[Compedium] Spirit Magic

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Ivy's Tome of Spirit Magic

Spirit Magic

Practitioners of spirit magic learn to weave the spirit world into their craft. They call upon ancient ancestors for knowledge, ward against restless spirits, and are even able to control life and death.

This short compendium includes a handful of new spells centered around spirits, life force, and the undead.

Banish Spirits

abjuration cantrip


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 30 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (a sprig of dried herbs)
  • Duration: Immediate
  • Classes: Cleric

You attempt to compel a creature's spirit to the afterlife. A creature you see within range must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failed save the creature takes 1d6 force damage, or 1d12 force damage if the target is an undead.

The damage dealt increases at higher levels: 2d6 (or 2d12) at 5th level, 3d6 (or 3d12) at 11th level, and 4d6 (or 4d12) at 17th level.

Courage

enchantment cantrip


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: V, S, M (a small ribbon)
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
  • Classes: Bard, Cleric

You touch a creature and enchant it with newly found resolve. The creature gains 1d4 + 1 temporary hit points which disappear when the spell ends.

At higher levels the number of temporary hit points increases: 2d4 + 2 at 5th level, 3d4 + 3 at 11th level, and 4d4 + 4 at 17th level.

Seek Knowledge

divination cantrip


  • Casting Time: 1 minute
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V, M (an heirloom belonging to an ancestor)
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
  • Classes: Cleric, Druid, Wizard

You consult your ancestors for a hidden spark of ancient knowledge. Once before the spell ends, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to an ability check or saving throw which uses your Intelligence. The spell then ends.

If you are proficient with the ability check or saving throw, the die changes to a d6 as your own familiarity with the task helps to channel the experiences of your ancestors.

Life Drain

1st level necromancy


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 30 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (a glass eyedropper and a bit of yarn)
  • Duration: Instantaneous
  • Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock

A cord of necrotic energy appears between you and a creature you can see within range, as you attempt to drain the target of its life force. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 necrotic damage, and you gain temporary hit points for one minute equal to half the damage dealt. This spell has no effect on constructs.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.

Earthly Entrapment

2nd level transmutation


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 30 feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
  • Classes: Bard, Cleric, Warlock

You point at an undead creature that can see and hear you and command it to fully manifest into the current plane. The target must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or lose its resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, as well as any incorporeal movement it may have for the duration. The undead regains these traits once the spell ends, and creatures other than undead are unaffected by this spell.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 3rd.

Soul Reading

2nd level divination ritual


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 20 feet
  • Components: S, M (a deck of marked cards)
  • Duration: Immediate
  • Classes: Bard, Cleric, Wizard

You stare with sharp intent at a creature within range in an attempt to peer into its soul. You learn general knowledge about its life, and if the creature is an undead or otherwise had a past life, you also learn about its former life. For example, you may learn the following about it.

  • Its approximate age.
  • Its general disposition and happiness.
  • Its most recent profession, occupation, or similar role.
  • Any significant past traumas it has suffered.
  • When it died (if applicable).

An unwilling target can make an Intelligence saving throw to try to avoid this effect. On success it reveals no information or potentially even false information about itself. Constructs and creatures immune to divination magic do not reveal any information.

Revive Animal

2nd level necromancy


  • Casting Time: 1 minute
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: V, S, M (a handful of nutrient-rich soil and 20 gp of herbs, all of which are consumed)
  • Duration: Instantaneous
  • Classes: Cleric, Druid, Ranger

You lay your hands on a single beast that died no more than 8 hours ago. If the beast is of challenge rating 1 or lower it returns to life with 1 hit point. otherwise the spell ends. This spell can’t return to life a creature that has died of old age, nor can it restore any missing body parts.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the challenge rating of the beast you can revive increases by 1 for each slot level above 2nd.

Ghostfire

3rd level evocation


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V, S, M (a previously burned match)
  • Duration: Instantaneous
  • Classes: Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

A ring of translucent blue flames briefly flares out from you in all directions. The ghostly flames spread around corners and trace the contours of the terrain. Creatures within 20 feet of you must each succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 3d6 fire damage and become faintly outlined in a pale blue aura that lasts until the end of your next turn. On success a creature takes half as much damage and is not outlined.

Any attack roll against an outlined creature has advantage if the attacker can see it, and the affected creature can't benefit from being invisible.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level after 3rd.

Luminous Ward

3rd level conjuration


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 30 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (a relic of happier times, such as a love note or friendship charm)
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
  • Classes: Cleric, Druid, Wizard

You create an intangible spirit of shimmering white light at a spot you can see within range, remaining for the spell's duration. The spirit takes the rough form of a Medium or smaller humanoid or beast and emits a luminescent aura that radiates in all directions for 20 feet, warding against certain creatures. The region inside this aura is bright light, and it emits dim light for an additional 20 feet.

