by Claude Helper | Sep 8, 2026 | Spells
Level 1 Abjuration spell available to Clerics, Warlocks, and Wizards. It wards an ally against Fiends, Undead, and other outsiders: they attack it with Disadvantage and cannot Charm, Frighten, or possess it.
Spell description: Protect an ally against the attacks and powers of Aberrations, Celestials, Elementals, Fey, Fiends, and Undead. The target can’t be Charmed, Frightened, or possessed by them, and when these creatures attack it, they have Disadvantage.
Spell properties
- Range: Melee (1.5m)
- Duration: Until Long Rest
- Concentration spell
- Conditions applied: Cannot be Charmed, Frightened, or possessed by the listed creature types, which also attack the target with Disadvantage.
- Cost: Action + Spell Slot
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
Casting Protection from Evil and Good at higher levels provides no additional benefits.
How to obtain Protection from Evil and Good
- Cleric, Warlock, Wizard at Class level 1
- Paladin at Class level 2
- Oath of Devotion (Paladin), Arcane Trickster (Rogue), and Eldritch Knight (Fighter) at Class level 3
- Keeper of the Veil (Ranger) as a Favoured Enemy choice
- Granted by features: Magic Initiate: Cleric, Warlock, or Wizard
- Source item: The Ever-Seeing Eye
Protect an ally against the attacks and powers of Aberrations, Celestials, Elementals, Fey, Fiends, and Undead. The target can’t be Charmed, Frightened, or possessed by them, and when these creatures attack it, they have Disadvantage.
When to cast Protection from Evil and Good
This is a prepare-when-you-know spell. Against the Fiends, Undead, and Aberrations that pack the back half of the game it hands a target Disadvantage on incoming attacks and total immunity to their Charm, Fear, and possession, which shuts down whole enemy strategies.
The catch is that it is Concentration despite lasting until Long Rest, so you can only protect one ally and a solid hit drops it. Put it on the character the enemy most wants to dominate, and keep your caster safe.
by Claude Helper | Sep 8, 2026 | Spells
Level 1 Conjuration spell available to Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards. It fills a 4.5m sphere with blinding fog that breaks line of sight for everyone inside. The budget version of Darkness.
Spell description: Create a cloud of dense fog that Heavily Obscures and Blinds creatures within.
Spell properties
- Range: 18m (60ft)
- Area: 4.5m (15ft) radius
- Duration: 10 turns
- Concentration spell
- Conditions applied: Heavily Obscured. Blinded.
- Cost: Action + Spell Slot
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
Casting Fog Cloud at a higher level increases the area of effect by 2m (7ft) for each spell slot level above the 1st.
How to obtain Fog Cloud
- Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard at Class level 1
- Tempest Domain (Cleric) at Class level 1, as a Domain Spell
- Draconic Bloodline (Bronze, Lightning ancestry) Sorcerer at Class level 1
- Ranger at Class level 2
- Arcane Trickster (Rogue) and Eldritch Knight (Fighter) at Class level 3
- Granted by features: Magic Initiate: Druid, Sorcerer, or Wizard
- Source item: Hammergrim Mist Amulet
Create a cloud of dense fog that Heavily Obscures and Blinds creatures within.
When to cast Fog Cloud
Fog Cloud blinds everything inside it, which breaks line of sight for the whole area. Drop it on enemy archers and casters and they cannot see to target anyone, or drop it on your own party to retreat under cover.
It is the cheap version of Darkness, and it blinds your own side too, so it is a wall and an escape tool rather than an offensive trick. Pair it with an ally who does not rely on sight, or use it to disengage from a fight gone wrong.
by Claude Helper | Sep 8, 2026 | Spells
Level 1 Evocation spell available to Sorcerers and Wizards. Three darts of Force that always hit, with no attack roll and no save. The most reliable damage a Level 1 slot can buy.
Spell description: Create three darts of magical force, each dealing 1d4 + 1 Force damage to its target. The darts always hit their target and can each be targeted individually.
Spell properties
- Damage: 1d4 + 1 Force per dart (three darts)
- Damage type: Force
- Range: 18m (60ft)
- Attack type: Ranged (always hits)
- Cost: Action + Spell Slot
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
Casting Magic Missile at a higher level creates one additional dart for each spell slot level above the 1st, each dealing 1d4 + 1 Force.
