Spells FAQ
What are the different spell levels?
D&D spells have levels from 0 to 9. Level 0 spells are cantrips and are normally cast at will. Leveled spells run from 1st through 9th level and usually require spell slots. Spell level is not the same as character level: a standard full caster normally gains access to 2nd-level spells at class level 3, 3rd-level spells at level 5, and 9th-level spells at level 17.
Every Fifth Edition spell has a spell level. Spell level is a category used for: - power and complexity; - spell-slot requirements; - class progression; - dispelling and countering interactions; - upcasting; - several class and subclass features. It is not the same thing as character level.
Level 0: cantrips
Cantrips are level-0 spells.
They normally:
- require no spell slot;
- can be cast repeatedly;
- remain available once known or otherwise granted;
- may scale with character level when their description says so.
Examples of cantrip roles include:
- repeatable damage;
- light;
- minor manipulation;
- communication;
- utility;
- sensory effects.
A cantrip is still a spell.
It simply uses special level-0 casting rules.
1st-level spells
1st-level spells are the first spells that normally consume spell slots.
Full spellcasters gain access to them at 1st class level.
These spells establish most fundamental magical roles:
- healing;
- defense;
- simple area or single-target damage;
- detection;
- mobility;
- control;
- utility.
A 1st-level spell remains a 1st-level spell even when a 20th-level character casts it.
It may be cast with a higher-level slot if the rules allow.
2nd-level spells
Standard full casters normally gain 2nd-level spell slots at class level 3.
2nd-level spells often provide more meaningful:
- movement;
- defense;
- battlefield control;
- invisibility;
- detection;
- damage;
- restoration.
That does not mean every 2nd-level spell is objectively stronger in every situation than every 1st-level spell.
Spell level is a broad power category, not a ranking of usefulness.
3rd-level spells
Full casters normally gain 3rd-level spell slots at class level 5.
This is a major spellcasting milestone.
Many iconic effects appear around this level, including stronger area damage, dispelling, counter-magic, group support, revival, flight, or major battlefield control depending on class list.
Half-casters reach 3rd-level spells later.
4th- and 5th-level spells
These levels continue expanding the scale of magic.
Full casters normally gain:
4th-level spells at class level 7 5th-level spells at class level 9
Half-casters such as Paladins and Rangers eventually stop at 5th-level spell slots in the 2014 structure.
Artificer likewise follows half-caster-style slot progression in its pre-2024 version.
6th- through 9th-level spells
These are high-level spells generally reserved for full spellcasters and special systems.
Standard full-caster access normally begins at:
6th-level spells → class level 11 7th-level spells → class level 13 8th-level spells → class level 15 9th-level spells → class level 17
These spell levels contain some of the game's most powerful effects.
They are also much more limited in number of available spell slots.
Warlock handles high-level magic differently
The 2014 Warlock's Pact Magic slots rise only to 5th level.
Higher-level Warlock magic is provided through Mystic Arcanum:
6th-level Arcanum → Warlock 11 7th-level Arcanum → Warlock 13 8th-level Arcanum → Warlock 15 9th-level Arcanum → Warlock 17
Those Arcanum are not ordinary Pact Magic spell slots.
Half-casters progress more slowly
Classes such as Paladin and Ranger do not gain new spell levels at the same rate as Wizard, Cleric, Druid, Bard, or Sorcerer.
Their martial progression is part of the class's power budget.
The result is slower spell-level access.
Do not compare class level directly without checking the actual class table.
Third-casters progress more slowly again
Subclasses such as the 2014 Arcane Trickster use a slower partial spellcasting progression.
They eventually reach 4th-level spells rather than 9th.
The subclass's own spellcasting table determines its progression.
Spell level affects slot use
A spell can normally use:
a slot equal to its spell level or a higher-level slot
It cannot normally use a lower-level slot.
A 4th-level spell therefore needs at least a 4th-level slot.
Spell level affects upcasting
When a lower-level spell is cast with a higher-level slot, it counts at that higher level for that casting.
If the spell includes an **At Higher Levels** benefit, apply it.
For example:
2nd-level spell cast with 4th-level slot → treated as a 4th-level spell for that casting → applies any stated 4th-level upcasting benefit
Spell level affects rules interactions
Other game effects can refer to the level of a spell.
Examples include:
- counterspell;
- dispel magic;
- Globe of Invulnerability;
- Spell Mastery;
- Mystic Arcanum;
- Arcane Recovery;
- several feats and subclass features.
When such a feature asks for spell level, use the spell's actual level or the level of the slot used for that casting when the rule says the casting assumes that higher level.
Spell level does not equal character level
This is the central rule to remember.
A “9th-level Wizard” normally means a Wizard with nine Wizard class levels.
That Wizard normally has access up to **5th-level spells**, not 9th-level spells.
A Wizard usually needs to reach 17th class level before gaining a 9th-level spell slot.
Spell levels are categories, not character ranks
Spell levels run from cantrips at level 0 through 9th-level spells.
A spell's level tells you the minimum slot normally required to cast it, but it does not tell you what character level is required on its own. The class's spellcasting progression determines when that character gains access to slots and spells of each level.
That is why “5th-level character,” “5th-level spell,” and “5th-level spell slot” are three different concepts.