Spellcasting

For lists of spells, see Spell.

Spellcasting is the art of conjuring, creating and using magic. For some, this is a matter of study and practice, while others its natural cunning, instinct and genetics. Some gain this power from their gods, others through the spirits around them, and some through occult rites. These different sources are described as the four main practices of magic: Arcane, Divine, Primal and Occult.

Each source draws their power from something specific, for arcane spellcasters, this is the arcane weave, which flows through everything like an encoded memory of the world. For divine spellcasters, they receive their power from either higher powers and creatures or just pure faith.

Each source has their own way of creating magic, which means that the way they use components, learn spells or prepare and cast spells may differ.

Spell Level

Every spell has a level from 0 to 9. A spell’s level is a general indicator of how powerful it is. Cantrips are simple level 0 spells that characters can cast without expending their resources. The higher a spell’s level, the higher level a Spellcaster must be to use that spell.

Spell Level and character level don’t correspond directly. Typically, a character has to be at least 17th level, not 9th level, to cast a 9th-level spell.

Spell Points

Characters and creatures that uses spellcasting has a pool of spell points to fuel spells. Each spell level has an associated point cost as shown in the Spell Point Cost table. Cantrips don't require slots and therefore don't require spell points.

The number of spell points you have to spend is based on your themes' Spellcasting Feats. You regain all spent spell points when you finish a long rest.

Spell Level	Point Cost
0 (Cantrip)	0
1st	2
2nd	3
3rd	5
4th	8
5th	13
6th	21
7th	34
8th	55
9th	89

Rituals

Certain spells have a special tag: ritual. Such a spell can be cast following the normal rules for spellcasting, or the spell can be cast as a ritual. The ritual version of a spell takes 10 minutes longer to cast than normal. It also doesn't expend spell points, which means the ritual version of a spell can't be cast at a higher level.

Ritual Feat

To cast a spell as a ritual, a spellcaster must have the Ritual Casting feat. The caster must also have the spell prepared or on his or her list of spells known.

Arcane Spellcasting

By drawing power from the arcane weave, an arcane spellcaster can redraw and bend reality to its will. With the use of specific gestures and sounds a spellcaster can interact with the weave, commanding it and telling it what to do. These maneuvers takes years upon years to master, are often long and tedious to cast and perform and can be almost impossible to remember without a spellbook.

While a few arcane spellcaster can cast spells that are fixed in their mind, even in the most dire circumstances, most arcane spellcasters circumvent that problem with an arcane focus. Arcane Spellcasting Ability

Arcane Spellcasting Ability

Arcane spellcasters use Intelligence as their spellcasting ability modifier. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasitng ability. You are always proficient with your own spellcasting, and the proficiency bonus is level-based, as described above in the Proficiency introduction.

Arcane Spellcasting Ability = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Learning & Preparation

Arcane spellcasters learn spells that they then must prepare. Each time you learn an arcane spell from either a class feature, feat or other feature, you know it by heart. When you prepare your arcane spells, you prepare them from the spells that you have learned.

Preparing your arcane spells requires time spent studying, practicing and memorizing the incantations and gestures you must make to cast the spell, as well as storing arcane functions within a focus.

You can change your prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of spells requires you spend at least 5 minute per spell level for each spell on your list. Mental Preparation

Mental Preparation

An arcane spellcaster can prepare a number of arcane spells in their mind from their known spells equal to the total arcane spell level of their Intelligence score. Each spell level counts as one level higher for preparation purposes, such that a level 1 spell counts as a level 2 spell and cantrips, which are level 0 spells, count as level 1 spells.

Mentally Prepared Arcane Spells = (your total sum of preperation spell levels)2 / 2 (rounded up) = your Intelligence score

Arcane Focus

An arcane focus is a special item used by manipulators of the arcane weave to more easily cast their spells. They come in many variations: orbs, rods, staves, wands, or some similar item - designed to channel the power of arcane spells, but tying them all together is the use of a crystal.

Crystals are used by their wielders by imprinting arcane functions into its crystalline structure. This takes time and preparation, but lets their wielders more easily prepare and remember spells. The arcane functions works as a shortcut to the weave, repeating complex patterns, gestures and other arcane components.

Arcane Focus Prepared Spells = the sum of your prepared memory spells + your prepared width spells

Crystals however are not all the same, different structures and bonds have different strengths and weaknesses. These strengths and weaknesses are scored by the Conductivity, Memory and Width factors. Depending on the wielder of the arcane power, their focus and choice of crystal may vary. The following are the factors each crystal have.

