Listing out all the spells for each subclass and finding the best and worst options.
As I was working out a character recently, I wondered whether certain subclasses have the right spells I need for the build I want. As I did this, I realised that there isn’t really anywhere that this is all compiled into one place for comparison. So I’ve done exactly that below.
If all you want to know is which subclasses have which spells, then you’re in the right place. And because some people play 2014 and/or 2024 subclasses, I’ve included both.
To make it even easier to find the spells you want for your subclass, I’ve also included a focus column that tells you the kind of spellcasting the spell list primarily deals with. There’s a lot of variety so this won’t cover every spell in the list, just the majority types of spells in the list. I’ve also provided some analysis on which spell lists I think are best and worst for each class.
Some quirks
There are a few quirks when it comes to subclass spells.
1. Not every class gets spells with their subclass
This is the case for bards and wizards. And obviously pure martials like barbarians and fighters.
2. Even for classes that get subclass spells, not all of them get their own spells
Some classes consistently get subclass spells like artificers, paladins and clerics. But there are also classes like druids, rangers and sorcerers that are more inconsistent. Some don’t get a spell list because they have other big features on their subclass, like the beast master or moon druid. Other classes seem to have had a design shift, like the sorcerer, where more recent subclasses have a spell list, but older subclasses don’t.
3. Spell lists aren’t equally large
For example, rangers have just 1 spell per level where most subclasses get 2 (including paladins). The same for moon druids. You’ll also find that with 5.5e bringing all subclasses to level 3, that spells gained at level 1 or 2 in 5e now get bundled into the level 3 spells. A few subclasses also get a bonus cantrip like the 5.5e land druid and the aberrant mind sorcerer.
4. Some subclass spells lists just break all the rules
Land druids have 4/8 (depending on your edition) changeable spell lists. Lunar sorcerers and genies warlocks also get changeable spell lists. With the genie warlock, they are the only subclass to get a level 9 spell in wish.
There’s also the divine soul sorcerer that gets a choosable level 1 spell and then gets to pick from the cleric spell list for their spells.
Annoyingly, all of this messes up my nice neat tables.
Artificer subclass spells
| Subclass | Focus | 3rd | 5th | 9th | 13th | 17th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alchemist 5e | Healing, damage | Healing word, ray of sickness | Flaming sphere, Melf’s acid arrow | Gaseous form, mass healing word | Blight, death ward | Cloudkill, raise dead |
| Alchemist 5.5e | Healing, damage | Healing word, ray of sickness | Flaming sphere, Melf’s acid arrow | Gaseous form, mass healing word | Death ward, vitriolic sphere | Cloudkill, raise dead |
| Armorer 5e | Damage, protection | Magic missile, thunderwave | Mirror image, shatter | Hypnotic pattern, lightning bolt | Fire shield, greater invisibility | Passwall, wall of force |
| Armorer 5.5e | Damage, protection | Magic missile, thunderwave | Mirror image, shatter | Hypnotic pattern, lightning bolt | Fire shield, greater invisibility | Passwall, wall of force |
| Artillerist 5e | Damage, control | Shield, thunderwave | Scorching ray, shatter | Fireball, wind wall | Ice storm, wall of fire | Cone of cold, wall of force |
| Artillerist 5.5e | Damage, control | Shield, thunderwave | Scorching ray, shatter | Fireball, wind wall | Ice storm, wall of fire | Cone of cold, wall of force |
| Battle smith 5e | Damage, protection, healing | Heroism, shield | Branding smite, warding bond | Aura of vitality, conjure barrage | Aura of purity, fire shield | Banishing smite, mass cure wounds |
| Battle smith 5.5e | Damage, protection, healing | Heroism, shield | Shining smite, warding bond | Aura of vitality, conjure barrage | Aura of purity, fire shield | Banishing smite, mass cure wounds |
| Cartographer 5.5e | Utility | Faerie fire, guiding bolt, healing word | Locate object, mind spike | Call lightning, clairvoyance | Banishment, locate creature | Scrying, teleportation circle |
Artificers are really reliant on their subclass spell list for 2 reasons. The first is that their class spell list isn’t really built for combat. It has plenty of utility, but little in the way of damage dealers, protection or healing. The subclass spells go a long way to beefing this out.
