Spectral squeaking search engines, exploding corpses, and always having exact change. What do these have in common? They’re all magical effects that you can bring to your table with these homebrew spells created by D&D Beyond users. If you convince your Dungeon Master to incorporate some of these 10 spells we’re highlighting, you might even find some wizards from other multiverses gaining notoriety in your world! (It’s all about branding, you know.)

How to find and use homebrew content on D&D Beyond

You can browse homebrew material made by D&D Beyond users. To discover spells on desktop, hover over "Collections" in the menu bar and then select "Browse Spells." On mobile, select "Collections" from the sidebar menu and then tap "Browse & Create Homebrew."

If you’re a D&D Beyond subscriber, you can add spells you like to your collection. Simply select "Add to Collection," found at the bottom of the spell’s listing. You will be able to see all of the homebrew material you’ve saved by accessing "My Homebrew Collection."

10 homebrew spells to use in your games

1. Aarion’s thunder charge
2. Allana’s library rats
3. Awaken undead
4. Banker’s purse
5. Charged blade
6. Corpse bomb
7. Image capture
8. Last remembrance
9. Origami
10. Rinn’s prismatic orb

1. Aarion’s thunder charge

2nd-level evocation
Punchy wizards, unite! If you’re the sort of squishy spellcaster that enjoys getting up close and personal with your enemies, Aarion’s thunder charge is the perfect spell to cast if you’re certain that battle is imminent. Your hands crackle with stored electrical energy for 1 minute (no concentration required!), which is good for an extra 3d12 lightning energy on one melee attack with hand-to-foe contact.

This preparation comes at a cost: If you don’t discharge the energy before this spell ends, you’re in for a shock of your own! It would certainly be unfortunate if that were to happen while you were unconscious …

Created by: spatial

2. Allana’s library rats

1st-level divination

Scenario: You’re in a city library, gathering information important to the task at hand, but—alas!—finding the right tome will take ages. If only you had an arcane engine of sorts that could search for you …

Lucky for you, a wizened scholar two towns over taught you the spell Allana’s library rats. The spectral little rodents summoned in this spell’s casting are adept at finding books or scrolls containing key words about a topic. They may not travel very far, so here’s to hoping that the Druid Decimal System has been implemented.

Created by: Salazar

3. Awaken undead

5th-level necromancy

For even the most hardened opponents of the undead, destroying a former companion turned zombie or vampire may be a task too difficult to bear. For others, rallying a necromancer's own army against them could make for a more satisfying victory. 

Awaken undead restores to certain undead creatures their former intellect and alignment, and grants them free will if they were otherwise lacking. This spell could be a fantastic way for you and your DM to introduce your Hollow One, dhampir, or reborn character to the campaign!

Created by: Meowcana

4. Banker’s purse

Transmutation cantrip

At the cost of a known cantrip, you too can magically convert all of your coinage to a manageable bag full of platinum pieces! With banker’s purse, you’ll always have the right change when you need that 6 cp mug of ale.

Created by: Jedd

5. Charged blade

Evocation cantrip

The peanut butter to booming blade’s jelly, charged blade transfers an electric charge to an opponent you hit with a melee weapon, punishing them if they choose to remain within range. If a headstrong foe still refuses to practice social distancing, the jolt they’ll receive will prevent them from taking reactions, letting you make an easy getaway!

Created by: AltF4WillHelp

6. Corpse bomb

1st-level necromancy

This gruesome battlefield spell might not make you many friends, but the spectacle and function alone will at any rate be memorable! Targeting a recently deceased creature within range, you can cause the corpse to bloat and explode, damaging any creature adjacent to it.

The corpse bomb spell isn’t necessarily always evil. Preventing the BBEG from raising an army of undead by destroying all their “materials” is arguably … good? There's also the potential for a cinematic moment if one of your adventuring party charges into the fray, calling out their last words, “Don’t let me become one of them!"

Created by: veltman252

7. Image capture

1st-level transmutation

Instamatic? More like Insta-magic! This 1st-level spell gives your intrepid bard or wizard the ability to capture your most raucous moments in the local tavern, or else gain a small modicum of proof when engaging in espionage. An image capture takes on the style of an oil painting, and can also be cast as a ritual, meaning you can even take some extra time to capture sentimental scenes and engage in a little downtime scrapbooking.

Created by: Maxwell_DMs

8. Last remembrance

2nd-level divination

The ultimate plot-driving spell for DMs and players alike, last remembrance besets your cleric, druid, or ranger with a vision of the last moments seen before a creature’s death. Like a video rewinding, you’ll watch in reverse from the corpse’s perspective—but only if they have eyes or some visual perception.

Setting up a dramatic reveal (“The tavern keeper is a werewolf!?”) or a brief glimpse of the monstrosity feasting on the local farmer’s livestock comes easy with this spell!

Created by MellieDM

9. Origami

Transmutation cantrip

This multi-purpose cantrip brings both flavor and function. With the ability to fold into a multitude of useful figures, origami grants the user all sorts of practical and fun applications, including message transmission, limited directional assistance, and the ability to determine the approximate time of day (particularly useful if you find yourself perpetually underground!).

Created by: CaelReader

10. Rinn’s prismatic orb

3rd-level evocation

The perfect example of taking inspiration from existing spells and seamlessly blending them into one, Rinn’s prismatic orb is the cronut of the disco wizard’s spellbook. At only 3rd level, this evocation spell takes the chaotic rainbow lasers that are prismatic spray and prismatic wall and crunches them down into a throwable sphere à la chromatic orb.

Batter up! It’s party time.

Created by: Sorce

Creating homebrew content for your D&D Beyond campaign

If you want to channel your inner College of Creation bard, you too can create your own homebrew content on D&D Beyond! Simply navigate to your Homebrew Creations (under "Collections" in the main menu) to begin the homebrewing process. You and all other members of your campaigns will be able to freely use your creations, no subscription required!

Keep in mind that publishing your homebrew is only necessary if you want other D&D Beyond users who aren’t in your shared campaigns to be able to view your work and add it to their collection. Published homebrew cannot be edited or unpublished! (But you can always create an updated version.)

Cameron (@CameronRPowell) is a moderator for D&D Beyond. He is a real-life bard who accidentally dumped Charisma, and has played Purloque the loxodon cleric on Dice, Camera, Action!. When he’s not behind the DM’s screen, he enjoys hiking Icelandic volcanoes, knitting, and creating his hundredth unused character on D&D Beyond.