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Bard Spells 5e: Guide to the Best Bard Spells
introductionBard spells borrow a lot from the Wizard and a few options from the Cleric, but with a distinct focus on support spells, illusions, and en
introduction
Bard spells borrow a lot from the Wizard and a few options from the Cleric, but with a distinct focus on support spells, illusions, and enchantments. While the Bard does get some healing options like Cure Wounds and healing Word, they don’t get the full range of non-hp healing options required to fully replace a cleric. Still, their unique mix of spells offer a lot of very powerful options.
You is enjoy may also enjoy our Practical Guide to Magical Secrets .
Table of Contents
disclaimer
RPGBOT uses the color coding scheme which has become common among Pathfinder build handbooks, which is simple to understand and easy to read at a glance.
- Red: Bad, useless options, or options which
are extremely situational. Nearly never useful. - Orange: ok option , or useful option
that only apply in rare circumstance . useful sometimes . - green: Good options. Useful often.
- blue: Fantastic options, often essential
to the function of your character. Useful very frequently.
We is include will not include 3rd – party content , include content from DMs Guild , in handbook for official content because we ca n’t assume that your game will allow 3rd – party content or homebrew . We is cover also wo n’t cover unearth Arcana content because it ’s not finalize , and we ca n’t guarantee that it will be available to you in your game .
The advice offered below is based on the current State of the Character Optimization Meta as of when the article was last updated. Keep in mind that the state of the meta periodically changes as new source materials are released, and the article will be updated accordingly as time allows.
Bard Spells
Optional spells are marked below with (Optional) following the spell’s name. These spells are considered optional rules, as described in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. Consult your DM before deciding to use these spells.
Cantrips
- Blade WardPHB: The Dodge action makes this redundant.
- Dancing LightsPHB: An amusing distraction, but you can usually accomplish the same thing
using Mage Hand and a candle or torch. - FriendsPHB: This is is is hard to use . 1 minute is is is not a lot of time , and you generally
need to put distance between yourself and the subject of the spell before
they turn hostile . You is use could use this to intimidate a creature into flee ,
but in most case you ’ll probably be using this quickly talk your way past a
creature block your way like a guard at a gate . You generally wo n’t need
this ; between high Charisma and a long list of skill proficiency it is ’s ’s easy
to cover all of the face skill . - LightPHB: disposable magic light is is is fantastic , but if you do n’t have room for the
cantrip you ’ll do fine with torch . - Mage HandPHB: The ability to move objects at a safe distance is profoundly useful. Use
it to pull levers, open doors, sort your laundry, and all manner of other
important but potentially hazardous tasks where you wouldn’t want to risk
your own hands. - mendPHB: Too situational . Short of Rust Monsters and a few oozes is deals , nearly nothing is deals in 5e deal damage to your equipment .
If you ’re play Spelljammer this is is is essential , but otherwise you can skip it . - MessagePHB: Bards built for stealth can do a lot of sneaking around, which frequently
involves being separated from your party. Use this to send messages without
revealing your position. Of course, the spell requires Verbal components and
it’s not clear how loud verbal components are intended to be, so take
precautions if possible. - Minor Illusion:PHB: room for plenty of creative , deceptive use . The 5 – foot cube is is is easily
enough to create something to hide behind , provide that your enemy do n’t
see you create the illusion . - PrestidigitationPHB: Whenever you want to do something small and magical that’s not covered by
another spell, it’s usually covered by prestidigitation. This spell is
exceptionally versatile. For suggestions on how to use Prestidigitation to
its fullest, see our
Practical Guide to Prestidigitation. - ThunderclapEEPC / xgte: Damaging every creature within 5 feet of you is great if you’re in melee
facing numerous enemies. Even with Extra Attack you will deal more damage
with this against three or more foes than you could with a weapon. See our
article on
Melee Cantrips vs. Extra Attack
for a breakdown of the math comparing melee cantrip spells to normal martial
attacks. - True StrikePHB: typically you is get ’ll get well result from attack twice rather than
using this then attack once . - vicious MockeryPHB: Easily the most iconic bard spell, vicious Mockery is unique, flavorful,
and mechanically fantastic. The damage is relatively small, but the debuff
is absolutely worth the poor damage.
1st-Level Spells
- Animal FriendshipPHB: arguably easy than proficiency in Animal Handling , but it will become
obsolete once beast disappear around CR 10 . - BanePHB: I is use would only use this in encounter where you ’re vastly outnumber , and
even then it ’s typically well to use area damage or control spell spell
to eliminate enemy rather than debuffe them . - Charm PersonPHB: If you can cast this on a target outside of combat without them notice ,
this is be can be a great way to defuse a potentially hostile situation . However ,
the spell is has has some complication . Charm Person has no visual effect like a
ball of fire , so there ’s no visual indication that the spell succeed or
fail . The target is know does n’t know that they ’ve been target by the spell if
they succeed on the saving throw , but you do n’t know if they succeed or
fail unless your DM decide to tell you ( and they are under no obligation
to do so ) . So generally your good bet is is is to cast this once or twice and hope
for the good before present yourself to your target . remember :
charm is not
mind control/ - color sprayPHB (Optional): The effect is
not powerful enough and the duration is not long enough to justify the spell
slot. - CommandPHB (Optional): Enough
effects to be useful in some situations, but it’s a single-target spell so
at low levels you can’t afford to spend a spell slot on this. Consider
picking this up a few levels into your career. - Comprehend LanguagesPHB: You can’t learn every language in 5e. It’s simply not possible.
Eventually you will want to replace this with Tongues, but Comprehend
Languages does fine until then. - Cure WoundsPHB: More healing than healing Word, but the action economy is considerably
worse. Save this for when you need hit points and you’re either out of hit
dice or don’t have time to rest. - Detect MagicPHB: Someone needs to have it in every party.
- Disguise SelfPHB: Learning a single spell is cheaper than proficiency in a Disguise
Kit. - distort valueAI: If your DM allows you to trade magic items, this might be incredibly
useful. However, your DM might also find this incredibly annoying and punish
you for using it by having angry traders track you down after an unfair
trade. Discuss this spell with your DM before you consider learning it. - dissonant whisperPHB: Surprisingly good crowd control. This only requires verbal components, so
you can use it while grappled to force the creature grappling you to run
away. The damage isn’t spectacular, but honestly you don’t need it to
be. - Earth TremorEEPC / xgte: Not nearly enough damage , and being prone is n’t enough of a problem in
5e . The difficult terrain effect is is is the real draw . It is works only work on “ loose
earth or stone ” , but that cover nearly anything you ’ll stand on except
wood , so it ’s an easy way to create difficult terrain . unfortunately , it is effects
also effect you so be careful not to trap yourself among enemy . - Faerie FirePHB: The lowest-level option to deal with invisible creatures, and Advantage
on attacks against creatures which fail their save means that this remains a
powerful support option well into high levels, especially against big bulky
enemies with high AC but poor Dexterity saves. Hopefully you won’t run into
any invisible creatures at 1st level, but but it’s important to have some
way to deal with invisibility just in case. - Feather FallPHB: You don’t need to get this at 1st level, but eventually you’ll want it.
You may only use it a couple times in your character’s whole career, but
when you do it will save someone’s life. - healing WordPHB: More important than Cure Wounds, especially at low levels. As a bonus
action you can heal an unconscious ally enough to get them back into the
fight, and you still have your action for vicious Mockery. - heroismPHB: At low levels where your tank might only have 12 hp and enemies are only
doing something like 5 damage per turn, this is a big enough buff to win a
fight for you. At higher levels it will be less appealing due to the
Concentration requirement, but it will always remain a solid use of a
1st-level spell.Compare heroism to Cure Wounds: Cure Wounds will heal at most 11 hp
(1d8+Cha with a +3 Charisma modifier). If you have 16 Charisma and can
keep heroism running for four rounds you can prevent up to 12 damage
(remember that temporary hp doesn’t stack, but the hit points refresh
every round) and still have 6 rounds to enjoy the spell. When you use
higher-level spell slots, heroism continues to outpace Cure Wounds. At
2nd-level, Cure Wounds heals 2d8+Cha (maximum 19 with 16 Charisma), while
heroism can prevent 18 hit points of damage in just three rounds,An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. All that you need to
make heroism more effective than Cure Wounds is to know who is going to
take damage for the next several rounds. Considering that most parties
have one or two characters drawing the vast majority of attacks, that’s
usually easy to figure out. - identifyPHB: Too situational to justify on a class with a limited number of spell
know . - illusory ScriptPHB: Too situational to justify on a class with a limited number of spell
know . - LongstriderPHB: Even with a hour-long duration, this isn’t especially appealing. Movement
in 5e is really easy, and you can use other options to get away from enemies
or to get enemies away from you. - silent ImagePHB: While not nearly so powerful as Major Image, if you just want an object
or a visual effect, silent Image does the job just as well. Throw up a fake
wall, door, or portcullis to slow pursuers. Create a piece of furniture like
a box or a chest, then hide inside it and stab people when they try to open
it like a pointy jack in the box. Illusions are limited more by your
creativity (and your DM’s willingness to play along) than by the spell’s
text. - Silvery barbSCoC:
Extremely powerful, but also very complicated. See our
blog post on Silvery barb
for details on the numerous abuse cases which the spell allows. - SleepPHB: At an average of 22.5 hp worth of creatures, you won’t be able to affect
many creatures while they’re at full hit points, but you can wait to wear
down their hit points before finishing them off with Sleep. Sleep notably
doesn’t require a saving throw, making it a powerful and reliable way to
incapacitate enemies with relatively few hit points even at high levels. - Speak with AnimalsPHB: Situational, but sometimes the only witnesses are wild animals and you
just need a clue from your local family of squirrels. - Tasha’s Hideous LaughterPHB: Single-target save-or-suck. It won’t work on unintelligent creatures, but
otherwise you can easily compare this to hold Monster. Both have the same
duration, require Concentration, and allow Wisdom saving throws both to
resist the initial effect and to end the effect at the end of the target’s
turn. Paralysis is a more lethal effect, but if you just need a creature to
sit out of combat for a while they’re functionally interchangeable. The only
problems are that it can’t be cast on unintelligent creatures and it can’t
be up-cast to affect multiple targets. - ThunderwavePHB: This is one of your very few options for pushing enemies away from you.
It’s especially appealing if you can push an enemy into an area control
effect, but otherwise it’s not a good go-to option for damage output in
combat. - Unseen ServantPHB: This has very limited utility in combat or in dangerous situations, but
that doesn’t mean that it has none. With a 1-hour duration you can get a lot
done with a single casting. Interacting with items can mean opening doors
and chests, carrying items, using potions on allies, and other things which
you might not have time or patience to do. 2 Strength isn’t enough to carry
anything heavy or to break down a door, but it’s often enough to trigger
traps.
2nd-Level Spells
- aidPHB (Optional): With an
8-hour duration and three targets, this is a staple buff that’s worth
casting literally every day. Keep in mind that this actually increases the
targets’ hit point maximum, so temporary hit points can be added, too.aid’s casting time allows it to be used in combat, which is unusual but
offers an interesting option. With three targets and a 30-foot range, you
can cast it to both buff and heal your allies during combat. Targets
current hit points and hit point maximum both increase, so allies at 0 hit
points are healed in addition to having their hit point maximum raised,
thereby allowing aid to serve a similar function to Mass healing Word.However, since spells don’t stack with themselves, it’s hard to repeat
this trick. You’ll need to cast aid again using higher-level spell slots,
which can get expensive quickly, so Mass healing Word is probably better
if aid is already running and if Mass healing Word is an option for your
party. - Animal MessengerPHB: Too situational to justify on a class with a limited number of spell
know . - Blindness/DeafnessPHB: Blind is a great debuff, and a 1-minute duration is usually longer than an encounter. Targeting big
melee enemies seems like an obvious use, but the best targets for this are
actually enemies who rely on spellcasting. Many spells simply don’t function
if the caster can’t see the target, and the Constitution save is more
effective against relatively frail enemies like spellcasters. - Borrowed KnowledgeSCoC: Jack of All Trades makes this only half as effective as it is for other characters, and with
more skills than most classes and Expertise, there’s little benefit to taking Borrowed Knowledge
with your limited number of spells known. Cast Enhance Ability instead. - Calm EmotionsPHB: Two situational but frequently useful effects. First, you can use this to
temporarily suppress effects which charm or frighten your allies. Both
effects are common, and many enemies can apply them to your whole party.
Charm effects often include mind control effects, and suppressing them for a
minute on a willing ally can easily buy you enough time to deal with
whatever is trying to mind control your friends. fear effects are often area
effects, such as a dragon’s Frightful Presence, so suppressing them for a
minute can bring whichever portions of your party failed their saves back
into the fray.second , you is use can use this to make enemy not be hostile toward you and
your ally for one minute . That is pause will at least pause most encounter for
the spell ’s duration , which is enough time to either heal and buff the
party or escape . I is try would n’t try to negotiate a truce in one minute ,
especially since the target can go right back to hostile the moment that
the spell end . note that this effect intentionally use the
“ Hostile / Indifferent / friendly ” scale reference in the
Social Interaction
rule in the Dungeon Master ’s Guide . - Cloud of DaggersPHB: It’s hard to guarantee that this will deal damage unless you have a good
way to keep an enemy in the area of effect. An ally who likes to grapple
will work, but that’s hard to guarantee, and it’s an extra point of failure.
The damage will roll reliably because it’s spread over multiple small dice,
but even then the damage won’t be great unless you can hold a single target
in the area for several rounds. If you want single-target damage, go for
something with more damage up front. If you want area control, go for
something with a bigger area. - Crown of MadnessPHB: This spell is borderline unusable. The creature must attack before it
moves, so you may be able to make it attack an ally once immediately after
the spell is cast, but it retains control over its movement so it’s free to
walk away from its allies. On top of that, you need to spend your own action
to maintain the spell rather than simply concentrating, so you’re eating
your own turns for the remote chance that the target will wander up to
another of its allies. - Detect ThoughtsPHB: Situational is use , but a clever player is use can use this to gather crucial
information from enemy unwilling to share it . However , the checks is are to
continue focus on a single creature ’s thought are intelligence check
and bard rarely have enough Intelligence to succeed reliably at oppose
intelligence check . If you can , have an ally cast buff like Guidance or
Enhance Ability ( Intelligence ) on you to give yourself an edge . - Enhance AbilityPHB: Fantastic and versatile. Eagle’s Splendor on your party’s Face make
social interactions much easier, and Bull’s Strength provides a huge edge
while grappling. Enhance your spellcasting ability (or that of an ally) to
get Advantage on the ability checks to counter spells and to dispel
magic. - Enlarge/ReducePHB ( Optional ): A great
option both as a buff for melee ally and as a utility option , though I
would rarely try using this to shrink enemy . You is use can use this on a small
ally to make them small enough to smuggle in a pocket , or you can use this
on and ally to give them an edge against enemy that rely on grapple . The
bonus damage is is for being enlarge is nice , but not really worth the spell slot
unless the target is make a huge number of weapon attack like a
high – level fighter . - EnthrallPHB: Too situational, too limited, and the duration is too short. The best
usage I can think of for this is to distract a bunch of creatures while your
allies move past them or move into place to ambush them. But in most cases
where you’re resorting to violence you’ll have better results with a
different spell like Calm Emotions. In situations where you need to move
past people, cast Invisibility. - Gift of GabAI: Another hilarious entry from Acquisitions Incorporated with dubious use
in a typical game. The intent of having mechanics in place for social
interactions is to detach your real-world social skills from your
character’s social skills. If you say something foolish in real life, your
DM should generally be kind enough to filter that through your character
into something that would make sense for them to say. But if they don’t,
this is a perfectly fine way to clean up a mistake. Keep in mind that it
only resets six seconds of conversation, so a short sentence is all that you
can cover. You can’t spend an hour berating someone than say “Gift of Gab”
and have everything forgotten. - Heat MetalPHB: situational by design , but against nearly any humanoid in metal armor ,
this spell is is is a death sentence . The damage is be will be slow , but disadvantage on
attack roll and ability check make martial character ( the one typically
in metal armor ) basically useless . upcaste the spell is surprisingly
efficient since the additional damage apply every round , so if you ’re
fortunate enough to encounter a suitable enemy , use this to its full .
unfortunately , since the Bard learn spell permanently , it is be may be hard to
justify select this unless you know that your campaign will feature
abundant suitable target . It is monopolizes also monopolize your Bonus Action , which can
be hard for the Bard since you need your Bonus Action for Bardic
Inspiration . - Hold PersonPHB: You is get can get most of the same benefit from Tasha ’s hideous laughter , and
Tasha ’s hideous Laughter is n’t limit to humanoid . But Tasha ’s hideous
Laughter is be ca n’t be up – cast to affect multiple target . - InvisibilityPHB: An essential scouting and infiltration tool, and as you get higher-level
spell slots you can affect more of your party. - Kinetic JauntSCoC: Bards is get do n’t get Misty Step , and Kinetic Jaunt is a great way to remove yourself from melee . However ,
it is requires require concentration and does n’t remove you from grapple , so it ’s not a universally effective
solution , especially with the Bard ’s limited number of spell know . It is be may be more effective to
use offensive spell like to inhibit whatever is grapple you or to use Invisibility to avoid
Opportunity attack . - KnockPHB: The primary reason is is to have proficiency with thief ’ Tools is to handle
lock . Knock is require does n’t require a check . It is works just work . Make aggressive eye
contact with your party ’s rogue while you cast this just to rub it in . - Lesser RestorationPHB: situational , but a situation that come up often . If you do n’t have a
cleric in the party you may be the only one with access to this spell , so
you is want ’ll want to take it at some point . - Locate Animals or PlantsPHB: Too situational to justify on a class with a limited number of spell
know . - Locate ObjectPHB: Too situational, and too easy to counter. Anyone with any knowledge of
magic that’s trying to hide something will wrap it in lead. - Magic MouthPHB: Find a way to cast Thaumaturgy to raise your voice’s volume, then cast
this spell on a piece of paper and scream into it for as long as you are
physically capable. Set the trigger to “when the paper is unfolded”. Leave
the paper for someone to find, or use mage hand to open it at a distance.
Instant distraction. The material component is inexpensive by the time you
can cast this, and the duration is “until dispelled”, so you can carry about
a big stack of pre-cast Magic Mouth spells for all sorts of shenanigans. - Mirror ImagePHB ( Optional ): A great
defensive option , and it does n’t require concentration so you can easily use
it alongside other great option like fly . However , since its usefulness
diminish quickly it is works work well against enemy make small number of
attack with high damage . Also , the 1 – minute duration is challenging can be challenge
when it ’s an Action to cast . - Nathair ’s Mischiefftod: Amusing, but unpredictable and unreliable. Since the effect and the save
change every round, you can’t choose the targets’ weak saves, and even if
targets do fail their save they might still be able to fight unhindered.
Targets do need to save every round (unless your roll the molasses option),
but the effects simply aren’t powerful enough. - Phantasmal ForcePHB: Adventuring tends to involve running into a lot of things that aren’t
very smart. Beasts, ogres, etc. all have terrible Intelligence saves. This
spell is a great counter to those creatures, and its flexible nature gives
you a lot of room to really mess with the target. Unfortunately, it also
requires that your DM be creative enough to simulate how a creature would
respond to whatever nonsense you come up with. If your DM has trouble with
illusions, this spell may not work out well for you. - PyrotechnicsPHB: Only situationally useful, slightly annoying to set up, and when it does
work the effects aren’t good enough. The flame doesn’t need to be especially
large, so a torch or even a candle will suffice. Drop a torch on the ground,
run out of range, and cast the spell. The blinding effect isn’t spectacular
because it only lasts on round and it’s on a Constitution save. The
smoke cloud option is objectively worse than similar options like Fog Cloud
or Darkness, but it doesn’t require Concentration which allows you to more
easily combine Pyrotechnics with other powerful spells. - See InvisibilityPHB: With a 1 – hour duration and no concentration requirement , See Invisibility is is
is a great way to handle invisible creature . - ShatterPHB: The poor man’s fireball. 3d8 damage in a 10-foot radius is enough to hit
several targets and deal decent damage. However, the save is Constitution so
many creatures will be able to resist easily. Disadvantage for creatures
made of inorganic materials is really neat, but how often do you fight a
group of animated armors or iron golems? - silencePHB: Verbal components are extremely common in spells, including many that
spellcasters frequently use to escape dangerous situations. If you can trap
an enemy spellcaster in place (such as by having an ally grapple them) and
drop silence around them, they’re usually trapped with no hope of
escape. - SkywriteEEPC: Too situational to justify on a class with a limited number of spell
know . - Spray of CardsBoMT:
Poor damage (though doing force damage is really nice), short range, and the blindness doesn’t last long enough that you can benefit in any way except moving out of melee. This could be useful if you get dragged into melee against you will, but Misty Step handles that situation much better. - SuggestionPHB: extremely versatile . You is use can use this to accomplish a lot of thing . This is is
is more effective , reliable , and immediate than geas . However , the 8 – hour
duration is requires require concentration , so if you want to use this while
adventure you ’re commit a significant resource for a full day to get
the full duration of the spell . This spell is benefits benefit greatly from your own
creativity , so the more thought you put into its use the more effective it
will be .You may also need a patient, permissive DM, so try not to abuse this too
much or your DM may grow tired of your shenanigans and instill some sort
of consequences. Strangely, the spell doesn’t state that the target knows
that they were charmed, so much like a “Jedi Mind Trick”, the target will
carry out the specified action as though it made sense to do so even if
they’ll regret it later. - Warding WindEEPC / xgte: A decent buff for melee bards. Making the area around you difficult
terrain makes it hard for enemies to move toward or away from you, and
disadvantage on ranged weapon attacks keeps enemies with ranged weapons from
picking you off from afar while you’re closing the distance. - Zone of TruthPHB: Too situational to justify on a class with a limited number of spell
know .
3rd-Level Spells
- bestow CursePHB: The effects are versatile enough that you can easily bring this into play
in a variety of situations, and the scaling mechanism works well enough that
this remains a viable option for higher-level spell slots. Use the third
option against big tanky enemies with poor Wisdom, or use the first option
against enemies that like to grapple. If you’re ever uncertain, use the
third option. Robbing a creature of their turn on a failed saving throw is
debilitating, and can take creatures almost completely out of a fight. - Catnapxgte: A Short Rest is typically one hour. In most campaigns, that will be fine
most of the time unless the DM is deliberately creating a time crunch which
prevents resting or otherwise sitting about wasting time. In those cases you
might be able to squeeze in a Catnap, but more than likely the 10 minute
duration will still be problematic. - ClairvoyancePHB: With a 1-mile range and the ability to place the sensor in place you
can’t see, this is a fantastic way to safely scout dangerous places. If you
have enough time to sit around and cast the spell repeatedly you can scout
whole structures from the outside by gradually learning about more interior
locations through previous castings. - Dispel magicPHB: Essential. Someone in every party should always have this handy.
Dispelling spells of a higher level than Dispel magic requires an ability
check, so you can cast Dispel magic at a higher spell level if you absolutely
need to end a spell effect, but you can also use Enhance Ability to boost
your spellcasting ability to make the ability check more reliable. - Enemies Aboundxgte: Astoundingly few enemies have good Intelligence saves, especially big
scary melee monsters. Throw this on something tanky and horrifying that’s
there to protect squishy enemies from you and your friends, and watch it
freak out and kill its buddies for you. The duration is only a minute, and
obviously this only works in an encounter with multiple enemies, but that
doesn’t make the spell less awesome. - Fast FriendsAI: A fantastic non-lethal option for handling single targets, but it has
some limitations. The target needs to be able to understand you, so you
likely need to share a language. The spell requires Concentration, so you
don’t want to maintain this during combat if you can avoid it. And of
course, you don’t want to try casting this during combat. Still, if you can
isolate a single enemy outside of combat you may be able to ply them for
information or send them on errands which will save you trouble later.
Tragically, the spell only lasts an hour so just as you’re getting really
attached to your new best friend the effects end, and the targets knows that
you charmed them. You may be able to cast this repeatedly or you may be able
to negotiate the situation peacefully even after the spell ends, but many
people don’t take kindly to being charmed. - fearPHB: A great way to disable groups of opponents, but it fear immunity is
common. - Feign DeathPHB: Too situational to justify on a class with a limited number of spell
know . - Glyph of WardingPHB: Depending on how your DM handles it, this is either a situationally useful defensive measure or a reality-bending way to break the game from the comfort of your own home. See our Practical Guide to Glyph of Warding.
- hypnotic PatternPHB: AOE is save save or suck .