The other important aspect about their subclass spells is for spell storing item at level 11. This relies on a strong level 3 spell you can use over and over (preferably through a companion or a pet). The artificer class doesn’t have any really strong options for this so it needs good options in their subclass.
For that reason, cartographers in particular, but alchemists to an extent, perform poorly in this regard. The alchemist spell list is OK for a healer build, but has no good options for spell storing item (mass healing word requires a bonus action so can’t be used with spell storing item).
Fortunately, the artillerist and battle smith do much better in this regard.
Cleric subclass spells
| Domain | Focus | 1st | 3rd | 5th | 7th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcana 5e | Utility | Detect magic, magic missile | Magic weapon, Nystul’s magic aura | Dispel magic, magic circle | Arcane eye, Leomund’s secret chest | Planar binding, teleportation circle |
| Death 5e | Debuff | False life, ray of sickness | Blindness/deafness, ray of sickness | Animate dead, vampiric touch | Blight, death ward | Antilife shell, cloudkill |
| Forge 5e | Damage, utility | Identify, seating smite | Heat metal, magic weapon | Elemental weapon, protection from energy | Fabricate, wall of fire | Animate objects, creation |
| Grave 5e | Debuff, healing | Bane, false life | Gentle repose, ray of enfeeblement | Revivify, vampiric touch | Blight, death ward | Antilife shell, raise dead |
| Knowledge 5e | Utility | Command, identify | Augury, suggestion | Nondetection, speak with dead | Arcane eye, confusion | Legend lore, scrying |
| Knowledge 5.5e | Utility, debuff | – | Command, comprehend languages, detect magic, detect thoughts, identify, mind spike | Dispel magic, nondetection, tongues | Arcane eye, banishment, confusion | Legend lore, scrying, synaptic static |
| Life 5e | Healing | Bless, cure wounds | Lesser restoration, spiritual weapon | Beacon of hope, revivify | Death ward, guardian of faith | Mass cure wounds, raise dead |
| Life 5.5e | Healing | – | Aid, bless, cure wounds, lesser restoration | Mass healing word, revivify | Aura of life, death ward | Greater restoration, mass cure wounds |
| Light 5e | Damage | Burning hands, faerie fire | Flaming sphere, scorching ray | Daylight, fireball | Guardian of faith, wall of fire | Flame strike, scrying |
| Light 5.5e | Damage | – | Burning hands, faerie fire, scorching ray, see invisibility | Daylight, fireball | Arcane eye, wall of fire | Flame strike, scrying |
| Nature 5e | Utility, control | Animal friendship, speak with animals | Barkskin, spike growth | Plant growth, wind wall | Dominate beast, grasping vine | Insect plague, tree stride |
| Order 5e | Debuff | Command, heroism | Hold person, zone of truth | Mass healing word, slow | Compulsion, locate creature | Commune, dominate person |
| Peace 5e | Healing, protection | Heroism, sanctuary | Aid, warding bond | Beacon of hope, sending | Aura of purity, Otiluke’s resilient sphere | Greater restoration, Rary’s telepathic bond |
| Tempest 5e | Control, damage | Fog cloud, thunderwave | Gust of wind, shatter | Call lightning, sleet storm | Control water, ice storm | Destructive wave, insect plague |
| Trickery 5e | Utility, protection | Charm person, disguise self | Mirror image, pass without trace | Blink, dispel magic | Dimension door, polymorph | Dominate person, modify memory |
| Trickery 5.5e | Utility, debuff | – | Charm person, disguise self, invisibility, pass without trace | Hypnotic pattern, nondetection | Confusion, dimension door | Dominate person, modify memory |
| Twilight 5e | Buff, debuff | Faerie fire, sleep | Moonbeam, see invisibility | Aura of vitality, Leomund’s tiny hut | Aura of life, greater invisibility | Circle of power, mislead |
| War 5e | Damage, protection | Divine faith, shield of faith | Magic weapon, spiritual weapon | Crusader’s mantle, spirit guardians | Freedom of movement, stoneskin | Flame strike, hold monster |
| War 5.5e | Damage, protection | – | Guiding bolt, magic weapon, shield of faith, spiritual weapon | Crusader’s mantle, spirit guardians | Fire shield, freedom of movement | Hold monster, steel wind strike |
The war cleric has a really strong set of combat spells including loads of protection and damage dealing options. If you’d prefer to be the most cleric-y cleric around, the life domain will give you pretty much all the healing spells you need.
