Spells

This document is to aid reading the layout of spells.

See Categories: Spells for for lists by class, specialty components, or other useful classifications (damage, buff, debuff, save throw type, touch range, etc.).

Below is the general format that spells are presented in:

**Spell Name**

Spell rarity, level & school

*Spellcaster classes*

*Divine domains. Druidic circles. Sorcerer bloodlines/warlock patrons.* [descriptors]

Spell description.

And here’s some insight to what they mean:

**Spell Name**:

The name of the spell.

*Spell rarity:*

Spells can be Common, Uncommon and Rare. Anyone can learn any rarity of spell on their spell list through a scroll, from a teacher, or other such external method. To learn a spell organically on their own (such as when making a new character, levelling up or taking a class feature that grants new spells), a character follows these rules:

* Common spells can be learned by anyone with the spell on their spell list.

* Uncommon spells can only be self-learned by characters who specialise in that type of spell, for each class that means:
	+ Wizards who specialise in that spell’s school
	+ Warlocks whose patron is listed on the spell
	+ Sorcerers whose bloodline is listed on the spell
	+ Druids whose circle is listed on the spell
	+ Clerics whose domains are listed on the spell
	+ Bards do not have a specialisation that grants them specific spells, but they are students of travel, lore, sharing and learning. They can choose a number of Uncommon spells they have encountered in their journeys, and learn those.

* Rare spells can’t be self-learned. This means they can only be found: in dungeons, libraries, wherever. Rare spells are a little bit more like treasure or loot than a class feature.

Finally, the costs (materials, possibly other) of Uncommon spells will be higher than Common, and Rare spells will cost the most.

*Level & school:*

Designates which of the 9 schools of magic the spell is part of: Abjuration; Conjuration; Divination; Enchantment; Evocation; Illusion; Necromancy; Transmutation; or Universal, and what level the spell is.

*Spellcaster classes:*

Any classes listed here show that the spell is on this class’s spell list (before accounting for things like Domains and Circles).

*Divine domains. Druidic circles. Sorcerer bloodlines/warlock patrons.* [descriptors]*:*

This section explains what specialisation the spell is a part of (other than the wizard school, which is on the first line). They are listed in order with full stops in between, but if there is no entry for that category it is skipped. The best way to see which specialisation this references is to check the Domains, Circles, Bloodlines & Pacts sheet here: https://goo.gl/QGvwKq

The cleric’s domains are listed first: Arcane; Battle; Beauty; Civic; Death; Glory; Knowledge; Life; Luck; Nature; Protection; or Trickery.

Next are the druidic circles: Beast; Earth; Flame; Forest; Mystery; Sea; Sky; or Sun & Moon.

Then come the sorcerous bloodlines and warlock patrons. Even though the classes are different, they derive their powers from the same sources. Sorcerers have the magic running in their blood through a life event or ancestry, whereas warlocks have made a pact and become a student or servant. The bloodlines/pacts are: Celestial; Dragon\*; Fey; Fiend (Demon or Devil); or Undead.

\*Dragon types are: Gold; Silver; Copper; Iron; Red; Blue; Green; Black; and White.

Finally, any additional properties that can change the way a spell functions but are not tied to a class are listed as [descriptors]*.* For example, spells with the [sleep] tag don’t affect elves, spells with the [language] tag require a shared language between the caster and the target, and spells with the [fire] tag may have an enhanced effect if the weather is unnaturally hot (or reduced in unnatural cold).

**Casting Time**:

This designates the actions required to cast the spell. Generally this means:

* Standard, Swift or Move Action - the spell uses that action to cast
* Reaction - the spell uses your Reaction. You normally only get one per round, but some options may allow you to increase that number
* 1 round - the spell uses all actions for that round, and you are considered to be casting (and therefore vulnerable to interruption) until the start of your next turn
* 1-10 rounds (or X-Y rounds) - you choose the length of time you spend casting the spell. Usually, the longer you are able to spend casting the spell, the greater the reward for that spell will be. The caster is vulnerable for the entire casting, and must voluntarily finish casting the spell, eg. if the caster has been casting *Dancing Lights* for 4 rounds and then fails a Concentration check due to an earthquake, the spell is spoiled and has no effect
* 1 minute, 10 minutes, 1 hour, etc. - this spell isn’t really designed for in-combat use.

