D&D 5E What is the most powerful spell?

5th-level spells are up!

Looking at the 5th-level Least Useful spells.

Hallow is a ‘downtime’ spell that essentially creates permanent magic items.

Probably, magic item creations needs to be a completely separate design space, but organized much like specific spells are. Each kind of magic item would have its own stats and description, resembling an entry in a spell list. Magic Mouth would be an example of a lower level magic item creation. A Clone a higher level magic item.

(I prefer permanent +1 weapons to count as magic item creation, but actually be nonmagical ‘masterworks’ using exotic materials with exotic properties. Such masterworks are a prerequisite for any kind of enchantment to achieve a +2 weapon, special magical properties, or so on.)

Consumable magic items like a Potion of Healing differ from temporary magic items like Goodberry, precisely because temporary ones have a limited shelf-life before losing their magic. So, potions go into the magic item design space, but Goodberry remains in the spell design space.

Similar to a feat allowing ritual casters, perhaps a well-thought-out feat could allow magic item creators, even to noncasters. This matches the archetype of the warrior who forges masterful and even magical weapons, but otherwise casts no spells.



Geas and Conjure Elemental deserve to be spell level 5, but their descriptions need fixes.

Geas probably works fine if the casting time is 1 Action, so that it functions moreorless identically to Charm Person, but extends to Charm Monster. For such a high level spell, having the Charm effect end on friendly terms would be nice, either with the target remaining unaware of the previous charm effect or carrying no grudges. The psychic damage for disobedience seems silly. Either allow the caster to further attempt dominate the charmed target to carry out a command that the target hates, or drop the idea of compulsion altogether.

Flame Strike and Creation work well as 3rd-level spells, Excellent and Good, respectively.

Planar Binding might also make a Not Bad 3rd-level spell. Its prerequisite to first capture and contain the planar being, is a significant situationality, that also ensures the compelled creature will usually not be much higher level than the caster.

Telepathic Bond as a 2nd-level spell makes me fell less uneasy. The effect is restricted to a specific group of creatures present at the time of casting and has no benefits aside from communication. (In the metagame sense, players communicate with each other anyway, so this spell is nearly useless, but could be fun, to employ as part of tactics). On the same spell level as Invisibility? Sounds about right.

The DM hint spells are inherently problematic: Commune, Commune With Nature, Contact Other Plane. I would get rid of them. If a DM wants these kinds of hints to be available, the DM might call for an Intelligence or Wisdom check, representing an intuitive hunch, or even a latent psychic sensitivity. That way, the DM can give any player a hint, not just the casters.

Reincarnate as a spell is perfect for spell level 1. On the one hand, it is significantly inferior to the 3rd-level spell Revivify. On the other hand, characters are so low a level, that the players are still thinking about what kind of character they want to play. Switching races can be desirable, before investing in a specific choice makes the switch painful and unwanted. Moreover, when a level 1 character gets killed, and comes back as different character, the new character retains all of the memories of the previous character − in game − which is a handy convenience.

Personally, I would allow the player to choose which races the next character might come back as. In addition to the current race, choose 4 more player races, each one with DMs approval. Roll on a d6. A natural six means, the character comes back as the same race and is moreorless the same character, basically a resurrection with some cosmetic differences. On a natural five thru two, it is one of the four chosen alternative races, respectively. On a natural one on the d6, it is DMs choice. If the DM is nice, it will be the race the player really wanted. If the DM is mean, it will be none of the races that player selected. Something like that.

Reincarnation can be an awesome 1st-level spell. Heh, given how deadly the low levels are, the spell can be highly useful.

Legend Lore is a simple Intelligence (History) skill check. Maybe as a 1st-level spell it grants advantage or an expertise-like bonus for the check, or is simply an auto-win. In any case, even as such, it might not qualify as worth a 1st-level spell. Not even a cantrip? Would you rather have Mage Hand, or Legend Lore for your cantrip?

