Have you ever wondered what were the best buff spells to have in your D&D arsenal? (For those that don’t know, buff spells are spells that increase an ability level or skill. They make a player more capable... or buff)

This is my list of the top ten buff spells in D&D. I hope this list helps in your next session.

In the world of D&D, a player must adapt or die, and that’s exactly what buff spells allow you to do.

10. Wind Walk

Be a fluffy cloud.

This is a neat spell to have, and powerful, too. This spell changes the caster and ten others (that the caster can see within range) into wisps of cloud. As a cloud, it’s impossible to be hurt by physical attacks, and the player can fly! 

This spell does require some items to cast it, but it only requires fire and holy water, neither of which is hard to find. 

The thing to remember with this spell is that it isn’t for attacking. As a cloud, a player can only dash or transform back into their original form, which takes a full minute. This spell would be more useful for retreating from a fight or allowing a party to travel quickly. 

The awesomeness:

• this spell can turn 11 players into gaseous clouds
• players have resistance to non-magical attacks
• players can fly at a speed of 300 ft

Details:

• Components: V,S,M  - fire and holy water are required
• Range: 30 ft
• Duration: 8 hours
• 1 minute to cast and transform players (during this transformation, players are incapacitated)

9. Enhance Ability

Give your character the power of an animal.

This is probably the most obvious buff spell. Basically, you pick one of your abilities, and this spell will enhance it for an hour. Enhance Ability is interesting because at higher levels, this spell can target multiple players.

Use a high enough spell slot, and you can enhance an ability for everyone in your party.

This spell also requires material items, but only fur or a feather of a beast. This also shouldn’t be difficult to acquire. 

The awesomeness:

• enhances an ability of a player you touch
• targets one additional creature for each spell slot above 2

choose from:

• Bear’s Endurance - advantage on constitution checks, gains 2 d6 temporary hp
• Bull’s Strength - advantage on strength checks, carrying capacity doubles
• Cat’s Grace - advantage on dexterity checks, target doesn’t take damage when falling short distances unless they’re incapacitated (because they land on their feet like a cat)
• Eagle’s Splendor - advantage on charisma checks
• Fox’s Cunning - advantage on intelligence checks
• Owl’s Wisdom - advantage on wisdom checks

Details:

• Components: V,S
• Range: touch
• Duration: 1 hour

8. Haste

Do you wanna go fast Ricky Bobby?

As the name implies, this spell does make a player faster, but it also increases their AC, gives them advantage on Dexterity saves, and gives them an extra action for each turn. 

The downside is that when the spell ends, the player can’t do anything until after its next turn, but that’s a small price to pay when the spell helps for a whole minute. A minute is a long time if you’re in combat.

The awesomeness:

• doubles speed
• increases AC by 2
• gives advantage on Dex saves
• gives an additional action for each of the target’s turns (must be used to attack with a weapon, dash, disengage, hide, or use an object)

Details:

• Components: V,S,M - requires a shaving of licorice root
• Duration: 1 minute
• Range: 30 ft 

7. Mind Blank

Make others think you have no brain.

This spells thwarts all types of psychic attacks and damage. After this spell is cast, no one can read the thoughts or sense their emotions, and the target can’t be charmed. This spell even thwarts the Wish spell, and that’s one of the most powerful spells ever!

The awesomeness:

• makes a player immune to psychic damage
• target cannot have their thoughts read
• target cannot have their emotions sensed
• target cannot be charmed
• gives immunity against divination spells
• cannot be overpowered even by spells as great as Wish 

Details:

• Components: V,S
• Range: touch
• Duration: 24 hours

6. Greater Invisibility

You can't see me!

This might be a simple spell, but some of the best spells are simple. This will turn someone you touch invisible. It also turns anything the player is wearing or carrying invisible. No need to use an action to take off clothes! 

The awesomeness:

• turns a player invisible
• turns anything on their person invisible as well.

Details:

• Components: V,S
• Range: touch
• Duration: 1 minute 

5. Soul Cage

Keep people in a cage, and use them to your own advantage.

Creepy. That describes this spell. As a humanoid is dying, you can capture its soul in a cage. You can keep it there for 8 hours and exploit it for your own purposes 6 times.

While the soul is trapped, the dead humanoid cannot be revived. 

The awesomeness:

• snatch the soul of a dying humanoid (that you can see within range)
• keep the soul in a cage for 8 hours
• exploit the soul up to 6 times with any of the following:
  • Steal Life - drain the vigor from the soul and regain 2d8 hp
  • Query Soul - ask the soul a question (no action required), the soul only knows what it knew in life but must answer truthfully
  • Borrow Experience - bolster yourself with the soul’s life experience and gain advantage on your next roll. You must use this benefit before the start of your next turn
  • Eyes of the Dead - name a place the soul saw in life and an invisible sensor will appear in that place (if it’s on the same plane of existence as you are now) allowing you to hear and see what’s happening there for up to 10 minutes (this uses concentration like a spell) - if another creature can see the invisible sensor, they see a translucent image of the tortured soul

Details:

• Components: V,S,M - requires a tiny, silver cage worth 100 gp
• Range: 60 ft
• Duration: 8 hours

4. Hallow

Need a place to just chill?

