Learning the perks and drawbacks of each spell in their arsenal is one of the trickiest things a new magic user has to master in Dungeons & Dragons. Wizards, sorcerers, warlocks, clerics, druids, and even bards have to weigh up the costs and benefits of each spell they cast, or it can lead to disaster for the whole party.
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But some spells are often not worth the trouble. Whether they are major strategic blunders or complete friendly carnage, there are some spells that you should really avoid unless you have a watertight plan of action. To avoid being the bane of your allies’ existence, maybe think twice about casting the spells on this list. Thanks to Dungeon Master Oskar for the additional insight.
Sanctuary
Read The Fine Print
- Level 1
- 30ft Range
- School of Abjuration (Magic of Wards and Defense)
- Duration: 1 minute
- Cast time: 1 Bonus action
- Who can cast it: Primarily clerics and artificers. But paladins, bards, and sorcerers may also have access to this spell under certain conditions.
When it’s useful: Sanctuary forces enemies to make a Wisdom saving throw or change targets. It can result in a failed enemy action and afford protection to a specific unit when used correctly. Using this on a badly damaged ally who is attempting to retreat is an optimal play, or applying it to another caster when a fight begins, as that can keep the less durable party members in the fight longer.
Danger factor: Imagine this scenario, an artificer has cast Sanctuary onto the fighter in their party as they are moving through the middle of the fray. Whoops, they may have just made a fatal error. If players skim over the description of the spell's effect, they may assume it just requires enemies to succeed on a save to hit the fighter. As the Fighter charges headlong into the fray, the artificer rereads the spell and realizes their mistake.
Once a creature is targeted with Sanctuary attacks, the spell ends, leaving the fighter vulnerable and unable to do anything. The fighter may have been led to an untimely death. A particularly formidable foe will take them down in a single turn, and the artificer has wasted a spell slot.
Magic Jar
The Risks Of Pretending To Be Something You're Not
- Level 6
- Cast on Self
- School of Necromancy (Magic of the Soul and Death)
- Duration: Until dispelled
- Cast time: 1 minute
- Who can cast it: Primarily wizards and bards. Can also be accessed via special items.
When it’s useful: This necromancy spell allows the caster to take over the body of an NPC in order to make use of their abilities or position of power. It can be very useful as a covert way of infiltrating a highly guarded enemy fortress. Quite useful for Bards who lean towards the deceptive side of Charisma, as they can make the most of the espionage and subterfuge opportunities of this spell.
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Danger factor: The idea of astral projection or soul-walking might seem like fun. But the practical application is dangerous and full of risks. As the spell description says, it allows the caster’s soul to leave their body and inhabit another character’s body. That enemy or ally character’s soul is then trapped in a jar while their body is being possessed.
The danger lies on the return journey. If your host body is destroyed, it can be difficult to return the caster’s soul to their body. If the player fails a save throw, it will lead to their instant and unrecoverable death. High-level wizards are particularly at risk. Using Magic Jar risks a player-character being killed by their own power. It also leaves the angry soul of the body they inhabited floating around somewhere unseen.
Confusion
Disrupting The Best Laid Plans Of Players
- Level 4
- 90ft Range
- School of Enchantment (Magic of Mental Influence)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
- Cast time: 1 Action
- Who can cast it: Available to a wide variety of classes in the right conditions, but primarily bards, druids, sorcerers, and wizards.
When it’s useful: This is another spell that requires a wisdom save to resist, so it’s particularly useful when attempting to avoid deliberate and focused attacks from stupid, but very strong enemies. Casting this on a brute while he is amongst his allies is the most effective strategy, as the brute begins to swing and destroy the crowd he was originally a member of.
Danger factor: Many of the dangers associated with spell casting are associated with not having a plan. It is essential to have a plan for an enemy or an ally before casting. So casting something that makes enemies completely unpredictable is a very risky move. Confusion is an Area of Effect (AoE) spell that throws everything into chaos.
The spell makes enemy movements, turns, and actions completely unpredictable as they now roll to randomly select which thing they do. A rogue may approach a confused troll who has spent two turns walking in a circle, thinking they are safe, just for the troll to get a full normal turn and send the rogue flying into the nearest wall. The troll may then resume its irrational behavior, hitting its friend in the face with a rock. This is extremely hard to plan around and has caused many experienced parties to falter and lose focus. Which in turn can lead to them getting picked off by otherwise simple encounters.
Glyph of Warding
Costly And Temperemental Protection
- Level 3
- Conducted through touch
- School of Abjuration (Magic of Wards and Defense)
- Duration: Until dispelled or triggered
- Cast time: 1 hour
- Who can cast it: Artificers, bards, clerics, and wizards.
When it’s useful: It is useful in protecting a mission-critical item that needs to be left behind somewhere. Maybe because of its size, maybe to function as an effective trap for unwitting enemies. It can also be quite effective in heist situations or breaching doors, as casters can set the trigger to be verbal and use the secondary casting type to make it a purely explosive rune to detonate a door or weaken a wall.
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Danger factor: The Glyph of Warding costs 200 gold pieces worth of powdered diamond and incense. It is a spell that arguably offers the home security that Faerûn has to offer. It essentially allows a magic caster to booby-trap a special item. One small problem: players often forget which items have wards applied to them. The spell caster might not even think about telling fellow players in the first place.
A simple “Hey, if you touch my Gold chest, you will get a Fireball to the face” would avoid a lot of the casualties caused by glyphs like this. But all too often, these well-meaning spell casters may end up being accidentally responsible for friendly damage, or even a total party kill. It can also be a massive waste of resources, as if the item that has the glyph applied is moved 10ft, the item will no longer be protected.
Antimagic Field
Failing To Plan And Planning To Failt
- Level 8
- Range of 10ft radius around self
- School of Abjuration (Magic of Wards and Defense)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
- Cast time: 1 action
- Who can cast it? Clerics and wizards.
When it’s useful: This works well for multi-class spell casters who have attacks that aren’t magic. If they are fighting particularly formidable magic-using enemies, they can disable magic spells within the area and use their own non-magic attacks. Clerics get the best use out of this spell, as they often have higher hit points and better armor than a wizard, and War Domain clerics are terrifying with their melee weapons.
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Danger factor: The name of this spell is pretty self-explanatory. It creates a field in which magic is completely ineffective. This means that all magic users are at a disadvantage, including the caster. A caster who is at the center of a spell that removes their own casting abilities, rendering them basically useless to the party while the spell is effective. Only specific artifacts and direct creations or spells of the Gods can work within this field. This means that even the clerics and other healers are also unable to support other party members, leading to an average of half the party being de-powered and helpless.
This means either everyone has to spend extra levels to multi-class (branch into multiple classes) or split the party during combat to keep out of the Antimagic field area. Even avoiding the area may not effectively mitigate the risk, as the field can follow the caster until dismissed. The spell has a one-hour duration, so it can easily prove catastrophic.
- Franchise
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Original Release Date
- 1974
- Publisher
- Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
- E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson