Weird New Spells: Warmup Round (Patreon)

I haven’t done any D&D spell design in… well, quite a lot longer than is normal for me, but I’m about to jump back into it for a paid project, so I thought you might enjoy seeing my warmup round. The fact is, though, 5e has an incredibly rich back catalogue of spells already. This is why I do a lot of high-level spell design: it’s difficult, but there are a lot fewer existing creations.

Because this is a warmup, a lot of these live in the space of either bringing 4e content into 5e, or variants/higher-level extensions of core spells. Ideas come from where they come from, but warmup rounds mean low-hanging fruit.

Ashen Scourge

Level 2 Evocation (artificer, druid, sorcerer, warlock, wizard)

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self (15-foot radius)
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous

You create three lashing tendrils of fire and ash. You can use them to attack one target within range or several. Make a melee spell attack for each tendril. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 + your spellcasting ability modifier Fire damage and is pulled 5 feet toward you. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it also has the Grappled condition until the start of your next turn.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. You create one additional tendril for each spell slot level above 2.

Black Garrote

Level 3 Necromancy (bard, sorcerer, warlock, wizard)

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: S, M (a black silk sash)
Duration: 1 round

A black cord appears around the neck of a creature that you can see and that can’t see you. The creature rolls a Constitution saving throw. On a failure it takes 3d10 Necrotic damage and has the Incapacitated condition until the start of your next turn. You deal additional Necrotic damage equal to your Sneak Attack damage bonus.

This spell has no effect on creatures that don’t have a discernible neck or throat, or that don’t breathe.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. The damage increases by 1d10 for each spell slot level above 3.

(This spell is adapted from 4e.)

Concatenation of Power

Level 2 Transmutation (artificer, sorcerer, wizard)

Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You draw power into yourself and hold it to empower another creature’s spell. When a creature you can see expends a spell slot to casts a spell of level 2 or lower, you can take a Reaction to treat that spell as if it were cast with a spell slot 1d4 levels higher. You can’t use this spell to improve your own spells. You can cast a second spell using a spell slot in the same turn that you cast this spell.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. The maximum level of spell that you can increase with this spell is equal to the level of the spell slot you expend.

Dragonwing

Level 3 Transmutation (sorcerer, warlock, wizard)

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (a dragon’s scale)
Duration: 1 hour

Wide, leathery wings sprout from your back, doing no damage to your clothing or armor. You gain a Fly Speed of 60 feet and you have the carrying capacity of a creature one size larger than you are. You can’t hover, and must move at 15 feet on each of your turns while you are flying. When the spell ends, you fall if you are still aloft, unless you can stop the fall.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. Your Fly Speed increases by 10 feet and the spell’s duration increases by 1 hour for each spell slot level above 3.

Withering Gale

Level 6 Necromancy (druid, sorcerer, warlock, wizard)

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (a desiccated locust)
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

A Line of strong wind 60 feet long and 10 feet wide blasts from you in a direction you choose for the duration. Each creature in the Line must make a Strength saving throw. Creatures that fail take 6d6 Necrotic damage, have Disadvantage on Strength-based D20 Tests until the start of your next turn, and are pushed 15 feet away from you in a direction following the Line. A creature that ends its turn in the Line must make the same save.

Any creature in the Line must spend 3 feet of movement for every 1 foot it moves when moving closer to you.

The gust disperses gas or vapor, and it extinguishes candles and similar unprotected flames in the area. It causes protected flames, such as those of lanterns, to dance wildly and has a 50 percent chance to extinguish them. Ranged weapon attacks originating or passing through the Line have Disadvantage.

As a Bonus Action on your later turns, you can change the direction in which the Line blasts from you.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. The damage increases by 1d6 for each spell slot level above 6.

Design Notes

As mentioned above, I’m playing with other sources in this one:

Ashen Scourge is from the 4e Dark Sun Campaign Setting.

Black Garrote is also from 4e, but I can’t seem to find which book it came from right now. I’ll try to track that down. As I mentioned a zillion years ago in my thread of 4e content that hadn’t yet been updated to 5e, it’s doing the Punjab Lasso from Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera.

Concatenation of Power is me playing with casters being able to buff other casters. This is a thing I worked on as a PC in Altera Awakens LARP, then brought into Citadel LARP spell design. I think players have enjoyed that.

Dragonwing takes Fly and moves a bunch of its levers around to make something also useful, but different. I don’t expect it would replace Fly for most players, but I think it has character (I like that it helps you carry stuff, or other characters—things you often want to do as a flyer!).

Withering Gale is Gust of Wind taken to a scouring, brutal extreme. I also just think Line effects are interesting for encouraging players to corral enemies and use forced movement.