Passwall is less desirable at any level. Maybe if it instead allows the *target* to pass thru all solid objects (for a certain duration, or within a certain area effect, or however balanced), this ‘Phasing’ spell would be Excellent fun. Essentially, this is a kind of ethereality for spell level 2. Maybe it is the shallowest aspect of the ethereal plane as it overlaps with the material plane, so that the characters remain fully visible. Or ‘between’ the planes. The target can be hit by spells and any magic weapon, but maybe also hit by ‘cold iron’ weapons similar to fey. Or maybe any kind of iron or lead cannot be passed thru, so metal walls are impassible and metal weapons work normally. Anyway, in 5e, phasing at low levels remains a desideratum.

As mentioned above.

Flame Strike.

If keeping the spell description exactly as it is now, then make it a 3rd-level spell. Its better damage type compensates its smaller area of effect.

Alternatively.

If keeping Flame Strike a 5th-level spell, then make its damage no save. Heh, that kind no-save fire from the heavens, is exactly the kind of flavor that will scare religion into people.

Replace Phase Door. Something like.

Phasing Step
2nd level
Casting Time: 1 Action
Duration: Concentration, until the end of the targets next turn

You make someone able to phase thru solid objects.
Choose one willing creature in range, such as yourself. Until the end of the creature's next turn, the creature is partially ethereal, thus can enter into and pass thru the same locations as any nonmagical, unattended objects, such as a wall.
Solid objects count as difficult terrain, and can reduce speed while moving thru them.
To climb vertically thru solid objects, such as a floor or a wall, is possible, thus an even slower speed can apply.
The Phasing creature cannot enter into any magic effect that prevents planar creatures or planar travel, such as a Wall of Force, Magic Circle, Private Sanctum, or Hallow.
Solid objects block sight while inside them. Although partially causing ethereality, this spell does not grant the creature the ability to see into the ethereal plane.
When Phasing Step ends, if occupying the same space as an object, the creature is ejected safely to the nearest unoccupied space.



Note. Higher level spell slots could allow more creatures to phase, the ability to phase thru other creatures, longer durations, or defensive reaction.

Probably magical barriers should remain in place, and requiring Dispel Magic or so on, before phasing thru them or into them. The limitation is intentionally there so the DM has a convenient and plausible way for the narrative, to prevent access to certain locations.

‘Until the end of the next turn’, allows the caster to go thru a wall, possibly get attacked on the other side, and do one action before or after deciding to move back to rejoin the party. Perhaps, for a low level spell it thinkable for the spell to be only until the end of the same turn. The problem is, it would effectively be a one-way ticket thru a wall that at low levels would usually separate party. Notice, casting it on an other creature is almost a one-way ticket, because the ‘next turn’ is the move plus an action, albeit the action could be used to return back to rejoin the party.

It is tempting to inflict force damage if inside an object when the spell ends, but similar spells vary whether there is any damage or how much to apply. Any damage would probably kill a low level caster instantly if it was applied here.

As-is, this Phasing spell above might lean toward 3rd spell level, but it is important to keep it around 2nd level, so player races like Shadar Kai might access them, similar to how Eladrin Elf accesses the 2nd-level Misty Step.

6th-level spells are up. But I am still sorting thru them.

Now we reach the spells of the Master Tier. The Archon. The Archwizard.

6th level has a few gems, like Mass Suggestion, Heal, and True Seeing.

But almost half of the spells are unworthy of a 6th-level spell slot, and many are fiddly. Sometimes the intricate fiddliness makes it more difficult to realize that the spell is substandard.

Guards and Wards is like buying a junkyard for the one part that you thought might be handy ... but that effect is a low level spell anyway. Weak and undesirable. A burglar breaks into your home, and your alarm responds by making the hallway foggy? Really? Comes with 1st-level Arcane Lock? Really? You are better off, customizing your own lair in your own way, one detail at a time, with barriers and traps that actually work. This is for your lair. Make it cool!

Many spells can be done by a lower level spell.

Irresistible Dance is only a mild upgrade to 1st-level Hideous Laughter adding one turn before making a save.

Programmed Illusion is comparable to the 1st-level Magic Mouth, with a 3rd-level audio-visual, but its predetermination hinders the flexibility of improvised creative uses: possibly worth a 2nd-level spell, or merge its programmability into Major Image as an option.

Circle of Death is comparable to the 3rd-level Fireball, and Freezing Sphere is about a 5th-level upgrade to it.

