Chapter 6: Spellcasting
The basis of all spellcasting is the cantrip—they are core spells that spellcasters can cast as easily as a fighter can wield a sword. When you gain a spellcasting feat, you’ll either be given specific cantrips you can cast or can choose cantrips from the Arcane, Primal, Divine, or Psionic spell lists.
If cantrips are the foundation of spellcasting, charms are the flourish. Charms let you change how a cantrip behaves, typically by changing who you can target with a cantrip or the effects of casting the cantrip. Each charm is associated with a number of cantrips and has one or more tags associated with it—you can only use one charm of a given tag when you cast a spell. There are two main charm tags: targeting and effect.
- Targeting
- Retains the effect(s) of the base cantrip, but changes how to target the spell.
- Effect
- Retains the targeting (range, creatures affected, etc…) of the base cantrip, but changes the effect that happens, including if damage is done at all.
For instance, you can use the Blast charm, which is a targeting charm, and the Move charm, an effect charm, together when casting a spell, but not the Blast charm and the Spray charm, because they’re both targeting charms. Charms can be added to a cantrip on the fly—you don’t need to decide how you want to combine them up-front. Whenever you see “spell” across the rules, it refers to either a cantrip cast on its own, or a cantrip cast with charms.
If a charm forces a target to make a
If a charm lasts while you concentrate on it, you need to use the
Casting a spell requires both somatic and verbal components—precise gestures and magical phrases need to draw forth the magic. You must also have a spellcasting focus equipped. If you cannot freely move or speak, or don’t have your focus equipped, you’re unable to cast a spell.
Some spells take a while to cast, these are called rituals. In order to cast a ritual, you must spend the entire duration specified performing the ritual uninterrupted in order to cast it successfully—any
You can upcast a spell to a higher level, increasing its potency. Each level you upcast a spell to requires you to mark additional
| Upcast Level | Minimum AP | Fatigue |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Level | ||
| 2nd Level | ||
| 3rd Level | ||
| 4th Level | ||
| 5th Level | ||
| 6th Level |
You gain the upcast benefits for your cantrip and any charms per level you upcast, so if you upcast to level 2 you gain the cantrip’s upcast feature twice, and a charm’s upcast (if it has one) feature twice.
Cantrips
Acid Splash
| Damage Type | acid |
Hurl a bubble of acid at target within within 30 feet of you, dealing 1d6 acid damage and applying sundered on a strong hit.
Upcast: 1 damage die
Call the Grave
| Damage Type | necrotic |
Beckon a target to the grave, dealing 1d6 necrotic damage to a creature within 60 feet. If the creature is damaged, deal an additional
Upcast: 1 damage die +
Fire Bolt
| Damage Type | fire |
Hurl a bolt of fire at a target within 60 feet, dealing 1d6 fire damage and on a strong hit inflict doomed.
Upcast: 1 damage die
Healing Word
Call out to a creature within 60 feet, healing them for 1d6. If you touch them, increase the healing by one die size.
Upcast: 1 healing die, recover
Lightning Lasso
| Damage Type | lightning |
Lasso a target within 15 feet of you with a line of pure lightning, dealing 1d6 lightning damage and on a strong hit pulling them within 5 feet of you.
Upcast: 1 damage die
Mind Spike
| Damage Type |
Reach into the mind of a target within 60 feet and sap their vitality, dealing
Upcast:
Minor Illusion
| Damage Type |
Create an illusory sound or image at a point within 30’, no louder than a scream and no larger than a 5-foot cube, to distract a creature, for 1 minute. The image or sound lasts for the duration, cannot be changed once cast, and dissipates if you cast this cantrip again unless cast with an effect charm. If a creature tries to discern the true nature of the illusion, they make a focus
The illusions don’t hold up to physical inspection; physical objects will pass through images, and sounds will have no origin. If a creature sees this happen, they roll their
Upcast:
Poison Spray
| Damage Type | poison |
Spray a target within 30 feet of you, dealing 1d4 poison damage and on a strong hit inflicting weakened
Upcast: 1 damage die
Sacred Flame
| Damage Type | radiant |
Call down divine radiance upon a target within 60 feet, they make a cunning
Upcast: 1 damage die, or apply sundered on a miss
Stone Sling
| Damage Type | physical |
Launch a stone at a target within 30 feet, dealing 1d10 physical damage.
