For millennia, Faerûn's greatest mages sought ways to break past mortal limits. From the moonlit towers of Myth Drannor to the crimson halls of Thay, they found the answer in circle magic—a ritual art that lets spellcasters combine their strength and reshape the rules of magic.
In Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn, circle magic arrives as a mythical new mechanic. Through it, spellcasters can now merge their power, weaving magic of staggering potency that no single caster could control alone.
Let's take a look at the new circle magic mechanics and some accompanying new spells that you can empower with your caster companions!
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Take your party on a legendary Faerûnian campaign of faraway lands and devastating adversaries where they can harness the boundless potential of circle magic and unleash new spells that let your party shape the Weave itself!
What Is Circle Magic?

Circle magic is a method for amplifying a spell through coordinated teamwork. When a Circle spell is initiated, one caster leads while others—called secondary casters—lend their magic to expand, extend, or reshape the spell's effects beyond anything possible by a single caster.
Any spell that has a casting time of an action or 1 minute or longer and is cast using a spell slot can be cast as a Circle spell. The primary caster chooses the targets, maintains Concentration if needed, provides components, expends the spell slot, and makes any other choices the spell requires.
The secondary casters must take the Magic action and be near the caster to contribute to the spell. And if the spell's casting time is longer than 1 action, they must take the Magic action each turn and maintain Concentration on the spell—alongside the primary caster—for the entire casting time.
Depending on the option chosen, there may be other requirements for the secondary casters, like expending a spell slot.
Circle Magic Options
When a group of casters shapes a spell with circle magic, the primary caster can choose one of the following ways to enhance and redefine the casting through the combined will of the circle:
- Augment: Stretch your spell's range by thousands of feet.
- Distribute: Let your allies share the burden of Concentration, keeping the spell's effects steady.
- Expand: Widen the spell's influence, increasing its area of effect.
- Prolong: Sustain the spell's effect for hours beyond its typical duration.
- Safeguard: Shape the Weave to spare your allies from the storm you unleash.
- Supplant: Replace costly Material components with the collective strength of your circle.
- Other Effects: Some spells, like the ones included below, can produce additional effects when cast as a Circle spell.
New Spells to Supercharge with Circle Magic

With circle magic, simple spells can become forces of nature; infused with the ability to affect targets at great distances or expanded to cause a wider swath of destruction.
In Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn, you'll find new spells like Doomtide and Spellfire Storm that can be transformed with unique and potent effects when cast as Circle spells.
Doomtide
Unleash Dread Upon Your Enemies
When you cast this spell, you summon forth a roiling cloud of psychological torment that spreads from your position.
This spell creates a 20-foot-radius Sphere of inky, magical Darkness that can deal 5d6 Psychic damage to creatures caught within. But that's not all—those who fail their saving throw also subtract 1d6 from their saving throws until the end of their next turn.
If those within the Sphere can't escape its shadowy grasp, it can lead to a deadly series of failed saving throws as their mind is destroyed and their ability to resist the spell's effects is constantly diminished.
Casting as a Circle Spell. When cast as a Circle spell with at least five secondary casters, you can expend a string of three black pearls from Pandemonium to extend the spell's range to 1 mile and sustain its power until dispelled, freeing it from the limits of Concentration.
On top of the rare component and additional secondary caster requirements, each secondary caster must also expend a level 3+ spell slot; otherwise, the spell fails.
Spellfire Storm
Alight the Weave Upon Your Foes
This spell creates a crucible of the Weave, raining radiant fire that scorches flesh and hampers magic.
Not only does this spell conjure a 20-foot-radius, 20-foot-high Cylinder pillar of spellfire that can deal 4d10 Radiant damage to creatures within, but it also interferes with creatures who attempt to cast spells from inside the pillar's area of effect.
Casting as a Circle Spell. When cast as a Circle spell, you can expend a blue star sapphire worth 25,000+ GP to extend the spell's range to 1 mile and anchor its power within the circle so it no longer requires Concentration. On top of the costly component, each secondary caster must also expend a level 3+ spell slot.
Gather Your Circle
The circle magic mechanic and spells in Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn are an entirely new way to look at spellcasting. Not only does it add options for characters to bolster their spells in new and exciting ways, but it gives your villains ample opportunity to unleash world-shaking devastation.
What happens when a doomsday cult collects dozens of casters to send an expanded Meteor Swarm crashing down on Waterdeep? This sounds like a threat only legendary heroes can turn the tides against!