Knowledge though, leans too heavily into niche utility spells you’ll probably rarely use. It gets a little better in 5.5e with the likes of banishment and synaptic static added in. The death domain also feels like it has some comparatively weak spells.
Druid subclass spells
| Circle | Focus | 2nd | 3rd | 5th | 7th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dreams 5e | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Land 5e (Arctic) | Control, debuff | – | Hold person, spike growth | Sleet storm, slow | Freedom of movement, ice storm | Commune with nature, cone of cold |
| Land 5e (Coast) | Utility | – | Mirror image, misty step | Water breathing, water walk | Control weather, freedom of movement | Conjure elemental, scrying |
| Land 5e (Desert) | Protection, utility, control | – | Blur, silence | Create food and water, protection from energy | Blight, hallucinatory terrain | Insect plague, wall of stone |
| Land 5e (Forest) | Utility | – | Barkskin, spider climb | Call lightning, plant growth | Divination, freedom of movement | Commune with nature, tree stride |
| Land 5e (Grassland) | Utility | – | Invisibility, pass without trace | Daylight, haste | Divination, freedom of movement | Dream, insect plague |
| Land 5e (Mountain) | Utility, protection | – | Spider climb, spike growth | Lightning bolt, meld into stone | Stone shape, stoneskin | Passwall, wall of stone |
| Land 5e (Swamp) | Control, utility | – | Darkness, Melf’s acid arrow | Water walk, stinking cloud | Freedom of movement, locate creature | Insect plague, scrying |
| Land 5e (Underdark) | Utility, control | – | Spider climb, web | Gaseous form, stinking cloud | Greater invisibility, stone shape | Cloudkill, insect plague |
| Land 5.5e (Arid) | Damage | – | Blur, burning hands, firebolt | Fireball | Blight | Wall of stone |
| Land 5.5e (Polar) | Damage, debuff | – | Fog cloud, hold person, ray of frost | Sleet storm | Ice storm | Cone of cold |
| Land 5.5e (Temperate) | Movement | – | Misty step, shocking grasp, sleep | Lightning bolt | Freedom of movement | Tree stride |
| Land 5.5e (Tropical) | Damage, control | – | Acid splash, ray of sickness, web | Stinking cloud | Polymorph | Insect plague |
| Moon 5e | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Moon 5.5e | Healing, damage | Cure wounds, moonbeam, starry wisp | Conjure animals | Fount of moonlight | Mass cure wounds | |
| Shepherd 5e | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Spores 5e | Damage, debuff | Chill touch | Blindness/deafness, gentle repose | Animate dead, gaseous form | Blight, confusion | Cloudkill, contagion |
| Sea 5.5e | Control, damage | – | Fog cloud, gust of wind, ray of frost, thunderwave | Lightning bolt, water breathing | Control water, ice storm | Conjure elemental, hold monster |
| Stars 5e | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Stars 5.5e | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wildfire 5e | Damage, healing | Burning hands, cure wounds | Flaming sphere, scorching ray | plant growth, revivify | Aura of life, fire shield | Flame strike, mass cure wounds |
You’d think that with so many options, that the land druid is a shoo in for best druid spell list, and it does have a lot of options. The problem is, no particular spell list from the different biomes is really strong. Grassland at least has a clear use case for stealth and underdark has pretty good utility. For 5.5e, arid is quite good, but you’re only getting one spell per spell level now.
Of course, this is a lot better than many druid circles who get no spells at all. Wildfire does have a strong set of spells though with a nice combination of damage and healing.
