by Claude Helper | Sep 25, 2026 | Spells
Level 4 Illusion spell available to Wizards. One Wisdom save and the target is rooted in place, attacks with Disadvantage, and takes 4d10 Psychic at the end of every turn until it saves. Against something with bad Wisdom it is a slow, ugly death sentence.
Spell description: Haunt a creature with illusions of its greatest fears. It takes 4d10 Psychic damage each turn, cannot move, and has Disadvantage on Ability Checks and Attack Rolls.
Spell properties
- Damage: 4d10 Psychic per turn
- Damage type: Psychic
- Range: 18m (60ft)
- Duration: 10 turns
- Concentration spell
- Save: WIS save
- Conditions applied: Phantasmal Killer (Frightened). The creature cannot move, takes 4d10 Psychic at the end of each turn, and has Disadvantage on Ability Checks and Attack Rolls.
- Cost: Action + Spell Slot
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
Deals an extra 1d10 Psychic damage per turn for each spell slot level above the 4th.
How to obtain Phantasmal Killer
- Wizard at Class level 7
- The Hexblade Warlocks at Class level 7
Source item: Scroll of Phantasmal Killer
Haunt a creature with illusions of its greatest fears. It takes 4d10 Psychic damage each turn, cannot move, and has Disadvantage on Ability Checks and Attack Rolls.
Duration: 10 turns
- The creature is haunted by its worst nightmares and cannot move.
- It takes 4d10 Psychic damage at the end of each of its turns.
- Its Attack Rolls and Ability Checks have
Disadvantage.
- It repeats the Wisdom Saving Throw at the end of each of its turns.
When to cast Phantasmal Killer
Cast it on a single dangerous melee enemy with poor Wisdom. It cannot move, so if it is not already next to your party it just stands there taking 4d10 a turn. Brutes, beasts, and constructs with a Wisdom score are the ideal targets.
The damage is Psychic, which almost nothing resists, and it ticks every turn for as long as the save keeps failing. Over three or four turns it out-damages any single-target spell you could have cast instead.
It is Concentration, and the target repeats the save every turn, so the value depends entirely on how bad their Wisdom is. Against a cleric or a mind flayer it will end after one tick. Check the target before you commit.
Frightened immunity does not protect against it. The wiki confirms it ignores things like Countercharm, so it lands on enemies who would shrug off Fear.
by Claude Helper | Sep 25, 2026 | Spells
Level 4 Evocation spell available to Wizards. Wrap a creature in a bubble for three turns. Nothing gets in, nothing gets out, and it moves at half speed. Cast it on an enemy and they are removed from the fight; cast it on an ally and they are untouchable.
Spell description: Enclose a target in a sphere of shimmering force, halving its Movement Speed and blocking all incoming attacks and spell effects.
Spell properties
- Range: 9m (30ft)
- Duration: 3 turns
- Concentration spell
- Save: DEX save
- Conditions applied: Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere. The creature cannot be damaged from outside, cannot damage anything outside, and its Movement Speed is halved. Allies do not roll a save.
- Cost: Action + Spell Slot
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
Casting Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere at higher levels provides no additional benefits.
How to obtain Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere
- Wizard at Class level 7
- Knowledge Domain Clerics get it as a Domain spell at Class level 7
Enclose a target in a sphere of shimmering force, halving its Movement Speed and blocking all incoming attacks and spell effects.
Duration: 3 turns
- The creature is enclosed in an arcane sphere.
- It cannot be damaged by attacks or effects from outside, and cannot damage anything outside.
- Its Movement Speed is halved.
- Huge creatures cannot be targeted.
When to cast Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere
The offensive use is a three-turn Banishment with a Dexterity save instead of Charisma. Put the boss in the bubble and deal with the rest of the fight. It cannot attack, cannot cast on anything outside, and cannot be hurt, so nobody waste damage on it.
The defensive use is often better. Cast it on an ally who is about to die and the save is skipped entirely. They are safe for three turns while your healer catches up, and the enemy has to find something else to hit.
It is Concentration, so if your Wizard takes a hit the bubble pops early. Stand well back. The sphere blocks damage in both directions, so the trapped creature cannot break it from the inside either.
It cannot target Huge creatures, which rules out a few of the biggest bosses. For anything Large or smaller it is one of the most reliable ways to take a threat off the board.
by Claude Helper | Sep 25, 2026 | Spells
Level 4 Evocation spell available to Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards. 2d8 Bludgeoning plus 4d6 Cold in a 6m radius, and it leaves the ground iced over so everyone still standing has to save or fall over. Less raw damage than an upcast Fireball, more control.
Spell description: Impel a storm of hail and ice to crash from the sky, striking all objects and creatures within range for Bludgeoning and Cold damage. It also creates an Ice surface that lasts 2 turns.
Spell properties
- Damage: 2d8 Bludgeoning + 4d6 Cold
- Damage type: Bludgeoning, Cold
- Range: 18m (60ft)
- Area: 6m (20ft) radius
- Save: DEX save (half damage on success)
- Conditions applied: Creates an Ice surface for 2 turns: Difficult Terrain that can knock creatures Prone.
- Cost: Action + Spell Slot
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
Deals an extra 1d8 Bludgeoning damage for each spell slot level above the 4th.
How to obtain Ice Storm
- Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard at Class level 7
- Tempest Domain Clerics (Domain spell) and Circle of the Land Druids (Arctic) at Class level 7
- Bard via Magical Secrets at Class level 10
Source items: Markoheshkir, Scroll of Ice Storm
Impel a storm of hail and ice to crash from the sky, striking all objects and creatures within range for Bludgeoning and Cold damage. It also creates an Ice surface that lasts 2 turns.
On save: Targets still take half damage.
When to cast Ice Storm
Cast it when the crowd control matters as much as the damage. The ice surface is the real payload: anything that fails the second Dexterity save is Prone, and Prone enemies lose movement, attack with Disadvantage, and get hit with Advantage in melee.
The two damage types are a small bonus. Fire resistance is common, Cold and Bludgeoning resistance together is rare, so Ice Storm does full damage to things that would laugh at Fireball.
The ice lasts two turns and it does not care whose side you are on. Do not drop it where your melee needs to walk, and do not stand in it yourself.
Upcasting only adds 1d8 Bludgeoning per level, which is weak. Cast it at Level 4 and spend the higher slots on something else.
by Claude Helper | Sep 25, 2026 | Spells
Level 4 Conjuration spell available to Clerics. A stationary spectral guardian that hits anything that comes near it, paying for every point of damage with its own Hit Points. It is a damage budget you drop on the floor, not a summon you steer.
Spell description: Call forth a divine guardian that attacks nearby enemies. Every time it deals damage, the guardian loses an equal amount of Hit Points.
Spell properties
- Range: 9m (30ft)
- Duration: 10 turns
- Conditions applied: Summons a Guardian of Faith for 10 turns. It strikes nearby enemies and retaliates when attacked, losing Hit Points equal to the damage it deals.
- Cost: Action + Spell Slot
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
Casting Guardian of Faith at higher levels provides no additional benefits.
How to obtain Guardian of Faith
- Cleric at Class level 7
- Light Domain and Life Domain Clerics get it as a Domain spell at Class level 7
- Bard via Magical Secrets at Class level 10
Call forth a divine guardian that attacks nearby enemies. Every time it deals damage, the guardian loses an equal amount of Hit Points.
When to cast Guardian of Faith
Think of it as a pile of damage sitting in a spot. The guardian does not move, so put it where enemies are going to be: on the chokepoint, next to your tank, or right in the middle of a group that is already engaged.
It does not need Concentration, which is why it is worth a Level 4 slot. Your Cleric can drop the guardian and then Concentrate on Spirit Guardians or Bless, and the two effects stack into a very unpleasant space for enemies to stand in.
The Hit Point trade is the whole design. It burns itself out as it deals damage, so you get roughly its Hit Point total in damage over its lifetime, no more. It is not a tank, and it will not last ten turns in a real fight.
Skip it in fights that are mobile or spread out. If nothing walks up to the guardian it just stands there looking holy.
by Claude Helper | Sep 25, 2026 | Spells
Level 4 Conjuration spell available to Druids. A Bonus Action summons a vine that lasts ten turns, yanks enemies towards itself, and sits in a patch of Entangling terrain. It is a control tool that costs the one resource Druids usually have spare.
Spell description: Summon a giant vine capable of dragging creatures toward itself.
Spell properties
- Range: 9m (30ft)
- Area: 3m (10ft) radius
- Duration: 10 turns
- Save: STR save
- Conditions applied: Summons a Grasping Vine for 10 turns. It can Pull creatures towards itself, and its 3m radius of Twisting Vines is Difficult Terrain that can Entangle.
- Cost: Bonus Action + Spell Slot
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
Casting Grasping Vine at higher levels provides no additional benefits.
How to obtain Grasping Vine
- Druid at Class level 7
- Nature Domain Clerics (Domain spell) and Circle of the Land Druids (Forest or Swamp) at Class level 7
Summon a giant vine capable of dragging creatures toward itself.
When to cast Grasping Vine
Cast it because it is a Bonus Action. Your Druid still gets a full Action that turn, so the vine is basically free tempo. Drop it and then cast your real spell.
Its job is Grasping Pull. Each turn the vine drags a creature into its patch of Twisting Vines, and anything standing on those has to pass a Strength save or become Entangled. Pull an archer or a caster off their ledge and into the vines and they are stuck next to your melee.
The pull works on your enemies’ formation too. Dragging the one big melee enemy away from your casters and into the vines buys your party a turn or two of breathing space.
The vine itself is fragile and the area is small. Place it where enemies want to be anyway, like a doorway, rather than hoping they wander into it.
Range: 18m (60ft)
Save: WIS save
AoE: 6m (20ft) radius 
Advantage.
