Table of Contents
- What is a Spell?
- Components
- Concentration
- The Schools of Magic
- Combining Magical Effects
- Crafting Spells
- Homebrew Spells
Magic permeates the worlds of Dungeons and Dragons and most often appears in the form of a spell. This chapter provides the rules for casting spells. Different character classes have distinctive ways of learning and preparing their spells, and monsters use spells in unique ways. Regardless of its source, a spell follows the rules in the Player’s Handbook.
What is a Spell?
A spell is a discrete magical effect, a single shaping of the magical energies that suffuse the multiverse into a specific, limited expression. In casting a spell, a character carefully plucks at the invisible strands of raw magic suffusing the world, pins them in place in a particular pattern, sets them vibrating in a specific way, and then releases them to unleash the desired effect-in most cases, all in the span of seconds.
Spells can be versatile tools, weapons, or protective wards. They can deal damage or undo it, impose, or remove conditions, drain life energy away, and restore life to the dead.
Uncounted thousands of spells have been created over the course of the multiverse’s history, and many of them are long forgotten. Some might yet lie recorded in crumbling spell books hidden in ancient ruins or trapped in the minds of dead gods. Or they might someday be reinvented by a character who has amassed enough power and wisdom to do so.
Components
A spell’s components are the physical requirements you must meet to cast it. Each spell’s description indicates whether it requires verbal (V), somatic (S), or material (M) components. If you can’t provide one or more of a spell’s components, you are unable to cast the spell.
Verbal (V)
Most spells require the chanting of mystic words. The words themselves aren’t the source of the spell’s power; rather, the combination of sounds, with specific pitch and resonance, sets the threads of magic in motion. Thus, a character who is gagged or in an area of silence, such as one created by the silence spell, can’t cast a spell with a verbal component. These chants and words are all done in a loud forceful voice, and not conducive to a stealthy mission.
Somatic (S)
Spellcasting gestures might include a forceful gesticulation or an intricate set of gestures. If a spell requires a somatic component, the caster must have free use of at least one hand to perform these gestures.
Material (M)
Casting some spells requires objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry. A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook) in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component before he or she can cast the spell.
If a spell states that a material component is consumed by the spell, the caster must provide this component for each casting of the spell.
A spellcaster must have a hand free to access these components, but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components.
Concentration
Some spells require you to maintain concentration to keep their magic active. If you lose concentration, such a spell ends.
If a spell must be maintained with concentration, that fact appears in its Duration entry, and the spell specific show long you can concentrate on it. You can end concentration at any time (no action required).
Normal activity, such as moving and attacking, doesn’t interfere with concentration. The following factors can break concentration:
Casting another spell that requires concentration. You lose concentration on a spell if you cast another spell that requires concentration. You can’t concentrate on two spells at once.
Taking damage. Whenever you take damage while you are concentrating on a spell, you must make a constitution saving throw to maintain your concentration. The DC equals 10 or half the damage you take, whichever number is higher. If you take damage from multiple sources, such as an arrow and a dragon’s breath, you make a separate saving throw for each source of damage.
Being incapacitated or killed. You lose concentration on a spell if you are incapacitated or if you die.
The DM might also decide that certain environmental phenomena, such as a wave crashing over you while you’re on a storm – tossed ship, require you to succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration on a spell.

The Schools of Magic
Academies of magic group spells into eight categories called schools of magic. Scholars, particularly wizards, apply these categories to all spells, believing that all magic functions in essentially the same way, whether it derives from rigorous study or is bestowed by a deity.
The schools of magic help describe spells; they have no rules of their own, although some rules refer to the schools.
Abjuration (blue): spells are protective in nature, though some of them have aggressive uses. They create magical barriers, negate harmful effects, harm trespassers, or banish creatures to other planes of existence.
Conjuration (yellow): spells involve the transportation of objects and creatures from one location to another. Some spells summon creatures or objects to the caster’s side, whereas others allow the caster to teleport to another location. Some conjurations create objects or effects out of nothing.
Divine (white): spells that involve healing or specific types of protections.
Divination (grey): spells reveal information, whether in the form of secrets long forgotten, glimpses of the future, the locations of hidden things, the truth behind illusions, or visions of distant people or places.
Enchantment (pink): spells affect the minds of others, influencing or controlling their behavior. Such spells can make enemies see the caster as a friend, force creatures to lake a course of action, or even control another creature like a puppet.
Evocation (red): spells manipulate magical energy lo produce a desired effect. Some call up blasts of fire or lightning. Others channel positive energy to heal wounds.
Illusion (purple): spells deceive the senses or minds of others. They cause people to see things that are not there, to miss things that are there, to hear phantom noises, or to remember things that never happened. Some illusions create phantom images that any creature can see, but the most insidious illusions plant an image directly in the mind of a creature.
Necromancy (green): spells manipulate the energies of life and death. Such spells can grant an extra reserve of life force, drain the life energy from another creature, create the undead, or even bring the dead back to life.
Creating the undead using necromancy spells such as animate dead is not a good act, and only evil casters use such spells frequently.
Transmutation (orange): spells change the properties of a creature, object, or environment. They might turn an enemy into a harmless creature. bolster the strength of an ally, make an object move at the caster’s command, or enhance a creature’s innate healing abilities lo rapidly recover from injury.

Combining Magical Effects
The effects of different spells add together while the duration of those spells overlap. The effects of the same spell cast multi pie times don’t combine, however. instead, the most potent effect-such as the highest bonus-from those castings applies while their duration overlap.
For example:
If two clerics cast bless on the same target, that character gains the spell’s benefit only once; he or she doesn’t get to roll two bonus dice.
Crafting Spells
Details related on how to create your own spells are detailed in the Downtime Activity pages.
Homebrew Spells
As the campaign continues and the knowledge that the characters gather in from utilizing magic items, getting attacked by opponents, or just their own research will increase the available pool of spells that they are able to access and use. These spells are either new to the campaign and available to the characters, or they might be replacements, or new spells that could be available if they are researched by the characters.
- REPLACEMENT – These replace existing spells of the same name.
- R – These spells can be made available in special situations, but in all cases can be researched by the characters.
Animal Messenger (REPLACEMENT)
- 2nd-Level Enchantment
- Classes: Bard, Druid, Ranger
- Casting Time: 1 Action (Ritual)
- Range: 30 feet
- Components: V, S, M*
- Duration: 24 Hours
- Attack/Save: None
- Damage/Effect: Communication
By means of this spell, you use an animal to deliver a message. Choose a Tiny beast you can see within range, such as a squirrel, a blue jay, or a bat. You specify a location, which you must have visited, and a recipient who matches a general description, such as “a man or woman dressed in the uniform of the town guard” or “a red-haired dwarf wearing a pointed hat.” You also speak a message of up to twenty-five words. The target beast travels for the duration of the spell toward the specified location, covering about 50 miles per 24 hours for a flying messenger, or 25 miles for other animals.
When the messenger arrives, it delivers your message to the creature that you described, replicating the sound of your voice. The messenger speaks only to a creature matching the description you gave. If the messenger doesn’t reach its destination before the spell ends, the message is lost, and the beast makes its way back to where you cast this spell.
To determine the chance of a tiny beast being within 30 feet of the caster when the spell is cast, the caster must first make either a Nature or Survival roll for any beast within range of the spell. This check is completed before the spell is cast so that the caster knows for certain that there is a target within range before casting the spell. A d20 is then rolled to determine if it is flying or ground creature. Each subsequent search increases the DC by the amount shown in the table unless the caster has changed locations by at least an hour of travel. The difficulty increases for each attempt made in the same area.
Terrain | DC | Subsequent Casting DC Increase | Flying | Ground |
Caves | DC15 | +2 | 1-15 | 16-20 |
Desert | DC18 | +5 | 1 | 2-20 |
Elemental Planes | – | – | – | – |
Feylands | DC6 | +1 | 1-10 | 11-20 |
Forest | DC8 | +2 | 1-8 | 9-20 |
Grasslands | DC10 | +2 | 1-5 | 6-20 |
Hills | DC12 | +3 | 1-4 | 5-20 |
Jungles | DC6 | +1 | 1-10 | 11-20 |
Lower Plane | DC30 | +10 | 1-20 | |
Marsh | DC10 | +2 | 1-10 | 11-20 |
Mountains | DC16 | +3 | 1-15 | 16-20 |
Outer Plane | – | – | – | – |
Shadowlands | DC25 | +5 | 1-19 | 20 |
Shore | DC10 | +2 | 1-10 | 11-20 |
Tundra | DC20 | +5 | 1-19 | 20 |
Underground | DC12 | +3 | 1-2 | 3-20 |
Upper Plane | – | – | – | – |
Urban | DC12 | +2 | 1-15 | 16-20 |
At Higher Levels: If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the duration of the spell increases by 48 hours for each slot level above 2nd.
