Top 15 Best Enchantment Spells in D&D 5e [Ranked]

The School of Enchantment is known for its exceptional utility control spells. It’s a favorite of the Bard and other supportive spellcasting classes.

Enchantment spells focus primarily on providing spellcasters with an efficient utility toolkit, giving them many charms, mind invasions/control, emotion altering, or even a kill spell.

If you’re looking to control the minds of your enemies or just help your team, Enchantment spells are your fit.

Best Enchantment Spells

15. Catnap (3rd-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: S, M (one pinch of salt)

Duration: 10 minutes

Starting the list, we have Catnap, which is excellent if you want to quickly incapacitate up to three willing creatures while dealing with the rest.

Note: Since they have to be willing, this spell goes exceptionally well with mind-controlling spells.

You wave a calming gesture, and up to 3 willing creatures fall unconscious. Upon taking damage or using an action to shake the creature, it awakens.

If the creature isn’t awoken and stays awake for the full 10 minutes, the creature will gain the benefits of a short rest, so you can even use this on spellcaster party members.

14. Power Word: Kill (9th-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V

Duration: Instantaneous

Dispatching tough enemies isn’t easy, but you can instantly kill even the strongest enemies with good calculation and luck. Enter Power Word: Kill.

You compel one creature to die instantly if the creature has 100 HP or fewer.

Note: Even though the spell is 9th-level, miscalculation can cost the spell to have no effect while burning a 9th-level spell slot. So it has quite a bit of risk involved.

13. Vicious Mockery (Cantrip)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V

Duration: Instantaneous

If you’re playing a Bard, you’ll want to unlock Vicious Mockery!

You unleash a string of insults tied to an enchantment. If the target can hear you, it must successfully complete a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d4 Psychic damage, getting a disadvantage on the next attack roll before the end of its next turn.

Having an easily accessible disadvantage as a Cantrip spell is great, especially in the early game.

12. Zone of Truth (2nd-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: 10 minutes

If you plan on interrogating someone or just hearing the truth from their mouth, Zone of Truth is the spell for you.

A 15-foot-radius sphere is created, guarding against deception. Creatures entering the spell’s area for the first time or starting their turn there must make a Charisma saving throw.

If failed, the creature cannot speak a deliberate lie, and you know whether the creature is telling the truth.

Note: Affected creatures know the spell and can avoid answering questions. So you’ll want to give them some “incentive.”

11. Crown of Madness (2nd-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 120 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Crown of Madness is an excellent spell to keep a Strength brute from devastating your frontline with their melee attacks!

You choose one creature that must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed. If charmed, the creature must use its action to make a melee attack before deciding to move on its turn.

Note: Just be careful not to use your actions without thought, as you’ll need to use your actions to maintain control over the target in subsequent turns.

10. Compelled Duel (1st-level)

Casting Time: 1 bonus action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

If you’re a defender, Compelled Duel is a must-have to pull stronger enemies away from supports and damage dealers.

You compel a target into a duel, forcing it to successfully make a Wisdom saving throw or be compelled. It has disadvantage on attack rolls for the duration on creatures other than the caster.

Note: Paladins are the only characters able to cast this spell, and with good reason, as without a high AC, you won’t live long.

9. Mind Sliver (Cantrip)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V

Duration: 1 round

Making a creature less likely to succeed on their saving throw is made easy with Mind Sliver.

By driving a spike into the mind of a creature, it forces the creature to succeed on an Intelligence saving throw, or instead take 1d6 Psychic damage and subtract 1d4 from its upcoming saving throw.

Note: Even though the damage is low, the 1d4 subtraction from a saving throw is exceptional for a Cantrip.

8. Bless (1st-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S, M (one sprinkling of holy water)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Bless is a great spell to activate if you don’t have any better Concentration spells.

Choose up to 3 creatures to bless. When an affected target makes a saving throw or attack, it can roll a d4, adding the number to the saving throw or attack roll.

7. Silvery Barbs (1st-level)

Casting Time: 1 reaction; you take when a creature in your view within 60 feet is successful in its attack roll, saving throw, or ability check)

Range: 60 feet

Components: V

Duration: Instantaneous

Silvery Barbs takes one creature’s luck and places it onto another target.

You distract a triggering creature, forcing it to reroll a d20 and use the lower roll. Now choose a different creature (even yourself), which gives advantage on the next ability check, saving throw, or attack roll.

Note: Using this spell against high rolls has a much more significant effect than using it against rolls lower than 13 or 12.

6. Heroism (1st-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Heroism is one of the best early-game counters to the frightened condition.

Touching a willing creature imbues them with bravery, making them immune from being frightened while giving them HP equal to the spellcasting ability modifier of the caster.

Note: Upcasting this spell can be powerful for a supportive character aiming to aid their entire party.

5. Dissonant Whisper (1st-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V

Duration: Instantaneous

If you’re looking to burn a creature’s reaction, Dissonant Whisper can be useful to you.

You whisper a melody to a creature, forcing it to successfully complete a Wisdom saving throw or take 3d6 Psychic damage and immediately using its reaction (if unused) to move as far away from you as possible.

Note: Deafened creatures cannot be affected by Dissonant Whisper.

4. Geas (5th-level)

Casting Time: 1 minute

Range: 60 feet

Components: V

Duration: 30 days

Manipulating powerful creatures to fight for you is made easy with Geas, as disobedience can lead to death.

You put a magical command on a creature if it can understand you, forcing it to make a Wisdom saving throw or instead be charmed. If charmed, it’ll take 5d10 Psychic damage each time it disobeys your command directly.

Note: Commands resulting in certain death are ineffective. You must also watch out for spells like Remove Curse, Greater Restoration, and Wish, as they can break the charm.

3. Hex (1st-level)

Casting Time: 1 bonus action

Range: 90 feet

Components: V, S, M (a purified eye of a newt)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

Hex can make a specific creature take extra damage if they’re a more significant threat than the rest.

Placing a curse on a creature deals an extra 1d6 Necrotic damage whenever it’s hit with an attack. You can also choose one ability that the creature will have disadvantage on ability checks made with.

Note: A Remove Curse spell ends the spell early.

2. Mass Suggestion (6th-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, M (the tongue of a snake and either one drop of sweet oil or a bit of honeycomb)

Duration: 24 hours

Much like Suggestion, Mass Suggestion functions similarly, just affecting a much greater number of creatures.

You can choose up to 12 creatures to influence, forcing them to make a Wisdom saving throw or compelling them to follow your suggestion.

Just be careful not to have you or your companions damage the creature, as it’ll end the spell for it.

Note: Commands spelling certain death negate the effects of Mass Suggestion.

1. Dominate Monster (8th-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

Dominate Monster is perfect to charm a powerful creature or influence political matters.

You compel a creature, forcing it to succeed in a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed. A charmed creature can be controlled with simple commands or precise control, depending on your need.

Note: Just be careful of the creature taking damage, as each time it takes damage, it’ll make a new Wisdom saving throw against the spell.

Final Thoughts

If you want a control/utility school of magic, there’s no better place to look than with Enchantment spells.

Since there are so many, there’ll always be a justified situation for an Enchantment spell. They are usually near and dear to many utility mages looking to support their party from the sidelines.

You might also be interested in the following:

• Best Abjuration Spells 5e
• Best Conjuration Spells 5e
• Best Divination Spells 5e
• Best Evocation Spells 5e
• Best Illusion Spells 5e
• Best Necromancy Spells 5e
• Best Transmutation Spells 5e