D&D: Five Important Spell Types To Have In Your Pocket
Playing a spellcaster? Whether you prepare from a list or from a spellbook, here are five spell types to keep handy.
Spellcasters of any class have some of the most versatility of all the classes in D&D. Whether you’re a Cleric, preparing spells from the full list of options, a Wizard, picking what you carefully scribe into your spellbook, or a Sorcerer with a limited number of spells known per day (or anything else), you still have a flexibility that many characters can only dream of.
But how best to use that flexibility? Well, here are a few “spell types” that might help you make sure you’ve got the right selection of spells known/prepared.
Something That Impacts Multiple Creatures
Every D&D character is a heroic fantasy character who should expect to be in thrilling combat with dangerous enemies from throughout the dungeons of the world. And you’ll want at least one spell that can affect multiple of them. Because, sure, it’s fun to think about how much damage you can do with a single spell slot to one target.
But sometimes you’re fighting a lot of guys. And you need to make your life easier by making it so that you don’t have to fight all of them at once. A big mind control spell or an AoE damaging spell – it might look like something different for everyone, but one of the strengths of a magic-user is their ability to create an effect that affects more than one creature at a time.
A Way To Help Your Friends
Every spell caster has access to at least one spell that can help someone. Maybe it’s a magical buff like Enhance Ability, or it’s a Blessing or a Haste spell. But one of the strongest things you can do as a magic user is turn your party members into instruments of destruction. When you buff the party, you sort of make each of them an extension of yourself – and every time someone kills an enemy with the extra 1d6 damage you granted from your spell, it’s like you get that assist.
Magical Protection
This one is more a “hey you should learn your class spell list” than anything else. But every class has a different flavor of magical protection. Maybe you have access to Shield. Maybe the best you can manage is something like a Fire Shield which grants you resistance to one kind of damage. Either way, you’ll want something that can keep someone safe – at least a little bit.
At Least One Bonus Action Spell
Do you want to do more on your turn? Does your party keep talking about the “action economy?” Well you can succeed in two different spots with a Bonus Action spell. This gives you something to do with your Bonus Action, leaving you free to use your Action to do whatever else you want. Including casting a spell without a spell slot!
Something For The Reaction
Along the same lines, you’ll probably want at least one Reaction spell – just so you have something to do when it’s not your turn from time to time. You’d be surprised at how often they come up. There are reaction triggers everywhere for those with eyes to see.
What are some of your must-haves on a spell list?