Paladin subclass spells
| Oath | Focus | 3rd | 5th | 9th | 13th | 17th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ancients 5e | Damage, utility, protection, movement | Ensnaring strike, speak with animals | Moonbeam, misty step | Plant growth, protection from energy | Ice storm, stoneskin | Commune with nature, tree stride |
| Ancients 5.5e | Damage, utility, protection, movement | Ensnaring strike, speak with animals | Moonbeam, misty step | Plant growth, protection from energy | Ice storm, stoneskin | Commune with nature, tree stride |
| Conquest 5e | Protection, debuff | Armor of Agathys, command | Hold person, spiritual weapon | Bestow curse, fear | Dominate beast, stoneskin | Cloudkill, dominate person |
| Crown 5e | Utility, damage | Command, compelled duel | Warding bond, zone of truth | Aura of vitality, spirit guardians | Banishment, guardian of faith | Circle of power, geas |
| Devotion 5e | Protection | Protection from evil and good, sanctuary | Lesser restoration, zone of truth | Beacon of hope, dispel magic | Freedom of movement, guardian of faith | Commune, flame strike |
| Devotion 5.5e | Protection | Protection from evil and good, shield of faith | Aid, zone of truth | Beacon of hope, dispel magic | Freedom of movement, guardian of faith | Commune, flame strike |
| Glory 5e | Buff | Guiding bolt, heroism | Enhance ability, magic weapon | Haste, protection from energy | Compulsion, freedom of movement | Commune, flame strike |
| Glory 5.5e | Buff | Guiding bolt, heroism | Enhance ability, magic weapon | Haste, protection from energy | Compulsion, freedom of movement | Legend lore, Yolande’s legal presence |
| Oathbreaker 5e | Damage, debuff | Hellish rebuke, inflict wounds | Crown of madness, darkness | Animate dead, bestow curse | Blight, confusion | Contagion, dominate person |
| Noble genies 5.5e | Damage, utility | Chromatic orb, elementalism, thunderous smite | Mirror image, phantasmal force | Fly, gaseous form | Conjure minor elementals, summon elemental | Banishing smite, contact other plane |
| Redemption 5e | Protection, debuff | Sanctuary, sleep | Calm emotions, hold person | counterspell, hypnotic pattern | Otiluke’s resilient sphere, stoneskin | Hold monster, wall of force |
| Vengeance 5e | Buff, debuff, movement | Bane, hunter’s mark | Hold person, misty step | Haste, protection from energy | Banishment, dimension door | Hold monster, scrying |
| Vengeance 5.5e | Buff, debuff, movement | Bane, hunter’s mark | Hold person, misty step | Haste, protection from energy | Banishment, dimension door | Hold monster, scrying |
| Watchers 5e | Utility, debuff | Alarm, detect magic | Moonbeam, see invisibility | Counterspell, nondetection | Aura of purity, banishment | Hold monster, scrying |
The vengeance paladin has lots of good spells for getting into combat quick and hitting enemies hard or debilitating them. Especially if you want to preserve spell slots more than you might with smites. It gets better in 5.5e with some smite spells losing their concentration requirements making using hunter’s mark or bane alongside them a possibility.
Oath of the crown is worth mentioning purely because they get spirit guardians which is deadly on a tank. They have some decent other spells too.
I do think the oathbreaker spell list is a bit challenging. Paladins tend to use a lot of spell slots already and hellish rebuke, while great for even more damage per round, just adds to the number of spells burning your slots alongside your smites. But then you’ve also got a bunch of spells that are a bit subpar or unsuitable for a paladin like inflict wounds, bestow curse or confusion.
Ranger subclass spells
| Conclave | Focus | 3rd | 5th | 9th | 13th | 17th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beast master 5e | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Beast master 5.5e | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Drakewarden 5e | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Fey wanderer 5e | Movement | Charm person | Misty step | Dispel magic | Dimension door | Mislead |
| Fey wanderer 5.5e | Movement | Charm person | Misty step | Summon fey | Dimension door | Mislead |
| Gloom stalker 5e | Utility | Disguise self | Rope trick | Fear | Greater invisibility | Seeming |
| Gloom stalker 5.5e | Utility | Disguise self | Rope trick | Fear | Greater invisibility | Seeming |
| Horizon walker 5e | Movement, buff | Protection from evil and good | Misty step | Haste | Banishment | Teleportation circle |
| Hunter 5e | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hunter 5.5e | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Monster slayer 5e | Utility, debuff | Protection from evil and good | Zone of truth | Magic circle | Banishment | Hold monster |
| Swarmkeeper 5e | Utility, debuff | Faerie fire, mage hand | Web | Gaseous form | Arcane eye | Insect plague |
| Winter walker 5.5e | Damage, debuff | Ice knife | Hold person | Remove curse | Ice storm | Cone of cold |
Rangers end up quite light on subclass spells with just 1 spell per spell level. Or just no spells for a few subclasses.
