Top 20 Best 3rd-Level Spells in D&D 5E [Ranked]

Upon unlocking 3rd-level spells, you’ll come to understand just how ridiculous spells in D&D can get.

Compared to 2nd-level spells, you’ll find the potency, complexity, and reward for casting 3rd-level spells will increase. Giving players more creative spell expression and providing them with new and interesting ways to use magic.

All in all, 3rd-level spells are where a simple magician starts to become a journeyman spellcaster in the eyes of D&D players!

Best 3rd-Level Spells 5e

20. Water Breathing (Ritual)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S, M (one piece of straw or short reed)

Duration: 24 hours

Breathing underwater, even though it’s very situational, can be effectively used in various ways.

Grant up to 10 willing creatures the ability to breathe underwater.

Note: Creatures affected by Water Breathing will still be able to breathe normally outside the water.

Some dungeons or even entire campaigns will have quite a bit of water, so having Water Breathing ready can assist your entire party.

19. Tongues

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: V, M (one small clay model of a ziggurat)

Duration: 1 hour

Adventuring through distant lands exposes you to various different or uncommon languages that are difficult to understand, even with a large group of adventurers.

Touching a creature lets it understand any spoken language it hears.

Note: If the target of Tongues speaks, creatures that know at least one language and can hear the target can also understand what he’s saying.

Learning languages in D&D isn’t very difficult, but most of the time, you don’t stay in an area long enough to justify learning an entire language.

18. Vampiric Touch

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Self

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Spellcasters are generally weaker in melee combat but with Vampiric Touch, both the damage and survivability of a spellcaster increase when in melee.

Hitting a target after making a melee spell attack deals 3d6 Necrotic damage, restoring half the Necrotic damage dealt to the caster.

Note: Using an action lets you attack like this again.

Running a life-steal/life-drain or Vampire build fits with the imagery, damage, and ability of Vampiric Touch.

17. Sending

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Unlimited

Components: V, S, M (one short piece of fine copper wire)

Duration: 1 round

Communication over long distances, specifically across different planes of existence, is difficult without a spell like Sending.

Send a short 25-word sentence to a target you are familiar with. The message is heard in the creature’s mind, and it can even answer the sender immediately if it knows him.

Note: The message can be sent across any distance or to other planes of existence. Just be aware that there is a 5% chance of the message not arriving if sent to a creature in a different plane of existence.

Having quick, straightforward communication between other party members is crucial when separately exploring different parts of the world.

Having the ability to answer back means players will only need 1 or 2 players at most for Sending to be an efficient pick.

16. Speak with Dead

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 10 feet

Components: V, S, M (burning incense)

Duration: 10 minutes

The dead hold many untold stories, hidden lies, and world-changing truths. All players must do is pry them from their withered lips.

Grant a corpse a semblance of life, allowing it to answer questions.

You may ask up to 5 questions but be warned the corpse only knew the information it knew while alive. In most cases, the answers will be repetitive, cryptic, and brief.

The corpse doesn’t have to be truthful, especially if it senses you as an enemy. Affecting the spirit of the corpse, negatively or positively, might also result in some sort of answer.

Note: Corpses cannot be undead and must have mouths.

Speak with Dead can be extremely helpful if you’re playing a sort of “Murder Mystery” D&D campaign!

15. Nondetection

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: V, S, M (one pinch of diamond dust worth 25 GP that is sprinkled over the target and consumed by the spell)

Duration: 8 hours

Magical forces can uncover many secrets, but as a spellcaster, you can use magic to hide the things you treasure most.

Touching a target (willing creature, place, or object no larger than 10 feet in every dimension) lets you hide it from Divination magic.

Targets affected by Nondetection cannot be perceived or targeted through scrying sensors or other magical means.

While the spell doesn’t last long, it can be quite useful if you’re being spied on by unknown forces.

14. Hunger of Hadar

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 150 feet

Components: V, S, M (one pickled octopus tentacle)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

The endless void is infested with unimaginable horrors, and with Hunger of Hadar, your targets witness but a small glimpse of it.

A 20-foot radius sphere spews maddening sounds heard from 30 feet away. The area cannot be illuminated, blinding creatures fully inside.

Creatures starting their turns in the area take 2d6 Cold damage plus 2d6 Acid damage at the end of their turn if they fail the Dexterity saving throw.

13. Enemies Abound

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 120 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

What happens when an ally, one of the people you trust most, turns against you in the blink of an eye?

Reach into a creature’s mind, forcing an Intelligence saving throw which, on a fail, turns the creature hostile against everyone around it.

Enemies Abound is a great way to sow chaos without being directly involved.

12. Slow

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 120 feet

Components: V, S, M (one drop of molasses)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Your movements feel slow, your body weak, and you cannot retaliate; what sort of ill magic has affected you?

Within a 40-foot cube, choose up to 6 creatures. Failing a Dexterity saving throw halves the creature’s speed, gives a -2 AC penalty, and makes it unable to use reactions.

Note: Spells cast within Slow will only be cast on the spellcaster’s next turn (if they roll higher than 11 with a d20).

11. Hypnotic Pattern

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 120 feet

Components: S, M (one glowing stick of incense or one crystal vial filled with phosphorescent material)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

As you look up, a pattern appears before your eyes, and the next time your eyes open, you see a battlefield lathered with corpses.

A twisting pattern appears inside a 30-foot cube, vanishes, and forces all who saw it to make a Wisdom saving throw. All who fail the save are charmed, becoming incapacitated and receiving a speed of 0.

10. Remove Curse

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

Have you ever witnessed a dwarf have his curse lifted by a single touch from a spellcaster?

With Remove Curse, touching an object or creature removes all curses afflicting it.

Note: Cursed magical objects keep its curses after being touched, but its attunement is broken with its owner.

9. Major Image

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 120 feet

Components: V, S, M (one bit of fleece)

Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

A mere illusion can be just as effective as the real entity

Create a visible phenomenon no larger than a 20-foot cube. The image seems completely real, having sounds, temperature, and smell.

Note: Interaction with the image will reveal it as an illusion as things pass through it.

Creatures using their action to examine the image will make an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC to discern the illusion.

8. Leomund’s Tiny Hut (Ritual)

Casting Time: 1 minute

Range: Self (10-foot-radius hemisphere)

Components: V, S, M (one small crystal bead)

Duration: 8 hours

Lodging can be expensive, and camping on the road can leave you open to bandit ambushes, but using Leomund’s Tiny Hut gives you a safe, easily accessible alternative.

Create an immobile 10-foot-radius dome, fitting a maximum of 9 Medium sized creatures. Magical effects and spells can’t pass through the dome, and the atmosphere is comfortably dry regardless of the weather.

Note: Objects and creatures that weren’t inside the dome when it was cast can’t move freely through it.

7. Fly

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: V, S, M (one wing feather from any bird)

Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

Why watch the birds fly through the blue sky when you can do the same?

Touch a willing creature, providing them with 60 feet of flying speed.

Note: Having a Feather Fall spell ready, just in case, can keep an incident from occurring.

6. Crusader’s Mantle

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Self

Components: V

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

A Paladin’s holy powers recognize his allies, following them as they continue to vanquish evil.

You radiate holy power in a 30-foot radius, imbuing your allies with bravery. The holy radiance moves with you, dealing 1d4 Radiant damage on every non-hostile creature’s weapon attack.

5. Dispel Magic

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 120 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

While uncommon to most, adventurers will encounter magic daily, making a spell to dispel magic indispensable.

Choose a magical effect, object, or creature. Spells affecting the target of the 3rd-level or lower end.

Note: Trying to dispel spells of the 4th-level or higher forces you to make an ability check with your spellcasting (the DC is 10 + the spell’s level).

Simply upcasting this spell allows you to dispel spells without making an ability check. That means you’ll basically sacrifice an equivalent spell slot in order to stop a devastating spell from affecting your party, which is extremely powerful.

4. Call Lightning

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 120 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

With a mere call, a storm spewing bolts of lightning fills the sky.

Call a 10-foot tall, 60-foot radius storm cloud above you. You can release lightning bolts underneath the cloud, forcing creatures within 5 feet of the struck area to make a Dexterity saving throw (taking 3d10 Lightning damage on a fail, or half if successful).

Note: Being outdoors in stormy conditions gives you control of the storm, creating a new one and increasing the damage dealt by 1d10.

3. Fireball

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 150 feet

Components: V, S, M (sulfur and a tiny bit of bat guano)

Duration: Instantaneous

With a simple point of a finger, a roaring bolt of fire engulfs everything in the area it strikes.

With Fireball you will unleash bright spark exploding on impact. Creatures within a 20-foot radius are forced into making a Dexterity saving throw, taking 8d6 Fire damage on a fail or half if successful.

Note: The fire can spread around corners and ignite flammable objects not being carried or worn.

2. Counterspell

Casting Time: 1 reaction you take when you witness a creature within 60 feet of you casting a spell

Range: 60 feet

Components: S

Duration: Instantaneous

Spells are the raw powers of spellcasters given form; canceling one is incredibly powerful.

With Counterspell, interrupt the process of spell casting, ending spells of the 3rd-level or lower.

Note: 4th-level or higher spells require an ability check with your spellcasting ability with the DC equaling 10 + the spell’s level.

Just like Dispel Magic, upcasting this spell lets you cancel spells without having to make an ability check.

1. Revivify

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: V, S, M (diamonds worth 300 GP, which the spell will consume)

Duration: Instantaneous

He who perishes shall live again if only I reach him soon enough!

Touching a creature that died within the last minute returns it to life with 1 HP.

Note: Revivify cannot resurrect creatures that passed from old age or replace missing body parts.

Full List of 3rd Level Spells in D&D 5e

Final Thoughts

Spellcasters who have their first taste of power will never forget it. But from now on, you should understand that this power is given to you in order to face even deadlier foes.

Your story as a spellcaster has now only begun, yet so many dangers await that none know if you’ll even be able to unlock those all-powerful 9th-level spells!

You might also be interested in the following:

• Best Cantrips 5e
• Best 1st-Level Spells 5e
• Best 2nd-Level Spells 5e
• Best 4th-Level Spells 5e
• Best 5th-Level Spells 5e
• Best 6th-Level Spells 5e
• Best 7th-Level Spells 5e
• Best 8th-Level Spells 5e
• Best 9th-Level Spells 5e