Chromatic orb deals a whopping 3d8 damage despite only being a 1st-level spell, and can deal any type of elemental damage! Are there any other 1st-level spells as powerful as this one?

Learn about D&D’s slipperiest spell, and how to use it as a player or adjudicate it as a Dungeon Master.

What's the history of D&D’s most miraculous spell, and how can it affect your game?

Phantasmal spells have a place in any good illusionist’s combat toolkit. Learn how to adjudicate them cleanly and dramatically as a Dungeon Master. Plus, check out a table of spooky illusions to help you DM these spells on the fly!

Contagion used to be one of D&D’s most troublesome spells. Let’s take a close look at this formerly problematic spell and see what makes it tick, how the D&D developers fixed it, and how you can tweak it to fit your home game.

Pale death creeps towards the characters. Learn how to use the powerful, situational spell cloudkill like a master by creating combo attacks with your fellow players—or by stacking the deck in your favor as a DM.

How I wrote a dungeon for the Adventurer's League that was broken with a single spell, and how one elegant solution saved it.

Healing spirit is the most criticized new spell in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. Let’s take a look at the spell—where it succeeds, where it fails, and how you can change it to fit your game.

Prismatic wall is one of D&D's best-designed spells, and one you've likely never even used. It can vex players, annihilate villains, and even become the basis of an entire campaign!

Fireball is one of D&D's most iconic spells, but do you know that it was specially designed to be more fun to use than other spells of its level?

Conjure minor elementals is one of D&D's most challenging to use spells, especially for new players. Let's make it easier to use at the game table with the help of a few new monsters!

New Spells!