Magic & Spells

Spells

Some character classes, like Magic-Users and Clerics, have the ability to memorize and cast magical spells. A spell is a pattern of magical energy held in a character’s mind; once cast, it’s erased until memorized again.

Spells fall into two main categories:

  • Divine Magic: Granted by a deity or higher power (e.g., Cleric spells).
  • Arcane Magic: Learned through esoteric study and personal will (e.g., Magic-User spells).

Your character’s class determines which spells you can cast, drawing from an associated spell list. The character’s level determines how many spells you can have memorized at any one time. Finally, some spells are reversible, offering an opposing effect, as noted in their descriptions.

Memorizing Spells

Spellcasters can memorize new spells after an uninterrupted night’s sleep. It takes one hour to memorize all the spells a character is capable of holding in their mind. A character cannot memorize the same spell more than once at a time.

Casting Spells

To cast a memorized spell, you must precisely replicate its required hand gestures and mystical spoken words.

  • Freedom: You must be able to speak and move your hands freely to cast a spell. If you’re gagged, bound, or in an area of magical silence, you cannot cast spells.
  • Line of Sight: Unless a spell’s description states otherwise, you must have a clear line of sight to your intended target, whether it’s a creature, object, or area of effect.

Spell Effects

  • Selecting Targets: For spells affecting multiple targets (by area or Hit Dice), if the description doesn’t specify, the Referee decides how targets are chosen (e.g., randomly, by the caster, etc.).
  • Concentration: Some spells require you to concentrate to maintain their effect. Unless the spell states otherwise, performing any other action or being distracted (like being attacked) will cause your concentration to end, ending the spell.
  • Cumulative Effects: Multiple spells cannot be used to stack bonuses on the same ability (e.g., to attack rolls, AC, damage rolls, or saving throws). However, spells affecting different abilities can be combined, and spells can also be combined with the effects of magical items.

Spell Checks

Casting a spell is a moment of focused will and arcane (or divine) power.

1. Determine the Spellcasting DC: The difficulty of casting a spell is equal to 11 + the spell’s level.

2. Make the Spellcasting Roll: The caster rolls two d20s. The caster’s level is added to both rolls. Magic-Users add their Intelligence modifier to both rolls. Clerics add their Charisma modifier to both rolls.

3. Resolve the Casting:

  • Both Dice Succeed: If both d20 rolls (plus modifiers) meet or exceed the Spellcasting DC, the spell is successfully cast. The spell is not revoked or forgotten and can be cast again.
  • Both Dice Fail: If both d20 rolls (plus modifiers) fail to meet the Spellcasting DC, the spellcasting fails entirely. The spell is revoked by the god (for Clerics) or forgotten by the magic-user and cannot be cast again until re-memorized (Cleric) or re-prepared (Magic-User).
  • One Success, One Failure: If one of the d20 rolls succeeds (meets or beats the DC) and the other fails, the caster faces a difficult choice:
    • Cast but Lose: The spell is successfully cast, but it is immediately lost (revoked/forgotten).
    • Fail but Retain: The spellcasting fails, but the caster retains the spell, and it can be attempted again later.

Arcane Magic

Arcane spellcasters, like Magic-Users, memorize spells directly from their spell books, meaning they are limited to the spells contained within. Their spell book must be at hand during the memorization process.

  • Reversing Spells: If a spell has a normal and a reversed form (e.g., Light and Darkness), the spellcaster must choose which form to memorize when preparing the spell. If the character is able to memorize more than one spell of that specific level, they may choose to memorize both forms separately.

Divine Magic

Divine spellcasters, such as Clerics, memorize spells through prayer to their gods. When praying, they can choose any spells from their class’s spell list for which they are of a high enough level.

  • Reversing Spells: Divine spellcasters can cast the reversed version of a spell (if available) by simply speaking the words and performing the gestures backward at the time of casting.
  • Deity Disfavor: Divine spellcasters must remain faithful to their deity’s tenets, alignment, clergy, and religion. If a character falls from favor, the Referee may impose penalties like an attack penalty (–1), a reduction in available spells, or being sent on a perilous quest. To regain favor, the character must perform a great deed for their deity, such as donating wealth or magic items, constructing a temple, converting people, or vanquishing a powerful enemy of the deity.
  • Spells and Deity Alignment: Casting spells (or their reversed versions) that go against a deity’s alignment can also draw disfavor:
    • Lawful characters: Only use reversed spells as a last resort.
    • Chaotic characters: Typically prefer reversed spells, only employing normal versions to aid fellow allies of their religion or further their god’s agenda.
    • Neutral characters: Prefer either normal or reversed spells, depending on the deity served. No single deity prefers both normal and reversed spells.

