DnD’s new Player’s Handbook adds 12 spells, and they’re pretty sweet

Dungeons and Dragons already features hundreds of spells, but the 2024 Player’s Handbook wouldn’t feel complete without a few new additions. Wizards of the Coast has delivered with 12 brand-new spells that weren’t featured in fifth edition. And honestly, most of them look pretty rad.

Since the new rulebook is still a month away on the DnD release schedule, we’ve put together a sneak peek that shows you what new spells are on the table. Each of the spellcasting DnD classes gets at least one new option, and their effects cover everything from damage to healing to control.

The DnD 2024 Player’s Handbook adds 12 new spells:

Arcane Vigor

The DnD Arcane Vigor spell lets you roll one or two unused Hit Dice, and you heal HP equal to the combined result plus your spellcasting ability modifier. Those dice are then used up, but at least you don’t have to wait for a DnD short rest to patch yourself up. If you cast this at a higher level, you can roll one extra Hit Dice for every spell slot level above second.

Wizards and Sorcerers are famously limited when it comes to healing spells, so Arcane Vigor will be a welcome addition for many. It’s a costly spell resource-wise, but if your party doesn’t happen to have a DnD 2024 Cleric or DnD 2024 Druid, it could be a life-saver. 

Befuddlement

You unleash a psychic blast that forces a creature you can see within range to make an Intelligence saving throw. They take 10d12 psychic damage on a fail and can’t cast spells or use magic actions for the next 30 days (a success still deals half damage). At the end of each 30-day period, they repeat the save, ending its effects on a success. Heal, Greater Restoration, and Wish can also end the spell.

DnD Befuddlement is one of our favorite new spells, purely because its name is so much fun to say. It’s also a pretty serious threat to spellcasters. Intelligence-based magic users are very likely to survive the saving throw (especially at high levels). However, if you can target the right kind of casters (or fudge a roll with features like the Lucky DnD 2024 feat), this could be a potent way to shut down fights. 

Drawmij’s Instant Summons

To cast Drawmij’s Instant Summons, you must touch the sapphire used as a material component, as well as an object that weighs up to 10 lbs and whose dimensions are no longer than six feet. The object gets a magical mark, and its name is carved into the sapphire. Later, you can take a magic action to speak the object’s name and crush your sapphire. This makes the object appear in your hand – or, if a creature is holding or carrying your object, you learn who that is and where they are.

This could be particularly useful if your DnD campaign involves guarding an important item. If it’s ever lost or stolen, you’ve got magical insurance that’ll help retrieve it. We’re glad this is a Ritual option, though, as its utility is pretty situational, and it’s got a pretty pricey material component. 

Elementalism

This DnD cantrip creates one of the following effects:

• Create a breeze that can move cloth, dust, leaves, doors, and shutters in a five-foot cube. A door or shutter held open isn’t affected.
• Create a dust or sand shroud in a five-foot square area or write a single word in a patch of dirt or sand.
• Create harmless embers and smoke of any color in a five-foot cube. These can light candles, torches, and lamps in the area, and the smell lasts for one minute.
• Create one cup of clean water or a spray of damp mist in a five-foot cube for one minute.
• Create a one-foot cube of dirt, sand, fire, smoke, mist, or water that assumes a crude shape of your choice for one hour.

Roleplayers who are used to getting creative with Prestidigitation and Thaumaturgy will have a lot of fun putting the DnD Elementalism spell to use. But in terms of actual power or utility, it’s not much to write home about. 

Fount of Moonlight

Your body emits bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an extra 20 feet. DnD Fount of Moonlight also gives you resistance to Radiant damage, and your melee attacks deal an extra 2d6 radiant damage. After you take damage from a creature you can see within 50 feet, you can also spend a reaction to force your attacker to make a Constitution save. They’re blinded until the end of your next turn if they fail.

This is the radiant version of the Shadow of Moil spell from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. Except that, instead of blinding a foe, that spell deals extra damage to foes that attack you. As far as fourth-level spells go, Fount of Moonlight doesn’t have much to offer in terms of damage output. And it seems strange that a spell so focused on radiant damage didn’t make it onto the Cleric spell list. 