How to obtain Magic Missile
- Sorcerer, Wizard at Class level 1
- Arcane Trickster (Rogue) and Eldritch Knight (Fighter) at Class level 3
- College of Lore (Bard) at Class level 6 via Magical Secrets
- Bard at Class level 10 via Magical Secrets
- Granted by features: Magic Initiate: Sorcerer, Magic Initiate: Wizard
- Source items: Psychic Spark, Ne’er Misser
Create three darts of magical force, each dealing 1d4 + 1 Force damage to its target. The darts always hit their target and can each be targeted individually.
When to cast Magic Missile
The darts always hit. No attack roll, no save, no Armour Class check. That guaranteed damage makes Magic Missile the most reliable way to finish a low-health target, pop a Concentration check, or drop something you cannot afford to miss.
It becomes properly nasty with items. The Ne’er Misser and Spellmight-style gear add flat damage to every dart, and because you can fire three, four, or more darts, that bonus multiplies. A Sorcerer stacking those turns a Level 1 spell into a scaling nuke.
by Claude Helper | Sep 8, 2026 | Spells
Level 1 Enchantment spell available to Bards, Sorcerers, and Wizards. It drops the lowest-health enemies in an area with no save, and sleeping targets take automatic critical hits. Brutal in the early game.
Spell description: Put creatures up to a combined 24 Hit Points into a magical slumber. Sleeping creatures awaken if they take damage.
Spell properties
- Range: 18m (60ft)
- Duration: 2 turns
- Conditions applied: Sleeping. The creature cannot move or act.
- Cost: Action + Spell Slot
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
Casting Sleep at a higher level affects creatures with an additional 8 Hit Points for each spell slot level above the 1st.
How to obtain Sleep
- Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard at Class level 1
- Knowledge Domain (Cleric) and The Archfey (Warlock) at Class level 1
- Draconic Bloodline (Brass, Fire ancestry) Sorcerer at Class level 1
- Arcane Trickster (Rogue) and Eldritch Knight (Fighter) at Class level 3
- Granted by features: Magic Initiate: Bard, Sorcerer, or Wizard
Put creatures up to a combined 24 Hit Points into a magical slumber. Sleeping creatures awaken if they take damage.
When to cast Sleep
Sleep has no save. It simply puts the lowest-health enemies in the area under, up to a 24 HP budget, and a sleeping creature is helpless: it cannot act, and melee attacks against it are automatic critical hits. In the early game that is devastating.
The catch is the HP budget shrinks in relative terms as enemies get tougher, and any damage wakes them, so tell your party not to poke a sleeper you want kept down. Upcast it to raise the budget and it stays relevant longer than most Level 1 spells.
by Claude Helper | Sep 8, 2026 | Spells
Level 1 Enchantment spell available to Bards and Wizards. It leaves a creature Prone and helpless with laughter, unable to stand. A single-target hard lock for one slot.
Spell description: Inflict a creature with fits of laughter, leaving it Prone without the ability to get up. At the end of its turn or when it takes damage, the creature can try to shake off the effect.
Spell properties
- Range: 18m (60ft)
- Duration: 10 turns
- Concentration spell
- Save: WIS save
- Conditions applied: Prone and incapacitated, unable to get up.
- Cost: Action + Spell Slot
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
Casting Tasha’s Hideous Laughter at higher levels provides no additional benefits.
How to obtain Tasha’s Hideous Laughter
- Bard, Wizard at Class level 1
- The Great Old One (Warlock) at Class level 1
- Draconic Bloodline (Copper, Acid ancestry) Sorcerer at Class level 1
- Arcane Trickster (Rogue) and Eldritch Knight (Fighter) at Class level 3
- Granted by features: Magic Initiate: Bard, Magic Initiate: Wizard
Inflict a creature with fits of laughter, leaving it Prone without the ability to get up. At the end of its turn or when it takes damage, the creature can try to shake off the effect.
When to cast Tasha’s Hideous Laughter
It is a single-target hard lock for one Level 1 slot. The victim is Prone and cannot stand, which means it is stuck on the floor taking Advantage attacks from your whole party while its own attacks suffer Disadvantage.
The weakness is that it can shrug off the effect whenever it takes damage, so it works best when you lock down one dangerous enemy and focus the rest of the party elsewhere. It is Concentration and a Wisdom save, so it is a control tool, not a guarantee.
Range: Melee (1.5m)
Duration: Until Long Rest
AoE: 4.5m (15ft) radius 
Save: WIS save 
