Best Homebrew Spells 5e: 13 Smash Hits of Magic
If you’re like me, you love adding flair to your Dungeons and Dragons games. One of the best ways to do this is by creating your own spells! But if you’re not ready to homebrew spells yourself, take some inspiration from the best homebrew spells in 5e according to users on DnDBeyond!
In this article, we look at 13 of the best homebrew spells in 5e for your next game. These spells cover a wide range of effects and many of them are cantrips so you can learn them and start using them anytime during your adventure.
13/13 Close Wound
- Level: Cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: Touch
- Components: Verbal, Somatic
- Duration: Instantaneous
- School: Evocation
- Attack/Save: None
- Damage/Effect: Healing
- Classes: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Artificer
Description:
We’re starting off this list of the best homebrew spells in 5e with some healing, baby.
Cast close wound on a creature to allow that creature to spend one Hit Die. The creature regains hit points equal to the roll plus the creature’s Constitution modifier. The creature must have at least 1 hit point. The number of Hit Dice increases by one at 5th level (2), 11th level (3), and 17th level (4).
This is a powerful spell because it offers healing without spending a spell slot at the cost of the touched creature’s remaining Hit Dice.
12/13 Corpse Bomb
- Level: 1st
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 120 ft
- Components: Verbal, Somatic, Material (corpse (destroyed upon casting))
- Duration: Instantaneous
- School: Necromancy
- Attack/Save: Dexterity Save
- Damage/Effect: Necrotic
- Classes: Bard, Warlock, Wizard
Description:
Who wants some Diablo in their D&D homebrew spells?!
Cast corpse bomb on a recently deceased creature to make it explode! As long as the creature has been dead for less than one minute, each creature within a 5-foot-radius sphere must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d8 necrotic damage from the explosion.
A successful save reduces the damage by half. And the size of the explosion increases by 5 feet for every size of the detonated creature larger than medium. The damage increases by 1d8 for each spell slot level above 2nd level.
How was this not in the Forgotten Realms library of existing spells?
Corpse bomb is a great addition to the spellbook of any necromancer looking for, I don’t know, spells that actually make a necromancer feel like a necromancer. And it has a creative use for a material component that can’t be easily waved off like every other spell with a material component.
11/13 Bees?!
- Level: Cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 10 ft
- Components: Verbal, Somatic
- Duration: Instantaneous
- School: Conjuration
- Attack/Save: Constitution Save
- Damage/Effect: Poison
- Classes: Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Description:
Cast bees?! to project a swarm of bees from the palm of your hand. If the creature fails a Constitution save, he or she takes 1d12 poison damage. At higher levels, you can project multiple swarms of bees to irritate multiple enemies: 5th level (2 swarms), 11th level (3 swarms), and 17th level (4 swarms).
This spell appears to be the poison version of an existing spell: eldritch blast.
It does slightly more damage than eldritch blast (1d10 force damage), but many creatures are resistant to poison damage compared to force damage. A search on DnDBeyond yields 100 creatures are resistant to poison damage and 645 creatures are immune to poison damage while only 9 creatures are resistant to force damage and 5 creatures are immune to force damage.
So, bees?! is a solid spell as long as you’re not facing one of the many creatures resistant or immune to the poison damage type. It’s also effective if you need to scare unsuspecting individuals away. It probably won’t scare your pursuers away, but if you’re sneaking around and make a noise that draws attention, that would be a good time to send a swarm of bees in the direction of an individual without attacking the individual.
10/13 Analyze Blood
- Level: 1st
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: Touch
- Components: Verbal, Somatic, Material (drop of blood less than a month old)
- Duration: Instantaneous
- School: Necromancy
- Attack/Save: None
- Damage/Effect: None
- Classes: Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Description:
Time to get freaky!
Cast analyze blood to… you guessed it, analyze blood! When you cast the spell on a drop of blood less than a month old, you learn if you have analyzed blood of that creature before and how long it’s been since you analyzed such blood. The information you learn from the spell improves with each level you cast it at.
The information you learn can be found in the list below. If you cast analyze blood at a certain level, you learn the information from each level below that level as well.
- 2nd—You know the creature who shed the blood’s type(s). (Monstrosity, Undead, Humanoid, etc.)
- 3rd—You know if the blood carries any diseases or poisons. You also know if the blood is acceptable for transfusion into another creature.
- 4th—You know if the creature whose blood you used is still alive.
- 5th—You know the creature’s name (if applicable—creatures with secret names such as Devils cannot have their secret name revealed with this spell), age, and alignment.
- 6th—You know whether the creature is on the same plane of existence as you at the time the spell is cast.
- 7th—You know the approximate location of the creature with a margin of error of one mile.