Jallarzi’s Storm of Radiance

Jallarzi’s Storm of Radiance is a 10-foot-radius, 40-foot-high Cylinder that you cast on a point within range. Creatures in the storm are blinded and deafened, and they can’t cast spells with verbal components.

Plus, every creature inside the storm must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 2d10 radiant damage and 2d10 thunder damage on a failure or half as much on a success. Any creature that enters the spell’s area for the first time or ends its turn there must also make the save, but they can only do so once per turn. For every spell slot level above five that you use, the radiant and thunder damage both increase by 1d10.

4d10 damage, multiple debilitating conditions, and a range of DnD damage types all contribute to a sweet-looking evocation spell. Plus, it’s fairly easy to force enemies into the spell’s area and dole out some damage. 

Power Word Fortify

Up to six creatures you can see get 120 temporary hit points, divided between them. Power Word Fortify is not quite as staggeringly powerful – or even as exciting – as the other Power Word Kill spells. And now that Wizards has buffed all the regular healing spells in D&D, this looks even less appealing. 120 temporary hit points is super tempting if your party is already at full health, but if not, Mass Cure Wounds offers way more healing value. 

Shining Smite

DnD Shining Smite deals an extra 2d6 radiant damage, and the target sheds bright light in a five-foot radius for the duration. This means the target can’t become invisible, and attack rolls against it have advantage. The smite’s damage also increases by 1d6 for every spell slot used above level two.

For such a low-level spell, the DnD 2024 Paladin gets plenty of bang for their buck here. They’ll have to keep that concentration up, but giving your entire party advantage against a target is some tasty value. 

Sorcerous Burst

The DnD Sorcerous Burst spell is a ranged attack against a target, and it deals 1d8 acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison, psychic, or thunder damage. If you roll an eight on your damage die, you can roll an additional d8 and add it to the damage.

The number of extra d8s you can add to the damage equals your spellcasting ability modifier, meaning you can deal even more damage on particularly lucky rolls. Additionally, the damage increases by 1d8 at levels five, 11, and 17.

This cantrip alone makes me want to take the Magic Initiate feat for all my spellcasters. It’s got solid damage output, flexible damage types, and incredibly fun flavor. No notes. 

Starry Wisp

DnD Starry Wisp is a ranged spell attack that throws a mote of light at a target, dealing 1d8 radiant damage on a hit. A creature hit by this cantrip emits dim light in a 10-foot radius and can’t become invisible until the end of your next turn. The damage also increases by 1d8 at levels five, 11, and 17.

Again, why no radiant damage for the Cleric? This cantrip will be super handy if you know your DM likes turning DnD monsters invisible. Otherwise, we’d rank it slightly above average as far as cantrips go.

Tasha’s Bubbling Cauldron

Tasha’s Bubbling Cauldron summons (you guessed it), a cauldron full of liquid within five feet of you. As a bonus action, you or a friend can reach into the cauldron and pull out a common or uncommon potion of any one kind. Your cauldron might make only Potions of Healing, for example.

The potion comes in a vial that vanishes once its contents are used. Your cauldron can create potions equal to your spellcasting ability modifier, and it disappears once you’ve depleted its resources. Any potions that weren’t used disappear at the same time as the cauldron.

If you’re playing a campaign like Curse of Strahd that doesn’t offer many shopping opportunities, your party may struggle to stock up on crucial potions. This is an excellent way to deal with the issue, provided there’s a Wizard or DnD 2024 Warlock in the team. 

Yolande’s Regal Presence

A 10-foot emanation surrounds you. Whenever it enters the space of a creature you can see, a creature enters the emanation, or a creature starts its turn in the area, you can have them make a Wisdom save. They take 4d6 psychic damage and become prone on a failure, and you can push them up to 10 feet away. The creature still takes half damage on a save, but they only make the save once per turn.

Yolande’s Regal Presence seems to make up for the fact that spellcasters don’t get p to one minute (concentration). It gives you a handful of ways to manipulate the battlefield, plus some decent damage.

For more on the new rules, check out our 2024 Player’s Handbook review. We can also tell you how DnD 2024 backgrounds and DnD tools have changed.

Source: Wargamer