Another thread caused me to reflect on the game to help new players get an understanding of how D&D is played. There are a few concepts new players need to learn and there are plenty of mechanics to learn as well.
But one of these is a familiarity of the spells that can and will be used in a typical session. Since there is so much to understand, I thought it might help to give new players a list of the spells that would typically be used up to about level 4 spells. Once a player gets to level 5-7, they have already invested enough time to read more so I thought we could cap this off at level 4 spells. So, if you would, I'd like some help in developing the list of spells that are most used up to level 4. Also, please include the source book that provides the spell description. I don't have much beyond the three core rulebooks; PH, DMG, MM.
I know this will become a long list, but if it is only one-third the number of spells listed in the rules, it will allow new players to save a bunch of time preparing for their earliest campaign. Also, while I understand there are many folks that will recommend going in with little preparation and just have fun while you learn the rules, there is a segment of the population that prefers to be prepared, so I wish to support this player type.
Absorb Elements (PHB), Bless (PHB), Bane (PHB), Burning Hands (PHB), Charm Person (PHB), Command (PHB), Comprehend Languages (PHB), Cure Wounds (PHB), Detect Magic (PHB), Detect Evil/Good (PHB), Disguise Self (PHB), Dissonant Whispers (PHB), Eldritch Blast (PHB), Expeditious Retreat (PHB), Find Familiar (PHB), Goodberry (PHB), Guiding Bolt (PHB), Healing Word (PHB), Hail of Thorns (PHB), Hunter's Mark (PHB), Identify (PHB), Mage Armor (PHB), Magic Missile (PHB), Protection from Evil/Good (PHB), Shield (PHB), Shield of Faith (PHB), Sleep (PHB), Thunderwave (PHB), Speak with Animals (PHB), Spiritual Weapon (PHB), Unseen Servant (PHB)
2nd Level Spells:
Branding Smite (PHB), Detect Thoughts (PHB), Enhance Ability (PHB), Heat Metal (PHB), Hold Person (PHB), Hunger of Hadar (PHB), Invisibility (PHB), Knock (PHB), Levitate (PHB), Phantasmal Force (PHB), Silence (PHB), Spiritual Weapon (PHB), Suggestion (PHB), Web (PHB), Zone of Truth (PHB)
Here are mine, with notes: A few removed, with a few add on's bolded.
Cantrips:
Acid Splash, Dancing Lights (PHB), Light (PHB), Fire Bolt (PHB), Guidance (PHB), Light (PHB), Mage Hand (PHB), Mending (PHB), Message (PHB), Poison Spray (PHB), Prestidigitation (PHB), Sacred Flame (PHB), Shillelagh (PHB), Shocking Grasp (PHB), Spare the Dying, Vicious Mockery (PHB) Toll the Dead (XGE)
Acid Splash looks good, but is quite frankly doing 2d6 split among 2 is not as good as doing Toll the Dead 1d12 on one. Poison Spray';s range sucks, Spare the Dying is only good if you are in an army or level 1, otherwise use Healing Word
1st Level Spells:
Absorb Elements (PHB), Bless (PHB), Bane (PHB), Burning Hands (PHB), Charm Person (PHB), Command (PHB), Comprehend Languages (PHB), Cure Wounds, Detect Magic (PHB), Detect Evil/Good, Disguise Self (PHB), Dissonant Whispers (PHB), Eldritch Blast (PHB), Expeditious Retreat, Faerie Fire (PHB) Find Familiar (PHB), Goodberry (PHB), Guiding Bolt (PHB), Healing Word (PHB), Hail of Thorns (PHB), Hunter's Mark (PHB), Identify (PHB), Mage Armor (PHB), Magic Missile (PHB), Protection from Evil/Good (PHB), Shield (PHB), Shield of Faith (PHB), Sleep (PHB), Thunderwave (PHB), Speak with Animals (PHB), Spiritual Weapon (PHB), Unseen Servant
The struck spells all look good on paper but 90% of time are either not useful or have a better spell. Never Cure Wounds, always use Healing Word in combat, after combat use other spells. Faerie Fire is one of the 3 best 1st level spells (Shield, Faerie Fire and Healing Word)
2nd Level Spells:
Branding Smite, Detect Thoughts (PHB), Enhance Ability (PHB), Heat Metal (PHB), Hold Person (PHB), Hunger of Hadar (PHB), Invisibility (PHB), Knock (PHB), Lesser Restoration (PHB), Levitate (PHB), Misty Step (PHB), Phantasmal Force (PHB), Silence (PHB), Scorching Ray (PHB), Spiritual Weapon (PHB), Suggestion (PHB), Web (PHB), Zone of Truth (PHB)
Scorching Ray is fantastic before your cantrips level up, still good afterwards. Lesser Healing Word is a general cure all spell, necessary to fix a lot of non-hp attacks. Misty Step is single best escape spell. Leave a Grapple, pass through Wall of Force, etc. etc.