* – (a morsel of food)
Conjure Animals (REPLACEMENT)
- 3rd-level conjuration
- Classes: Druid, Ranger
- Casting Time: 1 minute
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: 1 hour (concentration)
- Attack/Save: None
- Damage/Effect: Summoning
You summon fey spirits that take the form of beasts and appear in unoccupied spaces that you can see within range. Choose one of the following options for what appears:
- One beast of challenge rating 2 or lower
- Two beasts of challenge rating 1 or lower
- Four beasts of challenge rating 1/2 or lower
- Eight beasts of challenge rating 1/4 or lower
Each beast is also considered fey, and it disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends.
The summoned creatures are friendly to you and your companions. Roll initiative for the summoned creatures as a group, which has its own turns. They obey any verbal commands that you issue to them (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any commands to them, they defend themselves from hostile creatures, but otherwise take no actions.
The creatures summoned take the form as required by the caster. There are three basic templates at each of the different CR levels. The caster must choose a single template for each summoning and all spirits summoned will be the same template and form. Within each template are specific types that must also be chosen. The form chosen must match the type selected as well as some form of beast that the caster has seen previously. The form must be of a beast and not any other type of creature.
CR ¼ Spirit
Challenge: | ¼ (50xp) |
Type: | Small fey, unaligned |
Initiative: | +1 |
AC: | 11 |
HP: | 11 (2d8+2) |
Speed: | 30 feet |
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
14 (+2) | 12 (+1) | 12 (+1) | 2 (-4) | 11 (+0) | 5 (-3) |
Senses: | Passive Perception 10 |
Languages: | – |
Proficiency Bonus: | +2 |
Special Abilities
Choose One movement type:
- Burrowing: Add in 10 feet of burrowing speed
- Climbing: Add in 30 feet of climbing speed
- Flying: Add in 40 feet of flying speed
- Running: Increase walking speed by ten feet
- Swimming: Add in 30 feet of swimming speed
Actions
Bite (or Claw): Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing or slashing damage
CR ½ Spirit
Challenge: | ½ (100xp) |
Type: | Medium or Large fey, unaligned |
Initiative: | +1 |
AC: | 12 (natural armor) |
HP: | 16 (3d8+3) |
Speed: | 30 feet |
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
15 (+2) | 13 (+1) | 13 (+1) | 2 (-4) | 11 (+0) | 5 (-3) |
Senses: | Passive Perception 10 |
Languages: | – |
Proficiency Bonus: | +2 |
Special Abilities
Choose one movement type:
- Burrowing: Add in 10 feet of burrowing speed
- Climbing: Add in 30 feet of climbing speed
- Flying: Add in 40 feet of flying speed
- Running: Increase walking speed by ten feet
- Swimming: Add in 30 feet of swimming speed
Choose one upgrade to the type:
- Charge: If the spirit moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a ram attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 3 (1d6) damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 11 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
- Keen Sense: The spirit has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely one type of sense (hearing, sight, or smell).
- Multiattack: two attacks
- Pack Tactics: Advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the creature’s allies is within five feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
- Poison: Add poison to attacks, the target must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or take 3 (1d6) poison damage. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.
- Pounce: If the spirit moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a melee attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 11 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the spirit can make one melee attack against it as a bonus action.