Mike Bernier is the founder of Arcane Eye, a site focused on providing useful tips and tricks to all those involved in the world of D&D. Outside of writing for Arcane Eye, Mike spends most of his time playing games, hiking with his girlfriend, and tending the veritable jungle of houseplants that have invaded his house.
Insert Omni-man "fraction of our power meme"
Wizards: Doing Circle spell
Sorcerers: Look what they need to mimic a fraction of our power.
I am curious if there's any metamagic interaction...
This is amazing, many historical moments in Faerûn began with a cooperative Spell Circle (First and Second Sundering, Karsus trying to become a god).
Whilst I'm loving the nailed-it! BRIAN VALENZUELA artwork above (and looking forward to the incoming 2 x new Forgotten Realms books), isn't a mile-wide radius Doomtide with all it's associated consequences potentially a bit TPK?
Circle casting Doomtide in that way increases its range, not its radius.
Honestly, I love this concept, with it you can make a party of casters (or even just a group within the party) who act as a coven.
I'm also curious as to the specific mechanics of the "Supplant" circle effect are.
"Spellfire Storm
Alight the Weave Upon Your Foes
This spell creates a crucible of the Weave, raining radiant fire that scorches flesh and hampers magic.
Not only does this spell conjure a 20-foot-radius, 20-foot-high Cylinder pillar of spellfire that can deal 4d10 Radiant damage to creatures within, but it also interferes with creatures who attempt to cast spells from inside the pillar's area of effect.
Casting as a Circle Spell. When cast as a Circle spell, you can expend a blue star sapphire worth 25,000+ GP to extend the spell's range to 1 mile and anchor its power within the circle so it no longer requires Concentration. On top of the costly component, each secondary caster must also expend a level 3+ spell slot."
This is completely useless. It costs several spell slots and 25,000 gold to make a radius really far away that people will instantly learn to avoid. Why would I spend the money? There is literally no benefit possibly worth that much. I'd rather just buy a warship.
"Link with me.."
😍😍😍
D'oh! Thanks for clarifying Digifreak90.
I was obviously channelling some kind of Under The Dome/desperate-mile-long-charge-across-a-poison-fog-cloud-around-Barovia type event, rather than seeing what was actually written on the screen.
Sláinte
As written in this article, I would say yes -- any time of spellcaster can assist with this. The only listed requirement in the above cases seems to be that each caster must expend a spellslot of a particular level or above, so I would say any class that access to spellslots could assist. That said, as the DM, I would want any character in the party who wants to participate to feel like their assistance would be meaningful, so I might even try to find a way to expand it to allow non-casters to help out somehow.
I could see like...maybe your Fighter "sacrifices some of their vitality," which could mechanically take the form of giving up some of their HP, or a usage of Second Wind. Or a Monk could concentrate some of their innate force of will, channeling a number of Ki points into a spell equal to the relevant spellslot level. Like, as a nod to the fact that ALL living creatures contain some shred of magic within them, expand this Circle Casting feature to allow others to sacrifice something of themselves to power a spell. Just a thought.
At first I thought this was just gonna be reskinned ritual casting, but this awesome!
I like it.
Gotta be honest, sounds really cool, but only for the bad guys. Sounds good for a cult-stopping adventure, but as a DM playing with only 2 others, feel like it has no place in my parties. For now, at least. 5 secondary casters seems like a lot.
From the wording, it seems like anyone with spellcasting abilities and spell slots of the appropriate level can join the circle.
Immediate meh. D&D has reduced itself to a game about monsters and how players can kill them. And I don't hate that per se. Unfortunately, over the editions the game has progressively made that substantially easier for players to do, The consequence is combat has greatly reduced stakes. Which makes it a slog in general. Which means D&D is a game about slog. I think DMs have long tinkered with home brewing circle magic and now it's official. But what they've come up with does what almost all other magic already does. It manipulates combat mechanics to churn more slog, but now you can do it with friends. Meanwhile, there are a couple other vestigial pillars (exploration and role play), but they're barely dangling on with an old piece of tape that's gotten fuzzy and gross. Meanwhile WoTC just keeps doubling down on the slog issue with the same solution. Circle Magic doesn't help anything interesting happen or create narrative. It doesn't give greater opportunity to effect exploration or role play. Where is the risk, how does it build tension? Although the art is pretty cool.
Time to hire some mages to cast a circle spell featherfall on my party of barbarians so we can re-enact John Carter, lol.
It's bigger metamagic with the power of friendship. Neat.
I thought it was generally accepted that 1 action takes place over the course of 6 seconds. Every character in combat taking their turns is called a round. So to cast a circle spell would take 10 rounds.
I thought it was generally accepted that 1 action takes place over the course of 6 seconds. Every character in combat taking their turns is called a round. So to cast a circle spell would take 10 rounds.
That could get wacky.
Good idea. I will be stealing this, lol.