It’s no secret that spellcasters are some of the most powerful figures in DnD. Shaping reality to one’s whim does tend to give people a bit of a god complex. However, even the mightiest level 20 casters are limited by their action economy. After all, it would be broken if casters could cast more than one spell in a single turn, right? RIGHT?
As it turns out, there seems to be a way after all – and one that still works after Dungeons and Dragons reworked all its core rules in 2024. On page 236 of the revised DnD 2024 Player’s Handbook, we read:
On a turn, you can expend only one spell slot to cast a spell. This rule means you can’t, for example, cast a spell with a spell slot using the Magic action and another one using a Bonus Action on the same turn.
The general idea is to keep spellcasters at a manageable power level. A single spell from any of the DnD schools of magic can shift the tide of battle instantly. Limiting such power balances encounters and ensures casters aren’t hogging the spotlight. Now, here’s the part that rules lawyers may notice a loophole in: one spell slot to cast a spell.
That means if a player can somehow cast a spell without needing a spell slot, they can do so. The most obvious workaround, suggested by u/Spiritual_Mud2764 on Reddit recently, was using spell scrolls, because they do not burn spell slots when used. DnD magic items that use charges, or subclasses that utilize unique resources (such as Soulknife Rogue) also have potential loopholes.
Here’s the catch: players are still bound by the action economy: one action and one bonus action per turn – no ifs, no buts. So even if you had a Contagion spell scroll, you couldn’t cast Contagion twice in a single turn because it costs one action. Fortunately, though, the revised 2024 ruling also notes that spell scrolls now use their normal casting time.
That means if a spell costs a bonus action, those spell scrolls can be cast freely alongside a spell that costs an action. For example, you could cast Contagion on a group of nearby enemies, then Misty Step out of there in the same turn. DnD Rogues, especially Thieves, should be feasting on these new possibilities.
The game has at least a couple dozen Bonus Action spells in it, spread across all the caster classes, from cantrips right up to 7th level. You can still only use a Spell Scroll for a spell that’s in your class’ spell list – but that’s easily solved by multiclassing. If it’s in the list for one of your classes, you can cast a scroll of it.
Remember that scrolls aren’t 100% reliable; the higher the scroll’s spell level, the harder it’s going to be to pull off, especially if you’ve only splashed into the relevant class. Even some bonus action cantrips can feed into tasty combos, though, so it’s a well worth plumbing for your builds!
Note: Wargamer is not responsible for any hour-long arguments sparked by this – though we’ll warmly welcome anyone to join the Wargamer Discord community and share their favorite combos using bonus action spell scrolls for glorious magical double tap turns.
Check out the most powerful DnD spells for some ideas on how to abuse this exciting loophole – or get back to basics for your next character build using our complete, up to date compendium of all the DnD classes.
Source: Wargamer
