Summary
Casting spells is one of the most fun aspects ofDungeons & Dragons. With hundreds of spells to choose from, creating a unique spellbook for your caster is one of the best ways to flesh out your character concept and make them stand out on the battlefield.
However, not every spell in Dungeons & Dragons is good. Some are downright terrible, or only come into play in particular circumstances. When it comes to filling out your spell list, you’ll want to avoid these spells at all costs. Here are some of the worst spells in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons.
1
Classes
Bard, Druid, Ranger
Animal Friendship is one of those early-level spells that newer players tend to take because, on paper, it sounds really cool. And it’s true, at early levels of play, a spell like Animal Friendship can allow for some fun roleplay moments.
The real problem with this spell is that it requires such a specific set of circumstances. How often in a normal Dungeons & Dragons campaign are you trying to convince random animals to do your bidding for you? Plus, at higher levels, these types of encounters are just far less frequent.
3
Bard, Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Tongues is actually a really cool spell that has a great effect. The problem is, most Dungeon Masters don’t often create scenarios in which this spell is handy. Plus, it’s a level three spell, so, at mid-tier levels of play, having this spell prepared can really feel like it’s weighing down your spell list if you’re not careful.
With this spell, you can understand any spoken, written, or signed language. Plus, creatures around you that know at least one language can understand you. This is obviously a really cool effect, but how often will players need to act as interpreters in Dungeons & Dragons?
Sorcerer, Wizard
In fifth-edition Dungeons & Dragons, there are a ton of different spells that all achieve the same effect: creating difficult terrain for enemies. While some of these can be useful, and some might even cause damage to enemies, Grease is one of the lower-level versions of this spell effect, and doesn’t cause any damage.
With this spell, you can create a ten square foot area of difficult terrain that’s covered in grease, potentially knocking enemies prone. The prone boost is good, but ultimately, this spell is just going to burn through a first-level spell slot you can’t really afford to spare in combat.
Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
This spell did receive a bit of a buff, as older versions of this spell weakened your action economy overall. However, True Strike is still one of those spells that begs the question: but why not just cast a different spell?
With this spell, you can attack with a weapon and use your spellcasting modifier instead of Strength or Dexterity. This is great for squishy spellcasters, but ultimately, why not just cast a firebolt instead? Why imbue a weapon of yours with magic when you canjust use magic? In many ways, this spell feels redundant.
2
Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Wizard
Similar to True Strike, this is another spell that lets spellcasting classes buff a weapon of theirs, causing it to become magical to overcome resistance, and granting them a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls. This spell is also only a bonus action to cast, which is great.
However, for sorcers and wizards in particular, the question has to become, why not just cast another spell that does more damage?. The real problem with this spell is that it takes up a level two slot. At lower levels of play, this spell just isn’t going to pack the same punch as a more powerful level two spell.
Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Wizard
This is another spell that can take up a valuable low-level spell slot, and ultimately, is only going to be useful in a handful of situations. When you cast Jump, you touch a willing creature and allow them to jump up to 30 feet by spending only ten feet of movement.
If your party is dealing with a mobility or exploration challenge, this spell can be helpful. Sometimes, you’re able to use this spell in combat to give a monk an edge. However, again, the circumstances under which this spell can be helpful are just so limited, you’re better off leaving it off your spell list altogether.
8
Bard, Druid, Wizard
This next spell is incredibly high-level, and yet, it feels super weak compared to some of the other spells on this list. When you cast this spell, you can cause either the Frightened or Charmed condition on a creature type of your choice for ten days, creating a protective barrier against this creature type for another target of your choice. The duration of this spell is great, but some caveats severely weaken the effects of this spell.
First, if the given creature type moves more than 120 feet away, the creature type can make a Wisdom saving throw, potentially ending the effect. This is great for creatures that might make melee attacks, but any creature that has the range to cast spells or Area of Effect features is still going to be able to attack the target you’re trying to protect. There are perks to this spell to be sure, but ultimately, for an eighth-level spell, there are just too many caveats.
This spell allows you to create an overgrowth that slows movement. While this can be helpful, you can’t designate creatures in your party asunaffected by this nerf. You can create areas within the spell that don’t slow movement, but this can benefit enemies just as much as it can allies.
There is an alternative effect, which allows you to enrich the plants in a half-mile radius, but really, this is only going to be helpful for roleplay purposes. Plus, for a third-level spell, this spell doesn’t really seem to do all that much.
Druid
At higher levels, druids get some of the best spells in the game. However, some of their cantrips and lower-level spells leave something to be desired. This cantrip allows you to create a whip vine that extends out 30 feet, causing 1d6 piercing damage. Plus, you can pull the creature ten feet toward you.
While the damage on this spell is ultimately fine, the pull effect seems a little misguided. It’s not that druids are super squishy, but it’s not exactly clear why a druid would want to be pulling creatures into melee combat range with them, given their ranged abilities. You’re better off selecting other druid cantrips for yourself.
Cleric, Druid, Wizard
This spell allows you to conjure a flame from an object that you are touching. The flame sheds bright light for 20 feet and dim light for an additional 20 feet. While this is a fine enough effect, it feels a little underpowered for a second-level spell.
Plus, so many species and class features grant players darkvision. Unless your entire party lacks darkvision, this spell isn’t necessarily going to be all that helpful. Plus, there are cantrips like Light that can provide similar effects.