Actions
Bite (or Claw): Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) piercing or slashing damage (Note that large creatures have reach of 10 ft)
CR 1 Spirit
Challenge: | 1 (200xp) |
Type: | Large fey, unaligned |
Initiative: | +1 |
AC: | 12 (natural armor) |
HP: | 30 (5d8+8) |
Speed: | 30 feet |
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
16 (+3) | 13 (+1) | 14 (+2) | 4 (-3) | 12 (+1) | 6 (-2) |
Senses: | Passive Perception 11 |
Languages: | – |
Proficiency Bonus: | +2 |
Special Abilities
Choose one movement type:
- Burrowing: Add in 10 feet of burrowing speed
- Climbing: Add in 30 feet of climbing speed
- Flying: Add in 60 feet of flying speed
- Running: Increase walking speed by 20 feet
- Swimming: Add in 40 feet of swimming speed
Choose one upgrade to the type:
- Charge: If the spirit moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a ram attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
- Keen Sense: The spirit has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely one type of sense (hearing, sight, or smell).
- Multiattack: two attacks
- Pack Tactics: Advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the creature’s allies is within five feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
- Poison: Add poison to attacks, the target must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or take 7 (2d6) poison damage. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.
- Pounce: If the spirit moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a melee attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the spirit can make one melee attack against it as a bonus action.
- Rampage: When the spirit reduces a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack on its turn, the spirit can take a bonus action to move up to half its speed and make a melee attack.
Actions
Bite (or Claw): Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) piercing or slashing damage
CR 2 Spirit
Challenge: | 2 (450xp) |
Type: | Large fey, unaligned |
Initiative: | +1 |
AC: | 12 |
HP: | 52 (7d10+14) |
Speed: | 30 feet |
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
18 (+4) | 12 (+1) | 15 (+2) | 3 (-4) | 12 (+1) | 6 (-2) |
Senses: | Passive Perception 11 |
Languages: | – |
Proficiency Bonus: | +2 |
Special Abilities
Choose one movement type:
- Burrowing: Add in 10 feet of burrowing speed
- Climbing: Add in 30 feet of climbing speed
- Flying: Add in 60 feet of flying speed
- Running: Increase walking speed by 20 feet
- Swimming: Add in 40 feet of swimming speed
Choose one upgrade to the type:
- Charge: If the spirit moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a ram attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 10 (3d6) damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
- Keen Sense: The spirit has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely one type of sense (hearing, sight, or smell).
- Multiattack: two attacks
- Pack Tactics: Advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the creature’s allies is within five feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
- Poison: Add poison to attacks, the target must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) poison damage. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.
- Pounce: If the spirit moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a melee attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the spirit can make one melee attack against it as a bonus action.
- Rampage: When the spirit reduces a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack on its turn, the spirit can take a bonus action to move up to half its speed and make a melee attack.
Actions
Bite (or Claw): Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) piercing or slashing damage
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using certain higher-level spell slots, you choose one of the summoning options above, and more creatures appear: twice as many with a 5th-level slot, three times as many with a 7th-level slot, and four times as many with a 9th-level slot.
Dancing Wave [R]
- 2nd-level conjuration
- Classes: Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 30 feet (5-foot cube)
- Components: V, S
- Duration: 1 Minute (concentration)
- Attack/Save: STR Save
- Damage/Effect: Combat
You summon a surging mass of water into existence at a point on the ground within range. The mass of water remains cohesive filling a 5-foot radius, though only rises 3 feet from the ground. The area is difficult terrain for any creature without a swimming speed.
For the duration of the spell, as a bonus action you can move the wave of water up to 30 feet along a surface in any direction. The first time the wave enters any creature’s space during your turn, they must make a Strength saving throw or take 2d6 bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. A creature automatically fails this saving throw if they are prone.
Earth Ripple [R]
- 2nd-level transmutation
- Classes: Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Attack/Save: DEX Save
- Damage/Effect: Bludgeoning/Piercing
You cause the earth to deform and ripple, a target creature must make a Dexterity saving throw or suffer one of the following effects (your choice):
Find Traps (REPLACEMENT)
- 2nd-level divination
- Classes: Cleric, Druid, Ranger
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Attack/Save: None
- Damage/Effect: Detection
This spell highlights to the caster any trap within range that is within their line of sight. It highlights the object that is trapped but not the triggering mechanism. As an example, if there is a pit that is triggered by a pressure plate somewhere before the pit. The pit would be highlighted but not the pressure plate. A trap, for the purpose of this spell, includes anything that would inflict a sudden or unexpected effect you consider harmful or undesirable, which was specifically intended as such by its creator. Thus, the spell would sense an area affected by the alarm spell, a glyph of warding, or a mechanical pit trap, but it would not reveal a natural weakness in the floor, an unstable ceiling, or a hidden sinkhole. In all cases, the spell only detects traps that are there by design and purpose and not by some accident of nature.
