In Dungeons and Dragons, there are many classes that allow you to cast magic. Even for the classes you might traditionally think have little to do with magic like the Fighter or Rogue, there are always subclasses that you can play allowing you to mess around with magic. However, with great magic comes the great responsibility of flavour.
Flavour isn't a necessary part of the game, but it is something that can really help you give more of a unique identity to your character and is a lot of fun when it comes to roleplay. The only difficulty is knowing what you'll flavour things as, but that's where we have you covered with a few ideas on flavour your spells.
8 Make Magic Bend Space And Time
It may sound odd, but space does exist in Dungeons & Dragons, unless you're in a kind of world that specifies otherwise. Known as the Astral Plane, it has all the things space has, such as stars, planets, meteoroids, and so on.
So, it is possible to have your character's magic be inspired by that of a different plane entirely, like the Astral Plane. This could mean spells like Fireball are instead like a star going supernova, or a simple spell like Prestidigitation will mean starlight spills from your hands when you activate one of the effects.
7 Be The Next Avatar
For fans of the Avatar series, look no further, because you could always flavour your spells to be more elemental in nature. Though there are already plenty of spells that use elements like earth, fire, water, and air, you can go one step further by flavouring spells that aren't even explicitly elemental.
Using Prestidigitation to clean off some stains can instead be a short burst of air to wipe them off, or Minor Illusion could use some form of air manipulation to create sound frequencies. You can even focus on one element, such as having fire be your main element and flavouring spells to focus on that. For example, a Fireball is no longer an explosion of flame but that of magma, with burning rocks sent your enemy's way. This is great, especially for the more destructive spellcasters.
6 Only The Witch Who Casts Them Can Use Her Magic
It may sound simple, but runes are another way to flavour your magic in Dungeons & Dragons. Runes are often the most primal part of a spell, and with this type of flavouring, it can be as light or as detailed as you want it. You could summon a literal glowing rune which transforms into the effect of your spell, or perhaps you write down the runes on parchment to activate the spells.
There is even a flavour where one could have runes as tattoos that glow and activate depending on the spell that they use. Runes don't have to correlate to spells either, but the different types of magic such as evocation, transmutation, etc. This gives you a lot more leeway for having fewer runes, but is still applicable to different spells depending on their type.
5 Hey It's Cool When Vampires Do It
As dark as it is, blood magic has been in fantasy (especially dark fantasy for obvious reasons) for a long time now. There's even a homebrew domain for a Blood Cleric in Dungeons & Dragons, so Wizards of the Coast are aware of this idea of blood and magic being linked together. Imagine your wounded Wizard, taking some of their blood and using it to fuel their spells.
Perhaps even using this for control spells by controlling the blood within someone for Hold Person, explaining their paralysis. This is a little on the darker side so be sure to ask your DM and fellow players if they're comfortable with this idea for your spells.
4 Innovate Wherever You Can With Technology
Ever since the inclusion of Artificers, it's a bit surprising that technology isn't a widely used idea when it comes to flavouring spells. Though it may sound simple, it could be a unique way to explain where your spells come from. A Wizard or Artificer uses their intellect to create enchanted gadgets that replicate the magic of a spell, such as exploding vials for Acid Splash or a mechanical bird for an owl familiar.
The only issue is this is restrictive when it comes to certain classes like Druids who probably wouldn't really use technology to replicate spells. But for classes like the Artificer, it's very fitting for the theme of the class.
3 Weave The Magic To Your Doing
The Weave is an interesting concept in Dungeons & Dragons, the source of magic which is seen as a fabric of the arcane, where magic is drawn from. Think of it like The Force in Star Wars, something that is a source of power and is nebulous.
It makes sense for any caster to tap into The Weave, perhaps an elderly woman who uses knitting needles instead of a wand in order to weave magic out of thin air for her spells or someone who takes a more mystical approach to magic and sees it as a sea that is to be explored, thus all their magic is more water-based in appearance.
2 Keep Those Spells Blasting With Guns
Okay, this sounds a little silly, but hear us out. Weaponry is already interlinked with a lot of different subclasses and kinds of magic. There's even the Bladesinger, a Wizard subclass that is dedicated to using magic through a sword.
So why not have magic be channeled through more modern weaponry like firearms? A spellcaster using a firearm instead of a wand to 'shoot' their spells out is undoubtedly cool, and is also another unique bit of flavour your party won't see coming.
1 Let Spirits Guide The Way
For the spellcasters who do want to dabble in more mysticism, spirits seem to be the way to go. Whether it's connecting with your character's ancestors or perhaps summoning the spirits of a dungeon in order to have them be the conduit of your magic.
This type of flavour may require a lot of work, especially for those who want to have a character channel ancestors, and thus they may need to actually plot out what their character's ancestors look like. However, imagine using ritual spells as a way to channel spirits, it makes magic all the more mystical.