Spell Books

Arcane spellcasters, like Magic-Users, record their known spells in a spell book. This book is essential, as casters can only memorize spells written within its pages.

Acquiring Spells

Arcane spellcasters begin play with their spell book containing as many spells as they can memorize at 1st level. The Referee may choose these, or allow the player to select.

Unlike memorized spells, there is no limit to how many spells a Magic-User may collect and record in their spell book over their career. As characters gain experience levels, or through their adventures, they can add new spells to their book in two primary ways:

  • Research: Spells can also be added to a spell book through the demanding process of Magical Research, often involving time, resources, and risks to decipher or invent new arcane formulas.
  • Mentoring: A character can study under an arcane guild or mentor to learn new spells. This typically takes about one week of in-game time. The Referee determines which spells are available this way, though player input may be allowed.

Beginning and Adding Spells

When an arcane spellcaster first begins their adventures, their spell book starts with a number of spells equal to what they can memorize at 1st level. The Referee might choose these initial spells, or they might allow the player the exciting choice of which arcane secrets their character already knows.

As a character gains experience and levels up, their capacity to memorize more spells also grows. To fill these new “slots” in their mind, they can expand the selection of spells in their spell book. This expansion can happen in two primary ways:

  • Mentoring: A character can seek out an arcane guild or a knowledgeable mentor to learn new spells. This process usually takes about one week of in-game time, during which the character dedicates themselves to study under their tutor. The Referee typically decides which new spells become available through this method, though they might grant the player some choice.
  • Research: For those who prefer to blaze their own trail, it’s also possible to add new spells to a spell book through the demanding process of Magical Research. This often involves time, resources, and potential risks, as the caster attempts to decipher or invent new arcane formulas.

Lost or Captured Spell Books

Losing a spell book can be a devastating blow for an arcane spellcaster, but it’s not insurmountable.

  • Lost or Destroyed Spell Books: An arcane spellcaster can rewrite the spells from a lost or destroyed spell book, but it’s a costly and time-consuming endeavor. The cost to recover each spell is one week of game time and 100 gp per level of the spell. For example, rewriting two 1st-level spells and one 2nd-level spell would take a total of 4 weeks and 400 gp. This activity demands the caster’s complete and undivided concentration; they cannot engage in any other activities during this period.
  • Captured Spell Books: Each arcane spellcaster’s spell books are magically and personally encoded. This means that only the owner can read the spells within without the use of magic, making captured spell books difficult for rivals to immediately exploit.

Magical Research

Some spellcasting classes can research new spells, magic items, and other magical effects. This process requires time, monetary outlay, and sometimes rare ingredients. Success is not guaranteed.

Creating New Spells

Players can describe the spell they wish to create and its effects. The Referee then determines if creation is possible and what the spell level will be.

  • Cost and Time: Researching a new spell costs two weeks of game time and 100 gp per spell level.
  • Restrictions: The character must be capable of casting spells of the new spell’s determined level.

Creating Magic Items

Players describe the magic item they wish to create and its effects. The Referee decides if it’s possible and what materials are required.

  • Restrictions:
    • Arcane spellcasters may create any item except those exclusive to divine spellcasters.
    • Divine spellcasters may only create items they can use themselves.
  • Materials: Item creation often requires rare components like expensive gems or monster parts, which may necessitate further adventures to acquire.
  • Cost and Time:
    • Duplicating Spell Effects: Items that mimic a spell’s effects generally cost one week of game time and 50 gp per level of the mimicked spell.
    • Multi-Use Items: If an item replicates a spell multiple times (e.g., a wand with charges), the time and money cost are multiplied by the number of uses.
    • Other Items: For unique or powerful items not mimicking spells, the Referee uses discretion. Such items typically cost 1,000 gp to 10,000 gp and take 1 month to 1 year to complete.
      • Examples: 20 arrows +1 (1000 gp, 1 month), Plate Mail +1 (1000 gp, 6 months), Crystal Ball (3,000 gp, 6 months), Ring of X-Ray Vision (10,000 gp, 1 year).

Other Magical Research

Characters capable of spell or item research can also attempt to research other types of magical effects not fitting those categories. This might include sanctifying holy sites, creating magical traps, constructs, or portals.

