Another 3 Spells for DMs

Since I got such positive response from my first blog post about spells that are good for a DM to have, I have decided to list three more! These are spells that DMs should remember exist because they will help you a great deal with driving and shaping your story within a world of magic. All of these spells are available to players too of course, but feel free to modify them slightly when NPCs are using them; maybe the spell is different when cast as a spell-like ability from a monster, or maybe the evil lich created a variant version.
Teleport: This spell used to make me nervous, because when the players gained access to it, it meant that the game was changing. There would be far fewer times where the players would be spending days on the road, where any number of things could happen. If I wanted them out in the wilderness, I had to create reasons while they were in town. However, because teleport does not always function perfectly, it is a great opportunity to have the players end up in places they never expected. Maybe they accidentally teleport just beyond a door that no one could open. Maybe they end up on the side of a mountain, and risk falling. I’m not a fan of having someone randomly teleport to the party because it sometimes feels contrived, but one of my favourite ways to use it is to have a magical item that disrupts teleport, something that causes anyone using the spell to end up near it instead of their destination. This is a great way to get players into a different room in the dungeon, or have them end up in a trap set by some evil being.
Reincarnate: This spell has always been a joy to use. It’s the cheapest of the permanent ways to bring someone back from the dead, and it comes with my favourite feature in D&D; random rolls! When someone has died, I like to present this spell as the most reasonable option, and the one that churches are willing to cast in exchange for services. Because it is a tenth of the cost of resurrection, many parties can afford it much easier. I remember when my pirate captain character died, he had just obtained a ship for 10 000 gp. My first mate was the one who would decide what happened to my body, and he figured that the pirate would not want to give up the ship he just got in order to come back when there was a cheaper option. He had reincarnate cast on me, and the random roll ended up being a 100 on the percentile dice, which was DM’s choice. It was one of the most memorable games I’ve played. Another time, one of my player’s characters was killed by a kobold ambush in the night. They were low level, so the party made a deal with a church to cast reincarnate. When I rolled on the chart, I could not have planned it better myself, the character was brought back as a kobold! Changing someone’s race is usually not game-breaking, but it is memorable and I find it is a great “penalty” for dying without significantly weakening someone (which is not fun for the player).
Antimagic Field: You want to be careful how you use this spell, because it can feel like a cheap shot to players who have spent so long building their power. Typically I like to present this as a permanent effect on a location, and have it be something that the players can know about ahead of time and plan for. I’ve had groups of low level baddies set up a stronghold within one. I once decided that an antimagic field was the only main defense in a warehouse that the players were going to be breaking into. It was pretty funny when one player forgot, and climbed up to the highest window 50 ft up using Slippers of Spider Climb, and then try to climb down with them as well (magic item abilities are suppressed in the field). At higher levels, this spell does make for an interesting challenge, and a well placed antimagic field can really give the non-casters a time to shine when you’re at levels where magic has started being the answer to most of the problems the party faces. If nothing else, players may choose to avoid an area completely if they know that all their hard-earned magic is just going to turn off, so it’s a pretty good deterrent too.
I enjoy doing these lists, so I may do another three spells down the road. Magic is my favourite part of the game, so I have plenty to say about it!
