Arcane Reference
Magic: Spells, Schools, Rituals and Magic Items
A wound can close, a witness can see a lie, and a harmless trinket can ruin a kingdom. Find the spell, school, ritual or enchanted object behind the trouble, then follow its rules and traditions.
At a Glance
Magic Reference
| Spell Lists | Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer & Wizard and Witch. |
|---|---|
| Divine Magic | Cleric domains, healing, protection, judgement and sacred authority. |
| Arcane Traditions | Schools of magic, witchcraft, ritual practice and specialist spellcraft. |
| Magic Items | Weapons, armour, wondrous items, relics and other enchanted objects. |
| Epic Magic | High-order spellcasting, spell seeds and incantations beyond ordinary spell lists. |
What has gone wrong?
Start with the trouble, then open the relevant reference. Choose your group’s rules edition before resolving range, saves, duration or item identification.
Someone is bleeding
The brave speech was excellent. The landing was less convincing. Find the healing spell before the argument about blame begins.
Read Cure Wounds Read Healing WordThat door was not there yesterday
The castle has acquired another corridor. Its architect has been dead for forty years. Decide what the witnesses actually saw.
Read Minor Illusion Explore illusionThe treasure has opinions
The ring dislikes its new owner. The sword wants a better employer. Establish how the object works before anyone agrees to its terms.
Read item identification and activation Examine cursed itemsThe ritual has escaped its circle
The chalk line looked very reassuring until something stepped over it. Work out the boundary, the protection and what has crossed.
Read magic circles Explore wards and abjurationPreparing stranger discoveries? See the two optional preparation books — affiliate links, with previews and edition notes below.
Choose a route
Where does the magic begin?
- Find spells by character class.
- Browse spell descriptions and cleric domains.
- Explore schools, witchcraft and ritual traditions.
- Discover enchanted objects, relics and artefacts.
- Enter epic magic, spell seeds and incantations.
Find the magic your character can cast
Browse spell collections by character class, spell level and magical tradition.
Bard Spells
Music, language, enchantment, illusion, inspiration and performance magic.
Browse bard spellsCleric Spells
Divine power, healing, judgement, protection, revelation and sacred authority.
Browse cleric spellsDruid Spells
Animals, plants, weather, transformation, wilderness and the power of the land.
Browse druid spellsPaladin Spells
Battle blessings, divine protection, healing, judgement and sacred oaths.
Browse paladin spellsRanger Spells
Hunting, tracking, survival, animals, archery and wilderness travel.
Browse ranger spellsSorcerer and Wizard Spells
Arcane spellcraft arranged by level, school and practical magical purpose.
Browse arcane spellsWitch Spells
Charms, curses, spirits, natural magic, transformation and ritual incantations.
Browse witch spellsUseful spell pages to open first
Direct rules references for commonly used healing, control, illusion, utility and battlefield magic.
- Cure Wounds — healing across modern and legacy editions.
- Healing Word — fast ranged healing.
- Mass Healing Word — rapid group healing.
- Mass Cure Wounds — stronger group restoration and legacy equivalents.
- Thunderwave — close-range thunder damage and forced movement.
- Vicious Mockery — bardic psychic attack and disadvantage.
- Minor Illusion — flexible sound and image deception.
- Enlarge/Reduce — size-changing transmutation.
- Locate Animals or Plants — long-range natural locating magic.
- Compulsion — movement and control magic.
Find magic beyond the class lists
Use the complete spell collection, individual spell descriptions and cleric domains to locate a particular magical effect.
Complete Spell Lists
Browse the wider spell collection across classes, levels and magical traditions.
Open the spell listsSpell Descriptions
Find individual spells with their rules, effects, interactions and campaign use. For verbal, somatic and material requirements, see the Spell Components guide.
Browse spell descriptionsCleric Domains
Explore divine spheres, granted powers, domain spells and specialised subdomains.
Browse cleric domainsUnderstand what a spell changes
Each school describes a different relationship between the spellcaster, the world and the forces being manipulated.
- Abjuration Protection, wards, banishment, resistance and the breaking of hostile magic.
- Conjuration Summoning, calling, creation, teleportation and movement between places.
- Divination Knowledge, detection, prophecy, remote sight and the uncovering of hidden truths.
- Enchantment Influence, emotion, command, compulsion and the manipulation of thought.
- Evocation Energy, elemental force, destructive power, light and magical projection.
- Illusion False images, altered senses, concealment, shadow and deceptive appearances.
- Necromancy Life force, death, undeath, souls, decay and negative energy.
- Transmutation Transformation, enhancement, movement and changes to matter or living bodies.
- Universal Magic Magic available to every wizard and not assigned to one specialist school.
Magic beyond formal spell lists
Explore covens, circles, familiars, ritual practice and forms of magic rooted in tradition, place and inherited knowledge.
Witchcraft
Patrons, covens, charms, curses and traditions practised outside formal wizardry.