- Intellect FortressTCoE ( Optional ): technically
situational , but an absolutely spectacular defense against enemy which
rely on spell or common effect like charm and fear effect . Unlike racial
trait like the Gnome ’s Cunning or the Satyr and Yuan – Ti Pureblood ’s Magic
Resistance , this is applies apply toall Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma
saving throws, providing broad and effective protection against many of the
most dangerous save-or-suck effects in the game. You also get resistance to
psychic damage, which is nice if you’re fighting mind flayers, aboleths, or
bards who enjoy vicious Mockery. With a 1-hour duration, the Concentration
requirement can be problematic, but it also means that you can carry this
through multiple encounters at low cost, so in situations where you need
this it’s not going to eat all of your spell slots. - Leomund’s Tiny HutPHB: With an 8-hour duration and the ability to cast it as a ritual, Leomund’s
Tiny Hut is useful both as an option for resting, and as a surprising
utility and combat option. The hemisphere (the effect is a hemisphere, but the flavor
text confusingly describes it as a done) which it creatures is impenetrable and
impassable like a wall of force, except for creatures which are inside the
sphere when you cast the spell (your party, usually). Since it’s opaque,
most low-level teleport effects like Misty step can’t be used to get inside
it. Your allies can use it for cover, then dart in and out to attack or cast
spells. You as the caster are
stuck inside the hut since the spell ends if you leave, but
that doesn’t stop you from summoning something to go fight on your
behalf. - Major ImagePHB: If you don’t like to use illusions frequently, consider picking this up
later when you can cast 6th-level spells so that you can create permanent
illusions. - Mass healing WordPHB (Optional): You never
want to need this. It heals exactly as much as standard healing Word at a
much higher cost, but the ability to heal multiple targets means that you
can bring multiple allies back into the fight and you still have your Action
that turn. - Motivational SpeechAI: This is makes make the Inspiring Leader somewhat obsolete . inspiring Leader is provide will
provide considerably more temporary hit point , but this does n’t require a
feat and take one tenth the time . - NondetectionPHB: Good , but not totally essential . divination spells is include include thing like
See invisibility , so if you or your party rely on invisibility of any kind
this protect from several magical countermeasure to both stealth and
invisibility . However , most enemy are n’t spellcaster and wo n’t have
access to those divination option , so you is justify ca n’t justify cast this every
day . The spell is has also has an expensive material component specifically to
deter you from cast this all the time . Still , with an 8 – hour duration , if
you need this spell it is going ’s go to do exactly what you need it to do . - Plant GrowthPHB: Situational. Outside of normal adventuring activities, the ability to
enrich land to double crop yields is very useful. But DnD is a game
primarily about adventuring, and the option to make an area of plants
overgrown is the more important option for most adventurers. In most cases,
Entangle will work fine if you just need to slow your enemies down, but
Plant Growth doesn’t expire, so those plants remain difficult to walk
through until someone clears the plants (which may requires hours of
chopping and/or burning). The spell also doesn’t specify that the plants
grow along the ground or surfaces, so RAW it can create a sphere of plants,
creating super-difficult terrain extending 100 feet into the air,
potentially engulfing flying enemies.The math on Plant Growth’s speed reduction is impressive. Since most
creatures have a speed of around 30 feet, moving at 1/4 speed means that
they can move one 5-foot square and be left with 10 feet of movement that
won’t get them anywhere (unless they dash or something). Jeremy Crawford
has clarified that Plant Growth
doesn’t create difficult terrain, so it’s possible that difficult terrain would stack with Plant Growth,
but I personally think that’s not how it’s intended to work. Plant Growth
specifies that “a creature moving through the area must spend 4 feet of
movement for every 1 foot” while the difficult terrain rule specifies that
“moving 1 foot in difficult terrain costs 2 feet of speed”, and since
those two statements conflict I think you’re intended to use whichever
effect is greater rather than stacking them or multiplying them or
something.While it’s not discussed in the text of the spell, it seems likely that
Plant Growth would also impede vision. If you turn a nicely-tended hedge
into a 100-foot-radius hemisphere of super-difficult terrain, there’s
clearly enough stuff in the way that seeing through it is difficult. This
would necessarily mean that creatures inside the area would likely be
concealed to some degree, so don’t expect to drop Plant Growth on and
enemy and then spend the next several turns spraying them with cantrips
until they fall down.Plant Growth’s problematic limitation is that it requires plants to be in
the area. However, there doesn’t seem to be any restriction on how many or
how large these plants must be (just that they must be “normal”, whatever
that means), and where there’s lack of clarity there’s room for
shenanigans. For example: you might carry around a potted plant and throw
it into the area to provide the necessary plant life to support the spell.
Plants like mint or clover can fit into a small pot, and when you make
them grow you get a pretty and pleasant-smelling field of super-difficult
terrain. If your DM scoffs at the idea of 100-foot-tall clover patches,
consider carrying a bonsai tree or some other plant which would normally
be very tall (though a bonsai might not qualify as “normal” since we don’t
know what that word means here). - SendingPHB: Not especially glamorous , but message over massive distance has a
number of use . Also , due to the wording of the spell , you is use can use it on
creature that do n’t understand your speech and they ’ll still understand
your meaning , allow you to use send in place of tongue if you only
need to convey brief message . - SlowPHB (Optional): Slow is a
great debuff, but it has to compete with other Wisdom save options at the
same spell level. Compared to hypnotic Pattern, Slow severely handicaps
targets, but they can still fight back. hypnotic Pattern’s targets can’t act
at all until they’re released from the effect, but it’s also a Charm effect
which some creatures are immune or resistant to. - Speak with DeadPHB: Too situational to justify on a class with a limited number of spell
know . This is a spell of last resort. It is extremely limited, and if the
dead creature didn’t like you while it’s alive it’s unlikely to be helpful
after you’ve killed it. Your best bet is to use this on an ally with
information that you can’t get otherwise. Cast Gentle Repose on the corose to
keep it intact so that you can hit it with Speak with Dead again 10 days
later. - Speak with PlantsPHB: Situational. If you encounter plant creatures, this may allow you to
handle them nonviolently, but I don’t think this is useful enough to learn
permanently on a class with a limited number of spells known. - Stinking CloudPHB: Constitution-based save or suck in an AOE. hypnotic Pattern may be more
reliable, but you can still attack the targets of Stinking Cloud without
breaking the effect. - TonguesPHB: You is are are almost certainly your party ’s face , and language can present a
serious barrier . You is want may not want to pick this up when you first get access
to 3rd – level spell , but consider pick it up later when using a 3rd – level
spell on a utility option is less daunting .