3rd Level Spells:
Animate Dead (PHB), Call Lightning (PHB), Counterspell (PHB), Dispell Magic (PHB), Fireball (PHB), Fly (PHB), Haste (PHB), Hypnotic Pattern (PHB), Leomund's Tiny Hut (PHB), Lightning Bolt (PHB), Mass Healing Word (PHB),Revivify (PHB) , Sending (PHB), Slow (PHB), Spirit Guardians (PHB), Stinking Cloud (PHB), Tongues (PHB), Water Breathing (PHB)
Haste is great for warriors friends. Hypnotic Pattern has ONE save, not one per round. Lightning Bolt is only better than fireball in a corridor - all other times Fireball rules. Revivfy if raise dead. Mass healing word is Healing Word for ALL.
4th Level Spells:
Banishment (PHB), Conjure Minor Elementals (PHB), *Conjure Woodland Beings (PHB)*, Death Ward (PHB) Dimension Door (PHB), Greater Invisibility (PHB), Polymorph (PHB), Wall of Fire (PHB)
* Conjure Woodland Beings is abusive if you ignore the rules for Conjure X creatures and let them pick the Pixies, rather than letting the DM choose. Pixies wipe the floor with anything else, can not let them get them on demand.
Death Ward is a great pre-battle spell. Or just cast it before you go to sleep in case of surprise attacks.
Folks,
Another thread caused me to reflect on the game to help new players get an understanding of how D&D is played. There are a few concepts new players need to learn and there are plenty of mechanics to learn as well.
But one of these is a familiarity of the spells that can and will be used in a typical session. Since there is so much to understand, I thought it might help to give new players a list of the spells that would typically be used up to about level 4 spells. Once a player gets to level 5-7, they have already invested enough time to read more so I thought we could cap this off at level 4 spells. So, if you would, I'd like some help in developing the list of spells that are most used up to level 4. Also, please include the source book that provides the spell description. I don't have much beyond the three core rulebooks; PH, DMG, MM.
I know this will become a long list, but if it is only one-third the number of spells listed in the rules, it will allow new players to save a bunch of time preparing for their earliest campaign. Also, while I understand there are many folks that will recommend going in with little preparation and just have fun while you learn the rules, there is a segment of the population that prefers to be prepared, so I wish to support this player type.
Cantrips:
Acid Splash (PHB), Dancing Lights (PHB), Light (PHB), Fire Bolt (PHB), Guidance (PHB), Light (PHB), Mage Hand (PHB), Mending (PHB), Message (PHB), Poison Spray (PHB), Prestidigitation (PHB), Sacred Flame (PHB), Shillelagh (PHB), Shocking Grasp (PHB), Spare the Dying (PHB), Vicious Mockery (PHB)
1st Level Spells:
Absorb Elements (PHB), Bless (PHB), Bane (PHB), Burning Hands (PHB), Charm Person (PHB), Command (PHB), Comprehend Languages (PHB), Cure Wounds (PHB), Detect Magic (PHB), Detect Evil/Good (PHB), Disguise Self (PHB), Dissonant Whispers (PHB), Eldritch Blast (PHB), Expeditious Retreat (PHB), Find Familiar (PHB), Goodberry (PHB), Guiding Bolt (PHB), Healing Word (PHB), Hail of Thorns (PHB), Hunter's Mark (PHB), Identify (PHB), Mage Armor (PHB), Magic Missile (PHB), Protection from Evil/Good (PHB), Shield (PHB), Shield of Faith (PHB), Sleep (PHB), Thunderwave (PHB), Speak with Animals (PHB), Spiritual Weapon (PHB), Unseen Servant (PHB)
2nd Level Spells:
Branding Smite (PHB), Detect Thoughts (PHB), Enhance Ability (PHB), Heat Metal (PHB), Hold Person (PHB), Hunger of Hadar (PHB), Invisibility (PHB), Knock (PHB), Levitate (PHB), Phantasmal Force (PHB), Silence (PHB), Spiritual Weapon (PHB), Suggestion (PHB), Web (PHB), Zone of Truth (PHB)
3rd Level Spells:
Animate Dead (PHB), Call Lightning (PHB), Counterspell (PHB), Dispell Magic (PHB), Fireball (PHB), Fly (PHB), Leomund's Tiny Hut (PHB), Lightning Bolt (PHB), Sending (PHB), Slow (PHB), Spirit Guardians (PHB), Stinking Cloud (PHB), Tongues (PHB), Water Breathing (PHB)
4th Level Spells:
Banishment (PHB), Conjure Minor Elementals (PHB), Conjure Woodland Beings (PHB), Dimension Door (PHB), Greater Invisibility (PHB), Polymorph (PHB), Wall of Fire (PHB)
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Here are mine, with notes: A few
removed, with a few add on's bolded.Cantrips:
Acid Splash, Dancing Lights (PHB), Light (PHB), Fire Bolt (PHB), Guidance (PHB), Light (PHB), Mage Hand (PHB), Mending (PHB), Message (PHB),Poison Spray (PHB),Prestidigitation (PHB), Sacred Flame (PHB), Shillelagh (PHB), Shocking Grasp (PHB),Spare the Dying, Vicious Mockery (PHB) Toll the Dead (XGE)Acid Splash looks good, but is quite frankly doing 2d6 split among 2 is not as good as doing Toll the Dead 1d12 on one. Poison Spray';s range sucks, Spare the Dying is only good if you are in an army or level 1, otherwise use Healing Word
1st Level Spells:
Absorb Elements (PHB), Bless (PHB), Bane (PHB), Burning Hands (PHB), Charm Person (PHB), Command (PHB), Comprehend Languages (PHB),
Cure Wounds,Detect Magic (PHB),Detect Evil/Good,Disguise Self (PHB), Dissonant Whispers (PHB), Eldritch Blast (PHB),Expeditious Retreat, Faerie Fire (PHB) Find Familiar (PHB), Goodberry (PHB), Guiding Bolt (PHB), Healing Word (PHB), Hail of Thorns (PHB), Hunter's Mark (PHB), Identify (PHB), Mage Armor (PHB), Magic Missile (PHB), Protection from Evil/Good (PHB), Shield (PHB), Shield of Faith (PHB), Sleep (PHB), Thunderwave (PHB), Speak with Animals (PHB), Spiritual Weapon (PHB),Unseen ServantThe struck spells all look good on paper but 90% of time are either not useful or have a better spell. Never Cure Wounds, always use Healing Word in combat, after combat use other spells. Faerie Fire is one of the 3 best 1st level spells (Shield, Faerie Fire and Healing Word)
2nd Level Spells:
Branding Smite, Detect Thoughts (PHB), Enhance Ability (PHB), Heat Metal (PHB), Hold Person (PHB), Hunger of Hadar (PHB), Invisibility (PHB), Knock (PHB), Lesser Restoration (PHB), Levitate (PHB), Misty Step (PHB), Phantasmal Force (PHB), Silence (PHB), Scorching Ray (PHB), Spiritual Weapon (PHB), Suggestion (PHB), Web (PHB), Zone of Truth (PHB)Scorching Ray is fantastic before your cantrips level up, still good afterwards. Lesser Healing Word is a general cure all spell, necessary to fix a lot of non-hp attacks. Misty Step is single best escape spell. Leave a Grapple, pass through Wall of Force, etc. etc.
3rd Level Spells:
Animate Dead (PHB), Call Lightning (PHB), Counterspell (PHB), Dispell Magic (PHB), Fireball (PHB), Fly (PHB), Haste (PHB), Hypnotic Pattern (PHB), Leomund's Tiny Hut (PHB),
Lightning Bolt (PHB), Mass Healing Word (PHB), Revivify (PHB) , Sending (PHB), Slow (PHB), Spirit Guardians (PHB), Stinking Cloud (PHB), Tongues (PHB), Water Breathing (PHB)Haste is great for warriors friends. Hypnotic Pattern has ONE save, not one per round. Lightning Bolt is only better than fireball in a corridor - all other times Fireball rules. Revivfy if raise dead. Mass healing word is Healing Word for ALL.
4th Level Spells:
Banishment (PHB), Conjure Minor Elementals (PHB), *Conjure Woodland Beings (PHB)*, Death Ward (PHB) Dimension Door (PHB), Greater Invisibility (PHB), Polymorph (PHB), Wall of Fire (PHB)
* Conjure Woodland Beings is abusive if you ignore the rules for Conjure X creatures and let them pick the Pixies, rather than letting the DM choose. Pixies wipe the floor with anything else, can not let them get them on demand.
Death Ward is a great pre-battle spell. Or just cast it before you go to sleep in case of surprise attacks.