A spell is a discrete magical effect, a single shaping of the magical energies that suffuse the multiverse into a specific, limited expression. In casting a spell, a character carefully plucks at the invisible strands of raw magic suffusing the world, pins them in place in a particular pattern, sets them vibrating in a specific way, and then releases them to unleash the desired effect—in most cases, all in the span of seconds.
Spells can be versatile tools, weapons, or protective wards. They can deal damage or undo it, impose or remove conditions, drain life energy away, and restore life to the dead.
Uncounted thousands of spells have been created over the course of the universe's history, and many of them are long forgotten. Some might yet lie recorded in crumbling spellbooks hidden in ancient ruins or trapped in the minds of dead gods. Or they might someday be reinvented by a character who has amassed enough power and wisdom to do so.
Spell Level
Every spell has a level from 0 to 9. A spell's level is a general indicator of how powerful it is, with the lowly (but still impressive) magic missile at 1st level and the incredible time stop at 9th. Cantrips—simple but powerful spells that characters can cast almost by rote—are level 0. The higher a spell's level, the higher level a spellcaster must be to use that spell.
Spell level and character level don't correspond directly. But a spellcaster's level does determine the maximum spell level that they can cast (described in the Class Progression table of spellcasting classes). If a spell exceeds their current maximum spell level, they can't cast the spell even if they would have enough mana to cover the cost described in the Mana Cost by Level table.
Spontaneous, Memorized and Known Spells
Before a spellcaster can use a spell, he or she must have the spell firmly fixed in mind, or must have access to the spell in a magic item. Members of a few classes have a limited list of spontaneous spells that are always fixed in their mind. The same thing is true of many magic using monsters.
Other spellcasters, such as clerics and wizards can know a far greater number of spells but must undergo a process of memorizing spells from their list of known spells in order to fix them in mind and cast them spontaneously. These casters can still cast spells that they haven't memorized, as long as they know the spell, and undergo a process of preparing the spell first. The process and cost of preparing a spell varies for different classes, as detailed in their descriptions.
In every case, the number of spells a caster can have fixed in mind at any given time depends on the character's level.
Mana
Mana represents a combination of magical and spiritual essence. Creatures with more mana can generally cast spells more frequently than those with less mana.
A creature's current mana (usually just called mana) can be any number from the creature's mana maximum down to 0. This number changes frequently as a creature expends mana to cast spells. Whenever a creature spends or expends mana, the amount spent is subtracted from its mana.
All spells of 1st level of greater require a caster to spend some of their mana to produce the desired magical effect. This means that regardless of how many spells are in a casters repertoire, they can only cast a limited number of spell before they inevitably expend their mana and must rest to recover it. Casting a spell requires expending an amount of mana equal to twice the spell's level. The amount of mana a caster has to spend to cast a spell is shown in the Mana Cost by Level table below.
Spells of 6th level and higher are particularly taxing exhausting to cast. Once you spend mana to cast a spell of 6th level or higher, you can't spend mana to cast another spell of the same level until you finish a long rest.
Each spellcasting class includes mana in it's
Class Essentials showing their pool of spellcasting energy. A spellcaster spends mana to cast a spell of a given level. A creature can't reduce their mana to less than 0. If casting a spell would put a spellcaster's mana below 0, they can't cast that spell.
Mana Cost By Level
| Spell Level |
Mana Expended |
Casting Limitations |
| 1st |
2 |
None |
| 2nd |
4 |
None |
| 3rd |
6 |
None |
| 4th |
8 |
None |
| 5th |
10 |
None |
| 6th |
12 |
Cannot be cast more than once per long rest |
| 7th |
14 |
Cannot be cast more than once per long rest |
| 8th |
16 |
Cannot be cast more than once per long rest |
| 9th |
18 |
Cannot be cast more than once per long rest |
Some characters, NPCs, and monsters have special abilities that let them cast spells without using mana. For example, a monk who follows the Way of the Four Elements, a warlock with pact magic certain eldritch invocations, and a pit fiend from the Nine Hells can all cast spells in such a way.
Casting a Spell at a Higher Level
A spellcaster can choose to expend additional mana to cast a spell at a higher level, up to their maximum spell level. When they do so, the spell assumes the same casting cost as if it were a spell of the higher level chosen.
Some spells, such as magic missile and cure wounds, have more powerful effects when cast at a higher level, as detailed in a spell's description
Cantrips
A cantrip is a spell that can be cast at will, without using mana and without being prepared in advance. Repeated practice has fixed the spell in the caster's mind and infused the caster with the magic needed to produce the effect over and over. A cantrip's spell level is 0.
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