Player's Spellbook

All the changes to all the cantrips originally in the 2014 Player's Handbook. Look out for upcoming episodes covering the new cantrips in the 2024 PHB. Let us know what we missed: playersspellbook@gmail.com

Ever felt like your Mage Hand was missing a body? Now you can cast Unseen Servant and have all the limbs you could ever want in an invisible force. Derek's homebrew monster is the Paranorm , but good luck finding it with all of its unseen servants running around. Send any questions or comments to playersspellbook@gmail.com

The perfect spell for the character who doesn't want anyone to get too close to them. Derek's homebrew monster this week is the Thunderfury Minotaur , with the perfect push and charge combo. Send your questions and comments to playersspellbook@gmail.com

Here's all the rule changes affecting spellcasting in the 2024 Player's Handbook. Stay tuned for every change from every 2014 PHB Cantrip and 1st-level spell. Let us know if we missed anything: playersspellbook@gmail.com

Bonus Action forced movement. What else do you need to know? Not to mention the thunder damage and prone condition. Derek's homebrew monster is the Legion Giant that can target two creatures in melee. Send us your questions and comments to playersspellbook@gmail.com!

Who doesn't want to chat with a chipmunk, confer with a canary, or shoot the breeze with a brachiosaurus? This week's homebrew monster is the Wererat Spymaster . Questions or comments? Send us a message @ playersspellbook@gmail.com.

Great for low levels, but you should probably ditch the Sleep spell with your high level characters. You won't be getting much rest at that point anyways. This week's homebrew monster is the Sandman , Derek's terrifying interpretation of a beloved children's character

Silent Image is as much about what it shows as what it hides. Tim shares a stealthy warlock character build. And Derek's homebrew monster is the Soffin , a feywild trickster.

10% of the time Shield of Faith works every time! If you like those odds or are just trying to make some friends, definitely prepare this spell. Tim's saga continues with Shiela who has a great chance to sell out a star witness. And Derek's homebrew is a Guardian Angel . Pair it with the Gloryhound to give your player's some whiplash.

The worst thing about the Shield spell is that it's too good. Tim's shares his abjuration wizard with an ethical dilemna and Derek's hombrew monster is the Pokemon-inspired Dire Porcupine .

What could be better than setting your enemies on fire? Tim shares his searing smite build and Derek's homebrew monster is the Immolant Swarm. They force you to do fire damage, which they are immune to. Good luck!

Derek and Tim sift through the various qualifiers of the Sanctuary spell. Tim shares his bodyguard build inspired by the spell. And Derek's homebrew monster is the Warden Unicorn , carefully worded to follow the qualifiers of the Sanctuary spell, while dealing multiple levels of exhaustion.

Derek and Tim try to find another school of magic for Ray of Sickness. Tim share his poisoner character build. And Derek has a Plague Wight as his homebrew monster, in case you're looking to turn your players into ghouls.

You're going to want to fill your world with tepid water and questionable berries and mushrooms if you want your players to use this spell. Tim shares his Oath of Redemption Paladin whose seeking the culprit behind a poisoning plot. And Derek's hombrew monster, the Royal Drake , is the perfect aesthetic for an eccentric baron or paranoid royal.

Derek and Tim fix the name of the spell and discuss how great it is if you can get it to work. Tim shares his character build for beating aberrations. And Derek's homebrew monster, the Exorcist , is the perfect NPC to show how great this spell is to inspire your characters to sometimes take it.

You can never miss if you cast Magic Missile. Tim share his Order vs Chaos - inspired Eladrin Clockwork Soul Sorcerer. And Derek's Concurdant will hunt down your PCs for even the tiniest infraction of the laws of the universe.

Mage Armor is a great spell, so naturally, Derek's not a fan. It's just such an easy spell to take and even easier to use. Tim shares his College of Swords build that employs fate as its armor. Derek's homebrew monster this week is the Shadow Armorer , a creature that forces creatures to use mage armor instead of their own armor.

Want to keep up with your rogue and monk friends? Try longstrider and somehow increase the amount of movement it takes you to stand up. Tim's character this week needs the extra movement to get in the perfect combat positions. And Derek's monster, the Quicksilver Ooze , gains speed with every hit until it explodes!

Jump does exactly what it says without any muss or fuss. When you need it, it's always there. Tim shares his character inspired by WWII combat engineers. And Derek's homebrew monster this week is the Jumping Juggernaut , a construct that likes making pancakes of enemies.

When you need a spell for your cleric's evil twin choose Inflict Wounds! Your cleric won't be able to keep up. Tim shares his character who has been infected with blight. And Derek's homebrew monster is the Herald of Death , a fun little CR20 celestial!

A seemingly situational spell, Illusory Script might just be extremely powerful with a little bit of play with the rules. Tim shares his running-from-the-mob character build and Derek gives us the Contract Devil as his homebrew monster this week. It's a great choice if you want to lock your players into terrible fiendish deals.

For the overly cautious player who actually wants to know what an item does before attuning to it. Tim shares his magic item crafter character build. And Derek shares the Blade Thief for the DM who loves taking away their players' magic items.

Tracking your enemies has never been easier! And when you catch up give 'em a little extra damage just for the fun of it. Ranger's love this spell, including Tim's character, a goliath beekeeper. Also, Derek shares his homebrew monster the Wild Huntsman , inspired by the legend of the Wildhunt.

A harmless spell literally full of laughter. Tim shares his darkest character yet and Derek's Cthulu-inspired homebrew monster is the Star Spawn Mockery .

A bonus action curse, no saving throw required, what's not to like? Tim's character build is a bard using Hex to help his deception rolls. And Derek's homebrew monster is the Hex Hag , an extremely dangerous hag with the potential to take out a party member each round.