D&D Spells Most DMs Don’t Know Are Overpowered

Dungeons & Dragons can be a pretty involved experience, especially if players are trying to build overpowered characters. For most, this involves using some of Dungeons & Dragons more popular overpowered spells like Fireball. But while Dungeon Masters, or DMs, might be prepared for those overpowered spells, the spells listed below might be obscure enough to throw them for a loop.

Dungeons & Dragons is a social tabletop roleplaying game where a group of players interact with a DM to create narrative adventures. Some players try to emphasize the roleplaying aspect of Dungeons & Dragons while others are more interested in creating powerful characters. As long as the group is on the same page, and the DM always enforces some key rules, Dungeons & Dragons can be an amazing social experience.

For players and DMs who want to push the boundaries in Dungeons & Dragons, especially those who once overused the best D&D weapons, darts, the options are endless. Each of the spells below can lead to some crazy encounters when applied correctly. So as long as the whole group is onboard, DMs should watch out!

Overpowered D&D Spell: Heat Metal

Choosing a metal object within sight and range, the caster heats it red-hot. This deals significant damage as long as the object is held or worn. If the victim passes a test they can continue to hold their scorching item, but any attacks with it will have disadvantage. If they’re wearing it, they’ll be taking the full damage round after round as long as the caster uses a bonus action to maintain it. It takes some time to remove armor in Dungeons & Dragons, which could make the DM will wish they still had access to D&D’s healing shurikens.

Overpowered D&D Spell: Bless (At Higher Casting Levels)

This might seem like a normal low-level buff, but the secret to unlocking Bless’s power in Dungeons & Dragons is to use a higher casting level. When used with a third level spell-slot, Bless covers five creatures. The bonus affects many things, even multiple attacks, and some of the game’s scarier save-against effects. To make the deal even sweeter, Bless can be used to help maintain concentration against disruption with its save bonus. It may seems small, but when used with a good Dungeons & Dragons party a well-timed Bless can change the outcome of an encounter.

Overpowered D&D Spell: Sleep

Dungeons & Dragons has some lenient rules regarding unconscious players. The DM can hit back against this, as long as everyone’s having fun and the D&D group will last. If monsters manage to take players to 0 HP or lower, they’re knocked unconscious. This usually means, especially at higher levels, that players just need to apply a little touch of healing to get their friends back into the action.

Serious DMs should consider Sleep. Sleeping players, especially ones at low HP, can’t be roused unless another player gives up their action to wake them. Sneaky actions like a low damage Area of Effect spell will probably end up killing players rather than rousing them. This forces players into a bit of a bind, as they have to choose between giving up their actions or ignoring comatose companions.

Overpowered D&D Spell: Conjure Woodland Beings

This one will make players wish for a new pixie-wrangler D&D subclass. When Conjure Woodland Beings is cast, the caster can summon creatures from a wide list. The rule of the law is that the DM can choose the creature within the Combat Rating that the caster wishes, but an unsuspecting DM might go along with the caster’s choice. This includes eight pixies. These eight pixies must obey the caster, and can cast some pretty powerful spells themselves. A solid combination is Fly, followed by Polymorph. Since players can become anything with a Combat Rating equal to or lower than their level, a party of level eight players could become Tyrannosaurus Rexes… who can fly. The possibilities are endless.

There are a lot of spells that can creatively lead to overpowered results in Dungeons & Dragons. As long as the players and the DM are having a good time, there’s absolutely no reason not to try and plumb the depths of what is possible for player casters. Breaking Dungeons & Dragons can be as fun as playing it sanely, and these spells can do a bit of legwork in kickstarting the imagination of players and DMs alike. It’s also a good start to hacking your own tabletop RPG… as long as everyone keeps an eye out for flying dinosaurs.

About The Author