Crystal Structures

Conductivity
You gain a bonus to spell attack rolls and to the contested check DCs of your arcane spells.

Degree / Quality	Simple	Martial	Masterwork
Low	-2	-1	+0
Medium	-1	+0	+1
High	+0	+1	+2

Memory
You can prepare a number of spells from your known spells up to a sum of total spell levels.

Degree / Quality	Simple	Martial	Masterwork
Low	8	16	24
Medium	12	24	36
High	16	32	48

Width
You can prepare a number of spells from your known spells of a spell level equal to or lower than (1/3/5), determined by the quality of the crystal: (Simple/ Martial/ Masterwork).

Degree / Quality	Simple	Martial	Masterwork
Low	0	0	0
Medium	8	16	24
High	16	32	48

The three main types of crystals

Salt Crystals

Salt crystals are foci used primarily for use when wielding a wide arsenal of simple spells. Casters who use these crystals are often specialists that have to be ready for anything. They generally do not have the capacity for high level magic, but rather many low level spells.

	Simple	Martial	Masterwork
Conductivity [Medium] Spell bonus	-1	+0	+1
Memory [Low] Number of Memory spells	8	16	24
Width [High] Number of Width spells (Max. spell level)	16 (1)	32 (3)	48 (5)

Metal Crystals

Metal crystals are used mainly in warfare by wielders focused on a few destructive spells, like warmages or spellswords, or by specialized magicians that focus only on very specific spells, like forge-mages and transmuters.

	Simple	Martial	Masterwork
Conductivity [High] Spell bonus	+0	+1	+2
Memory [Medium] Number of Memory spells	12	24	36
Width [Low] Number of Width spells (Max. spell level)	0 (1)	0 (3)	0 (5)

Gem Crystals

Gem crystals are a wide range of arcane crystals that also is the most common type of focus for most mages. These crystals main advantage is their large memory and capacity to store arcane functions. For those not worried about being the most accurate and effective, but rather varied in both high level and low level magic, gem crystals are perfect.

	Simple	Martial	Masterwork
Conductivity [Low] Spell bonus	-2	-1	+0
Memory [High] Number of Memory spells	16	32	48
Width [Medium] Number of Width spells (Max. spell level)	8 (1)	16 (3)	24 (5)

Divine Spellcasting

Divine magic, as the name suggests, is the power of the gods, flowing from them into the world or brought upon in through sheer will. Divine casters are conduits for that power, manifesting it as miraculous effects. This power is not granted to everyone who seeks it, but only to those chosen to fulfill a high calling.

Harnessing divine magic doesn't rely on study or training. A divine caster might learn formulaic prayers and ancient rites, but the ability to cast spells relies on devotion and an intuitive sense of a deity's wishes or their internal ardor.

Divine casters are wide in their magic, from helpful magic of healing and inspiring their allies with spells that harm and hinder foes to provoking awe and dread, lay curses of plague or poison, and even call down flames from heaven to consume their enemies.

Divine Spellcasting Ability

Divine spellcasters use either Wisdom or Charisma as their spellcasting ability modifier, dependent on their source of power. You use your Wisdom or Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. You are always proficient with your own spellcasting, and the proficiency bonus is level-based.

Divine Spellcasting Ability = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom or Charisma modifier

Preparation

Divine casters do not need to prepare their spells. They can cast all spells on their domain spell lists, as long as they can cast their spell level.

Divine Focus

Divine foci are a special items tethered to the source of a divine caster's power. Whether it is an icon dedicated to a deity, a personal object of great importance or just as a simple means to expel their divine power to the material plane.

Divine foci can range from simple carved holy symbols to jeweled icons of the praised deity, but books are also a common foci and even natural objects like twigs, rocks or leaves from holy places. Whatever object is used, the wielder often has to have it in hand, to project its power.

Divine Domains

Divine casters choose two domains related to their deity from the list of domains below. Each domain details their own spell list and once you gain a domain spell, you always have it prepared.

Domain Channel Divinity

Divine casters also have access to the Channel Divinity options associated with their domains.

