Spells
This chapter gives rules for casting spells. It also includes descriptions of common spells in the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons. Those spells are used by many class features, magic items, and monsters.
Gaining Spells
Before you can cast a spell, you must have the spell prepared in your mind or have access to the spell from a magic item, such as a Spell Scroll. Your features specify which spells you have access to, if any; whether you always have certain spells prepared; and whether you can change the list of spells you have prepared.
Preparing Spells
If you have a list of level 1+ spells you prepare, your spellcasting feature specifies when you can change the list and the number of spells you can change, as summarized in the Spell Preparation by Class table.
| Class | Change When You... | Number of Spells |
|---|---|---|
| Bard | Gain a level | One |
| Cleric | Finish a Long Rest | Any |
| Druid | Finish a Long Rest | Any |
| Paladin | Finish a Long Rest | One |
| Ranger | Finish a Long Rest | One |
| Sorcerer | Gain a level | One |
| Warlock | Gain a level | One |
| Wizard | Finish a Long Rest | Any |
Most spellcasting monsters donât change their lists of prepared spells, but the DM is free to alter them.
Always-Prepared Spells
Certain features might give you a spell that you always have prepared. If you also have a list of prepared spells that you can change, a spell that you always have prepared doesnât count against the number of spells on that list.
Casting Spells
Each spell description has a series of entries that provide the details needed to cast the spell. The following sections explain each of those entries, which follow a spellâs name.
Spell Level
Every spell has a level from 0 to 9, which is indicated in a spellâs description. A spellâs level is an indicator of how powerful it is. Cantripsâsimple spells that can be cast almost by roteâare level 0. The rules for each spellcasting class say when its members gain access to spells of certain levels.
Spell Slots
Spellcasting is taxing, so a spellcaster can cast only a limited number of level 1+ spells before resting. Spell slots are the main way a spellcasterâs magical potential is represented. Each spellcasting class gives its members a limited number of spell slots of certain spell levels. For example, a level 3 Wizard has four level 1 spell slots and two level 2 slots.
When you cast a spell, you expend a slot of that spellâs level or higher, effectively âfillingâ a slot with the spell. Imagine a spell slot is a groove of a certain sizeâsmall for a level 1 slot and larger for a higher-level spell. A level 1 spell fits into a slot of any size, but a level 2 spell fits only into a slot thatâs at least level 2. So when a level 3 Wizard casts Magic Missile, a level 1 spell, that Wizard spends one of four level 1 slots and has three remaining.
Finishing a Long Rest restores any expended spell slots.
Casting without Slots
There are several ways to cast a spell without expending a spell slot:
Cantrips. A cantrip is cast without a spell slot.
Rituals. Certain spells have the Ritual tag in the Casting Time entry. Such a spell can be cast following the normal rules for spellcasting, or it can be cast as a Ritual. The Ritual version of a spell takes 10 minutes longer to cast than normal, but it doesnât expend a spell slot. To cast a spell as a Ritual, a spellcaster must have it prepared.
Special Abilities. Some characters and monsters have special abilities that allow them to cast specific spells without a spell slot. This casting is usually limited in another way, such as being able to cast the spell a limited number of times per day.
Magic Items. Spell Scrolls and some other magic items contain spells that can be cast without a spell slot. The description of such an item specifies how many times a spell can be cast from it.
Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot
When a spellcaster casts a spell using a slot that is of a higher level than the spell, the spell takes on the higher level for that casting. For instance, if a Wizard casts Magic Missile using a level 2 slot, that Magic Missile is level 2. Effectively, the spell expands to fill the slot it is put into.
Some spells, such as Magic Missile and Cure Wounds, have more powerful effects when cast at a higher level, as detailed in a spellâs description.
School of Magic
Each spell belongs to a school of magic. The schools are listed in the Schools of Magic table. These categories help describe spells but have no rules of their own, although some other rules refer to them.
| School | Typical Effects |
|---|---|
| Abjuration | Prevents or reverses harmful effects |
| Conjuration | Transports creatures or objects |
| Divination | Reveals information |
| Enchantment | Influences minds |
| Evocation | Channels energy to create effects that are often destructive |
| Illusion | Deceives the mind or senses |
| Necromancy | Manipulates life and death |
| Transmutation | Transforms creatures or objects |
Class Spell Lists
If a spell is on a classâs spell list, the classâs name appears in parentheses after the spellâs school of magic. Some features add a spell to a characterâs spell list even if the character isnât a member of a class in the parentheses.
Casting Time
Most spells require the Magic action to cast, but some spells require a Bonus Action, a Reaction, or 1 minute or more. A spellâs Casting Time entry specifies which of those is required.
One Spell with a Spell Slot per Turn
On a turn, you can expend only one spell slot to cast a spell. This rule means you canât, for example, cast a spell with a spell slot using the Magic action and another one using a Bonus Action on the same turn.
Reaction and Bonus Action Triggers
A spell that has a casting time of a Reaction is cast in response to a trigger that is defined in the spellâs Casting Time entry. Some spells that have a casting time of a Bonus Action are also cast in response to a trigger defined in the spell.
Longer Casting Times
Certain spellsâincluding a spell cast as a Ritualârequire more time to cast: minutes or even hours. While you cast a spell with a casting time of 1 minute or more, you must take the Magic action on each of your turns, and you must maintain Concentration (see the Rules Glossary) while you do so. If your Concentration is broken, the spell fails, but you donât expend a spell slot. To cast the spell again, you must start over.