Because the caster is aware of where the trap is located, they will have advantage on any rolls to disarm the trap or will be allowed to render aid to someone else attempting to disarm the trap.
Hurricane Slash [R]
- 2nd-level evocation
- Classes: Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Wizard
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 30 feet (30-foot-long line)
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Attack/Save: DEX Save
- Damage/Effect: Slashing
You condense wind into a razor-sharp blast that shreds a 30-foot-long 5-foot-wide line. Creatures in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d8 slashing damage on a failed save or half as much on a success.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5 level or higher, you can create an additional line of effect for every two levels. A creature around more than one slash is affected only once.
Ray of Stone [R]
- Transmutation cantrip
- Classes: Artificer, Sorcerer, Wizard
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Attack/Save: Ranged
- Damage/Effect: Necrotic
A beam of amber light streaks toward the target, make of ranged attack against the target. One a hit, it takes 1d8 necrotic damage. If the target is immune to petrification the ray does not damage the target.
The spell’s damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).
Summon Familiar
- 1st-level conjuration
- Classes: Wizard
- Casting Time: 1 hour (ritual)
- Range: 10 feet
- Components: V, S, M (50gp worth of clay, straw, charcoal, and incense)
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Attack/Save: None
- Damage/Effect:
You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes the form of a non-humanoid creature of your choice. It must be in the shape of a creature you have seen before. It’s an Aberration, Celestial, Fey, Fiend, or Undead (choose one) instead of its usual type, uses the Familiar stat block below, and has a three Familiar Points worth of features of your choosing (see Familiar Features). It gains additional Familiar Points to spend when you reach wizard character levels 5, 9, 13, and 17. Whenever the familiar gains an additional Familiar Point, you can replace a Familiar Feature it has with another one of your choices by spending the appropriate number of Familiar Points.
It is possible to receive additional Familiar Points from heroic or some other spectacular action. The exact amount and timing are up to the game master. You can’t have more than one familiar at a time.
Combat: Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, you both act on the same turn and can alternate between Actions and movement as if being performed by the same creature. A familiar can’t Attack (unless it has the Combat Familiar feature) but can take other Actions as normal. A familiar can only take the Help Action to assist with a Check if it has proficiency in the Skill used to make the Check.
Spell Delivery: When you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its Reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an Attack or Save, it uses your Attack Modifier and Spell Save DC.
Shared Telepathy: While you’re familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an Action, you can see through your familiar’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are Deafened and Blinded regarding your own senses.
Pocket Dimension: As an Action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. As an Action while it’s dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space you can see within 30 feet of you. Whenever the familiar disappears into its pocket dimension, it leaves behind in its space anything it was wearing or carrying.
Death: When the familiar dies, it leaves behind a corpse of the form it took, and the caster that summoned it gains one Death Save failure that persists until they complete a Long Rest. If the summoner ever reaches three Death Save failures, they instantly die.
Resurrection: If the familiar has been dead for less than 24 hours, you can cast this spell again while within 10 feet of the familiar’s corpse to return it to life with one hit point. If the familiar has been dead longer than 24 hours or you are unable to retrieve its corpse, then you can summon your familiar into a new body by casting the spell again requiring double the amount of gold pieces worth of diamonds or gems (100gp) as a material component which is consumed in the casting of the spell.
A familiar resurrected in this way suffers a d4 penalty to all Checks and Saves until their next Long Rest and retains all their accumulated Familiar Points.
Familiar Stat Block
Type: | Tiny or small spirit |
AC: | 10 + Caster’s Proficiency Bonus |
HP: | Familiar CON Modifier + Caster’s Level (minimum 1) |
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
Ability Array | 6, 8, 10, 10, 12, 14 |
Skills: | Add Caster’s Proficiency Bonus to one skill |
Movement: | 40 feet | 30 feet + 30 feet climb| 20 feet + 10 feet burrow | 5 feet + 40 feet swim | 5 feet + 30 feet fly (Choose one) |
Special Abilities
- Telepathic Communication: The familiar can communicate telepathically with its caster while within 100ft of it.