The Referee determines the time and cost for such research. This may also require:

  • The casting of specific spells.
  • Rare ingredients.
  • Periodic ritual repetition to maintain the magical effect.

Cleric Spells (1st Level)

At 1st level, Clerics begin to channel divine energy, focusing on fundamental healing, detection, and protective magic. Certain spells can be cast in reverse, causing opposite effects to the normal spell. These reversed versions are more often used by Chaotic clerics.

  • Cure Light Wounds (Cause Light Wounds)
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Heals 1d6 Hit Points (HP) of damage to a living creature.
    • Reversed: Cause Light Wounds inflicts 1d6 HP of damage to a creature by touch.
  • Detect Evil
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: The cleric senses the presence of evil intentions or creatures within range. This doesn’t reveal the exact nature of the evil, only its presence.
  • Detect Magic
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: 2 turns
    • Description: The cleric’s senses become attuned to magical auras, perceiving if magic is present on items, creatures, or areas within range. It does not reveal the type or purpose of the magic.
  • Light (Darkness)
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: 12 turns
    • Description: Creates a bright light in a 30-foot radius, centered on an object or area.
    • Reversed: Darkness creates an area of magical darkness in a 30-foot radius, which dispels any non-magical light.
  • Protection from Evil
    • Range: Caster
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Creates a magical barrier around the cleric (and a single ally if within 10 ft), granting +1 AC against attacks from evil or enchanted creatures. Evil creatures also suffer disadvantage on attack rolls against the protected target.
  • Purify Food and Water
    • Range: 10 ft.
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Renders up to 6 cubic feet of food and 6 gallons of water pure and safe for consumption, removing spoilage, poison, or disease.
  • Remove Fear (Cause Fear)
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: 2 turns
    • Description: Removes the condition of fear from one creature.
    • Reversed: Cause Fear instills great fear in a single creature by touch, potentially causing them to flee or become paralyzed with terror.
  • Resist Cold
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Grants the touched creature significant resistance to cold damage and the harmful effects of extreme cold, reducing cold damage taken and negating environmental penalties.

Cleric Spells (2nd Level)

Clerics continue to expand their divine influence, gaining access to more potent healing, protective, and investigative spells, along with the ability to influence animals and silence their foes.

  • Bless (Blight)
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Inspires allies, granting them a +1 bonus to attack rolls and saving throws. Affects all allies within a 20-foot radius.
    • Reversed: Blight curses foes, imposing a -1 penalty to their attack rolls and saving throws.
  • Find Traps
    • Range: 30 ft.
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Helps the cleric locate traps. When cast, the cleric instantly knows if there are any traps within range, though not their exact nature or location.
  • Hold Person
    • Range: 180 ft.
    • Duration: 2d4 rounds
    • Description: Paralyzes one or more humanoid creatures (e.g., humans, elves, dwarves, goblins). Affects 1d4 humanoids, chosen by the caster, each of whom gets a saving throw to resist.
  • Know Alignment
    • Range: 10 ft.
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: The cleric instantly discerns the alignment (Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic) of one creature or object within range.
  • Resist Fire
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Grants the touched creature significant resistance to fire damage and the harmful effects of extreme heat, reducing fire damage taken and negating environmental penalties.
  • Silence 15’ Radius
    • Range: 180 ft.
    • Duration: 12 turns
    • Description: Creates an area of magical silence. No sound, including speech or spell incantations, can be made or heard within a 15-foot radius sphere.
  • Snake Charm
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: 1d4 turns + caster level
    • Description: Charms up to 2d8 Hit Dice of snakes, causing them to become docile and non-aggressive towards the cleric and their allies. Charmed snakes obey simple commands.
  • Speak with Animals
    • Range: Caster
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Allows the cleric to communicate with normal animals. While the animals don’t become magically intelligent, the cleric can understand their basic needs, emotions, and what they’ve observed.

Cleric Spells (3rd Level)

Clerics at 3rd level gain access to powerful spells that offer significant utility, healing, and offensive capabilities, further solidifying their role as vital members of any adventuring party.