- 8th—You have the memories of the creature for the last 12 hours prior to the blood being spilled.
- 9th—You have the memories of the creature for the last 24 hours prior to the blood being spilled.
9/13 Achroma
- Level: 9th
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 60 ft
- Components: Verbal
- Duration: 1 Round
- School: Necromancy
- Attack/Save: Constitution Save
- Damage/Effect: Necrotic
- Classes: Sorcerer, Wizard, Bard (College of Whispers), Warlock (The Great Old One)
Description:
Many spells of the necromancy school of magic usually involve sapping life from the living or breathing life into the dead, and causing harmful effects like fear, deafness, blindness, etc.
Achroma takes necromancy to another level as one of the most powerful spells on this list.
This beast of a spell deals 12d10 necrotic damage and incapacitates your target for the duration of the spell. If the target makes a successful Constitution save, the creature takes half damage and isn’t incapacitated. If the target is reduced to 0 hp, the creature instantly fails its death saving throws and turns into an “achromatic husk.”
Next, if any creature touches the achromatic husk or interacts with it via ranged spell, that second creature suffers 4d6 necrotic damage and continues to suffer 4d6 necrotic damage for each minute it speaks to or can see the achromatic husk. If that second creature takes enough damage to bring it to 0 hp, that second creature also fails its death saving throws and turns into an achromatic husk.
Savage.
8/13 Power Word Yeet
- Level: 9th
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 60 ft
- Components: Verbal
- Duration: Instantaneous
- School: Enchantment
- Attack/Save: None
- Damage/Effect: Bludgeoning
- Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Description:
What is more fun than twisting magical energy to turn your foes into hollow shells of their former selves?
Using magical energy to toss your foes hundreds of feet into the air!
Speak the power word “YEET!” and one target creature is thrust upward at terminal velocity. If the creature has less than 120 hp, the target flies 200 feet into the air and then drops. And if the vertical path is obstructed, the creature suffers 10d6 bludgeoning damage and is stunned until the end of the creature’s next turn.
If the creature falls the full 200 feet, the creature suffers 20d6 fall damage.
7/13 Test Strike
- Level: Cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 30 ft
- Components: Verbal, Somatic, Material (scrap of paper w/ scribbled notes)
- Duration: Instantaneous
- School: Divination
- Attack/Save: Ranged
- Damage/Effect: Special
- Classes: Bard, Cleric (Knowledge Domain), Fighter (Eldritch Knight) Ranger, Sorcerer, Wizard
Description:
This is a great spell for determining the strengths and weaknesses of an enemy, plus you deal damage (a little).
Cast test strike to fire gleaming motes of light at a target, dealing:
- 1 point of nonmagical bludgeoning damage
- 1 point of nonmagical piercing damage
- 1 point of nonmagical slashing damage
This is a spell attack so you must roll to hit your target.
Each mote glows briefly in a color indicating resistance, immunity, vulnerability, or none of the above. As you level up, the spell reveals additional information for different damage types:
- 5th level—acid, cold, fire
- 11th level—force, lightning, necrotic
- 17th level—poison, psychic, radiant, thunder
Each improvement also includes the damage types from prior levels.
6/13 Summon Chair
- Level: Cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action
- Range: Self
- Components: Somatic
- Duration: Until Dispelled
- School: Conjuration
- Attack/Save: None
- Damage/Effect: None
- Classes: Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Description:
This one. This spell is like two spells in one.
What does that even mean?
Don’t worry about it.
With a motion of your hand, a chair appears!
GASP!
This magical chair is composed of non-breathable air that only the caster can sit on. Everyone else will go right through it.
But wait! There’s more!
Like many spells on this list of best homebrew spells in 5e, chair GAINS POWER at higher levels. Initially, it is just a three-legged chair that can spin if desired. I know, you must be thinking, “How could it possibly get any better than that?”
Buckle up, boys and girls!
- 5th level—A chair with arms and an air cushion in the seat.
- 11th level—A “plush” chair with padded arms, back, and seat. In addition, a footrest is available for the caster if they so wish it.
- 17th level—A “plush” couch appears with seating for 4, same features as the last version.
5/13 Egg
- Level: 2nd
- Casting Time: 1 Special
- Range: Self
- Components: Verbal, Material (Egg)
- Duration: Instantaneous
- School: Conjuration
- Attack/Save: None
- Damage/Effect:
- Classes: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Description:
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a battle and thought, “What are we going to do?! I have no more eggs left!”
Well, fear no more, great warrior! Forget burning hands and learn egg!
When you cast egg, roll a d6 and:
- 1—You summon 1d6 eggs in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you in any direction.