- Magical Being: The familiar doesn’t require food, water, or air, and gives off a faint magical aura.
Repeatable Feature
Each of these features can be selected multiple times.
One Point Features
- Defensive: The familiar gains proficiency in one Save.
- Hardy: The familiar’s HP maximum increases by five.
- Keen Sense: The familiar has advantage on Perception Checks that rely on either sight, smell, or hearing (choose one).
- Linguist: The familiar learns one language of your choice that you know.
- Resilient: The familiar has advantage on Checks and Saves made to avoid or end one Condition on itself.
- Resistant: The familiar gains resistance to one damage type.
- Skillful: The familiar gains proficiency in one Skill.
- Swift: The familiar’s ground speed is increased by 10 feet.
- Talented: The familiar gains +1 to an Ability Modifier.
Two Point features
- Immune: The familiar gains immunity to one damage type or Condition.
Unique Features
Each of these features can only be selected once.
One Point Features
- Aquatic: The familiar gains a Swimming Speed of 40ft and can breathe underwater. If it already has a Swimming Speed, it increases by 20ft.
- Arboreal: The familiar gains a Climbing Speed of 30 feet and can use its Reaction when falling to take half damage from the fall. If it already has a Climbing Speed, it increases by 15 feet.
- Avian: The familiar gains a Flying Speed of 30 feet. If it already has a Flying Speed, it increases by 15 feet.
- Concealed Aura: As an Action, the familiar can hide, or reveal, its magical aura.
- Contagion Sense: The familiar is aware of all poisons and diseases within 5 feet of it.
- Darkvision: The familiar gains Darkvision 60 feet.
- Distant Link: Increase the range of your telepathic communication from 100 feet to 1,000 feet. Your connection is so strong that you always know the exact location of your familiar and precisely how far it is from you.
- Empath: As an Action, the familiar touches a creature and magically knows the creature’s surface level emotional state. The familiar can use an Action to dig deeper into the creature’s true emotional state. The target makes a Charisma Save against your Spell Save DC. Failure: It knows the creature’s true emotions and feelings.
- Friendly Fire: The familiar has advantage on Checks and Saves against your spells and effects.
- Lanky: The familiar is unusually long-limbed and flexible. Its reach for Melee Attacks is increased by 5 feet. It can also interact with objects and creatures from 10 feet away.
- Limited Telepathy: The familiar can magically communicate simple ideas, emotions, and images telepathically with a creature that it can see within 60 feet of it that can understand a language.
- Magically Inclined: The familiar knows one cantrip from the Wizard spell list that doesn’t deal damage, and can cast it at will using Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as its spellcasting ability (your choice when this feature is chosen).
- Mimicry: The familiar can mimic simple sounds it has heard, such as a person whispering, a baby crying, or an animal chittering. A creature that hears the sounds can tell they are imitations with a successful Insight Check against your Spell Save DC.
- Nimble: The familiar doesn’t provoke Opportunity Attacks when it leaves an enemy’s reach.
- Predator: The familiar has advantage on Attacks against any creature under half its hit point maximum. It also has advantage on Survival Checks to track down targets it has been around for more than one minute.
- Prey: The familiar has advantage on Stealth Checks and can attempt to Hide even when it’s only lightly obscured.
- Quiet as a Mouse: The familiar makes no sound, leaves no noticeable trail, and can’t be tracked by mundane means while moving at half speed. It also has advantage on Checks made to Hide.
- Sacrificial: When a creature you can see is hit by an Attack while within 5 feet of your familiar, you can use a Reaction to cause the familiar to become the target instead.
- Shapeshifter: As an Action, the familiar can take on the appearance of a Tiny or Small Beast of its choice at will. Its statistics remain unchanged regardless of the form it takes. It reverts to its true form early if it uses an Action to do so, or if it dies.
- Stinging Blood: As an Action, one creature of the familiar’s choice within 20 feet must make a Constitution Save against your Spell Save DC. Failure: The creature takes 1d6 Poison damage and is Poisoned for one minute. The creature can repeat this Save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. Once a creature fails its Save against this feature, the familiar can’t use this again until it finishes a Long Rest.