Any Ritual spells are designated with the [ritual] tag in this section. Rituals work the same as in 5e, but add an hour to the cast time instead of 10 minutes. There will be ways to reduce that time. All spellcasters can cast Ritual spells if it has the tag (and they are able to cast that spell). If more than 1 spellcaster can cast the Ritual, they can divide the time between them to speed the Ritual up.

**Range**:

This describes the range of each spell. The ranges mean:

* Touch - the spell affects the touched target, including you (creature, object, etc)
* Touch other - the spell affects the touched target, but cannot target you
* Self - the spell affects only you
* Self, 30 feet - the spell affects only you, but provides you with some effect that works to 30 feet
* 20 feet - the spell’s target must be within 20 feet
* 30 (60) feet - the spell’s target must be within 60 feet. If the target is further that 30 feet away, the spell is less likely to succeed (disadvantage on spell attack roll, or the target has advantage on their saving throw).

**Components**:

* V = verbal - the caster must utter some magical words. A verbal spell can't be cast while Muted or in an area of silence, and has a chance to fail while Deafened. Most spells with verbal components are audible as an un-hushed conversation.
* S = somatic - the caster must weave some mystic patterns. A somatic spell requires one hand to be free to cast, and suffers Arcane Spell Failure for wearing armour.
* M = material - the caster must have access to the listed material components, usually in a components pouch. Material components are not consumed unless specifically stated. There are many more material components with actual (if small) costs than in 5e or Pathfinder.

**Duration**:

The duration the spell lasts for. The durations are:

* Instantaneous - the spell’s effect occurs instantly. Any lingering effects are not the spell persisting, but caused by the spell, and can’t be dispelled.
* 1 round - this will usually mean until the start of the spellcaster’s next turn, but it isn’t necessarily always that clear cut - check the spell description for more
* More than 1 round (including minutes/hours/etc) - the spell persists the stated number of rounds/minutes/etc, then ends at the start of the spellcaster’s turn
* End-cast time \* X - this relates to variable cast times, and the spell will last X times longer than the cast time, coming into effect when the spell is finished casting, eg. a bard casts Mage Hand for 6 rounds: at the end of those 6 rounds a spectral hand appears, and will last for 60 rounds (6 minutes)
* Start-cast time \* X - this is the same as above, but the spell’s effect comes into play the moment the spell caster finishes 1 round of casting, eg. a cleric with the Beauty Domain casts Lullaby: after 1 round of casting, the targets begin to feel drowsy and are Distracted (if they fail their Wisdom save) and possible Fatigued. If the cleric only spends 2 rounds casting Lullaby, the Distracted condition will persist for another 2d6 rounds after the end of the casting. In this way, start-cast spells last a bit longer than end-cast spells. If the casting of the spell is interrupted without the spell being voluntarily completed, all effects immediately cease.
	+ NOTE: both End-cast and Start-cast spells need to be voluntarily completed to get their full duration. If a failed Concentration check loses the spell, all time spent casting is wasted, and the spell has no effect (or ceases having any effect, in the case of Start-cast spells).

Any spells that require Concentration are designated here with the [concentration] tag. A spell requiring concentration is always vulnerable to being interrupted while it is active. Additionally, if a spellcaster wants to maintain more than one concentration spell at a time, all their concentration rolls will be at disadvantage (double disadvantage with 3 simultaneous effects, etc), and they will need to make a concentration check every round. If they ever fail a concentration check, they lose focus on all current spells. Finally, if the caster ever wants to end the effects of a concentration spell, they can simply cease concentrating. This costs no action on their turn, but will cost their Reaction if out of turn.

Spell description:

These should hopefully be self-evident. If they aren’t, tell me!

Note: some spells refer to Spell Power. This is the same thing as caster level from Pathfinder, but renamed to avoid confusion when I make it more malleable in my game.