Third level spells are special for players that choose to run a wizard in Dungeons & Dragons. These spells let players know their wizard has arrived – they can finally step out of the shadow of the party’s fighters and stand on their own. For divine spellcasters, this is the spell level where they finally have control over life and death. There are so many great 3rd level spells that it can be difficult deciding which ones a character should memorize. This list will hopefully make things a little easier for players who can’t decide what 3rd level spells will be the most useful.
Updated By Ericka Blye on July 25, 2020:For all spellcasting classes in 5e, 3rd level spells are no joke. While cantrips, and 1st and 2nd level spells have (hopefully) served your spellcaster well during the start of their adventure, their 3rd level spells will really help keep them alive and see them through leveling up and gaining access to even more powerful spells. While spellcasters like wizards, clerics, and sorcerers gain a lot of great 3rd level spells, other classes like warlocks, bards, druids, and even rangers can pick up a couple of neat tricks.
15 Sending
Communication is key, even when it comes to D&D. Not only do you want to keep an open line of communication between yourself and other players, but it doesn’t hurt to do the same in-game. Sending makes it possible to keep a party connected even if they’re apart.
You can send a 25 word or less message to any creature you’re familiar with and it can respond back to you. You can use it at any distance and can even message people on different planes, though there is a 5% chance of the spell failing.
14 Major Image
Major Image is a pretty powerful Illusion spell that warlocks, sorcerers, wizards, and bards can cast. It lets you create the image of just about anything no larger than a 20-foot cube with near-perfect accuracy. Where other illusion spells have their limits, whatever you cast using Major Image includes smells, sounds, and temperature that’s appropriate to what you’re casting.
You can even move and alter its appearance with an action. Any creature that touches or examines the image can figure out it isn’t real, but it at the very least makes for a great distraction.
13 Haste
Haste is one of those spells that was much better in previous editions of D&D, but even this watered-down version is one of the more useful 3rd level spells. Haste, as the name suggests, make a character move with supernatural speed and quickness. The recipient’s speed is doubled, but this isn’t the only benefit; a hastened character also receives a +2 to their armor class.
Lastly, haste gives the recipient an extra action on their turn. This extra turn can only be used for a weapon attack, dash, disengage, hide or to use an item/object. The only drawback is a hastened player becomes fatigued when the spell expires.
12 Dispel Magic
Dispel magic is one of those spells that players might not use that often, but when it’s needed the party will be thankful the party’s arcane spellcaster didn’t just memorize another fireball. Dispel magic automatically dispels a 3rd level spell or less on a person, place, or object. It can dispel a spell effect higher than 3rd, but this requires a DC check of 10 + the spell’s level.
This is a fantastic utility spell that could be used to remove a negative spell effect from a party member, temporarily render a magic item nonmagical, remove a magical trap (like a glyph of warding), and cancel an area of effect spell hindering/hurting the party.
11 Counterspell
Sometimes the best way out of trouble is to not get into trouble in the first place. Counterspell lets you stop the process of a spell being cast all together (within 60 feet) and only uses a Reaction. If the spell is a 3rd or lower, that spell fails and takes no effect.
If it’s 4th or higher you have to make an ability check and beat a DC 10 + the spell’s level. Counterspell can really throw a wrench in an enemy’s plan, like preventing an attack, a retreat, or even the revival of an enemy’s ally.
10 Slow
A lot of spells that affected a group of people in previous editions of D&D have been changed so they only target one being in 5th edition – haste is a good example of this. Slow was thankfully not changed, and still affects a group. Up to six targets within 40’ of the spell’s focus point can be slowed using this spell. Targets that fail a wisdom saving throw have their movement halved and suffer an armor class penalty of -2.
Additionally, slowed beings cannot make more than one attack on their turn. Spells may still be cast by slowed targets, but if the casting time is one action, there is a 50% chance that the spell will be delayed until the following turn – forcing the use of that turn’s action as well.
9 Protection From Energy
Protection From Energy can provide a lot of different spellcasters a bit of extra protection (for themselves or others) on the fly. It’s a concentration spell that they can cast on a willing creature that provides resistance from one type of damage; either thunder, acid, fire, cold, or lightning.
When a creature has resistance, it means that if it only takes half of the damage dealt by an attack that deals a specific type of damage. And sometimes shaving off damage dealt makes the difference between living to fight another round or dying.