Create Undead makes fragile pets that are unlikely to survive at this level: not much better than 3rd-level Animate Dead.

5th-level offers Wall of Force! After that, breachable wall spells are kinda pointless. Some walls are little more than a damage hazard for allies to push hostiles into, but such hazards exist at lower levels, and of course, the hostiles can push the allies into it too.

Some spells are appalling. Find The Path ... but only to a place whose location you already know. Unbelievable! A best case scenario has Find the Path as a Less Useful 1st-level ritual: a noncombat traveling utility if being forced to detour or escaping a labyrinth.

Move Earth ... but only loose soil, not stone, but too slowly to affect creatures. Perhaps this spell can only make a glacis mound for cover, bury a nonhostile structure, expose bedrock for a foundation of a structure, dig a canal, run a cemetery, or do decorative landscaping for your lair. In this case, quantity doesnt really increase quality, and it remains least useful as a 1st-level ritual. Maybe it works better in a separate design space, as a kind of magic item creation, much like the magic shovel.

Generally, 6th-level disappoints the mage who finally advances to a significant threshold level.



Not.Worth.A.6th-Level.Spell.Slot.By.An.11th-Level.Arch.Wizard.



Note. I added a new category called Setup. The spells in this category are less useful because of extensive setup requirements, but the effects themselves are useful. It includes rituals. If helpful, I will add this category to earlier spell levels.

Transport Via Plants nudges ‘up’, from Not Bad to Less Useful.

The reasoning is. The selection of specific plants, is moreorless comparable to the lower level 5th-level spell, Teleportation Circle that selects premade circles.

Nevertheless, Transportation Via Plants has the advantage of plants being ubiquitous. Therefore, I assume it is possible to use divination to ‘see’ a plant in some remote location, thus use that plant as a remote destination. The prerequisite of divination increases the difficulty of setup, making Transportation Via Plants a Less Useful spell, but perhaps it belongs to the 6th-level spells, rather than demoting to 5th-level alongside Teleportation Circle.

It’s interesting how your list is going. I play with a wizard in the party that has Mage Armour as well as Shield, Sleep and Magic Missile. They want to auto hit. Auto end low combats and not get hit themselves. Two Excellent choices and two Good choices according to your list.

My Bard with Magic Initiate Wizard feat has Bane, Find Familiar, Disguise Self and Thunderwave. According to your list that is three Not Bad choices and one Melee Suicide.

I can tell you now that the wizard is completely bored and when looking at my spell selection is increasingly unhappy and jealous. I’m having great fun and they are not. My spells, even though most would argue that they are not as good, are more fun to use and have had the party in stitches. Bane has been a giant for me. I can’t believe how utterly effective it has been. Familiar and Disguise Self with my deception have got us places that other spells would struggle with (low level). The wizard hasn’t felt superior to me in combat and I haven’t felt inferior at all.

Your first post asked according to the one you would *want*. It depends on your playstyle and the spells available to you of course but I would Want all of these and none of the others that were mentioned. Because fun is the name of the game for me. Wouldn’t swap places for the world.

Shield can stop you getting hit for a round. Cool. Bane can stop the party getting hit for the entire combat and helps spellcasters land their spells for the same level slot – tonnes better. It can completely neuter the enemy and has in my game where the wizard has just saved themselves a piddly d6 damage. I know people say that Bless is technically better than Bane. But if it was on my Bard’s spell list, I wouldn’t take it over Bane. Not now. FF is pretty damned great for a whole multitude of reasons, Thunderwave is an emergency and I know others will say disengage but if it doesn’t work, I’m doing my bit by soaking up one attack and doing my bit for the party’s hit point pool. Melee suicide is sometimes necessary. The Frontline can’t always soak up loads of damage and you end the combat at full hit points. That’s just inefficient.

I understand exactly why your list is as it is, and I’m not saying it’s wrong. No list is wrong to the person making it, but you asked what spells you would want. Not what were the most combat efficient. just adding my 2 cp’s worth of my experience in low level actual play. Hope you find it interesting.

[MENTION=6801229]rgoodbb[/MENTION]

Great input.

Yeah, it is important to focus on desire, what players actually *want*. It helps give clues to aspects that one might not notice at first.