  • Continual Light (Continual Darkness)
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent
    • Description: Creates a permanent light equivalent to a torch (30-foot radius) on an object. This light can be covered to block it.
    • Reversed: Continual Darkness creates a permanent area of magical darkness that dispels all light within a 30-foot radius, including magical light up to the same spell level.
  • Cure Disease (Cause Disease)
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Cures any non-magical disease afflicting a creature by touch.
    • Reversed: Cause Disease inflicts a debilitating disease upon a creature by touch, potentially leading to weakness, pain, or even death, depending on the severity.
  • Growth of Animal
    • Range: 180 ft.
    • Duration: 12 turns
    • Description: Causes one normal animal to double in size and mass, increasing its Hit Dice, attack damage, and carrying capacity. The animal also becomes hostile to enemies of the caster.
  • Locate Object
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: The cleric senses the direction of a specific object that they are familiar with or that is clearly described, as long as it is within range. The spell cannot locate unique or legendary items.
  • Remove Curse (Curse)
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Breaks one curse affecting a creature or object by touch.
    • Reversed: Curse places a detrimental curse upon a creature or object by touch, causing various negative effects as determined by the Referee (e.g., penalties to rolls, unfortunate incidents).
  • Striking
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: 3 turns
    • Description: Imbues a non-magical blunt weapon (club, mace, hammer) with divine power. The weapon’s damage die size increases by one step (e.g., 1d6 becomes 1d8), and it gains a +1 bonus to hit and damage.

Cleric Spells (4th Level)

Clerics at 4th level wield even greater divine power, capable of sustaining life, curing grave ailments, protecting groups, and even transforming the natural world.

  • Create Water
    • Range: 10 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent
    • Description: Creates up to 50 gallons of pure, drinkable fresh water. This is enough to sustain 12 humans and their mounts for one day.
  • Cure Serious Wounds (Cause Serious Wounds)
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Heals 2d6+1 Hit Points (HP) of damage to a living creature.
    • Reversed: Cause Serious Wounds inflicts 2d6+1 HP of damage to a creature by touch.
  • Neutralize Poison
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Instantly neutralizes any poison affecting a creature or an object. If the poison has already dealt damage, it stops further progression but doesn’t restore lost HP.
  • Protection from Evil 10’ Radius
    • Range: Caster (10-foot radius)
    • Duration: 12 turns
    • Description: Creates a magical barrier protecting all allies within a 10-foot radius of the caster. Affected allies gain +1 AC against attacks from evil or enchanted creatures, and evil creatures suffer disadvantage on attack rolls against anyone inside the protected area.
  • Speak with Plants
    • Range: Caster
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Allows the cleric to communicate with normal plants. While plants don’t become magically intelligent, the cleric can understand their basic perceptions, conditions, and what they’ve observed in their immediate vicinity.
  • Sticks to Snakes
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Transforms 2d8 non-magical sticks into living, aggressive snakes. The snakes follow the cleric’s mental commands and will attack their foes. When the spell ends, they revert to inert sticks.

Cleric Spells (5th Level)

At 5th level, Clerics wield some of their most potent divine powers, capable of direct communication with deities, mass sustenance, powerful banishment, and even resurrection.

  • Commune
    • Range: Caster
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: The cleric requests a direct communication with their deity (or a divine proxy). The deity will answer up to three yes/no questions accurately, provided they pertain to the cleric’s purpose or the will of the deity.
  • Create Food
    • Range: 10 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent
    • Description: Creates enough nourishing, edible food to sustain up to 12 humans (or similar creatures) and 12 mounts for one full day. The food is plain but wholesome.
  • Dispel Evil
    • Range: Caster (10-foot radius)
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: A powerful burst of divine energy that automatically dispels charms, holds, or other magical compulsions affecting allies within the radius cast by evil creatures. It also damages and repels evil or enchanted creatures within the area.
  • Insect Plague
    • Range: 180 ft.
    • Duration: 12 turns
    • Description: Summons a swarming, biting cloud of insects that fills a 60-foot radius area. Creatures within the plague suffer penalties to their attack rolls and movement, and might take continuous damage from bites.
  • Quest (Remove Quest)
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: Permanent (until completed or removed)
    • Description: Imposes a powerful, magically binding quest or geas upon a creature. The subject must fulfill the specified task or suffer divine penalties. The task must be achievable, though difficult.
    • Reversed: Remove Quest lifts a previously placed Quest or Geas spell from a creature, freeing them from its magical compulsion.
  • Raise Dead (Finger of Death)
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Restores a deceased creature to life, provided its body is relatively intact and it has not been dead for too long (typically no more than a few days per caster level). The raised creature usually returns with 1 HP and may suffer temporary ability score penalties.
    • Reversed: Finger of Death is a potent, deadly touch attack that can instantly slay a living creature. The target typically gets a saving throw to resist, but failure means immediate death.

Magic-User Spells (1st Level)

At 1st level, Magic-Users begin to tap into the fundamental forces of magic. Their spells, while basic, provide crucial utility for exploration, minor offense, and subtle deception, laying the groundwork for greater power to come.

  • Charm Person
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: 1d4 turns + caster level
    • Description: Charms one humanoid creature, making them friendly and well-disposed towards the caster, treating them as a trusted friend. They won’t fight the caster or their allies directly, but won’t perform clearly suicidal acts.
  • Detect Magic
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: 2 turns
    • Description: The caster’s senses become attuned to magical auras. They perceive if magic is present on items, creatures, or areas within range, though it doesn’t reveal the type of magic or its purpose.
  • Floating Disc
    • Range: 6 ft.
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Creates an invisible, horizontal disc of force that floats about 3 feet off the ground and follows the caster. It can carry up to 5,000 coins (500 lbs) of weight.
  • Hold Portal
    • Range: 10 ft.
    • Duration: 2d6 turns
    • Description: Magically holds a door, gate, window, or similar portal shut, making it very difficult to open by mundane force (requiring a successful Strength check or a powerful monster).
  • Light (Darkness)
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: 12 turns
    • Description: Creates a bright light in a 30-foot radius, centered on an object or area. Alternatively, it can be cast to darken an area, creating magical darkness.
  • Magic Missile
    • Range: 150 ft.
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Launches a dart of magical energy that unerringly strikes a single target for 1d6+1 points of damage.
  • Protection from Evil
    • Range: Caster
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Creates a magical barrier around the caster (and a single ally if within 10 ft), granting +1 AC against attacks from evil or enchanted creatures. Evil creatures also suffer disadvantage on attack rolls against the protected target.
  • Read Languages
    • Range: Caster
    • Duration: 2 turns
    • Description: Allows the caster to understand and read any written language, including codes, ciphers, and ancient scripts, for the duration of the spell.
  • Read Magic
    • Range: Caster
    • Duration: 2 turns
    • Description: Enables the caster to decipher magical writings, such as those found on scrolls, in spellbooks, or on enchanted objects, allowing them to understand the magic.
  • Shield
    • Range: Caster
    • Duration: 2 turns
    • Description: Creates an invisible, magical barrier that provides +2 AC to the caster against all attacks, and an additional +2 AC against missile attacks (total +4 vs. missiles).
  • Sleep
    • Range: 240 ft.
    • Duration: 4d4 turns
    • Description: Puts 2d8 Hit Dice of creatures into a magical slumber. The spell affects creatures who fail a Save vs Spell, starting with the lowest HD of the group first. Creatures with 4+1 HD or more are unaffected. Sleeping creatures can be awakened by damage or vigorous shaking.
  • Ventriloquism
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: 2 turns
    • Description: Allows the caster to make their voice, or any sound they produce, seem to originate from a different location or creature within range, making it a useful tool for distraction or trickery.

Magic-User Spells (2nd Level)

Magic-Users at 2nd level unlock more versatile and powerful arcane energies, allowing for advanced utility, detection, defense, and illusion.

  • Continual Light (Continual Darkness)
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent
    • Description: Creates a permanent light equivalent to a torch (30-foot radius) on an object. This light can be covered to block it.
    • Reversed: Continual Darkness creates a permanent area of magical darkness that dispels all light within a 30-foot radius, including magical light up to the same spell level.
  • Detect Evil
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: The caster senses the presence of evil intentions or creatures within range. This doesn’t reveal the exact nature of the evil, only its presence.
  • Detect Invisible
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Allows the caster to see invisible creatures or objects within range, including those hidden by magic.
  • ESP (Extra Sensory Perception)
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: 12 turns
    • Description: The caster can perceive the thoughts of intelligent creatures within range. They can typically read surface thoughts, but deeper probing might require concentration or a saving throw from the target.
  • Invisibility
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent (until broken)
    • Description: Renders one creature or object invisible. The invisibility lasts until the target performs a hostile action (like attacking or casting a spell) or the spell is dispelled.
  • Knock
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Magically opens any non-magical lock, bolt, bar, or mundane seal. It can also bypass Hold Portal and Wizard Lock spells, but the sound of the spell is quite loud.
  • Levitate
    • Range: Caster or 20 ft.
    • Duration: 6 turns + caster level
    • Description: The caster or a single touched object/creature rises or lowers vertically at will, up to 20 feet per round, staying within the spell’s maximum range. It can support light to medium weight.
  • Locate Object
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: The caster senses the direction of a specific object that they are familiar with or that is clearly described, as long as it is within range. The spell cannot locate unique or legendary items.
  • Mirror Image
    • Range: Caster
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Creates 1d4 illusory duplicates of the caster. These duplicates move and act in sync with the caster, confusing attackers. Each time an attack hits the caster, one duplicate is dispelled instead.
  • Phantasmal Force
    • Range: 240 ft.
    • Duration: Concentration (up to 6 turns)
    • Description: Creates a convincing visual illusion of an object, creature, or other phenomenon. If interacted with, a creature might get a saving throw to disbelieve it, but otherwise, it appears real.
  • Web
    • Range: 10 ft.
    • Duration: 8 turns
    • Description: Creates a thick, tangled mass of sticky, non-flammable webs up to a 20-foot cube. Creatures moving through or caught in the webs become entrapped or significantly slowed, requiring Strength checks to break free.
  • Wizard Lock
    • Range: 10 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent
    • Description: Magically seals a door, chest, or other portal. It cannot be opened by mundane force, nor by the Knock spell unless the caster is of a significantly higher level than the Wizard Lock caster.