Aberrations, fiends, and undead have disadvantage on attack rolls and perception checks against targets inside the aura. An aberration, fiend, or undead who starts its turn inside the aura or first moves into it on its turn must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 2d8 radiant damage on failure or half as much on success.

You can move the spirit and its aura up to 30 feet on subsequent turns but must use your full action to do so. The spell ends if the spirit moves outside the spell's range.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 3rd.

Selune's Protective Rosary

3rd level abjuration


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: S, M (a short string of beads)
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
  • Classes: Cleric, Druid

You touch a creature and cause a series of illusory beads to appear around its neck, which help absorb arcane energies. For the duration, the creature has resistance against force, necrotic, radiant, and psychic damage.

Kiaransalee's Terrible Keening

4th level necromancy


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V, M (cloth from a burial shroud)
  • Duration: Instantaneous
  • Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock

You unleash a terrifying wail of anguish and misery that can be heard up to 300 feet away and chills nearby creatures to the bone. Each creature within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw or take 3d10 psychic damage and become stunned and deafened until the end of its next turn. On success a creature takes half as much damage and is not stunned or deafened. If damage from this spell kills a creature it takes on a ghastly appearance as its body is drained of all life.

Creatures who are deafened or otherwise unable to hear automatically succeed on this saving throw.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 4th.

Incorporeal Shift

5th level transmutation


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Touch
  • Components: S, M (a well polished mirror; diamond dust worth 100 gp, which the spell consumes)
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
  • Classes: Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Warlock

A willing creature you touch and any equipment it is wearing become spectral and incorporeal for the duration. Until the spell ends the creature has resistance against bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage and can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain.

A creature takes 1d10 force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. If the spell ends while the creature is inside an object or another creature, it takes 4d10 force damage and is ejected to the nearest unoccupied space (chosen at random if more than one space is equally near).

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 5th.

Undead Binding

6th level necromancy


  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: 30 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (old and tarnished jewelry valued at 500 gp or more)
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
  • Classes: Cleric, Warlock, Wizard

You call forth a spirit from the Shadowfell, binding it into your servitude. Select one of the following effects.

  • An incorporeal undead creature of challenge rating 5 or lower appears in an unoccupied space you can see, such as a ghost or a wraith.

  • You select a Large or smaller corpse or pile of bones within range and a corporeal undead of challenge rating 5 or lower rises from it. The undead creature must not be larger than the size of the corpse or pile of bones, and if you select a corpse the undead must be of an appropriate form for it. The creature does not have any equipment that is not present on the corpse or pile of bones when the spell is cast.

The undead creature returns to the Shadowfell when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends, leaving behind its material body (if it has one). It is loyal to only you for the duration. Roll initiative for the undead, which has its own turns. It understands and obeys any verbal commands that you issue to it (no action required by you). If you don't issue any commands to the undead, it defends itself from hostile creatures but otherwise takes no actions.

If your concentration is broken, the undead doesn't disappear. Instead, the undead stops being loyal to you and becomes hostile toward you and your companions. An uncontrolled undead can't be dismissed by you, and it disappears 1 hour after you summoned it. The DM has the undead's statistics.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the challenge rating increases by 1 for each slot level above 6th.

Spells by Class

Bard

Cantrips: courage
2nd level: earthly entrapment, soul reading

Cleric

Cantrips: banish spirits, courage, seek knowledge
2nd level: earthly entrapment, revive animal, soul reading
3rd level: luminous ward, Selune's protective rosary
6th level: undead binding

Druid

Cantrips: seek knowledge
2nd level: revive animal
3rd level: ghostfire, luminous ward 4th level: Kiaransalee's terrible keening
5th level: incorporeal shift

Ranger

2nd level: revive animal
5th level: incorporeal shift

Sorcerer

1st level: life drain
3rd level: ghostfire
4th level: Kiaransalee's terrible keening
5th level: incorporeal shift

Warlock

1st level: life drain
2nd level: earthly entrapment
3rd level: ghostfire 4th level: Kiaransalee's terrible keening
5th level: incorporeal shift
6th level: undead binding

Wizard

Cantrips: seek knowledge
2nd level: soul reading
3rd level: ghostfire, luminous ward
6th level: undead binding


Credits

  • Alice Witchfire - concept and author
  • ChrisCold - The Necromancer
  • NikolaiOstertag - Claris Somnus (key)
  • r/UnearthedArcana for their review and support

Version 17