10 Spells You May Have Overlooked from Third-Party Creators

Traverse the dreamscape, gamble with the highest stakes, and ride literal lightning through a battlefield thanks to the trove of third-party spells available on D&D Beyond! With the worlds of favorite D&D creators at your fingertips, there are so many imaginative spells that could be just the thing your character is looking for.

In this article, we'll highlight some of the many spells you may have overlooked from third-party creators!

• At Your Side
• Clue
• Crustacean Form
• Dreamwalk
• Finger Guns
• Game of Fate
• Hunter Sense
• Ride the Lightning
• Rumor
• Zippit!

At Your Side

Artist: Alexander Cloos

This Transmutation spell from Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass has big “we came together, we're leaving together” energy. 

When you cast At Your Side, you and up to three other willing creatures are magically able to move closer together. You each have your Speed increased by 5 feet, and you can use your Reaction to use half your Speed to move towards each other.

This makes it easier to escape danger with your whole party intact, ensuring your friends stay at your side for many battles to come!

Clue

Have you ever been playing a video game with a crime scene? You activate your in-game ability, and suddenly you can see the footprints leading away from the grisly scene? Thanks to Valda's Spire of Secrets: Player Pack, now you can have that experience when embarking on a murder mystery-type investigation in your D&D game!

Clue is a Divination spell that creates a 30-foot Emanation originating from you that highlights all footprints and fingerprints in a distinct glow, with a different color for each creature that left them. The best part is the spell allows you to restrict the timeframe in which the prints were left over the last 10 days, so you can narrow down the options to those that occurred near the time of the incident.

Crustacean Form

This Abjuration spell from Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass sheathes you in the soothing, chitinous embrace of an ethereal crustacean form that appears around your body. Casting Crustacean Form boosts your AC up to 20, gives you a Swim Speed, enhances your vision with Blindsight, and is a rare way of gaining a damage threshold, which nullifies damage below a certain amount.

Plus, it even allows you to attack with big magical crab claws as a Bonus Action. All of that is awesome, sure. But I will exclusively be using this spell to do the crab dance, and I need you to respect my decision at this time.

Dreamwalk

Artist: Derek Murphy

Dreamwalk from Heliana's Guide to Monster Hunting: Part 1 allows for some unique roleplaying opportunities. With this Enchantment spell, you can give up to ten willing creatures the ability to lucid dream whenever they sleep during the spell's 24-hour duration.

It's easy to dream up the storytelling paths this could open. You could go on a journey through your character's memories, discuss matters with your own subconscious, or even use your sleeping hours to train for an upcoming battle!

Finger Guns

Another doozy from Valda's Spire of Secrets: Player Pack. Finger Guns is an Evocation cantrip that does exactly what it says on the tin.

As part of casting the spell, you make finger guns, which then become a Ranged weapon that deals 2d6 Force damage on hit. The best part is, you can attack with your spellcasting modifier, so no need to invest in Dexterity!

There's a Verbal component to this one, so you can throw in a ‘pew pew' or ‘kachow' if you're keeping it real.

Game of Fate

This Enchantment spell from Valda's Spire of Secrets: Player Pack has a fairly lengthy description, but the gist of it is that Game of Fate allows you to magically compel another creature to play a mundane game with you for up to an hour.

So if you've ever wanted to live out your Seventh Seal, or let's be honest, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey fantasies, this is the spell for you. It even has optional elements for negotiating bigger stakes, in case receiving 6d6 Psychic damage if you lose isn't enough.

Hunter Sense

Hunter Sense works as a thematic opposite of Pass Without Trace. Instead of making it harder for enemies to spot you and your allies, you grant yourself or an ally a higher chance of spotting hidden threats.

With this Divination spell from Lairs of Etharis, you grant one willing creature the ability to treat a Wisdom (Perception) check roll of 9 or lower as a 10. Nothing game-breaking, but helpful when you're navigating a trap-filled corridor or when you suspect hidden enemies are plotting an ambush.

Ride the Lightning

You got Lightning Bolt in my Misty Step! No, you got Misty Step in my Lightning Bolt! 

Ride the Lightning is a Conjuration spell from Grim Hollow: Player Pack that gives you the “hasty getaway” vibes of one spell with the “blast a bolt of lightning through a line of enemies” hotness of another. You transform into a bolt of lightning that can move 60 feet away in a straight line, dealing 4d6 Lightning damage to each creature you move through along the way.

It's outputs less damage than a level 4 Lightning Bolt, but that balances well with the distance you're able to move when casting it. Plus, it's called Ride the Lightning, it could be a supermarket vehicle you put a quarter into to make it shake, and I'd probably still add it to the list with a name like that.

Rumor

A little bird told me that this roleplay-boosting Enchantment spell from Valda's Spire of Secrets: Player Pack is a useful trick that can punch way above its weight class with a bit of creativity.

With Rumor, you can create a rumor of 10 words or fewer that will spread in an Emanation up to 100 feet. Anyone within that distance will remember having had the rumor told to them by someone nearby.

The spell doesn't influence how the creatures react to the rumor; rather, this works as an incredible tool for disseminating information quickly to a populace. There are several ways this spell could influence a social encounter. You could whisper exploits of your adventuring party so people start talking about the arriving heroes, or you could bring down an entire regime by starting a rumor about the current ruler!

Zippit!

You gotta love a spell that includes punctuation in the title. 

Zippit! is a pure sass Transmutation spell from Heliana's Guide to Monster Hunting: Part 1, which allows you to magically shush a creature if it fails a Constitution saving throw. Seeing as this spell is cast as a Reaction when a creature in range vocalises, you can use it to silence an enemy who's casting a spell with Verbal components, a BBEG who's on an evil monologue, or even a tone-deaf party member who's singing in the shower.

For the duration of the spell, the target's mouth is fused shut, and they take 1d8 Slashing damage if they attempt to slice it open with a blade or succeed on a Strength saving throw to break free.

There Are Countless Options to Choose From!

This list only scratches the surface of the unique spell options available from your favorite third-party content creators here on D&D Beyond. With the spells found in our selection of third-party sourcebooks, you can conjure giants, manipulate time, and even weave others' fate before their very eyes.

Check out these intriguing options alongside vibrant story settings for your next games!

Riley Silverman (rileysilverman.bsky.social) is a contributing writer to D&D Beyond, and has written for Nerdist, SYFY Wire, Star Wars, and Doctor Who. She is a professional DM and currently plays as Chase Variant on the Good Chaotic TTRPG podcast.