In previous weeks we’ve explored many exciting changes in the 2024 edition of the D&D 5E Player’s Handbook (PHB). This week we’re going to investigate the Weave to unravel the refreshed and refined world of casting in the new Player’s Handbook.
The Largest PHB Spell Collection Ever!
The new D&D 5E Player's Handbook has over 400 spells within its pages. These include all your favorites like Magic Missile and Fireball, spells from expansion material like Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything or Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, and… NEW spells! Here’s a couple novel additions to the spellbook that may intrigue you:
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Font of Moonlight: This concentration spell imbues your Bard or Druid with divine nature magic, granting them Resistance to Radiant Damage and an extra 2d6 Radiant Damage on their attacks. While under the effects of Font of Moonlight, you emanate light that illuminates the area around you and potentially blinds enemies.
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Tasha’s Bubbling Cauldron: This conjuration spell summons a mystical cauldron for 10 minutes that is filled with simple potions for your party members to grab as a bonus action! Restricted to just Wizards and Warlocks, this spell offers an interesting way for your typically offensive casters to provide utility and even healing to the party.
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Sorcerous Burst: Point your wizardly finger at an enemy, roll to hit, and deal 1d8 damage of the type of your choosing! But there’s a twist! If you roll an 8 on the damage you get to add an additional 1d8 damage… and so on until you’ve rolled as many dice as your spell casting modifier.
Emanation & Updated Spell Language
Emanation is a new category of spell like Cone, Line, or Sphere. Emanation spells radiate out from the caster, but the area of effect does not have to include the caster. As an example of popular spells that have become Emanation spells, think of Spirit Guardians or Thunderclap. The thunder doesn’t hit you and the guardians don’t move through you, you’re standing in the middle! Like the eye of a hurricane or the hole of a donut.
The inclusion of Emanation is one of the larger changes that have come from a standardization of language across all the spells in the new PHB. Special care has gone into providing a clear, concise, and easy to navigate spell selection. This is a much-appreciated feature of the new 2024 PHB given the sheer quantity of spells it includes.
Healing Spells Buffed Across the Board
No one likes to spend a whole spell slot and Action to heal a couple ticks of HP on an ally. 5E healing has always felt a little low and that’s been addressed in D&D 2024! Cure Wounds now heals 2d8+modifer and Healing Word heals 2d4+modifer. Finally, Prayer of Healing now only takes 10 minutes to cast and gives your party the benefits of a short rest.
Further, there are some spells and class-specific abilities in the game that increase the effectiveness of your healing under certain conditions or the healing of multiple players when you’d only usually heal one.
The general upgrade for healing spells may be part of an initiative the developers of PHB shared with us in regards to spell popularity. As they re-wrote and refined the PHB, the team also buffed several less-than-popular spells so that spell selection is more dynamic and interesting.
Wrapping Up
Spell casting in D&D 2024 looks to be more customizable than ever with refreshed classes, updated — and upgraded! — spells, and a huge increase in the number of spells in the Player’s Handbook. If these changes stir your cauldron, join us over on the Gamers Grove Discord to find a group to play with today! Thanks for reading and, until next time, we’ll see you at the Grove.
