Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1/5
7/14/2016
If you're melee class with spellcasting, pay special attention to spells that can be cast as a reaction or
bonus action. (For example: A rangers entering combat can cast Hunters Mark as a bonus action, and then
still take their regular action to make an attack, but now with +1d6 damage.)
A spell that is cast as a bonus action can not be cast as a regular action.
Magic
Magic is more complicated in D&D 5 than in any previous edition.
Spellcastin Paradig
Each magic-using class has three different things to keep track of:
What spells you have available to you to prepare.
What spells you choose to prepare that day.
How many of your prepared spells you can actually use that day. (Spell slots)
You choose your prepared spells after a long rest, normally in the morning.
You regain all of your spell slots after a long rest. Except for warlocks, who regain all of their spell slots after a short
rest. Wizards can regain a few of their spells after a short rest with Arcane Recovery.
For example, the classic wizard looks like this:
Available spells: All the spells he has in his spellbook. He starts off with a limited number of spells, but can
eventually put every spell in it.
Prepared spells: Add your wizard level and your intelligence modifier. That's the number of spells you can
prepare today.
Casting: This is where the Spell Slots come in. Casting a level 2 spell will use up one level 2 spell slot. But it
does not remove that spell from your list of prepared spells, so it can used again if you have another spell
slot. So you can prepare Magic Missile just once and cast it mutiple times.
http://landedstar.com/dnd/secret_guide.html
2/5
7/14/2016
If the component has no cost. You have it on your person, or you can use your totem or divine wumpwump
in its place, so don't worry about it.
If the component has a cost. You have to buy it.
There are two new features in 5e to be aware of: Rituals and Concentration.
Rituals
Some spells can be cast regularly, or as a ritual. If you choose to cast a spell as a ritual, then:
The spell takes an extra ten minutes to cast.
You don't expend a spell slot. It's a "free" cast.
On important note: Ritual casting is meant to be used in casual environments, like at an inn. It is not meant to be
used in combat, where each combat round takes 6 seconds. I mean, you can cast a ritual spell in combat, but it'll
take you at least 60 rounds.
Concentration
Some spells have an ongoing effect that have a Concentration requirement. This is listed under the spell's
Duration. This means that in order to maintain the spell you have to keep concentrating on it.
Note that concentration doesn't mean intense focus, it just means that you're just keeping track of it in the back of
your mind.
http://landedstar.com/dnd/secret_guide.html
3/5
7/14/2016
You can take actions and do normal things while maintaining concentration.
You can cast other spells while you are maintaining concentration.
You can't have two concentration spells going at a time. You can only maintain one concentration spell at a
time. There are no feats or abilities to change this fact.
If you take damage, you have to make a Constitution Saving Throw, the DC is either 10 or half the damage
taken, whichever is higher. Failure means the concentration spell comes to an immediate end.
If want a proficiency in Constitution Saving Throw, take a look at the Resilient and War Caster feats.
Caveat
Spells allow the players a huge amount of conceptual creativity. Sometimes you'll have to make a judgement call
on what a spell should and should not be allowed to do. A good rule of thumb is a spell shouldn't be able to
duplicate the affect of a higher level spell.
For example, casting the Light cantrip on the nose of an enemy wouldn't blind them, since Blindness/Deafness is a
2nd level spell. And if you want to know what a Minor Illusion cantrip can't do, check out the rest of the Illusion
spell list.
Pay attention to what the spell can affect, because there is a difference between "creature" and "humanoid." A
humanoid in D&D is not an adjective, it's a specific type of creature. Creatures like undead, giants, and fey are not
humanoids, even if they have a human shape.
Healing
There are many ways to regain HP.
Long Rest - After 6 hours of sleep, you regain all your hit points. You can only take one long rest a day.
Short Rest - The most confusing method, but also the most common. After 1 hour of relaxing, you can
choose to use your Hit Dice to regain hit points. Hit dice is a weird concept in D&D5, and isn't used much.
You have a number of hit dice from the dice you roll to gain HP when you level up. A level 3 Wizard has 3d6
http://landedstar.com/dnd/secret_guide.html
4/5
7/14/2016
hit dice. A level 8 Barbarian has 8d12 hit dice. So when you take a short rest you may use (roll) some of
those hit dice to regain hit points. How do you regain hit dice? At the end of a long rest.
Herbalism Healing Potion - Available for 50gp on the market. Restores 2d4+2 HP. No one is sure if these
are meant to be magical, there's a lot of confusion on the matter between the DMG and the PHB. The
Adventurer's League says that they are magical, but they don't count against your magic items. If your DM
believes they aren't magical, then one can be crafted for 25gp in 5 days of downtime by someone with a
proficiency in the herbalism kit. If your DM believes they are magical, then see the crafting rules for the
Magical Healing Potion.
Magical Healing Potion - Not easily available, but restores much more. Can be crafted by anyone with the
appropriate spell and class level. See the DMG, and remember that non-permanent magic items cost 1/2
the regular cost, and that counts for one-use potions.
Spells - Works as the spell says.
http://landedstar.com/dnd/secret_guide.html
5/5