An ambitious new series of supplements is attempting to convert every old Dungeons & Dragons spell for use in Fifth Edition play.
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Dungeons & Dragons has published thousands of spells in its various handbooks, expansions, and adventures over the years, each with their own unique effects. These spells range from the deadly (who hasn’t cringed when their character has gotten hit by a Fireball) to the versatile (what DM hasn’t sighed when their NPC gets hit with a Charm Person spell) to spells that serve mostly to color encounters and interactions.
Dungeons & Dragons has barely scratched the surface of converting all of those spells for use in its current Fifth Edition ruleset, due to a combination of time and obsolescence. Some spells don’t narratively fit within the Fifth Edition rulesets, while others seemed destined to lost gems enjoyed by past generations. However, R P Davis is now attempting to convert every single D&D spell for use in Fifth Edition play with his new Encyclopaedia Formulae Arcana series.
The first volume of Encyclopaedia Formulae Arcana covers spells that begins with the letter “A” and includes over 125 different spells. The only D&D spells not included in the new supplement are those spells already included in a Fifth Edition book, a spell that duplicates a current class or subclass ability, or spells that are somehow incompatible with Fifth Edition’s design, such as spells that target ability scores or spells that target alignment.
This is an insanely impressive document that adds a huge amount of spells to any caster’s arsenal. Spells range from popular spells like Anyspell, a spell that allows divine casters to use prepare arcane spells, to powerful game-changers like Apocalypse from the Sky, which dishes out tons of damage to creatures within a 10 mile radius. There’s also more mundane spells like Animate Rope or Amplify, which magically amplifies all sounds within a set radius. There’s also some great spells perfect for social encounters, like Advice (which compels a creature to follow your profound advice) or Alibi, which implants a memory of the caster into their head. However, my personal favorite spell of the volume is probably Alicorn Lance, which allows the caster to grow and shoot a unicorn head out of their forehead.
Encyclopaedia Formulae Arcana is a must have for both longtime fans of Dungeons & Dragons and players looking for a beefed up list of potential spells. If you’re getting tired of using the same spells all the time, pick up Encyclopaedia Formulae Arcana and let your imagination run wild. Future volumes are planned with a release schedule of once per month.
Encyclopaedia Formulae Arcana: Volume 1 is available on the DMs Guild for $4.95.