This spell is just cool. It gives the player an area where almost all supernatural components cannot enter or are dispelled. You can also endow this area with another ability. This can either be a standard ability or one that your DM creates.

This isn’t a salt circle, but it might as well be.

This would be perfect to have a place to recover during a drawn out battle with supernatural beings. 

The awesomeness:

• An area with a radius of n 60 ft is infused with holy (or unholy) power
• The area doesn’t allow entry of celestials, fey, fiends, undead, or elementals. These creatures cannot charm, frighten, or possess creatures within the area.
• Any creature that is charmed, frightened, or possessed has that effect end upon entering the area.
• One or more of these types of supernatural creatures can be excluded from the effects of the area.
• a chosen effect can also be bound to this area such as:
  • Darkness - the area is filled with darkness - natural and magical light of a lower spell slot cannot penetrate
  • Daylight - the area is filled with light - magical darkness of a lower spell slot cannot penetrate
  • Tongues - a creature can communicate with any other creature regardless of language
  • Courage - creatures in the area cannot be frightened
  • Energy Protection - creatures in the area have resistance to a damage type of your choice (but not slashing, bludgeoning, or piercing)
  • Energy Vulnerability - creatures in the area have vulnerability to a damage type of your choice (but not slashing, bludgeoning, or piercing)
  • Fear - creatures in the area are frightened
  • Silence - no sound comes from the area or penetrates into it
  • Everlasting Rest - no bodies in the area can be raised as undead creatures
  • Extradimensional Interference - creatures can’t move or travel using teleportation or by extradimensional or interplanar means
  • Another effect produced by the DM
  • This extra effect can be ignored if a creature entering the area makes a successful Charisma saving throw. 

Details:

• Components: V,S,M - requires herbs, oil, and incense worth at least 1,000 gp
• Range: touch
• Duration: until dispelled
• Takes 24 hours to cast

3. Tenser’s Transformation

Become as tough as a rhino.

This spell is great for combat as it enhances your physical fighting. Cast this spell and you gain extra hp, proficiency with simple weapons, and more. 

While using this spell, you can’t cast any other spells, but if you’re using this spell, you probably don’t need magic in that situation.

The awesomeness:

• gain 50 temporary hp
• advantage on attacks with simple and martial weapons
• deal an additional 2d12 force damage with weapon attacks
• proficiency with all armor, shields, simple weapons, and martial weapons
• proficiency in Strength and Constitution saving throws
• attack twice during an action

Details:

• Components: V,S,M - requires a few hairs of a bull
• Duration: up to 10 minutes - requires concentration
• Range: self
• When the spell ends, you must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion 

2. Power Word Heal

*smack* Heal this child!

This is the spell I would want when attacking a powerful enemy. With one word and a touch, Power Word Heal can give a player back all of their hp.

Only Bards can use this spell, but a Bard in a group can fully heal a strong player. This is a beefcake of a healing spell. It ends conditions where a player is stunned, paralyzed, etc., and a player that’s had this spell used on them can negate one death-dealing blow during a battle. 

The awesomeness:

• restores a players full hp
• ends conditions where a player is stunned, frightened, charmed, or paralyzed
• allows a player to cheat death

Details:

• Components: V.S
• Range: touch
• Instantaneous
• The one potentially disappointing thing is that this spell can’t be used on the undead or constructs. If your friends are all zombies, then you’re out of luck. 

1. Wish

I wish I may, I wish I might...

Wish is the most momentous spell that a player can cast! It can help you get whatever you want. Wish can simply act just like another spell (useful for spells that aren’t in your repertoire), but it can also do things like kill the enemy you’re fighting or give you a legendary item.

However, this is like a genie’s wish, and you need to be very specific and accurate. If you just wish for your enemy to be dead, you might be transported to the future when the enemy has died. Then you’re basically out of the game. 

The awesomeness:

• Tell your wish to the DM - you can wish for anything under the sun, but it may or may not happen.
• standard uses for this spell can:
  • restore multiple players’ hp
  • give immunity to a particle spell or effect
  • give resistance to a particular type of damage
  • force a reroll of any roll made in the last round 
  • it can also put any item 25,000 gp or less on the gameboard
  • or you can cast any spell regardless of required items - the spell hits no matter what

Details:

• Components: V (so you can cast this spell even if you’re restrained or have lost all your items. You only need to be able to speak. Useful, eh?)
• Instantaneous
• Range: whatever - the range doesn’t restrict you
• If you use Wish to do something besides cast another spell, it causes you to become stressed. After taking this stress, you take 1 d10 necrotic damage times the spell level for every spell you cast until you complete a long rest
• This stress also causes Strength to drop to 3 for 2 d4 days. Every day spent chilling like your\’r sick reduces this by 2 days.
• Also, this stress gives a player a 33% chance of never being able to cast Wish again.
• Tldr, just use Wish to cast different spells unless you really like gambling.

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