Underrated: Our Top 7 Mid-Level Spells In D&D 5e That Won’t Disappoint

Greetings gamers from all systems, places and timelines!

While not all created equal, some of the spells between levels three and five are arguably the best in the game. If you don’t believe me, try naming a spell which has dusted more fictitious monsters than Fireball? But aside from Fireball which is even awesome in the D&D board game, we created a list of seven other spells which are true A-listers – which is harder than it sounds considering the competition. But rest assured that each one of these spells has proven to be a game changer on more than one occasion. 

1. Banishment

This is a great spell when the battle map is just packed with monsters and one or more of them just happens to have an ass ton of hit points.  If the creature fails their save, they win a one minute ticket to the phantom zone.  And in combat time, that might as well be a week. Bonus: it it targets Charisma so, unless you are fighting something with legendary resistances, they are basically screwed. 

But wait, there’s more! The range on this is 60 feet and can even be upcasted to include one additional opponent per level past 4th . And if these creature(s) aren’t native to the plane that you happen to be on, and stay out for the full duration of the spell, then they don’t return at all.  

2. Confusion

One reason why this was picked over other higher level spells, like Hold Monster, is while it would be better to paralyze an opponent than have them wandering aimlessly, Confusion can target multiple creatures – which can be fantastic if you are facing a bunch of opponents who intended to be the first in the initiative tracker. 

This leaves you two options: 1) enjoy a few rounds of free attacks on them as they stumble around, because taking damage doesn’t break the effects of the spell, or 2) just bypass them and kick the snot out of the ranged units or spell casters they were protecting in the backfield. Oh, and it can be upcast to increase the radius of the spell so you that you can befuddle more creatures as needed. 

3. Counterspell

In case you are not familiar with how Counterspell works, it is a spell which can be used as a reaction to cancel another spell of an opposing caster – which is absolutely amazing, as it can stop an enemy caster from doing anything from hitting your team with a fireball to healing their own wounds. 

However, because of the new playtest changes, it is not as powerful as it once was. Previously, to counter the spell being cast, it required an ability check from the Counterspell caster. Now, the caster of the original spell is allowed to make a Constitution Saving Throw to resist the effects, which unfortunately leaves the door open for them to use a Legendary Resistance. 

Yet all hope is not lost. As this just means it’s more difficult to Counterspell bosses, and nearly all of them only have three Legendary Resistances. If I were them, I would hold on to those tightly to resist other effects like a Monk’s Stunning Strike. And, let’s be honest, spell casters typically aren’t known for fantastic defensive scores when their endurance is targeted, but I digress. 

4. Fly

Over the years, cases have been made that flying is one of greatest and most underrated superpowers of all time. Just picture being at the edge of somewhere ominous like a dark, mysterious forest. Now imagine yourself flying over all of those nasty encounters and traps which were set for you down below while waving goodbye. 

And to be fair it has limitations on how long you can fly and if you are willing to upcast it to take your friends with or make them walk. But when you have multiple spell casters in one party and they are higher level, this could become somewhere between the ultimate get out of jail free card and a poor man’s teleport. 

It even has applications in places like caverns, because if you didn’t design them with low ceilings the caster will be up thirty-something feet in the air raining spells down upon all of your poor creatures who failed archery class. 

5. Greater Invisibility

This is one of those spells where its greatness really depends on its application. Because if you’re not facing off against non spellcasting opponents, or ones that have abilities like Blindsight or Truesight, here is your chance for some shenanigans. 

When this is paired up with a Rogue with the right build they will be able to move around the battle map while taking down enemies in a way that would impress the likes of James Bond and Solid Snake. 

But if a Rogue isn’t available, throw it on your party Fighter and watch them raise hell. Because, in both cases, they are next to impossible to hit due to the Disadvantage on attacks against them, and hardly miss with their attacks, due to the Advantage on their attack rolls. Which if either of these characters had high attack or defense bonuses to start, it’s so good it almost doesn’t seem fair. 

6. Leomund’s Tiny Hut

Did you ever have a module going so badly you just wanted to call a timeout? Well now you can. This spell literally creates a safe space for you and eight of your friends to come in, hang out, play some cards, and recover all of your hit points and class abilities. Sure, it takes a literal minute to cast, but just cast that outside of combat and it won’t matter. And with this magical bunker up, no spells can be cast through it, no one can see inside of it, and no other objects or creatures (other than the ones present when you cast it) can pass through it.

Why this spell is so important is it changes the entire in-game economy of when, and how often, the players can rest to recharge. So, there was a nasty encounter in store for the group waiting to happen on the second watch? Well, too bad. They can either get moving or wait around for eight hours to pass and then fight the people they intended to ambush now that they are at full strength. 

7. Wall of Force

Similar to Greater Invisibility, the true value of this spell is with the creativity of the person using it. In fact, like Fireball, articles have been published on just its possibilities. Unless you are facing someone who has Disintegrate in their back pocket which they were holding on to for just such an emergency, these walls are pretty much indestructible. As it creates ten,10×10 invisible walls which spring up in the positions of your choice and can even be free floating. 

This requires some knowledge of how you predict things are going to play out. However, if done correctly the results will be legendary. Case in point, during a game last year, the ice-themed boss had planned to finish off the party with one last blast from a super charged Ice Storm spell. But, instead, the frozen boulders and icy shards were all deflected harmlessly over the invisible wall of force which the player’s Wizard had placed over the group – allowing the group to move in and finish him off. 

Final Thoughts

Some of you might be asking where were all the damage dealing spells. And, believe me, the value of spells like Synaptic Static, which targets Intelligence, Cloudkill, which can deal damage over a number of rounds ,or even the classic Fireball, cannot be undersold. However, in my opinion, the real strength of a spellcaster is measured by their ingenuity in their field, not by their ability to simply blast their opponents to atoms with unrelenting barrages of area of effect spells. 

What are some of your favorite spells within the ranges of levels three through five? We would love to hear what you consider some of the game changers and the stories as to how you or your players used them in inventive ways.

As always, when rolling for Spell DCs and Spell Attacks, make sure to check out our affiliate link at Fanroll Dice to receive 10% off your entire order!