6th-level spells introduce the category of ‘Setup’ spells. These are spells that are less useful to prepare because of their extensive casting time, significant prerequisite, or their stationary result that cant move around during adventure. It includes rituals because of their extensive casting time. Despite this investment, the spell effects can be very useful.

Normally, one casts a Setup spell during downtime before adventuring, or during rests between encounters while adventuring. It tends to be less useful to prepare a Setup spell for unknown encounters, and it can be painful to choose it as one of the few known spells.

I updated 1st-level spells with the Setup category. Find Familiar is one of these spells with an extensive casting time, but with a very useful effect. The sacrifice is painful. A Bard who chooses Find Familiar as one of the limited known spells, is essentially permanently expending a known spell, for the ability to have a Familiar. But if the Bard is prepared to do this, Find Familiar is an Excellent choice. The Familiar is versatile, useful for stealth and reconnaissance, and for offense for delivering Touch spells. The Familiar requires alot of investment to function well, but can be worth the effort.

I too love Disguise Self. I think it is powerful for the same reason Illusion is powerful, a player in a trickster mindset can exploit it. As a disguise, the spell offers a kind of invisibility, and as an impersonation can wreak havoc. It is a decent spell. Especially, in the context of Social encounters, it can be Good.

The feeling is, Disguise Self may be underestimated, and it moves a distance from Not Bad to Good. If anyone objects. Speak now.

Because Detect Magic is a 10-minute ritual, it goes into the Setup category.

A ‘ritual’ tends to mean, it is a noncombat nondisruptive utility spell. Because rituals tend to be inoffensive, they tend to be poor choices to prepare or know.

But Detect Magic is one of the exceptions. As a ritual, it is an Excellent must-have. But even preparing it to cast it as an action, is a Not Bad decision. The Detect Magic is a radar that detects any kind of magic. While not always accurate, the presence of magic is an indicator that there is a powerful hostile nearby that is using magic. Or. There is magic treasure nearby. If you sense magic, you can spend a future action to pinpoint the source of the magic. It lasts for 10 minutes, to cover exploration and maybe several encounters. This is a useful spell to cast spontaneously, on the fly.

Detect Magic is useful both as a Setup and as an action. For now, the 1st-level spells list Detect Magic twice: Excellent to set up, and Not Bad to prepare.

The Least Useful category recharacterizes as the Lower Level category. Some of these spells might actually be useful ... at a lower level. They are unworth the spell slot of their official level.

For 0- and 1st-level spells, the evaluation of needing a lower level seems humorous at first glance. But sometimes it means, it should be a normal thing that anyone can do.

For example, the 1st-level spell Identify already is a normal thing that anyone can do. Officially, any player character can spend a standard hour to learn just about anything that they need to know about their magic item.

True Strike should probably be a standard action that anyone can do, like push or jump. A sniper can spend an action setting up the perfect aim to gain advantage to hit the target on the next round. A swordfighter can spend an action to maneuver into a position to gain advantage to land the blade on the next round. And so on. It is rarely useful to waste an action this way during combat, but sometimes it can help. Regarding a sniper. The attack is already at a disadvantage if the target is too far away, and the ‘true strike’ simply cancels out the disadvantage.

Generally, the location of a spell in the Lower Level category means they are problematic and need revisiting to make them function more smoothly and more competitively compared to other spells at the same level.



Some spells in the Lower Level category compare clearly with similar spells, so it is easy to discern their appropriate level.

For Example. Project Image is essentially an upgrade of 3rd-level Clairvoyance and 4th-level Arcane Eye. While the projected self-image might have some social utility, it is generally a liability because the lack of stealth and anonymity is a problem for reconnaissance missions. In any case, it is powerful tool for exploration from a safe distance, and perhaps the image reduces abuse. Project Image is at highest a 5th-level spell, despite its current assessment as a 7th-level spell. In other editions, Project Image is a broken spell (so powerful it disrupts gameplay) because the caster can cast spells thru the image, from a safe distance. 5e does a good job at calibrating broken spells, and I havent noticed any broken spells so far. The problem is, when 5e reduced the power of Project Image, they forgot to reduce its level.

When the appropriate level for certain spells becomes clear, they serve as benchmarks to help evaluate other Lower Level spells relative to them.