Explore witchcraftThe Witch’s View
How witches understand magic, patrons, spirits, morality and their place in the world.
Read the witch’s viewMagic Circles
Protective boundaries, summoning spaces, ritual geometry and magical containment.
Explore magic circlesWitch’s Familiars
Animal companions, spirit intermediaries and the bond between witch and familiar.
Browse familiarsRitual Magic
Long-form spellcasting, shared ceremonies, preparation and dangerous rites.
Explore ritual magicWeapons, relics and objects of power
Learn how magic items work, how they are created and how enchanted objects are divided into their major categories.
Magic Item Basics and Creation
Activation, identification, creation requirements, item slots, charges, saving throws and intelligent items.
Read the creation rulesMagic Item Descriptions
Auras, caster levels, prerequisites, prices, creation costs, weight and random generation.
Read item descriptionsBrowse every major type of magic item
The collections below separate defensive equipment, weapons, consumables, spell-storage devices, permanent worn items, dangerous objects and unique relics.
- Armour and Shields Enchanted armour, shield abilities and defensive equipment.
- Weapons Magic melee weapons, ranged weapons, ammunition and special abilities.
- Potions and Oils Single-use magical liquids applied to creatures, objects or equipment.
- Rings Compact worn items that provide persistent powers and protections.
- Rods Command devices, metamagic tools and specialised magical instruments.
- Scrolls Written spells stored for later use by suitably trained readers.
- Staffs Powerful charged implements holding several related magical effects.
- Wands Portable spell-trigger devices designed for repeated focused use.
- Wondrous Items Amulets, cloaks, boots, bags, lenses and other varied enchanted objects.
- Cursed Items Misleading, harmful or treacherous objects with dangerous drawbacks.
- Artefacts Unique, campaign-shaping relics whose powers exceed ordinary creation rules.
Power beyond ordinary spellcasting
Epic spells, spell seeds, incantations and dangerous magical systems that exceed the normal limits of class spellcasting.
Epic Spells
Individual spells intended for the highest levels of play and the most powerful supernatural beings.
- Accursed
- Cold Anchor to the Soul
- Condemn
- Contingent
- Curse of Apostasy
- Dispater’s Iron Defence
- Dust in the Wind
- Epic Dimension Door
- Esoteric Aegis
- First Taste of Winter
- Greater Epic Mage Armour
- Leonard’s Thaumaturgic Boost
- Lilith’s Life Siphon
- Long Arm of the Treacher
- Lure of Loquacity
- Mephistopheles’s Frore Blast
- Miasma of Hatred
- Oppress
- The Serpent’s Sibilant Whisper
- Soul Hold
- Summoning Sanctuary
- Trojan Curse
- Tyranny
Epic Spell Seeds
Foundational magical effects used to develop new epic spells.
Incantations
Lengthy magical rites resolved through preparation, knowledge and precise performance.
Uncapped Spells and Epic-Level Casters
Guidance for spellcasting that continues beyond ordinary spell levels and mortal limitations.
Read the epic magic rulesAdditional Sacrifice Rules
Rules for magical workings powered through costly offerings and irreversible consequences.
Read the sacrifice rulesMagic in worlds, history and play
The useful videos preserved from the earlier Magic page are presented as lightweight linked thumbnails rather than embedded players. They cover low and high magic, medieval consequences, cultural attitudes, moral traditions and magical crafting.
Fantasy Magic: Superstitions, Uses and Sources of Power
A broad introduction to how magical belief, practice and power can shape a fantasy setting.
Watch on YouTube
Low Magic: Do More with Less
Using rarity, uncertainty and restraint to make individual magical events carry greater weight.
Watch on YouTube
What If Magic Really Existed in the Middle Ages?
A useful prompt for considering how real magic would affect medieval institutions and everyday life.
Watch on YouTube
Magic in Fantasy: Soft Magic versus Hard Magic
Contrasting mysterious narrative magic with systems governed by explicit rules and limitations.
Watch on YouTube
Making Knights Relevant in Worlds with Magic
Ways martial elites, armies and fortifications can retain importance beside powerful spellcasters.
Watch on YouTube
High Magic Settings
Exploring the social, political and practical consequences of readily available supernatural power.
Watch on YouTube
How Do People in Fantasy Think About Magic?
Building beliefs, fears, professions and cultural assumptions around the existence of magic.
Watch on YouTube
White Magic versus Black Magic
Examining moral labels, forbidden practices and the way cultures classify supernatural traditions.
Watch on YouTube
Crafting as a Magic System?
Using materials, expertise, recipes and production as the foundation of magical power.
Watch on YouTubeSearch Magic
Find a spell, school or magic item
Search for a spell name, class list, magical school, ritual, weapon, artefact or enchanted object.
This archive includes material from several fantasy RPG traditions and editions. Check each entry’s rules, source and licence notes before using it in play. Some entries contain dark or mature fantasy themes.
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