Range
A spellâs range indicates how far from the spellcaster the spellâs effect can originate, and the spellâs description specifies which part of the effect is limited by the range.
A range usually takes one of the following forms:
Distance. The range is expressed in feet.
Touch. The spellâs effect originates on something, as defined by the spell, that the spellcaster must touch within their reach.
Self. The spell is cast on the spellcaster or emanates from them, as specified in the spell.
If a spell has movable effects, they arenât restricted by its range unless the spellâs description says otherwise.
Components
A spellâs components are physical requirements the spellcaster must meet to cast the spell. Each spellâs description indicates whether it requires Verbal (V), Somatic (S), or Material (M) components. If the spellcaster canât provide one or more of a spellâs components, the spellcaster canât cast the spell.
Verbal (V)
A Verbal component is the chanting of esoteric words that sound like nonsense to the uninitiated. The words must be uttered in a normal speaking voice. The words themselves arenât the source of the spellâs power; rather, the particular combination of sounds, with specific pitch and resonance, sets the threads of magic in motion. Thus, a creature who is gagged or in an area of magical silence canât cast a spell with a Verbal component.
Somatic (S)
A Somatic component is a forceful gesticulation or an intricate set of gestures. A spellcaster must use at least one of their hands to perform these movements.
Material (M)
A Material component is a particular material used in a spellâs casting, as specified in parentheses in the Components entry. These materials arenât consumed by the spell unless the spellâs description states otherwise. The spellcaster must have a hand free to access them, but it can be the same hand used to perform Somatic components, if any.
If a spell doesnât consume its materials and doesnât specify a cost for them, a spellcaster can use a Component Pouch (see âEquipmentâ) instead of providing the materials specified in the spell, or the spellcaster can substitute a Spellcasting Focus if the caster has a feature that allows that substitution. To use a Component Pouch, you must have a hand free to reach into it, and to use a Spellcasting Focus, you must hold it unless its description says otherwise (see âEquipmentâ for descriptions).
Duration
A spellâs duration is the length of time the spell persists after it is cast. A duration typically takes one of the following forms:
Concentration. A duration that requires Concentration follows the Concentration rules (see the Rules Glossary).
Instantaneous. An instantaneous duration means the spellâs magic appears only for a moment and then disappears.
Time Span. A duration that provides a time span specifies how long the spell lasts in rounds, minutes, hours, or the like. For example, a Duration entry might say â1 minute,â meaning the spell ends after 1 minute has passed. While a time-span spell that you cast is ongoing, you can dismiss it (no action required) if you donât have the Incapacitated condition.
Effects
The effects of a spell are detailed after its duration entry. Those details present exactly what the spell does, which ignores mundane physical laws; any outcomes beyond those effects are under the DMâs purview. Whatever the effects, they typically deal with targets, saving throws, attack rolls, or all three, each of which is detailed below.
Targets
A typical spell requires the caster to pick one or more targets to be affected by the spellâs magic. A spellâs description says whether the spell targets creatures, objects, or something else.
A Clear Path to the Target. To target something with a spell, a caster must have a clear path to it, so it canât be behind Total Cover.
Targeting Yourself. If a spell targets a creature of your choice, you can choose yourself unless the creature must be Hostile or specifically a creature other than you.
Areas of Effect. Some spells, such as Thunderwave, cover an area called an area of effect, which is defined in the Rules Glossary. The area determines what the spell targets. The description of a spell specifies whether it has an area of effect, which is typically one of these shapes: Cone, Cube, Cylinder, Emanation, Line, or Sphere.
Awareness of Being Targeted. Unless a spell has a perceptible effect, a creature doesnât know it was targeted by the spell. An effect like lightning is obvious, but a more subtle effect, such as an attempt to read thoughts, goes unnoticed unless a spellâs description says otherwise.
Invalid Targets. If you cast a spell on someone or something that canât be affected by it, nothing happens to that target, but if you used a spell slot to cast the spell, the slot is still expended.
If the spell normally has no effect on a target that succeeds on a saving throw, the invalid target appears to have succeeded on its saving throw, even though it didnât attempt one (giving no hint that the creature is an invalid target). Otherwise, you perceive that the spell did nothing to the target.
Saving Throws
Many spells specify that a target makes a saving throw to avoid some or all of a spellâs effects. The spell specifies the ability that the target uses for the save and what happens on a success or failure. Hereâs how to calculate the DC for your spells:
Spell save DC = 8 + your spellcasting ability modifier + your Proficiency Bonus
Attack Rolls
Some spells require the caster to make an attack roll to determine whether the spell hits a target. Hereâs how to calculate the attack modifier for your spells:
Spell attack modifier = your spellcasting ability modifier + your Proficiency Bonus
Combining Spell Effects
The effects of different spells add together while their durations overlap. In contrast, the effects of the same spell cast multiple times donât combine. Instead, the most potent effectâsuch as the highest bonusâfrom those castings applies while their durations overlap. The most recent effect applies if the castings are equally potent and their durations overlap. For example, if two Clerics cast Bless on the same target, that target gains the spellâs benefit only once; the target doesnât receive two bonus dice. But if the durations of the spells overlap, the effect continues until the duration of the second Bless ends.