Magic in Dungeons & Dragons brings versatility and flexibility to the game. There are more than one hundred spells available to players with various effects and complicated mechanics, and sometimes, it's easy to overlook the creative uses of certain spells.

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There are defensive and utility spells in the game that can be weaponized against your enemies in the right situation. If you know these uses, you might be more inclined to choose these spells for your offensive characters, or even broaden the toolkit of your support characters.

8 Absorb Elements

A wizard creating a shield to block a fiery hammer thrown at them
Annul MTG Art by Caro Monteiro

Level

School

Range

Duration

Classes

1st

Abjuration

Self

1 Round

Artificer, Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Wizard

This spell is one of the best defensive spells against enemies that deal considerable elemental damage. With one reaction, you can halve the damage that you take, and that in itself is powerful enough for many spell casters to pick Absorb Elements for survivability.

But the part that sometimes gets overlooked, is that after you reduce elemental damage in this way, you can empower your next attack with the same power, and deal a small amount of that type of damage. This damage is 1d6 at 1st level but gets stronger if you cast it at a higher level. Certain subclasses such as Draconic Bloodline sorcerer or School of Evocation wizard can build around this effect to deal large amounts of damage with their attacks.

7 Feather Fall

A girl falling in a cloudy sky
Wolkenspringer by Axel Sauerwald

Level

School

Range

Duration

Classes

1st

Transmutation

60 Feet

1 Minute

Artificer, Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard

Smart enemies might run away if they're cornered to try and come back stronger than before. It's a cool yet annoying moment when the villain jumps off a high cliff into the waters below to get away, and this is when Feather Fall can come in to save the day.

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The spell has a simple effect that can save the life of you and your allies if you are about to fall a great distance, but it slows the falling speed of any creatures, even unwilling creatures, with no saving throw. So keep an eye out on this spell, even if the falling creature is an enemy. By slowing the fall of a fleeing enemy, you can give time to your ranged allies to finish the job, or you can slow the fall of a large creature who has jumped high in an attempt to crush you and your allies with their weight.

6 Armor Of Agathys

A warrior's armor covered in jagged ice
Fjord art by @MukhlisNur

Level

School

Range

Duration

Classes

1st

Abjuration

Self

1 Hour

Warlock

This 1st level spell is a favorite tool among most warlocks. The spell gives you a number of temporary hit points and deals cold damage to creatures who attack you as long as you have that temporary hit points. The spell gets more powerful both defensively and offensively when cast at higher levels, but most of the time, it's considered a defensive ability with a limited duration. But there is a certain combo in D&D that can take Armor of Agathys from a niche defensive spell to your main source of damage.

School of Abjuration wizards have an ability called the arcane ward, that gives them an extra pool of hit points to protect them against damage. What makes this ward special, is that it absorbs the damage even before your temporary hit points. So if you get access to Armor of Agathys through multiclassing or feats, you can deal the spell's damage much longer since smaller attacks don't get through the ward and temporary hit points, allowing you to tank and deal considerable amounts of damage with only one spell.

5 Sending

mage bends a human's mind with magic
Jace's Scrutiny by Slawomir Maniak

Level

School

Range

Duration

Classes

3rd

Evocation

Unlimited

1 Round

Bard, Cleric, Wizard

Sending is one of the most useful spells for communication. It has no limit on the range, and your message can even reach creatures in other planes of existence. You only need to be familiar with your target, whether through seeing them, having them described to you, or personally knowing them.

Your target recognizes you as the sender only if they know you. And if they are not familiar with magic and this spell, in particular, they basically hear a stranger's voice in their head. This is when you can get creative with what you say, and manipulate certain NPCs or enemies by talking in their heads and persuading them to believe or do things that they would not have done otherwise.

4 Leomund's Tiny Hut

A group of adventurers resting in a glowing magical hut
Leomund's Tiny Hut by @ambikyu

Level

School

Range

Duration

Classes

3rd

Evocation

Self (10-foot-radius hemisphere)

8 Hours

Bard, Wizard

This ritual spell is particularly useful in campaigns that feature a lot of travel and camping, as it provides a safe space for you and your allies to rest for the night. For the duration of 8 hours, the spell prevents other creatures and magical effects from entering the hut, but creatures that are in the radius when you cast the spell, can pass through the hut without a problem.

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This is the part that can turn an exclusively protective spell, into an impenetrable trench during combat. You can set up a safe place for your allies to retrieve between their turns, keeping them safe from enemy projectiles and spells. The only limitation is that the caster has to remain in the hut, and they cannot target creatures outside the hut with spells and abilities. But if you are playing a supporting character, you can still perform your role when your allies come into the hut, and use your supportive spells then to help them in combat.

3 Rope Trick

A gnome wizard and their pseudodragon familiar
Wizards & Spells Cover Art by Conceptopolis

Level

School

Range

Duration

Classes

2nd

Transmutation

Touch

1 Hour

Artificer, Wizard

Rope Trick is a very situational utility spell, and many casters might ignore it due to its rare use case. But with a little preparation, you can use this spell in a similar fashion to Leomund's Tiny Hut to make yourself and up to seven other allies immune to hostile creatures between your turns. The spell creates a small pocket dimension where you can enter and disappear, and the only thing connecting you to the world outside is a rope that you can climb up and down. But you can also pull the rope inside the spell's pocket dimension, making you completely unreachable to your enemies.

If you have a familiar, you can both enter the pocket dimension and pull the rope. Then, you can slightly lower the rope and climb down, use your spells or ranged attacks against your enemies, and then climb back up. In the meantime, your familiar can be on rope duty, lowering and pulling it as you leave the pocket and come back, making you invulnerable between your turns, and freeing up your action to do whatever you want to your annoyed enemies.

2 Levitate

D&D Potion of Flying
Fly by Lie Setiawan

Level

School

Range

Duration

Classes

2nd

Transmutation

60 Feet

Concentration, up to 10 minutes

Artificer, Sorcerer, Wizard

Levitating a few feet above ground looks cool, and it can also be quite useful for getting away from melee enemies and passing through dangerous surfaces. But if you are floating above ground through the Levitate spell, you can only move if there is something to grab onto and pull or push yourself. Meaning that if you are far away from other surfaces, you would be unable to move. Now considering that you can target enemies with this spell, you can use Levitate to basically remove dangerous melee creatures from combat.

As long as your target fails their initial saving throw, and there isn't anything around them in the air, they can't move, and they would be at the mercy of you and other ranged characters in your party. The most overpowered part of the spell though, is that if you follow the rules strictly as written, this spell doesn't even allow flying creatures to move without pulling or pushing themselves against other objects. But keep in mind that most DMs would probably rule that flying creatures can still fly if you cast Levitate on them.

1 Haste

Unofficial Modified Art DO NOT USE

Level

School

Range

Duration

Classes

3rd

Transmutation

30 Feet

Concentration, up to 1 minute

Artificer, Sorcerer, Wizard

The spell Haste is one of the most powerful buff effects in the game. It's the first choice for many spell casters, as it can give yourself or an ally increased speed, armor class, and an extra action each turn. The spell is very straightforward and useful, with only one drawback. When the spell's duration ends, or you drop concentration on it, the creature that was affected by the spell will be unable to move or take any actions until after its next turn.

This last part is what can offer this spell an unintended use. Even though the target of the spell must be a willing creature, if you manage to persuade someone to cast this spell on them, and drop your concentration on the spell as soon as their turn begins, they will become incapacitated for two rounds, with no saving throw. So by just pretending to join the side of the villain, you can disable them for two turns, and give your party enough time to make the villain regret trusting you.

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