unique Pact Magic feature. Spells casted via Pact Magic are always cast at the highest available Pact Magic spell slots, which are replenished on a short rest.

Distinguishing them from Spellcasting spell slots, Pact Magic spell slots have a unique colour:

Spell slots gained from Pact Magic are calculated differently than those gained from Spellcasting. As such, levels taken in warlock are ignored when calculating ESL.

Ritual spells

When a ritual spell is cast outside of combat/turn-based mode, it does not consume spell slots and is effectively free to cast. Ritual spells consume spell slots as normal in combat/turn-based mode.

•  Detect Thoughts
•  Disguise Self
•  Enhance Leap
•  Feather Fall
•  Find Familiar
•  Longstrider
•  Silence
•  Speak with Animals
•  Speak with Dead

Replenishing spell slots

Depleted spell slots are generally regained by taking a rest, though there are other means to restore them:

• Some characters, including  Wizards and some  Druid subclasses, have features which let them regain a small number of spell slots in between long rests.
•  Wild Magic Barbarians have access to the Bolstering Magic feature, allowing them or an ally to recover a few low level spell slots when they Rage.
• Items such as the Pearl of Power Amulet or Spellcrux Amulet allow for the recovery of spell slots once per long rest.
• The Arcane Cultivation line of Elixirs grants the user a temporary additional spell slot of a specific level from 1st to 4th, depending on the elixir. While this doesn't technically replenish an existing slot, the practical effect is the same.

Other uses of spell slots

Some Wizard subclass features (such as Arcane Ward and Grim Harvest) and the Paladin's Divine Smite ability have varying effects depending on level of the spell or spell slot used to power them.

Template:H3 Known spells are spells generally learned from taking levels in a class with the Spellcasting feature. Every class has access to its own list of spells, though there is significant overlap between classes.

The following classes must learn spells through leveling up:

•  Arcane Trickster
•  Bard
•  Eldritch Knight
•  Ranger
•  Sorcerer
•  Wizard
•  Warlock

All of these classes, with the exception of Wizard, also have access to the Replacement Spell feature, which allows them to swap a known spell each time a new level is taken in them. While wizards do not have access to this feature, they can instead learn new spells from scrolls, without needing to give up an already known spell.

The following classes automatically learn all their available spells when a level is taken in them:

•  Cleric
•  Druid
•  Paladin

Prepared spells

Some casters Prepared spells are spells that must be prepared beforehand in order to be cast. Preparing spells is only possible outside of combat. Spellcasters that primarily utilize this type of spells are known as prepared spellcasters, to set them apart from classes that cast spells spontaneously (spontaneous spellcasters). They includes:

•  Cleric
•  Druid
•  Paladin
•  Wizard

The number of prepared spells each class can have at a time is equal to spellcasting ability modifier + class level) (minimum of 1)

Additionally, spells granted by racial features or by certain class features (such as by cleric Domains) are considered inherent and are always prepared.

Spell list

See All spells for the complete list.

Spells/Trivia

External links

Spell on the Forgotten Realms Wiki