- 2—You summon 2d6 eggs that shoot in random directions from you (roll a D8 for each egg, starting from where you are facing and going clockwise) Each creature hit with an egg takes 1d6 magic bludgeoning damage.
- 3—The egg you use to cast the spell hatches into 1d12+2 chickens. The chickens are friendly to you and your party, but may not be given commands. However, If the number of chickens summoned is greater than 9, they are instead hostile to you.
- 4—You summon 2d8 hardboiled eggs, that when consumed restore 2hp.
- 5—You summon one large egg, roll a d6. The egg hatches a friendly beast (check the list below this one).
- 6—Roll twice, ignoring another 6. The effects you roll are doubled.
Did you roll a 5? Well then, get ready for your prize! Roll another d6 and see what hatches from the egg!
- 1—1d4 Eagles
- 2—Giant Owl
- 3—Crocodile
- 4—Spider Swarm
- 5—1d4 Flying Snakes
- 6—A giant chicken (giant eagle stats)
4/13 Card Throw
- Level: Cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 60 ft
- Components: None
- Duration: Instantaneous
- School: Evocation
- Attack/Save: Ranged
- Damage/Effect:
- Classes: Bard, Warlock, Wizard
Description:
What could be better than creating eggs out of thin air?
Recreating Gambit’s signature ability as a new spell in the Forgotten Realms.
Duh.
Cast card throw to conjure a magical card and throw it at an enemy to inflict a random effect. This counts as a ranged spell attack and if you hit the target, roll a d6 to determine the effect:
- 1—Red: The target takes fire damage equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier.
- 2—Orange: The target takes acid damage equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier.
- 3—Yellow: The target takes lightning damage equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier.
- 4—Green: The target takes poison damage equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier.
- 5—Blue: The target takes cold damage equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier.
- 6—Violet: The target takes 1d4 psychic damage and must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become blinded until the end of their next turn.
But wait! There’s more!
- 5th level—Two cards
- 11th level—Three cards
- 17th level—Four cards
Select different targets or don’t. Make seperate attack rolls for each card.
3/13 Face-Palm
- Level: Cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: Self
- Components: None
- Duration: Instantaneous
- School: Evocation
- Attack/Save: None
- Damage/Effect:
- Classes: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Description:
Ok, I know egg and card throw sound like the best homebrew spells in 5e so far, but I hope you’re sitting down for this one.
You slap your head with a mighty magical power alerting every creature within a 600ft radius that something disappointing has happened.
How often are you flabbergasted by the actions of someone in your party with no option to make everyone within 600 feet feel your disappointment instantaneously?
In terms of homebrew content, this is up there with the best of the best homebrew spells in 5e.
I feel compelled to create a character based on this one spell.
2/13 Origami
- Level: Cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 5 ft
- Components: Verbal, Somatic, Material (Tiny piece of paper)
- Duration: 1 Hour (concentration)
- School: Transmutation
- Attack/Save: None
- Damage/Effect:
- Classes: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Wizard
Description:
Use magic to fold and animate a Tiny piece of paper (or similar material) into one of the following shapes:
- Boat—It floats on water without disintegrating and you can direct the boat’s movement, 5 feet per round.
- Crane—It flies 10 feet per round, you can direct it, and you can give it a location within 1 mile of you and the crane will fly there, ending the spell.
- Dog—It moves 10 feet per round, you can direct it, and if a creature hostile to you moves within 10 feet of the dog, the dog barks and the spell ends.
- Flower—It slowly opens at dawn and slowly closes at dusk.
- Samurai—It moves 5 feet per round, you can direct it, and the samurai always points his sword in the direction of the nearest castle or fort.
You can have up to 5 pieces of origami active at once.
1/13 Argh!?
- Level: 1st
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 120 ft
- Components: Verbal, Somatic
- Duration: 1 Round
- School: Enchantment
- Attack/Save: Wisdom Save
- Damage/Effect: Deafened
- Classes: Bard, Ranger, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Description:
As the spell description says, “There’s more than one way to Silence a wizard.”
Cast argh?! on a creature by shouting the command word and pointing at the target creature. The target creature screams uncontrollably for 1 round and is unable to cast spells that require a verbal component. In addition, any creature within 10 feet of the screaming creature is deafened.
This is the best of the best homebrew spells in 5e because, well, a bunch of people rated it that way.
It’s a 1st level spell that is useful in many situations. Going up against a powerful wizard? Make him scream and prevent him from casting spells so your party can stick their blades in his chest. Need to get past by some guards to get into an estate? Cast argh?! on one of the guards to cause a distraction that will draw other guards nearby, giving you time to sneak by.
What do you think of this list of the best homebrew spells in 5e? What would you add or remove to the list? Comment below and let us know!