Show Channel Divinity OptionsShow Channel Divinity Options

Elemental Domains

Divine Domain	Channel Divinity	Description
Acid	Acidic Meltdown	As an action, you touch a creature or an object within reach. A creature must make a Reflex check, taking 5 × your level in acid damage on a failed check and half as much on a successful one. An object takes 5 × your level in acid damage. Additionally, if the target carries or wears corrodable armor or weapons, it must make a Reflex check. On a failed save, one piece of armor or weapon of your choice takes a permanent and cumulative -1 penalty. Armor reduced to an AL of 10 or a shield that drops to a +0 bonus is destroyed. Weapons reduced to -5 to hit and to damage are destroyed.
Air	Shockwave Invocation	You channel a forceful blast of wind. As an action, a creature within 5 meters of you must make a Fortitude check, taking 3 × your level as bludgeoning damage and is pushed 5 × your level in meters on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
Crystal	Arcane Bulwark	As a reaction, when you take damage from a spell or other magical effect from a creature within 3 meters of you, halve the damage. Streams of ethereal magic then arcs out from your body, and the creature who damaged you takes force damage equal to 2d10 + your level.
Dust	Dust to Dust	You augment your offensive spells, the better to unleash the infinite chaos of the Abyss on your foes. When you cast a spell that deals damage to one or more creatures, you may add your divine spellcasting modifier to the damage. Any creature reduced to 0 hit points by this spell is disintegrated into a fine grey dust, along with anything it is wearing or carrying (except for magic items). The creature can be restored to life only by means of a true resurrection or a wish spell. Any Large or smaller nonmagical object or a creation of magical force that would be hit by the spell is also disintegrated.
Earth
Fire
Fog
Ice	Ice Prison	As an action, you can brandish your holy symbol, facing a creature you can see within 10 meters of you. It must make a Fortitude save or the ice forming around it will encase it for 1 minute. While encased in this way a creature is incapacitated and its speed becomes 0, it is also immune to all damage while trapped. At the end of each of its turn it can try to repeat the Fortitude save, breaking free of the ice on a success.
Inertia
Lightning
Magma
Metal	Divine Forging	As an hour-long ritual, you present your holy symbol, you can craft a nonmagical item that include some metal: a simple or martial weapon a suit of armor 30 pieces of ammunition a set of tools or another metal object At completion, the object is created. Additionally the following rules apply. It must be worth equal to or less than 50 gp per level. You must have the required metal to create the object, and any additional non-metal parts required.
Mist
Mud
Steam
Storm
Thunder
Water

Awakening Domains

Divine Domain	Channel Divinity	Description
Ambition
Apathy
Body
Creation	Bring to Life	Bring to Life
Death	Touch of Death	Your touch can increase entropy and wither the life from living things. As an action, make a melee spell attack against a creature within your reach. On a hit, that creature takes 1d4 necrotic damage. If one of these dice rolls a 3 or a 4, roll two additional dice of one size larger (d6, d8, d10, d12, d20), rolling again if these dice rolls their maximum value, and so on. This attack's initial damage increases to 2d4 at 5th level, 3d4 at 11th level and 4d4 at 17th level
Displacement
Dream	Slumber	Slumber
Emotion
Illusion	Invoke Duplicity	Invoke Duplicity
Knowledge
Life	Preserve Life	As an action, you present your holy symbol and evoke healing energy that can restore a number of hit points equal to 5 × your character level. Choose any creatures within 10 meters of you, and divide those hit points among them. This feature can restore a creature to no more than half of its hit point maximum. You can't use this feature on an undead or a construct.
Mind
Nature
Sanity
Soul
Spirit	Drain Spirit	Drain Spirit
Tranquility

Aether Domains

Divine Domain	Channel Divinity	Description
Arcane	Create Tear	Create Tear
Astral
Chaos
Dark
Divine
Evil
Falsehood
Fate	Seer's Omen	Seer's Omen
Good	Truce	Truce
Law
Light	Radiance of the Dawn	As an action, you present your holy symbol, and any magical darkness within 10 meters of you is dispelled. Each hostile creature within 10 meters of you must make a Fortitude contest. A creature takes radiant damage equal to 1d10 + your divine spellcasting modifier, per point of proficiency bonus on a failed check, and half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that has total cover from you is not affected.
Luck	Chaos of Battle	Chaos of Battle
Occult	Blood Puppet	Blood Puppet
Planar	Arcane Abjuration	Arcane Abjuration
Primal
Truth

Innate Spellcasting

Innate Spellcasting Ability

Innate spellcasters use Charisma as their spellcasting ability modifier. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasitng ability. You are always proficient with your own spellcasting, and the proficiency bonus is level-based, as described above in the Proficiency introduction.

Innate Spellcasting Ability = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Preparation & Learned Spells

An innate spellcaster replaces the mechanics of another spellcasting type. They never have to worry about preparing magic, instead any spell they learn is always prepared. Instead of learning any spells from their spellcasting feats, they learn one spell per spellcasting feat.

Body as Focus

An innate spellcaster can use themselves as a spellcasting focus when casting spells. When doing so they use Charisma as their Spellcasting ability modifier instead of another defined Spellcasting ability modifier.

Occult Spellcasting

Your occult research and the magic bestowed on you by your patron have given you facility with spells.

Occult spellcasters seek knowledge in the unknown and unexplained. They are seekers of the deep hidden secrets of the world, those that can't be explained by simple science or knowledge of the arcane or otherwise. Occult magic is the

some seek what lies hidden in the fabric of the multiverse. Through pacts made with mysterious beings of supernatural power, warlocks unlock magical effects both subtle and spectacular. Drawing on the ancient knowledge of beings such as fey nobles, demons, devils, hags, and alien entities of the Far Realm, warlocks piece together arcane secrets to bolster their own power.

The magic bestowed on a warlock ranges from minor but lasting alterations to the warlock's being (such as the ability to see in darkness or to read any language) to access to powerful spells. Unlike bookish wizards, warlocks supplement their magic with some facility at hand-to-hand combat. They are comfortable in light armor and know how to use simple weapons.

Occult Spellcasting Ability

Occult spellcasters use either Intelligence or Charisma as their spellcasting ability modifier, dependent on their source of power. You use your Intelligence or Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. You are always proficienct with your own spellcasting, and the proficiency bonus is level-based, as described in the Proficiency introduction.

Occult Spellcasting Ability = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence or Charisma modifier

Eldritch Power

Occult spellcasters always cast their spells at their maximum level,

Primal Spellcasting

A druid weaving the flora around her to protect her from the weather, a warden calling upon the primal powers of the elements to bring thunder and lightning down on his foes or warriors granted ancestral powers by their forefathers, each of these represent the power of the Primal domain.

Primal magic is the power of nature, the power of spirits and the power of the elements. These powers is manifested only if the primal casters will is granted by nature or the spirits or whatever source they channel from, which results in a need of balance between their power and their source. Primal magicians rely on study, but also understanding and wisdom. Most of their magic is granted by having a relationship with the places around them.

Primal Spellcasting Ability

Primal spellcasters use Wisdom as their spellcasting ability modifier. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasitng ability. You are always proficient with your own spellcasting, and the proficiency bonus is level-based, as described above in the Proficiency introduction.

Primal Spellcasting Ability = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Preparation

A primal caster has the whole width of primal spells at their disposal, but not all at once. Primal casters can prepare a select few spells each day at the end of each long rest, from all primal spells.

Prepared Primal Spells = 1 + your number of Primal Spellcasting Feats + your Wisdom modifier

Primal Leylines

Primal casters are magically bonded to the locations they visit, the weather and the spirits that surround them. This makes some of spells easier to cast in certain places and locations.

Primal spells has an Affinity Tag that determines when they are easier to cast. Spells that create gusts of freezing air are easier to cast in ice cold tundra, while calling upon fire would be easier in a scorching desert.

When an affinity tag is active, the primal caster can cast a chosen spell with half the required spell points. If the affinity tag is vague and difficult to know whether its active or not, the DM has final say over whether it counts or not. Generally, if you have to roll exhaustion contests for heat, the heat tag is active, and vica versa for cold climates, and if you are in a terrain type the heavily matches the affinity tag, it is active.

Primal Domains	Primal Leylines
Anima	Soul Body
Caelum	Heat (Energy) Cold (Inactivity)
Elementus Terra	Land Water Wind
Fauna Flora Fungi	Life Death
Rainforest Desert	Heat Cold (🤷‍♂️?)

Primal Focus and Components

Primal spellcasting encompass a very wide span of different types of spellcasters. Some channel their

Primal foci channels the force

A druidic focus might be a sprig of mistletoe or holly, a wand or scepter made of yew or another special wood, a staff drawn whole out of a living tree, or a totem object incorporating feathers, fur, bones, and teeth from sacred animals. A druid can use such an object as a spellcasting focus.

Multiple variations of this item exist, as listed below: