Play Your Next 5E D&D Game with Twinned Spell Metamagic Mastery
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted master the Metamagic for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons to find out what spells make best use of Twinned Spell. This versatile and powerful feature gives sorcerers the ability to duplicate the effects of a spell they cast and double the effect (with certain restrictions). While they discuss the best spells to twin I thought it might be useful for 5E D&D players and Dungeon Masters to compile a list of all the spells eligible for Twinned Spell. Thankfully D&D Beyond makes searching and filtering information super easy so all I need to do now is go through all 515 spells currently included as part of official 5E D&D content. After that for fun I’ll go through the spells we’ve created in our products for Twinned Spell candidates too. So let’s get into it.
5E D&D Twinned Spell eligible spells
Before getting to the list it’s worthwhile to include the parameters for Twinned Spell. This Metamagic option becomes available to sorcerers at 3rd level when they can choose two of the options, adding a third at 10th level and a fourth at 17th level.
Twinned Spell
“When you cast a spell that targets only one creature and doesn’t have a range of self, you can spend a number of sorcery points equal to the spell’s level to target a second creature in range with the same spell (1 sorcery point if the spell is a cantrip).
To be eligible, a spell must be incapable of targeting more than one creature at the spell’s current level. For example, magic missile and scorching ray aren’t eligible, but ray of frost and chromatic orb are.”
In addition to the text in the Player’s Handbook, Sage Advice offers further clarification on Twinned Spell. One of the components of the Sage Advice entry impacts this Metamagic tremendously. Here is the Sage Advice entry regarding Twinned Spell:
You can use Twinned Spell on a spell that …
- targets only one creature
- doesn’t have a range of self
- is incapable of targeting more than one creature at the spell’s current level
If you know this rule yet are still unsure whether a particular spell qualifies for Twinned Spell, consult with your DM, who has the final say. If the two of you are curious about our design intent, here is the list of things that disqualify a spell for us:
- The spell has a range of self.
- The spell can target an object.
- The spell allows you to choose more than one creature to be affected by it, particularly at the level you’re casting the spell. Some spells increase their number of potential targets when you cast them at a higher level.
- The spell can force more than one creature to make a saving throw before the spell’s duration expires.
- The spell lets you make a roll of any kind that can affect more than one creature before the spell’s duration expires.
In my opinion some of these more noodly interpretations feel like a stretch, or simply an errata to account for new spell content developed since the PHB release. Nevertheless, these are the parameters for Twinned Spell. At any rate let’s get to the spells!
Cantrips
- Booming blade
- Chill touch
- Eldritch blast (until 5th level)
- Fire bolt
- Friends
- Frostbite
- Guidance
- Infestation
- Lightning lure
- Mind sliver
- Poison spray
- Ray of frost
- Resistance
- Sacred flame
- Sapping sting
- Shocking grasp
- Spare the dying
- Thorn whip
- Toll the dead
- True strike
- Vicious mockery
1st level
- Animal friendship (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Beast bond
- Cause fear (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Ceremony (Atonement, Coming of Age and Dedication only)
- Charm person (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Chromatic orb
- Command (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Compelled duel
- Cure wounds
- Dissonant whispers
- Gift of alacrity
- Guiding bolt
- Healing word
- Heroism (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Hex
- Hunter’s mark
- Inflict wounds
- Jump
- Longstrider (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Mage armor
- Protection from evil and good
- Ray of sickness
- Sanctuary
- Shield of faith
- Tasha’s hideous laughter
- Witch bolt
2nd level
- Animal messenger
- Barkskin
- Beast sense
- Blindness/deafness (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Crown of madness
- Darkvision
- Earthbind
- Enhance ability (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Enlarge/reduce
- Fortune’s favor (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Hold person (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Invisibility (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Lesser restoration
- Levitate
- Melf’s acid arrow
- Mind spike
- Mind thrust (UA) (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Nystul’s magic aura
- Phantasmal force
- Protection from poison
- Ray of enfeeblement
- Spider climb
- Suggestion
- Tasha’s mind whip
- Vortex warp
3rd level
- Bestow curse
- Dispel magic
- Enemies abound
- Fast friends (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Feign death
- Fly (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Gaseous form
- Haste
- Intellect fortress
- Life transference
- Nondetection
- Protection from energy
- Remove curse
- Revivify
- Tongues
4th level
- Banishment (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Blight
- Charm Monster (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Death ward
- Dominate beast
- Elemental bane (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Freedom of movement
- Greater invisibility
- Intellect fortress (UA) (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Otiluke’s resilient sphere
- Phantasmal killer
- Polymorph
- Raulothim’s Psychic Lance
- Stoneskin
5th level
- Awaken
- Contagion
- Dominate person
- Enervation
- Geas
- Greater restoration
- Hold monster (precludes At Higher Levels option)
- Immolation
- Modify memory
- Negative energy flood
- Planar binding
- Raise dead
- Reincarnate
- Skill empowerment
- Temporal shunt (precludes At Higher Levels option)
6th level
- Disintegrate
- Fizban’s Platinum Shield
- Flesh to stone
- Harm
- Heal
- Mental prison
- Otto’s irresistible dance
- True seeing
7th level
- Finger of death
- Power word pain
- Regenerate
- Resurrection
- Sequester
- Simulacrum
8th level
- Clone
- Dominate monster
- Feeblemind
- Maze
- Mind blank
- Power word stun
- Reality break
9th level
- Foresight
- Imprisonment
- Power word heal
- Power word kill
- Time ravage
- True polymorph
- True resurrection
Twinned Spell your Nerdarchy 5E D&D spells
Here’s the spells we’ve created either here on the website or included in various products eligible for Twinned Spell Metamagic. If you come across any other ones let us know! With dozens of products and thousands of posts here on the website I searched around for some time but there could be others out there somewhere.
Cantrips
- Beard whip (Beardomancy)
- Close wound (Website post)
- Gag (Website post)
- Lightning arc (Website post)
- Surge (Website post)
1st level
- Beard growth (Beardomancy)
- Beardskin (Beardomancy)
- Enhance style (Hairable Ideas)
- Rapunzel’s curse (Hairable Ideas)
- Spider bite (Secrets of the Vault: Lost Lore Vol. 2)
2nd level
- Barble (Website post)
- Friendship bracelet (Hairable Ideas)
- Hairotte (Beardomancy)
- Icespike (Winter Court Soiree)
- Ordo’s Binding Beard (precludes At Higher Levels option) (Bad Hair Day)
3rd level
- Camouflage (Website post)
- Crushing Coils (Website post)
- Shadowtrap (Gaze of the Void Eye)
4th level
- Fang Blade (precludes At Higher Levels option) (Website post)
- Grasp of winter (Winter Court Soiree)
- Merrshaulk’s Kiss (precludes At Higher Levels option) (Website post)
- Ordo’s Resilient Beard (Bad Hair Day)
- Spitting Cobra (Website post)
5th level
- Power word beard (Beardomancy)
- Shroud of Thorns (Chained One’s Animus)
6th level
- Blessing of Samson (Hairable Ideas)
Whew! Pouring over all these spells was a tedious task indeed but a worthwhile one because now we’ve got a solid resource for reference. I’m sure I don’t need to point this out but if you catch any mistakes or questionable spells that should or should not be on the list let us know. We plan to update this as new 5E D&D content gets released.
Our weekly Nerdarchy the Newsletter includes a Community Spotlight and we want to know what you’re up to around your gaming tables. Do you play a spellcaster who makes frequent use of Twinned Spell and other Metamagic in your 5E D&D games? Did you find inspiration from one of our videos, website posts or products? Let us know! Comment on this post, tag us on social media or send us a message and share your stories and images. We love making all sorts of content for you and we want to hear about your adventures too. You get a special coupon for $9.99 when you sign up for the newsletter too — perfect for adding any of those sources of Twinned Spells to your spell list. I recommend the Beardomancy + Hairable Ideas combo!
Pingback: Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Deadly Spell Assassin – Nerdarchy
November 28, 2020 at 1:38 pmPingback: D&D Ideas — D&D Movie – Nerdarchy
August 7, 2022 at 8:01 pm