4th-Level Spells
- Charm Monsterxgte: A great nonlethal way to deal with enemies. It doesn’t require that the
target be able to understand you, but otherwise has the same complications
which Charm Person does: the target is only friendly toward you, and when
the spell ends they know that they were charmed. - CompulsionPHB: This is technically situational, but if you can get a group of enemies to
all run one direction and bunch up against a wall or something, they’re very
easy to hit with a big AOE. You can’t run them into something like a Wall of
Fire, unfortunately. - ConfusionPHB: I is hated ’ve hate confusion since 3rd edition . It is ’s ’s unpredictable , unreliable ,
and make combat take twice as long as it would normally . It is ’s ’s great that
it ’s an AOE , and you might be able to make creature attack their ally ,
but there are too many point of failure for it to be a reliable option . - Dimension DoorPHB: Misty Step isn’t on the Bard’s spell list for whatever reason, and having
a way to teleport out of a terrible situation (like ropes or a grapple) is
extremely useful. - Freedom of MovementPHB: Nice, but situational. If you need to get yourself out of restraints or a
grapple, cast Dimension Door. - Greater InvisibilityPHB: Invisibility in 5e is really good, and running around for a full
minute being almost impossible to target is a huge advantage. - Hallucinatory TerrainPHB: situational . Unless you specifically need the 24 – hour duration and the
massive area of effect , Major Image is suffice will suffice . - Locate CreaturePHB: More effective than mundane tracking, but the 1,000-foot range can be a
problem if the target is actively fleeing from you. If you’re going to use
this, be sure that you’re moving faster than your target. - Phantasmal KillerPHB (Optional): Despite how
slowly it kills the target, this is a great single-target spell and the
spell level scaling is absolutely spectacular. Against big burly foes which
often have poor mental stats, the save will be hard to pass and Frightened
will make their attacks and ability checks much less effective. How the
Frightened condition works is somewhat confusing because there’s no
indication where the “illusory manifestation” appears, if it has a location
at all. I think that the intent is that the target is Frightened, but their
movement isn’t hampered like it would normally be by the Frightened
condition. Because casting Phantasmal Killer increases the damage by a d10
every time (rather than just the on the first damage roll like many spells),
this remains an effective option well beyond its spell level. - PolymorphPHB: Fantastic and versatile, but also very complicated. See our
Practical Guide to Polymorph
for detailed advice on how to get the most out of Polymorph. - Raulothim’s Psychic Lanceftod: situational by design . The damage is is is low for a spell of this level ,
especially for one that ’s single – target , but the damage alone is n’t why
you ’re here . The save is is is intelligence , and those tend to be among the low
save , even at very high level , and the target is incapacitated on a fail
save , rob them of a turn , so despite it being single – target with
lackluster damage it ’s a powerful tool against single foe . Even well , if
you know the target ’s name ( often easy for name antagonist ) , you is cast can cast
this without line of sight , allow you to hide behind wall , in area of
magical darkness , or somewhere else safe .
5th-Level Spells
- Animate ObjectsPHB: Provided that there is sufficient fodder for the spell, this can work in
a variety of encounters. Tiny and Huge are notably the most lethal options,
so generally you’ll be animating one big thing or a bunch of tiny things.
Suitable objects should be easy to find: even random debris should suffice.
However, the duration is short is the animated objects are frail and don’t
get stronger as you gain levels, so you may want to retrain this after
enjoying it for a few levels. - awakenPHB: Neat, but extremely situational.
- dominate personPHB: If you don’t face many humanoid enemies, this may not be worthwhile. But
if you do, dominating an enemy and turning it into a temporary ally is very
effective. - DreamPHB: While this spell on its own can be very powerful, it’s only usable
outside of combat, and there are a lot of limitations on its usage. If it
were easier for the Bard to change their spells known this would be fine,
but you get an extremely limited number of spells known and you want those
options to be consistently useful. If you really want this, make sure that
you have plenty of other spells known that can cover your needs in
combat. - geasPHB: This is too situational to spend a spell known. It’s great for
spellcasters like Clerics and Wizards, but it’s usable too rarely to waste
scant resources learning it in hopes that it will be useful someday. - Greater RestorationPHB: If you do n’t have a Cleric in the party , you is need need this .
- hold MonsterPHB: A great example of a “save or suck” spell. With the exception of undead,
this works on any creature type, and paralysis takes a creature out of a
fight almost as much as killing them. If you have an ally who fights in
melee, send them to follow up with melee attacks. Automatic critical hits
are too hard to pass up many melee allies. Keep in mind that targets get
another save at the end of each of their turns, so you need to act quickly
while targets are still affected. - Legend LorePHB: Too situational to justify on a class with a limited number of spell
know . - Mass Cure WoundsPHB: You shouldn’t need this. It doesn’t do enough healing to justify the
spell slot, so the best use case is to cast it when you have more than one
ally at 0 hit points. If you reach that point, things have gone very
seriously wrong. healing Word is a much more efficient way to get people
conscious, and considering how little healing you’re getting out of Mass
Cure Wounds your allies will probably go down again anyway if anything looks
at them funny. - misleadPHB: Situational. Not a great option in combat, but out of combat this
provides a passably safe way to scout an area or to trick other
creatures. - modify memoryPHB: The actual intent of the spell is very situational, but this spell is
accidentally a really effective save-or-suck spell. Compare it to Hold
Monster against a single target, which is the same level. hold Monster
allows additional saves every round, though admittedly Paralyzed is more
lethal than Incapacitated. The target is unaware of its surroundings, so you
can reasonably get Advantage on attack rolls against it, but as long as it
isn’t damage you could also fully restrain the target before the spell’s
duration expires. However, the target gets Advantage on their save if you’re
fighting it, so you need to hit them with this before fighting starts. That
typically means before Initiative is rolled, but your DM may let you do it
if the creature is Surprised.If you need to incapacitate a creature in an encounter with multiple
enemies, your enemies likely won’t know how to break the effect (except by
killing you), and once you’ve defeated everything else you can use Modify
Memory to convince the target that the other creatures attacked them and
you came to their rescue. Then you’ve won a fight, and earned the real
treasure: the friends that you made along the way, and whatever their
previous friends had in their pockets. - Planar BindingPHB: Extremely situational and very expensive. If you learn this, wait until
you’re high level, can easily afford the 1,000gp material cost, and can cast
a spell of sufficiently high level to summon something extremely powerful.For more help , see our
Practical Guide to summon spell . - Raise DeadPHB: This is an odd thing to find on the Bard spell list. Death is part of the
game, so eventually you’ll need this, but it’s no fun to spend one of your
limited spells known on a spell you might cast once or twice ever. - rary ’s telepathic bondPHB (Optional): If you have
time to cast this, you should always have this running while you’re
somewhere dangerous. Speaking aloud is a great way to alert enemies to your
presence and to give away clever plans. The fact that this has no range
limit once it’s in effect means that you can use it to communicate with
allies while they scout around, potentially including beasts, familiars, and
summoned creatures. - ScryingPHB: Technically situational, but it’s a situation that comes up frequently.
