D&D 5E Spells that have disappeared...

[Thunderfoot]

Prismatic Wall... Your Wall of Force is puny and only one color mage...

 

[Dioltach]

So it's true, the magic is going away ...

 

[DND_Reborn]

So it's true, the magic is going away ...

Well, it has been replaced by other spells...

I just wonder why some spells were lost.

 

[The Glen]

Crystal Brittle. The most underpowered 9th level spell until you need to turn some guys +5 Vorpal Sword of Wounding Sharpness into Tiffany Crystal. Totally worth it for the look on their face.

 

[Riley]

Crystal Brittle. The most underpowered 9th level spell until you need to turn some guys +5 Vorpal Sword of Wounding Sharpness into Tiffany Crystal. Totally worth it for the look on their face.

And the vorpal blade went crystal crack!

 

[Baron Opal II]

Combine, glitterdust and warp wood have current use in my game. I remember looking through the book and being quite surprised glitterdust was missing. It strikes me as an obviously fae spell, and seeing it can blind targets over a large area is can be a non-lethal fireball in some respects.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Permanency was so much fun. Casting that made you feel like a real archmage. Whether it was just a continual light spell that lasted forever or a never-ending Cloudkill, it could do so many things. I remember having a magic-user with a permanent Mordenkainen's Sword back in the day.

Permanency.

UA's cantrips, while a mystifyingly mundane collection of spells, was definitely an important step in the evolution of magic in D&D. Even if it began with spells that made people burp, or created a nonmagical bee, it would eventually lead to what we think of as cantrips today.

Bee

 

[HammerMan]

Permanency.

yup... that one I miss sometimes...

also Paralytic missiles from 2e, tasha's tickler would be great vs concentration (also 2e) and both were just modified magic missle

edit: Ironwood

 

[R_J_K75]

Permanency was so much fun. Casting that made you feel like a real archmage. Whether it was just a continual light spell that lasted forever or a never-ending Cloudkill, it could do so many things. I remember having a magic-user with a permanent Mordenkainen's Sword back in the day.

I don't remember any of us as players having access to the spell but myself as a DM I used it a lot behind the scenes for many reasons and effects. After reading the 5E core books almost 8 years ago and realizing this spell had been removed I questioned the design intent.

I can't recall ever seeing it but has there ever officially been something to replace this spell or explain how permanent magical effects are achieved in 5E?

 

[Neonchameleon]

I've never had my players use it or used it as a player, but I don't see the world in D&D as portrayed in the core books functioning without it. Without permanency how do you create a magical item, create a dungeon that survives thousands of years or become a Lich? Even though it was seldom used in play, taking it out of the game is like saying there's no need for gravity. Enchant Item is another one iirc not in 5E.

By doing things the hard way and not having everything be solved by a six second spell and snapping your fingers.

Enchanting an item should not be a spell. It should be a process that takes days, weeks, or even months or years for something big enough. And so too with permanent spells - which is why adventurers don't use them.