I think all the spell lists that are here are a bit of a mix of great spells and less exciting options. This can feel disappointing on levels where the only spell you get isn’t great, but at least the spell lists are consistently average.
Sorcerer subclass spells
| Sorcerous Origin | Focus | 1st | 3rd | 5th | 7th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberrant mind 5e | Utility, debuffs | Arms of Hadar, dissonant whispers, mind sliver | calm emotions, detect thoughts | Hunger of Hadar, sending | Evard’s black tentacles, summon aberration | Rary’s telepathic bond, telekinesis |
| Aberrant sorcery 5.5e | Utility, debuffs | – | Arms of Hadar, calm emotions, detect thoughts, dissonant whispers, mind sliver | Hunger of Hadar, sending | Evard’s black tentacles, summon aberration | Rary’s telepathic bond, telekinesis |
| Clockwork soul 5e | Protection, utility | Alarm, protection from evil and good | aid, lesser restoration | Dispel magic, protection from energy | Freedom of movement, summon construct | Greater restoration, wall of force |
| Clockwork sorcery 5.5e | Protection, utility | – | Aid, alarm, lesser restoration, protection from evil and good | Dispel magic, protection from energy | Freedom of movement, summon construct | Greater restoration, wall of force |
| Divine soul 5e | – | Cure wounds, inflict wounds, bless, bane or protection from evil and good. Can choose spells from the cleric spell list | – | – | – | – |
| Draconic bloodline 5e | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Draconic sorcery 5.5e | Utility, damage, debuff | – | Alter self, chromatic orb, command, dragon’s breath | Fear, fly | Arcane eye, charm monster | Legend lore, summon dragon |
| Lunar sorcery 5e (full moon) | Protection | Shield | Lesser restoration | Dispel magic | Death ward | Rary’s telepathic bond |
| Lunar sorcery 5e (new moon) | Debuff | Ray of sickness | blindness/deafness | Vampiric touch | Confusion | Hold monster |
| Lunar sorcery 5e (crescent moon) | Debuff, utility | Color spray | alter self | Phantom steed | Hallucinatory terrain | Mislead |
| Shadow magic 5e | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Spellfire sorcery 5.5e | Healing, protection, damage | – | Cure wounds, guiding bolt, lesser restoration, scorching ray | Aura of vitality, dispel magic | Fire shield, wall of fire | Greater restoration, flame strike |
| Storm sorcery 5e | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wild magic 5e | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wild magic 5.5e | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Divine soul does really well out of their subclass spells. Your level 1 spell is a choice out of a bunch of good options, but the fact that you have the whole cleric spell list at your fingertips means you now have all the potential spellcasting of a sorcerer with healing when you need it too. The only down side is that you don’t have the extra prepared spells, just more choice.
If you really want those prepared spells and the healing, then spellfire sorcery does this with some damage dealing in the mix too.
While lunar sorcery does have a fair bit of choice, they have less prepared spells than others and a couple of the lists feel less strong than the full moon list.
It’s also worth pointing out that some sorcerer subclasses fall behind by virtue of having no subclass list. This is quite noticeable for the draconic bloodline which doesn’t necessarily have better features to compensate as the 5.5e version now has its own spells.