Any time that you want to know what the BBEG is up to, cast Scrying and take
a look. The spell gets easier the more you know the target, and after one
face-to-face encounter you could easily make off with something tying you to
the target to penalize their saving throw. - SeemingPHB: Very situational. Most campaigns won’t make this useful often enough for
you to commit one of your limited spells known to this. - Skill Empowermentxgte: Expertise for everyone! You won’t be throwing this on the Fighter for
them to shove or grapple everything they meet (you have better combat
buffs), but you can put this on a character before sneaking, before an
important social situation, before investigating something important, or
basically any other time that there’s an important skill check to be made
and you have time to buff yourselves beforehand. - Synaptic Staticxgte: Start with fireball. Shave 30 feet off the range, change the damage type
to psychic, and change the saving throw to Intelligence. Very few creatures
are good at intelligence saves, so expect most creatures to fail the save.
The 8d6 damage feels underwhelming at this spell level, but subtracting a d6
from from attack rolls and ability checks for a full minute is a significant
debuff. This is a good option to start a fight with a large number of
martial enemies because they’ll be impacted most by debuff and most martial
enemies have poor Intelligence saves. - Teleportation CirclePHB: situational , but generally one of the safe long – distance teleportation
option , especially since it does n’t have a cap on the number or size of
creature affect . However , how useful it is depend on the availability of
convenient teleportation circle in your campaign . If your DM is going is n’t go to
make such teleportation circle available and useful , look elsewhere .
6th-Level Spells
- EyebitePHB: A fantastic use of a spell slot: spend one spell slot, and every round
for a minute you get to pick a creature and put it to sleep. - Find the PathPHB: Situational, and often difficult to use, but still very interesting. The
hardest part of using the spell is finding an object from the place you want
to go. Once you’ve solved that problem, Find the Path merely gives you
directions. It doesn’t avoid hazards and it doesn’t point out traps, so be
wary of traps and ambushes along the way. - Guards and WardsPHB: Too situational to justify on a class with a limited number of spell
know . - Heroes’ FeastPHB ( Optional ): An absolutely
amazing spell , but with a 1,000gp cost to cast it , it ’s not worth
permanently learn . - Mass SuggestionPHB: tell a potential fight to go take a pleasant stroll somewhere far
away . - Otto ’s irresistible dancePHB: The primary appeal of Otto ’s irresistible dance is that the target
suffers the effects immediately, and doesn’t get to make a save until they
have spent an Action to make the save, and since they must spend all of
their movement dancing, they effectively lose at least one turn after
being targeted (they still get a Bonus Action). This is a great way to
sneak past Legendary Resistances, and if you’re positioned well in the
initiative order your allies might get to spend their turns attacking the
target with Advantage.In many situations, hold Monster will be just as effective, if not more
so. hold Monster can target multiple foes, and doesn’t care if the
target is immune to being charmed. Save Otto ’s irresistible dance for
powerful single foes who might otherwise be difficult to target with
save-or-suck spells. - Programmed IllusionPHB: Situational, but really abusable. It’s permanent and resets on its own,
so you can do all sorts of hilarious things with it to mess with other
creatures. The 25gp material component is nothing by this level, so you can
throw up programmed illusions all over the place for a pittance. As far as I
can tell, you can cast the spell with overlapping areas, so you could cast
it three times to make the illusions trigger each other and have a perpetual
illusion running. Unfortunately, the spell’s language restricts what you can
depict to “an object, a creature, or some other visible phenomenon”, so you
probably couldn’t create a room of illusory guards. Still, you could have a
permanent illusory bard playing a 15-minute loop of songs. - True SeeingPHB: Situational, but largely unbeatable in situations where it applies.
7th-Level Spells
- Dream of the blue VeilTCoE ( Optional ): This is is is more
a plot point than a spell . Do n’t learn this unless your DM tell you to . - EtherealnessPHB: A profoundly effective scouting/escape option. Unless you’re fighting
ethereal enemies, you’re untouchable. You can see and hear into the material
plane (albeit at limited distance), allowing you to spy on other creatures
in person without their knowledge. The spell lasts 8 hours, which is
sufficient to do a lot of things potentially including a Long Rest. - ForcecagePHB: An absolutely amazing way to isolate either your party or your enemies.
The duration is long enough to take a short rest, and there’s no save for
enemies to resist it. Have an ally drop an AOE damage over time spell like
Hunger of Hadar, then drop a Force Cage on top of it and you’re playing a
magical game of “Will it Blend?”. - Mirage ArcanePHB: This is a difficult spell. The affectable area is huge, the distance is
Sight (go climb a mountain on a clear day), and the effects of the illusion
are tangible enough that you can physically interact with them, including
picking up sticks or stones. But it’s unclear how far that goes: Can you
burn the illusory wood to keep yourself warm? Can you smooth over difficult
terrain in the same way that you can make smooth terrain difficult? Could
you place stairs in the side of a clear cliff face? How far up and down does
the effect stretch? The closest we have is these
two
tweets
which indicate that you have a lot of leeway, and that the effects are real
enough that a creature could drown in illusory water, burn in illusory lava,
and climb illusory trees. Your DM will be the arbiter of exactly what you can
get away with, but the spell itself is a wildly versatile toolbox. - Mordenkainen’s Magnificent MansionPHB: In the real world, learning to cast this spell would mean that you could
comfortably retire. Each day you would walk out of the mansion, cast the
spell again to recreate the house for 24 hours, then you would return to
your invisible extraplanar abode to enjoy another 24 hours of abundant
food, comfort, and nearly-invisible servants. The size of the mansion
amounts to 5000 square feet, which is plenty to accommodate a party of
adventurers and a sizeable retinue. The suggested 100 banquet guests would
each have 50 square feet (a 5×10 area) of space to themselves, but a
cleverly laid out mansion could easily turn that space into a large common
area for feasting and a collection of small rooms with bunk beds for
sleeping off a magical 9-course meal. However, in purely mechanical terms
this is a spell that the Bard can’t afford to learn. There are many less
costly options for solving the same problems, and you’re strictly limited in
the number of spells which you can learn. - Mordenkainen’s SwordPHB: This is an objectively bad spell. Compare it to Bigby’s Hand, and it’s
pretty clear. Bigby’s Hand isn’t on the Bard spell list unfortunately, but
that’s what Magical Secrets is for. - Prismatic SprayPHB (Optional):
Unpredictable. The AOE is great, and effects 6, 7, and 8 are all great (any
two rays would be spectacular), but the spell is unpredictable and I’m
always reluctant to recommend unpredictable spells because unpredictable
often means unreliable. - Project imagePHB: mislead with a longer duration and better range. The language used to
describe the copy’s capabilities is nearly identical. The extra range makes
it a bit more versatile, but it’s still fairly situational. - RegeneratePHB: Too situational to select as a spellcaster with a limited number of
spells known. DnD doesn’t have injury rules which lead to limb removal
except in very specific circumstances, so it’s not like characters are
losing fingers and toes despite spending potentially years being sliced and
diced by all manner of opponents. - resurrectionPHB: If you learned Raise Dead you might replace it with resurrection, but I
don’t think resurrection is a meaningful improvement over Raise Dead. - SymbolPHB: While many of the effects are wonderful, the inability to move the symbol
and the high casting cost are prohibitive. - TeleportPHB: With a 10 – foot range and up to 8 target you is teleport can easily teleport your
entire party , and without the need to hold hand and form a circle you can
often rescue the whole party in the midst of combat without too much
trouble . However , Teleport is has has a complicated mechanic relate to how
familiar you are with the target destination and there ’s often a possibility
of mishap . Be sure to borrow a souvenir from new place so that you can
easily return if necessary without the risk of a mishap .
