From cantrips to 9th level spells, the possibilities of magic can feel overwhelming in Dungeons and Dragons. However, some spells get a lot more attention than others. These are generally the spells that provide a lot of obvious utility, like Faerie Fire and healing abilities, or spells that can pack a punch, like Fireball.
As a result, spells that are more situational, less flashy, or require extra doses of creativity to make them worth the spell slot end up being overlooked. But that doesn’t have to be the case, and you can get more use out of underrated spells than you might believe when you first read their descriptions.
5. Enlarge/Reduce
Requiring concentration and lasting for up to a minute, the idea behind Enlarge/Reduce is more or less what you’d expect. It’s a 2nd-Level spell that lets you change the size of a creature or object. When enlarged, the target’s size is doubled and its weight is multiplied by eight. When reduced, the target’s size is halved and its weight is an eighth of its normal weight.
Depending on how you plan on using this spell, you can do a range of things, such as giving a party member a Strength boost by enlarging them, or weakening an enemy by reducing their size. The real fun is what you can do with this spell when you use it on objects. You could cause a lot of damage to a building by enlarging or reducing the size of pieces important to its structure.
4. Speak With Plant/Dead/Animal
Basically, any variation of the “Speak with…” can be incredibly underrated, but part of its power depends on your DM. As a result, how useful the spell is changes based on elements like when you use it and how much information your DM is willing to let you collect with it. However, being prepared and having knowledge of situations from different perspectives, such as from plants, animals, or even the dead, can be a game-changer in Dungeons and Dragons, since you’re less likely to be taken by surprise.
3. Heat Metal
Heat Metal is an amazing damage dealer and debuff, especially for a 2nd-Level spell. This is a concentration spell that lasts for up to a minute, and you can only cast it on manufactured metal, so items that have been intentionally crafted by creatures, like weapons and armor. When cast, creatures in contact with the item take 2d8 damage. This can force the creature holding or wearing the object to drop it if they fail a Constitution throw. If they still have the object, they have a disadvantage on rolls.
Even better, you can use a bonus action on your next turn to deal another 2d8 damage to the creature with the object. It’s definitely a powerful spell to have available against humanoid enemies, but you’ll be unlikely to find a chance to use it against a lot of monsters. Still, if you know that the campaign is in a setting where you might need to fight soldiers, mercenaries, thieves, or any similar type of NPC, it’s not a bad idea to have Heat Metal ready.
2. Enhance Ability
It’s hard to argue against a spell that can give you or your party member a buff. Enhance Ability does as it advertises—you give the target advantage on one type of ability check for an hour, or until your concentration is broken. This can be huge when you’re doing specific activities, even outside of combat. If you have to climb a lot, you can boost the Dexterity of the party member with the lowest Dex. Maybe you need to boost the Charisma of somebody who isn’t a smooth-talker because they need to be the one to handle certain conversations. There’s simply a lot of use that you can get out of Enhance Ability throughout the entire campaign.
1. Sleet Storm
Spells like Fireball get a lot of attention when it comes to AoE potential, but Sleet Storm is actually broken. The area covered is massive. It has a 120-foot range, a 40-foot radius, and a 20-foot-tall cylinder as its area of effect. So, it impacts all creatures in that area, obscures vision, douses flames, creates difficult terrain, and even has a chance to break concentration and knock enemies prone. You might not do damage with this spell, but you can take complete control of the battlefield with all its effects.
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There are so many spells in Dungeons and Dragons that you’ll never be able to use all of them in a single campaign on a single character. So, it’s important to talk about your options with your party so that you can all pick spell options from your various spell lists that are beneficial, while not being too redundant. If you have a lot of casters and the chance to do so, it’s worth giving spells that don’t get as much love a chance. You never know how powerful they might be if you don’t try and get creative with them.
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