Upcast: 1 damage die
Thunderclap
| Damage Type | force |
Direct a gust of wind at a target within 30 feet that explodes in a pop of thunder when it hits them, dealing 1d6 force damage and on a strong hit pushing them 10 feet away from you.
Upcast: 1 damage die
Water Whip
| Damage Type | cold |
Lash out at a target within 30 feet with an ice-tipped water whip, dealing 1d6 cold damage and on a strong hit inflict slowed.
Upcast: 1 damage die
Charms
Armor
1 minute
Add
Barrage
Target an additional 2 creatures or objects within the range of your spell, or target the same creature an additional 2 times. Increase the number of targets by 1 for each level this spell has been upcast.
Blast
You channel your cantrip into a blast emanating from you, affecting all creatures and objects in a 30 foot long, 5 foot wide, 5 foot tall line. Creatures affected make a
Control Element
Control an element associated with your cantrip. The amount you control must fit within a contiguous 5’x5’x5’ cube, and you cannot directly affect or damage other creatures with the element you are controlling. The effect lasts as long as you are concentrating on the spell, although narratively appropriate changes can outlast your concentration. For every level you upcast, you can increase the dimensions of the cube by 5’ per side. If you upcast to at least 2nd level, you can optionally cause a creature or creatures in the affected area to make a
Counterspell
A creature casts a spell
As a reaction to another creature casting a spell, you can mark
Detonate
Target a point within range. Every creature within 15 feet of that point must make a
Disguise
The target creature, including their clothing, armor, weapons, and other items worn or carried, look different until the spell ends. You can see up to a foot taller or shorter, or appear heavier or lighter. You must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs as you have, otherwise, the extent of the change is up to you. The changes, though, don’t hold up to physical inspection; if you give yourself a hat, for example, objects will pass through it and anyone who tries to touch it would have their hand pass through it.
Emanate
Your spell emanates out from you in a 5 foot aura. Creatures of your choice that enter the aura or end its turn within the aura must make a
Empower
Channel your power to apply empowered to your target. Mark an additional
Hasten
Channel your power to apply hastened to your target while you concentrate on this spell. Upcast to level 2 or higher to also apply quickened.
Invigorate
Channel your power to apply invigorated to your target as long as you concentrate on it.
Invisibility
The target creature becomes invisible until they make an attack, cast a spell, or you stop concentrating on the spell. Upcast to level 3 to allow the target to attack and cast spells while invisible.
Move
After resolving your spell as normal, force the target to move 5 feet in the direction of your choice, plus 5 feet for each level this spell has been upcast.
Pool
Create an area on the ground that is 10’x10’ centered on a point within range. The area becomes difficult terrain, applying slowed to all creatures in it. The first time a creature moves in the area on its turn, it must succeed on a
Shed
Cover a creature within range (including yourself) in an ablative coating; gain
Shield
You're hit and will take damage
As a reaction to getting hit before you take damage, become protected until the end of your next turn. For each level upcast, add +1 to your AC for each
Sleep
If you force a creature to mark
Slow
Channel your power to apply slowed to your target while you concentrate on this spell. Upcast to level 2 or higher to also apply impaired.
Splash
The spell explodes when reaching its target; on a hit, each creature or object within 5 feet of the target is affected at -1 step for attack rolls and +1 step for saving throws.
Spray
You channel your cantrip into a spray emanating from you, affecting all creatures and objects in a 15 foot cone. Creatures affected make
Rare Charms
Control Creature
If the target creature is medium or smaller, it must make a
If you would have it do something intentionally harmful to itself, and at the end of each of its turn, it may make the
Leech
Leech half the damage you deal with this spell back to you, healing you or recovering
Link
Create a link between you and your target. On subsequent turns, as part of your concentration, you can affect the creature again, paying ½ the initial
Resurrection
1 hour
You spend an hour tending to a body that’s been deceased no longer than a day. At the end of the hour, the body is resurrected with its full consciousness at
For each level you upcast this spell, the amount of time you must spend doubles, as does the HP they return with, and their exhaustion level decreases by 1. At level 1, the body can be deceased for up to a week, at level 3 the body can be deceased for up to a year and missing limbs not critical for living can be restored, and at level 5 any body, regardless of length of it being deceased and missing limbs, can be fully restored and resurrected.