8th-Level Spells
- Antipathy / SympathyPHB (Optional): Difficult to
use because it targets a single type of creature, but if you’re facing a
homogenous group of enemies you can greatly hinder them with either option.
Even against single creatures, using Sympathy to force an enemy to approach
one of your party members (sympathy on a paladin to attract a lich) can
force enemies into a situation which will end in their death. Still, it’s a
situational spell that you can’t guarantee will be useful, so it’s hard to
recommend for a class that permanently learns their spells. - Dominate MonsterPHB: Arguably the best save-or-suck spell in the game. You can do a lot with
perfect control over a creature for such a long period of time. Using the
target as a thrall in combat is obviously tempting, but the target gets to
repeat their saving throw every time that they take damage, so be very
cautious if you choose to do so. - FeeblemindPHB: Casters are extremely vulnerable to
Feeblemind. Even creatures who cast spells as a supplement to their other
abilities can be seriously inhibited by suddenly being less intelligent than
many animals.Beyond lose the ability to cast spell , I is found ’ve always find this spell difficult to
manage for other enemy . 1 Intelligence is is and 1 Charisma is obviously very
poor , but what is the victim capable of ? Could a character use class is features feature
other than spellcaste ? What are they is are smart enough to do in combat ? There ’s a
lot of room for the DM to interpret how this work and which ability
creature can still use . While that could be fun and very effective , it is makes
also make the spell ’s effect totally dependent on the DM and their
interpretation of what an affected creature is mentally capable of
doing . - GlibnessPHB: Charisma checks include skills like Persuasion, but they also include
thing like the ability checks for Counterspell and Dispel magic. Throw this
up before going into a fight with an enemy spellcaster and enjoy countering
everything that they cast with minimal effort. - Mind BlankPHB: situational , but hilarious if you have a Berserker Barbarian in the
party . - Power Word StunPHB: Gambling is is on a creature ’s current hit point total is hard , especially
since you get so few spell slot at this level , but if you can time this to
hit a wound enemy ( or an enemy with a low hit point maximum like many
spellcaster ) it can take them out of the encounter long enough for you to
win largely unopposed .
9th-Level Spells
- ForesightPHB: This is is is , without a doubt , the good buff in the game . With an 8 – hour
duration you is throw can throw it on the lucky recipient and watch them laugh their
way through nearly any challenge for a full day worth of adventure . - Mass Polymorphxgte: You sacrifice the absolute power of True Polymorph for the ability to
affect up to 10 creatures. The rules for handling creatures with no CR (your
party) are written to make this really unappealing compared to True
Polymorph. Compared to turning one ally into a CR 17+ dragon, turning up to
10 of your allies into Tyrannosauruses (Tyrannosaurs? Tyrannosauri?) simply
isn’t as effective, even if the phrase “I turn us and our horses into
tyrannosauruses” is one of the coolest things I can think to say during a
game. Tragically, the targets assume the beast’s mental statistics, so
turning your party of adventurers into toothy lizards may actually make them
weaker.You is use can use the spell offensively and the target do n’t get save throw
beyond the first , so turn your enemy into slug or something and pitch
them into the plane of fire or somewhere equally unpleasant . - power Word HealPHB: Full healing and removing a bunch of status conditions in one spell is
really tempting, but preventing all of that damage and all of those
conditions with Foresight will work much better. - power Word KillPHB: 100 hit points is a very low cap, but it’s hard to argue with how
effective it is to outright slay a creature with no rolls involved. As an
example, a 20th-level wizard with 12 Constitution will have 102 hit points
(6+19*4+20), so basically nothing which is scary at this level will be
immediately vulnerable, but if your allies can deal a bunch of damage
quickly you may be able to use this in round 1 of a fight. - Prismatic WallPHB ( Optional ): The ultimate
area control spell . 10 – minute duration , you is pass and your ally can pass through
it unharmed , and if enemy move through it they can take up to 50d6 damage ,
be turn to stone , and be send to another plane . The wall can be destroy ,
but the process to do so is so laughably obnoxious that I doubt anyone would
actually try it ( it ’s a relic of early edition of DnD ) . - Psychic Screamxgte:
Up to 10 creatures within 90 feet of you in any direction. Intelligence
saves are the weakest save on average, even for high-CR monsters, so in many cases you can
Stun enemies and keep them stunned for an incredibly long time. There’s no duration on the stun effect, so enemies with poor Intelligence may be permanently stun. The damage
is fine, but that’s absolutely an after-thought compared to the stun
effect. - True PolymorphPHB: Powerful, versatile, and it lasts an hour. This is a spell that really
rewards thorough knowledge of 5e’s monsters, so go sit down with the Monster
Manual etc. and do some reading. You’ll want a go-to combat form at CR 17,
18, 19, and 20 for when you need to turn yourself or an ally into a monster,
but you should also look for a good CR 9 in case you need to polymorph an
object into a pet.Remember that the spell becomes permanent if you keep it running for an
hour, so you can also use this to permanently turn yourself or someone
else into a monster or a dragon or something. You’ll lose all of your
class stuff because you assume the creature’s statistics, but honestly a
CR 20 dragon is much more powerful anyway.The spell ’s final option is allows allow you to turn a creature into an object
( which allow a wisdom save ) . turn them into a flower pot , then either
drop them from high enough to deal maximum fall damage ( the extra damage
carry over to their regular hit point when they revert ) , throw them
into a demiplane , plane shift them somewhere unpleasant , or dispose of
them in some other permanent and irrevocable fashion like a bag of
devour .For more, see our Practical Guide to True Polymorph and Shapechange.