8 Fly
There are many DMs that wish this had been a higher-level spell, as the power of flight can be a game-changer. To make matters worse for DMs the 5th edition version of fly allows the caster to imbue an additional person with flight for every spell slot used to memorize it above 3rd. The recipient of fly can move through the air at a speed of 60.
The spell does not mention concentration being required to maintain the effect so the caster is free to rain down spells from above. The spell also does not mention anything in regards to maneuverability, so it is assumed that a character under the effects of this spell can hover in one spot if desired.
7 Tenser’s Deadly Strike
Tenser’s Deadly Strike is a spell from 2nd edition D&D, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be used in 5th edition. Spells are one of the easiest aspects of D&D to convert between the various editions. However, that doesn’t mean a DM should make them immediately available – give the party’s arcane caster spells like this one when the party is being paid or rewarded.
This powerful spell causes every successful attack by the wizard to deal maximum damage. The duration is 3 turns + 1d6 turns, and only melee or hurled attacks are affected. The usefulness of this spell is greatly increased if the caster is a multiclass fighter/wizard or a bard. This spell is detailed in the Wizard’s Spell Compendium and the World of Greyhawk books.
6 Invisibility 10’ Radius
This is another spell from earlier editions of D&D; one that should have been included in 5th edition. This spell makes every person within 10’ of the caster invisible. The invisibility field moves with the caster, and anyone made invisible who moves outside this 10’ radius area becomes visible.
If a person rendered invisible makes an attack or casts a spell, they become visible, but this does not end the spell for the other recipients unless the action was taken by the caster. This spell allows the entire party to surprise an opponent, and in D&D a tough fight becomes much easier if the enemy can be caught flat-footed.
5 Spirit Guardians
Spirit Guardians lets you summon protective spirits that surround you up to 15 feet. When a creature that hasn’t been designated to be within that 15-foot space enters or starts their turn in that area, you can deal them 3d8 radiant damage, or necrotic damage, if you’re evil-aligned.
They have to make a Wisdom saving throw to determine if they take full damage, on a failed save, or half damage, on a successful save. Their speed is also halved and the spell can be cast at higher levels, adding another 1d8 of damage for every additional level.
4 Crusader’s Mantle
Crusader’s mantle creates a 30’radius aura about the caster that causes all successful attacks by those friendly to the caster to deal an extra 1d4 points of damage. An extra 1d4 doesn’t seem like much, but over the course of the spell’s duration of one minute this could add up to a significant amount of damage.
Especially tough opponents can be brought down much faster if the party concentrates all their attacks on them while under the effects of crusader’s mantle. This spell does require concentration on the part of the caster, so he/she will be limited to bonus actions until it expires.
3 Fireball
Fireball is one of those spells that causes players to run a wizard due to its reputation for causing destruction. Fireball allows the caster to direct a ball of fire to any spot within the 120’ range, at which point it explodes and deals significant damage to everyone in a 20’ radius.
The damage is 8d6, but the damage is halved with a successful dexterity saving throw. This spell is also scalable; adding a 1d6 for every spell slot it occupies above 3rd. In previous editions of D&D, the damage of a fireball was capped at 10d6, but in 5th edition, this cap has been removed.
2 Call Lightning
Like fireball, this spell has been greatly improved over previous versions. Call lightning allows the caster to summon a storm cloud – so the area must be able to contain this cloud. Every turn the caster can target an area with a lightning strike from the cloud. All people within 5’ of the lightning strike must make a dexterity save or suffer 3d10 points of damage (a passed save reduces the damage by half).
This spell lasts for ten minutes – meaning that the caster can ultimately deliver a whopping 300d10 over the course of the spell’s duration. This spell is also scalable; adding a 1d10 for every spell slot above 3rd used. Also, this spell does an extra 1d10 if used during a storm.
1 Revivify
In previous editions of D&D, the ability to revive the dead was an ability that only high-level clerics could access. In 5th edition this ability becomes available at 5th level; so a low-level party is no longer forced to spend all their gold reviving a fallen companion. The caster must be able to touch the target, and revivify must be cast within one minute of the target’s death.
This spell cannot be used to bring back someone who died of old age and does not regenerate missing limbs or cure ailments like poison or disease. The recipient of this spell is revived with one hit point, so healing will need to be administered before they can rejoin a fight – but at least the player isn’t forced to create a replacement character.
NEXT: Dungeons & Dragons: The 10 Most Useful 9th Level Spells, Ranked