Magic-User Spells (3rd Level)

Magic-Users at 3rd level gain access to an array of powerful and versatile spells, from devastating offensive capabilities to enhanced utility and group protections.

  • Clairvoyance
    • Range: 240 ft.
    • Duration: 12 turns
    • Description: The caster can project their senses to see and hear a distant location as if they were present. The location must be known to the caster.
  • Dispel Magic
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Attempts to negate or cancel out ongoing magical effects or spells. The caster rolls against the level of the spell or the power of the magic item being dispelled to see if it succeeds.
  • Fire Ball
    • Range: 240 ft.
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: A magical flame ignites at a chosen point, exploding into a 20-foot radius sphere of fire. All creatures in the area take 1d6 damage per caster level (up to 10d6), with a saving throw for half damage.
  • Fly
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: 1d6 turns + caster level
    • Description: Grants the touched creature the ability to fly at a high movement rate, allowing them to soar through the air and bypass ground-based obstacles.
  • Haste
    • Range: 240 ft.
    • Duration: 3 turns
    • Description: Doubles the movement rate and attack rate of all creatures within a 20-foot radius. Affected creatures also gain a bonus to their Armor Class.
  • Hold Person
    • Range: 180 ft.
    • Duration: 2d4 rounds
    • Description: Paralyzes one or more humanoid creatures (e.g., humans, elves, dwarves, goblins). Affects 1d4 humanoids, chosen by the caster, each of whom gets a saving throw to resist.
  • Infravision
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: 10 turns + caster level
    • Description: Grants the touched creature the ability to see in the dark by perceiving heat (infravision). Living things glow brightly, cold objects are dark. It’s disrupted by visible light.
  • Invisibility 10’ Radius
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent (until broken)
    • Description: Renders all creatures and objects within a 10-foot radius sphere invisible. The invisibility lasts until anyone within the area performs a hostile action (like attacking or casting a spell) or the spell is dispelled.
  • Lightning Bolt
    • Range: 180 ft.
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: A bolt of pure lightning streaks from the caster’s hand, dealing 1d6 damage per caster level (up to 10d6) to all creatures in a straight line (5 ft. wide, 60 ft. long). A saving throw reduces damage by half.
  • Protection from Evil 10’ Radius
    • Range: Caster (10-foot radius)
    • Duration: 12 turns
    • Description: Creates a magical barrier protecting all allies within a 10-foot radius of the caster. Affected allies gain +1 AC against attacks from evil or enchanted creatures, and evil creatures suffer disadvantage on attack rolls against anyone inside the protected area.
  • Protection from Normal Missiles
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: 12 turns
    • Description: Renders the touched creature immune to damage from non-magical missile attacks (arrows, sling stones, thrown spears, etc.).
  • Water Breathing
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: 6 turns + caster level
    • Description: Grants the touched creature the ability to breathe water as easily as air, allowing them to remain underwater indefinitely without drowning.

Magic-User Spells (4th Level)

Magic-Users at 4th level command potent arcane forces, gaining access to spells that manipulate minds, dimensions, the natural world, and conjure powerful elemental barriers.

