D&D: Our Favorite 3rd-Level Spells In 5.5E
In 5.5E D&D, 3rd-level spells really roll up their sleeves to get some work done. Fireball is still fireball. But these spells are great too!
Fireball will probabbly always be one of the best 3rd-level spells in D&D from this point forward. In WotC’s eyes, it’s an iconic spell. They’ve even admitted that by their standards, the spell does more damage because it hearkens back to the early days of D&D when the spell stood out because it was one of the few “good spells” available to PCs.
But in 5.5E, there are plenty of other 3rd-level spells that offer you a ton of bang for your buck. While Fireball might not be changed, some of these spells have gotten a significant bbuff. Spells like…
Spirit Guardians
You can expect to see this one a ton from anyone with access to the Cleric spell list. Spirit Guardians was already one of the better spells available to Clerics capable of casting 3rd-level spells. It’s a damaging aura that also potentially halves the speed of anyone in it.
But in 5.5E, Spirit Guardians works whenever a creature enters its space or whenever the aura touches another creature. Meaning your Cleric can run around the battlefield clipping opponents with their Spirit Guardians aura. And still have their action and bonus action to do stuff with! It’s a fantastic change that really gives Clerics a power boost.
Daylight
If you’ve ever wanted to see how just one simple change can change your whole world, look no further than Daylight. This spell functions almost identically to the way it did in 5E, with one key difference.
In 5.5E, Daylight conjures actual sunlight. Which is important because of the implication – now your 3rd-level spell can take out vampires and hamper enemies like Kobolds and Drow and anyone else with Sunlight Sensitivity. Because it’s not just “magical bright light” it’s actual sunlight.
Counterspell
Talk about a buff. Counterspell was always one of the better spells in the game. But the 5.5E version does away with the uncertainty of it. It used to be that you had to make a check or risk a higher level spell slot if you wanted to shut down a more powerful spell.
That’s one of the climactic moments in the 1st campaign of Critical Role: Sam’s character uses a 9th-level spell slot to be sure of shutting down Vecna’s teleport. Which means that he doesn’t have a 9th-level spell slot available to cast Wish, and that has drastic consequences for the fate of Vox Machina.
Now, though, it doesn’t matter. Counterspell shuts down all spells no matter the level (but they don’t waste the spell slot, so don’t worry it’s not that out of hand).
Call Lightning
This is one of the better damaging spells for Druids, especially with the changes it’s seen in 5.5E. Call Lightning no longer needs to be outside or in an area with a high ceiling. You simply conjure a 10 foot tall, 60 foot radius cylinder with a stormcloud floating above it.
As before, you can zap a creature or a point in space with a bolt of lightning, dealing 3d10 Lightning damage to any creature within a five foot radius of where it strikes. But if you are outdoors and can use an existing storm, the spell does even more damage.
Summon Undead
The new summon spells are pretty great. They let you add an ally to your party for the next hour (or until they die) and often come with some powerful abilities. And the Summon Undead spell is a prime example of this.
For the cost of a single 3rd-level spell slot, you can summon an undead creature with a poisoning aura, or that frightens enemies, or paralyzes foes when it attacks them. And that’s just to start.
How about you? What are your favorite 3rd-level Spells?
