My last set of 4e spells converted to 5e was in October of last year, so I figured it was time to get back to that project. Even with the progress I’ve made, there are tons of cool ideas left to play with.

 Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Essence Prism

2^nd-level transmutation (artificer, sorcerer, warlock, wizard)

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self (30-ft cone)
Components: V, S, M (a prism)
Duration: Instantaneous

You gaze through your prism at creatures in a 30-foot cone. Creatures of your choice in that area roll a Constitution saving throw. Targets that fail this save take 3d8 radiant damage, you learn their damage resistances and damage immunities, and until the end of your next turn, your attacks, spells, and traits ignore all of their damage resistances. A target that succeeds this save takes half damage and no further effect.

Hellfire Fury

4^th-level evocation (sorcerer, warlock, wizard)

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 150 ft (20-ft sphere)
Components: V, S, M (a lump of brimstone)
Duration: Instantaneous

You invoke the unclean flame of the deepest pits of Hell. A ball of flame erupts out of your hand and flies toward a point within range, where it explodes in fire and oily smoke. Each creature in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A target that fails this save takes 6d6 fire damage and is cursed for 1 minute. While it is cursed, it takes an additional 1d10 necrotic damage, up to once per turn, each time it takes any amount of fire damage. A target that succeeds this saving throw takes half damage and is not cursed.

A remove curse spell cast on the target ends this spell early.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5^th level or higher, the initial damage increases by 1d6 for every slot level above 4^th.

Prismatic Cloak

4^th-level abjuration (artificer, sorcerer, warlock, wizard)

Casting Time: 1 reaction, when you are hit with an attack
Range: Self (15-ft cone)
Components: V
Duration: 1 round

When you cast this spell, a cloak of multicolored light flares around you. Until the start of your next turn, for each attack that hits you, including the triggering attack, roll 1d8 on the table below to determine the effect upon the triggering creature.

1. Red. The target takes 5d6 fire damage.
2. Orange. The target takes 5d6 acid damage.
3. Yellow. The target takes 5d6 lightning damage.
4. Green. The target takes 5d6 poison damage.
5. Blue. The target takes 5d6 cold damage.
6. Indigo. The target rolls a Constitution saving throw, becoming restrained for 1 minute on a failure. At the end of each of its turns, the creature can roll a new Constitution saving throw; on a success, it is no longer restrained.
7. Violet. The target rolls a Wisdom saving throw, becoming blinded for 1 minute on a failure. At the end of each of its turns, the creature can roll a new Wisdom saving throw; on a success, it is no longer blinded.
8. Special. The target is struck by two effects. Roll twice more, rerolling any 8.

Soul Flaying

7^th-level necromancy (sorcerer, warlock, wizard)

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S, M (a vial containing a person’s final breath)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

A purple-black beam bursts out of your outstretched hand, striking a creature within range that you can see. The creature rolls a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 4d10 necrotic damage and 4d10 psychic damage, and is incapacitated until the start of your next turn. On each of your following turns for the duration of the spell, you can use your bonus action to deal your choice of an additional 4d10 necrotic damage or 4d10 psychic damage to the target. On a successful saving throw, the target takes half of the initial damage and no further effect. Undead and constructs automatically succeed this saving throw.

If a target that failed its initial saving throw falls to 0 hit points during the duration of this spell, they die and you capture their soul in a vial or gemstone. The creature can’t be restored to life by any means short of a wish or divine intervention while their soul remains captured. Its body can be animated as a skeleton or zombie, but it can’t become any form of more powerful undead.

You can release a captured soul to regain one expended spell slot of up to 5^th level. The soul is also released if its vial, gem, or other container is destroyed. Some cosmic forces, such as night hags, also trade in captured souls.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 8^th level or higher, you deal an additional 1d10 necrotic damage and 1d10 psychic damage in the round you cast the spell, and an additional 1d10 damage of the type you choose in later rounds, for each slot level above 7^th.

Tenebrous Blessing

2^nd-level illusion (artificer, bard, sorcerer, warlock, wizard)

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 hour

A willing creature that you can see within range is shrouded in shadow and misdirection. Until the spell ends, the creature can add your spellcasting ability modifier (minimum +1) to Dexterity (Stealth) and Charisma (Deception) checks it rolls. The creature doesn’t gain this bonus when making a check against a target with truesight.

Additionally, opportunity attacks against the target creature have disadvantage, and a creature that makes an opportunity attack against the target takes 2d6 psychic damage.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3^rd level or higher, you can choose an additional target for each slot level above 2^nd.

Warped Wyrd

3^rd-level divination (bard, sorcerer, warlock, wizard)

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You pull and twist the strands of fate to hinder an enemy. Choose one creature you can see within range as the spell’s target. Alternatively, speak the name of one creature; if the creature is within range, it becomes the target even if you can’t see them. If the named creature isn’t within range, the spell fails harmlessly, and your spell slot is expended.

The target must roll a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, the target takes 2d8 psychic damage each time they roll an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw and the result is a success. If their initial saving throw against this spell succeeds, the target has disadvantage on their next ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, and there is no further effect.

The spell ends automatically if the target spends a full round without rolling an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, casting a spell, or forcing another creature to roll a saving throw.

Design Notes

Some of the names and concepts have drifted quite a bit from their origin – Warped Wyrd comes from the Karmic Shaper bard paragon path in Arcane Power, for instance. Essence Prism, at the other extreme, is barely changed at all from its original version.

Hellfire Fury is obviously very close to its lower-level counterpart, Fireball, but I figure that it doesn’t take that much work to prep your team to pile on the fire damage and more than make up the difference in damage total thanks to its curse.

For Prismatic Cloak, I’ve been wanting to play with more prismatic-style effects for a long time – in this case, I didn’t want to deal with every version of this spell forcing saving throws, but as a result that means that it can do an incredible amount of damage with no saving throw. It remains to be seen if that was the right call on my part.

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