D&D: Five Spells That Will Make You Eldritch
Why let purple things with tentacles and maws have all the fun? These five spells will make YOU the eldritch horror!
Eldritch horrors get to have a lot of fun in D&D. They get to be covered in slime, writhe in an alien rhythm, and of course, do all sorts of weird magic. But they shouldn’t be the only ones that get to do all that. Luckily for you, with the right selection of spells, you can be the eldritch horror for once. What spells you ask? Well, these five are a start.
Arms of Hadar
What could be more eldritch than a spell that causes starry tendrils to erupt in a 10 foot burst all around you. Creatures nearby have to make a Strength saving throw or take 2d6 Necrotic damage and not be able to take Reactions until the start of their next turn. A potent spell that can shut down more powerful creatures if they fail the save. Leave their minds and hit point totals reeling.
Hunger of Hadar
You might be wondering “why is Hadar so prevalent on this list?” Well that’s because Hadar was once one of 13 baleful stars in older editions of D&D – and it seems the name has stuck. Again, big points in the eldritch spell column. This spell opens up a gateway to a starry void infested with unspeakable horrors full of strange whispers and “slurping noises.” The automatic 2d6 cold damage and potential 2d6 acid damage is honestly just a bonus once you deal with the horror of slurping noises.
Evard’s Black Tentacles
This spell is similar to the Hunger of Hadar but it’s much worse. Here, the tentacles are visible – which, again, huge for a spell that makes you seem like an eldritch horror. It creates a massive area on the ground that counts as difficult terrain, damages enemies who fail a save, and gives them the Restrained condition. Once restrained, you have t take an action to makea n Athletics check to end the Restrained condition, and then has to escape the area (which again, is difficult terrain) or be afflicted by the spell yet again.
Summon Aberration
Of course, commanding your own eldritch horror is enough to make you seem like one. And with summon aberration you can call down your own aberrant spirit. It can take the shape of a mind flayer, a slaad, or a beholder – and depending on what shape you give it, it gains different abilities. Slaad are bruisers, Mind Flayers deal psychic damage to anyne they’re near, and Beholders shoot eye rays at your enemies.
Phantasmal Killer
Or lean into the “psychic damage” side of being an eldritch horror with this spell. Phantasmal Killer lets you draw the deepest fear out of the mind of a target and convince them it’s here and happening and trying to kill them. Mechnically, it’s a middling spell, dealing 4d10 damage each turn until your target succeeds on a save. But thematically, this is as eldritch a spell as it gets.
Have fun being eldritch!