Warlock subclass spells
| Patron | Focus | 1st | 3rd | 5th | 7th | 9th | 17th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archfey 5e | Buffs, debuffs | Faerie fire, sleep | Calm emotions, phantasmal force | Blink, plant growth | Dominate beast, greater invisibility | Dominate person, seeming | – |
| Archfey 5.5e | Buffs, debuffs | – | Calm, emotions, faerie fire, misty step, phantasmal force, sleep | Blink, plant growth | Dominate beast, greater invisibility | Dominate person, seeming | – |
| Celestial 5e | Healing, damage | Cure wounds, guiding bolt | Flaming sphere, lesser restoration | Daylight, revivify | Guardian of faith, wall of fire | Flame strike, greater restoration | – |
| Celestial 5.5e | Healing, damage | – | Aid, cure wounds, guiding bolt, lesser restoration, light, sacred flame | Daylight, revivify | Guardian of faith, wall of fire | Greater restoration, summon celestial | – |
| Fathomless 5e | Control, damage, utility | Create or destroy water, thunderwave | Gust of wind, silence | Lightning bolt, sleet storm | Control water, summon elemental (water only) | Bigby’s hand, cone of cold | |
| Fiend 5e | Damage, debuffs | Burning hands, command | Blindness/deafness, scorching ray | Fireball, stinking cloud | Fire shield, wall of fire | Flame strike, hallow | |
| Fiend 5.5e | Damage, debuffs | – | Burning hands, command, scorching ray, suggestion | Fireball, stinking cloud | Fire shield, wall of fire | Geas, insect plague | – |
| Genie 5e (all) | Damage, utility | Detect evil and good | Phantasmal force | Create food and water | Phantasmal killer | Creation | Wish |
| Genie 5e (dao) | Utility, control | Sanctuary | Spike growth | Meld into stone | Stone shape | Wall of stone | – |
| Genie 5e (djinni) | Utility, control | Thunderwave | Gust of wind | Wind wall | Greater invisibility | Seeming | – |
| Genie 5e (efreeti) | Damage | Burning hands | Scorching ray | Fireball | Fire shield | Flame strike | – |
| Genie 5e (marid) | Utility, control | Fog cloud | Blur | Sleet storm | Control water | Cone of cold | – |
| Great old one 5e | Utility, debuffs | Dissonant whispers, Tasha’s hideous laughter | Detect thoughts, phantasmal force | Clairvoyance, sending | Dominate beast, Evard’s black tentacles | Dominate person, telekinesis | – |
| Great old one 5.5e | Utility, debuffs | – | Detect thoughts, dissonant whispers, phantasmal force, Tasha’s hideous laughter | Clairvoyance, hunger of Hadar | Confusion, summon aberration | Modify memory, telekinesis | – |
| Hexblade 5e | Protection, damage | Shield, wrathful smite | Blur, branding smite | Blink, elemental weapon | Phantasmal killer, staggering smite | Banishing smite, cone of cold | – |
| Undead 5e | Buffs, debuffs, utility | Bane, false life | Blindness/deafness, phantasmal force | Phantom steed, speak with dead | Death ward, greater invisibility | Antilife shell, cloudkill | – |
| Undying 5e | Buffs, debuffs, utility | False life, ray of sickness | Blindness/deafness, silence | Feign death, speak with dead | Aura of life, death ward | Contagion, legend lore | – |
If you need a warlock with a bit of healing, the celestial patron has a good spell list for this (and a few other things).
The fiend is great for damage dealing and has some good scaling spell options. The hexblade is strong in this department too, albeit with a leaning towards spells that enhance weapon attacks.
The genie probably has your best spells though. Efreeti in particular has strong combat spells and djinni does well here too. You also get wish which is a phenomenal option (if you can ever get to a high enough level).
I think the undying spell list is comparatively weak though with too many situational or weak spells in the list.
How much does your subclass spell list matter?
For some classes, not loads. For something like a ranger, the spells don’t necessarily transform the class in big ways. At other times, you simply get access to more prepared spells that were available on your spell list anyway. The Great old one warlock and peace domain cleric are a bit like this.
But in other cases, it makes a huge deal. Artificers are notoriously reliant on a strong subclass spells lists for combat and spell storing item spells. In other cases, the spell list is less crucial to your power levels, but does transform the options available to you. Divine soul sorcerers and celestial warlocks get healing spells while the oath of the crown paladin can use spirit guardians which can be a game changer.
So your subclass spell list really can matter a lot, but how much depends on your class and the spells you get. But it’s definitely not everything and there are many other features to consider when picking your subclass.