  • Charm Monster
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: 1d4 turns + caster level
    • Description: Charms one non-humanoid monster, making it friendly and non-hostile towards the caster, treating them as a trusted ally. The monster will not attack the caster or their party directly, but will resist suicidal commands.
  • Confusion
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: 2d4 rounds
    • Description: Causes creatures within a 20-foot radius to become disoriented and unpredictable. Affected creatures might wander aimlessly, attack allies, or stand still, each making a saving throw to resist.
  • Dimension Door
    • Range: 10 ft.
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Teleports the caster and up to 5,000 coins (500 lbs) of gear to any spot within 360 feet that they can visualize or describe. It cannot pass through solid objects, but can bypass locks or walls.
  • Growth of Plants
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent
    • Description: Causes normal vegetation within a 100-foot radius to grow thick and tangled, slowing movement through the area to 1/4 normal speed. It can also cause large plants to become aggressive towards intruders.
  • Hallucinatory Terrain
    • Range: 240 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent (until dispelled)
    • Description: Creates a convincing illusion of terrain (e.g., a forest over a swamp, a hill over a chasm). The illusion is purely visual and auditory; physical interaction will reveal its true nature.
  • Massmorph
    • Range: 240 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent (until dispelled)
    • Description: Transforms up to 20 humanoid creatures (e.g., a marching party, a unit of soldiers) to appear as a dense mass of trees. This spell is effective for ambushes or concealing troop movements.
  • Polymorph Others
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent (until dispelled)
    • Description: Transforms one creature into another type of creature, as chosen by the caster. The target gains the physical statistics (HD, AC, attacks, movement) of the new form, but retains its own mind and intelligence.
  • Polymorph Self
    • Range: Caster
    • Duration: 6 turns + caster level
    • Description: Transforms the caster into another type of creature. The caster gains the physical statistics (HD, AC, attacks, movement) of the new form, but retains their own mind and ability to cast spells (though sometimes with limitations).
  • Remove Curse (Curse)
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Breaks one curse affecting a creature or object by touch.
    • Reversed: Curse places a detrimental curse upon a creature or object by touch, causing various negative effects as determined by the Referee (e.g., penalties to rolls, unfortunate incidents).
  • Wall of Fire
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: 12 turns
    • Description: Creates a solid, opaque curtain of magical flames up to 60 feet long and 20 feet high. Creatures passing through or standing too close to the wall take fire damage.
  • Wall of Ice
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: 12 turns
    • Description: Creates a solid, non-transparent wall of magical ice up to 60 feet long and 20 feet high. It is very durable and provides excellent cover, but it can be melted by significant heat.
  • Wizard Eye
    • Range: 240 ft.
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Creates an invisible, floating magical eye that the caster can move and perceive through. The eye can travel through small openings and provides visual information back to the caster.

Magic-User Spells (5th Level)

Magic-Users at 5th level are masters of powerful arcana, capable of raising the dead, summoning elemental forces, bending minds, and fundamentally altering the very environment.

  • Animate Dead
    • Range: 10 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent (until destroyed or dispelled)
    • Description: Raises one or more skeletons or zombies from corpses. The animated undead follow the caster’s commands until destroyed. The total Hit Dice of undead animated depends on the caster’s level.
  • Cloudkill
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Creates a thick, green, poisonous cloud that fills a 20-foot cube and drifts slowly. Creatures caught in the cloud suffer lethal damage each round and must save vs. poison or die.
  • Conjure Elemental
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: Concentration (until dispelled or banished)
    • Description: Summons a powerful elemental (earth, air, fire, or water) from its native plane to serve the caster. The elemental follows commands but may become hostile if the caster loses concentration or gives suicidal orders.
  • Contact Higher Plane
    • Range: Caster
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: The caster attempts to contact an extra-dimensional entity or higher plane of existence to gain information. The more questions asked, or the higher the plane contacted, the greater the risk of insanity or physical damage to the caster.
  • Feeblemind
    • Range: 180 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent (until dispelled)
    • Description: Targets one intelligent creature, reducing its intelligence and wisdom to that of an animal, rendering it incapable of spellcasting, complex thought, or coherent speech. A saving throw is allowed to resist.
  • Hold Monster
    • Range: 180 ft.
    • Duration: 2d4 rounds
    • Description: Paralyzes one or more non-humanoid monsters. Affects 1d4 monsters, chosen by the caster, each of whom gets a saving throw to resist.
  • Magic Jar
    • Range: 30 ft.
    • Duration: Special
    • Description: The caster’s spirit transfers into a specially prepared container (the magic jar). From the jar, the spirit can then attempt to possess the bodies of other creatures. If the possessed body is killed, the spirit returns to the jar.
  • Pass-Wall
    • Range: 30 ft.
    • Duration: 3 turns
    • Description: Creates a temporary, invisible passage through a wall or similar solid surface. The passage is typically 5 feet wide, 8 feet high, and up to 10 feet deep, lasting for the duration or until passed through.
  • Telekinesis
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: 12 turns
    • Description: The caster can mentally move objects or creatures within range. The spell can manipulate up to 200 pounds of weight per caster level, allowing for actions like lifting, pushing, pulling, or even attacking with objects.
  • Teleport
    • Range: Caster
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: The caster (and up to 5,000 coins / 500 lbs of gear) instantly travels to any location on the same plane of existence, provided the caster knows the destination. There is a risk of error, resulting in a misaligned or dangerous arrival.
  • Transmute Rock to Mud (Mud to Rock)
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent
    • Description: Transforms an area of solid rock (up to a 20-foot cube) into thick, heavy mud, slowing movement and potentially trapping creatures.
    • Reversed: Transmute Mud to Rock solidifies an area of mud back into solid rock, potentially entombing creatures within.
  • Wall of Stone
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent
    • Description: Conjures a solid, non-magical wall of stone up to 60 feet long and 20 feet high. The wall is durable and provides excellent cover, but it is not magical and can be chipped or broken like normal stone.

Magic-User Spells (6th Level)

Magic-Users at 6th level command the pinnacle of arcane power, capable of altering fundamental forces, commanding deadly energies, and even manipulating life and death itself.

  • Anti-Magic Shell
    • Range: Caster
    • Duration: 12 turns
    • Description: Creates an invisible, spherical barrier 10 feet in radius around the caster that prevents all spells and magical effects (both beneficial and harmful) from entering or leaving its area. The caster can move slowly while maintaining the shell.
  • Control Weather
    • Range: 240 yards
    • Duration: 1d4 hours
    • Description: The caster can influence and change local weather patterns within a two-mile radius, potentially bringing forth fog, rain, snow, windstorms, or clearing existing conditions.
  • Death Spell
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Instantly slays 2d6 Hit Dice of living creatures within a 20-foot cube. The spell affects creatures with the lowest HD first, and creatures with 4+1 HD or more are unaffected. No saving throw is allowed.
  • Disintegrate
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: A green ray of energy fires from the caster, disintegrating a single non-magical object or creature. If cast on a creature, it must make a saving throw or be reduced to dust and ash.
  • Geas (Remove Geas)
    • Range: 10 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent (until completed or removed)
    • Description: Imposes a powerful magical command or compulsion on a creature. The subject must fulfill the specified task or suffer severe penalties, potentially even death. The task must be achievable, though often arduous.
    • Reversed: Remove Geas lifts a previously placed Geas spell from a creature, freeing them from its magical compulsion.
  • Invisible Stalker
    • Range: 10 ft.
    • Duration: Permanent (until dispatched)
    • Description: Summons an invisible, intelligent elemental being from the Elemental Plane of Air. The stalker will obey the caster’s commands until its task is completed, at which point it returns to its own plane.
  • Lower Water
    • Range: 180 ft.
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Lowers the water level in a targeted area (up to a 100-foot square) by up to 20 feet, revealing submerged terrain, objects, or creatures. The water returns to its normal level after the spell’s duration.
  • Move Earth
    • Range: 240 ft.
    • Duration: 12 turns
    • Description: The caster can magically sculpt and move earth, creating trenches, mounds, or changing the contours of the land. This cannot create chasms or fill them, but can reshape existing terrain.
  • Part Water
    • Range: 120 ft.
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Divides a body of water (up to 20 feet wide and 20 feet deep) into two separate walls of water, creating a dry path or trench at its bottom. The water reforms after the spell’s duration.
  • Projected Image
    • Range: 240 ft.
    • Duration: 6 turns
    • Description: Creates a perfect, silent, illusory duplicate of the caster anywhere within range. The caster can see and hear through the image and cast spells as if they were present, though their actual body remains elsewhere.
  • Reincarnation
    • Range: Touch
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Returns a deceased creature to life by placing its soul into a new, randomly determined body. The new body is often of a different race or type, and the creature retains its memories but adapts to its new form.
  • Stone to Flesh (Flesh to Stone)
    • Range: 60 ft.
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • Description: Transforms a single stony substance (like a statue or a petrified creature) into living flesh.
    • Reversed: Flesh to Stone transforms a living creature into an immobile, lifeless statue of stone. A saving throw is allowed to resist.