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

[Yaarel]

Mage Armor is better than you give it credit for, since you can cast it on others. Goes well with air elementals (AC 15 => 18) and invisible stalkers (AC 14 => 17) for example, as well as Moon Druids. A single Mage Armor can increase the all-day durability of a Moon Druid by perhaps 25-40%. You'll never see Magic Missile increase anyone's all-day DPR by that much with a single casting.

Yeah, also, I just noticed Mage Armor is actually better than a mundane chain shirt, because Mage Armor allows adding the full Dexterity to the base AC of 13.

Moreover, the spell can benefit other allies who need armor, and even benefit animals, such as riding horses. It seems a useful spell.

I shifted it back to the ‘top’ of Good.

 

[Fleetwood C. DeVille]

The "best spell" can vary depending on the situation and opponent.

This.

Protection from evil and good was very useful in Curse of Strahd.

 

[Thurmas]

This.

Protection from evil and good was very useful in Curse of Strahd.

Yep, assuming you know what you're fighting, it's a better version of Blur for one lower spell slot.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

That is an interesting point. I guess the Ranger is inherently built to exploit it, but the spell itself is not so different from Divine Favor, for example, even if an upgrade in damage and duration. Relative to the other spells, between which two spells would you put Hunters Mark.

Ironically, Rangers would probably benefit more from Divine Favor than paladins do. A Hunter who Volleys eight orcs in a single action, and uses Horde Breaker to hit one of them twice, would rather get +9d4 from Divine Favor than +d6 from Hunter's Mark.

Hex is much more versatile than Hunter's Mark because you can use it to impair an enemy's perception, athletics ability, initiative, stealth, etc. as well as getting some bonus damage against it. And even Hex isn't all that great, comparatively speaking--it's just really cheap, and synergizes well with Eldritch Blast's multi-attack capability. But Hex is still often not the best choice for what to spend your concentration on.

 

[Yaarel]

Also, the OP put "Protection from Good and Evil" in the useless category? That is a fantastic spell, almost too good for a 1st level if you ask me. I don't think I've ever played a spellcaster who didn't rack that when they went out of the house.

Low level campaigns encounter Fiends less often, making Protection from Evil less useful. But low level can encounter Undead and Fey. You are right to want it out of Least Useful.

For the moment, I moved Protection into the same category as Feather Fall, being dramatically effective even if infrequent and situational.

 

[Ganymede81]

Ever notice that the most powerful spells in a D&D game would be the least useful in real life?

Most of the spells in the PHB do little more than help you kill people or otherwise break the law. I, on the other hand, would be casting Sleep on myself every evening and would be using Prestidigitation to make every food bacon-flavored.

 

[Yunru]

Ever notice that the most powerful spells in a D&D game would be the least useful in real life?

Most of the spells in the PHB do little more than help you kill people or otherwise break the law. I, on the other hand, would be casting Sleep on myself every evening and would be using Prestidigitation to make every food bacon-flavored.

Pu-lease. Goodberry. It's the ultimate weight loss tool. Plus third world countries and stuff.

 

[Ganymede81]

I'd multiclass in real life in order to make bacon-flavored Goodberries.

 

[Caliban]

Pu-lease. Goodberry. It's the ultimate weight loss tool. Plus third world countries and stuff.

Weight Loss? Are you kidding? Each berry provides a full day's nourishment, but only heals a single hit point. That means each berry is about 2,000 to 2,500 calories.

Adventurer's pop them like candy when they are injured, meaning they may ingest several days worth of calories at once to heal up, and may do this day after day if they have a druid in their group.

Goodberry is the leading cause of obesity for those who subscribe to an Adventuring Lifestyle

 

[TwoSix]

Weight Loss? Are you kidding? Each berry provides a full day's nourishment, but only heals a single hit point. That means each berry is about 2,000 to 2,500 calories.

Adventurer's pop them like candy when they are injured, meaning they may ingest several days worth of calories at once to heal up, and may do this day after day if they have a druid in their group.

Goodberry is the leading cause of obesity for those who subscribe to an Adventuring Lifestyle

That's actually the main difference between 4e short rests (5 minutes) and 5e short rests (1 hour). You need to spend those extra 55 minutes "passing" those 10 goodberries you just ate.