- Strong Willed: The familiar has advantage on Saves to avoid being Charmed or Frightened.
- Subterranean: The familiar gains a Burrowing Speed of 20 feet and leaves a 5 feet wide tunnel behind it. If it already has a Burrowing Speed, it increases by 20 feet.
- Terrifying: As an Action, one creature of the familiar’s choice within 20 feet must make a Wisdom Save against your Spell Save DC. Failure: The creature is Frightened of the familiar for one minute. The target can repeat this Save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. Once a creature fails its Save against this feature, the familiar can’t use it again until it finishes a Long Rest.
- Too Freakin’ Cute: If the familiar is present for, or involved in, a Persuasion or Performance Check made by you, you can add a 1d4 to the result.
- Tough: The familiar’s HP maximum increases by an amount equal to your level (or twice its CR).
- Watchful: The familiar doesn’t require sleep.
Two Point Features
- Bulwark: The familiar now adds twice your Prof. Bonus to its AC.
- Chameleon: As an Action, the familiar can choose to become Invisible. The effect ends if the familiar moves or uses any Action other than Hide or Dodge.
- Combat Familiar: The familiar gains one of the following Attacks, which it can use when it acts:
- Melee: Melee Attack, 3 + Caster’s proficiency bonus to hit, 1d4 + Caster’s proficiency bonus Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage.
- Ranged: Ranged Attack 30 feet, 3 + Caster’s proficiency bonus to hit, 1d4 damage. The damage type depends on the flavor of the Attack and game master’s approval.
- Distraction: When you are targeted with an Attack within 5 feet of your familiar, you can use your Reaction to have the familiar distract the attacker and impose disadvantage on the Attack. You can use this feature several times equal to your Prof. Bonus per Long Rest.
- Echolocation: The familiar gains Blindsight 30 feet while not Deafened, and advantage on Perception Checks that rely on hearing.
- Evasion: If the familiar is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity Save to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the Save.
- Healer: As an Action, the familiar touches a creature and causes it to regain hit points equal to twice your Proficiency Bonus. Once it uses this feature, it can’t do so again until the next dawn.
- Invisibility: Once per Long Rest, the familiar can use an Action to become Invisible for one minute or until it makes an Attack or casts a spell.
- Malleable: The familiar can move through a space as narrow as one inch wide without squeezing.
- Relentless: When the familiar is reduced to 0 HP, it can choose to drop to one HP instead.
- Speech: The familiar gains the ability to speak and learns 1 language of your choice.
- Spider Climb: The familiar can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make a Check. In addition, it ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.
- Third Eye: When you use an Action to see and hear using your familiar’s senses, you are no longer Blinded and Deafened to your own. You can see and hear using your own senses, but Perception Checks that rely on these senses are made with disadvantage.
- Tracking: The familiar gains the ability to cast Locate Creature. If the familiar is provided with the blood of the creature, some other piece of its being, or an object that smells strongly of it, the familiar can cast this spell without needing to have seen the creature or know it beforehand. Once this feature is used, it can’t be used again until the next dawn.
Three Point Features
- Combat Familiar: The familiar gains both of the following Attacks, which it can use when it acts:
- Melee: Melee Attack, 3 + Caster’s proficiency bonus to hit, 1d4 + Caster’s proficiency bonus Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage.
- Ranged: Ranged Attack 30 feet, 3 + Caster’s proficiency bonus to hit, 1d4 damage. The damage type depends on the flavor of the Attack and game master’s approval.
- Magic Resistance: The familiar has advantage on Saves against spells and other magical effects.
Unstable Explosion [R]
- 2nd-level evocation
- Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet (10 diameter sphere)
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Attack/Save: DEX Save
- Damage/Effect: Fire
You cause an unstable explosion to erupt at a point of your choice within range effecting a five-foot radius, rolling 3d6. For each die that rolls a 6, roll an additional d6 and the radius of the spell expands by 5 feet. Each creature within the final range of the spell must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, they take fire damage equal to the total value of the rolled dice. On a success the target takes half as much damage.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3 level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 foreach slot level above 2.