Protect Yourself from Dangerous Magic with a New 5E D&D Abjuration Spell
In fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons dispel magic and counterspell are both common defensive spells and wonderful for denying opponents the benefits of spells they cast against you but why waste magic? The new 5E D&D spell I’m creating and presenting here today represents a way for spellcasters to take the magic cast against them, absorb it and hold it for use later. Along with this new spell I will share the process I used to design the spell.
Absorb Spell design diary for 5E D&D
Effect
I initially approached the creation of absorb spell by looking at similar spells, in this case counterspell. The mechanics for counterspell form a perfect base mechanic for this new 5E D&D spell, which in essence accomplishes the same thing but takes it one step further. With the base mechanic set it came down to figuring out just how the spell absorption and storage works, which became a simple question of how many and how long?
I turned to one of the base mechanics of 5E D&D spellcasters — spell attack modifier — for some direction and settled on a total number of spells stored equal to half the caster’s spell attack modifier. I considered basing it purely on proficiency bonus or Intelligence modifier but felt neither take into account the spellcaster’s total spellcasting ability. So I decided an average of the two (half) was a fair way to present a similar number range to either one of the two but give the caster their due.
The core mechanics for the base spell effects and the structure for casting the spell at higher levels was set higher than counterspell’s 4th level but lower than the spell’s actual level to account for the other features granted by the spell.
Duration
I decided the duration for absorb spell needed to be long enough so the caster might actually get a chance to use the spell strategically so I originally considered a full day. Later I decided a day was perhaps a little long to be strolling around with somebody else’s magic and reduced this to an hour — long enough so a spellcaster could travel some and go through several encounters with the captured spells at his disposal. Of course I had to consider what happened to the spells if they timed out or if the caster tried to use the spell again while they were full up on absorbed spells so I decided spells simply lost potency after being stored for more than an hour and faded away.
Casting absorb spell while a spellcaster was already full results in a partial effect, becoming an overpriced but still useful counterpsell. There was a moment when I contemplated using the sorcerer’s Wild Magic Surge to give the unused spells a more explosive departure but decided against being overly dramatic and overcomplicating the spell, especially as I intended to make it available to sorcerers.
Other considerations
With the most important parts of the absorb spell figured out I turned to filling out the rest of the details. Like counterspell, absorb spell is intended as a dueling spell and needs to be quick and no nonsense. Making it use a reaction to cast and only somatic component seems appropriate. Range was set to be identical to counterspell upon which this spell is built. I had initially set the spell’s level at 4th (one higher than counterspell) but upon reflection and peer review I figured out this made the spell unbalanced for the ability it granted.
Review
Never proceed with a spell after your initial pass at creating. There are very few instances where this will ever create a balanced spell. Not only did I check and recheck my ideas as I went, I went back and looked over the finished spell a few times looking for areas where I thought questions by players and Dungeon Masters might come up. Even after all of this, I presented the spell to a friend and fellow DM, Nerdarchist Ted, for peer review. While I did not use all the feedback he gave me, it did call out some areas where my language was unclear as well as the intent of the spell. In the end I ended up with the spell as presented below.
Absorb Spell
You attempt to capture and absorb a spell as it is cast by another creature, for release by you later. If the creature is casting a spell of 4th level or lower, its spell has no affect and is absorbed into yourself and held for later use, by you. If it is casting a spell of 5th level or higher, make an ability check using your spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a success, the creature’s spell spell has no affect and is absorbed by you and held for later use, by you.
Absorbed spells can be held for up to one hour after which the magic dissipates without effect. Absorbed spells do not count against your total number of spell slots or spells available and can be cast using an action.
You may store a number of spells equal to half your spell attack modifier. If this spell is cast when you have no more room for absorbed spells, the spell is countered but not absorbed. You may use an action to get rid a stored spell, instead of casting it, the magic being diffused without effect.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the spell is absorbed without effect if its level is less than or equal to the level of the spell slot you used.
Who gets to cast this 5E D&D spell?
I chose to grant this spell to a number of different classes and subclasses. Defensive magic, I have found, is treated a bit too stingily in 5E D&D for my tastes. Absorb spell is available to wizards, sorcerers and warlocks as well as clerics of the Arcana Domain, Horizon Walker rangers and Fey Wanderer rangers. The last three in this list seems logical candidates for this spell outside the usual arcane casters.
How to use absorb spell in your 5E D&D games
Besides its obvious use as just another abjuration spell for adventurers and NPC spellcasters to possess, absorb spell also fits perfectly into an effect for a magic item with rings and other jewels as well as wands and staves being obvious choices. But the spell could also make for an interesting ward in a dungeon or even an ability possessed by a new monster. Imagine your party wandering into a room where they are confronted by deadly traps or a hazard only to find the spells they cast absorbed by something in the room, only to be thrown back at them as they attempt to solve the room through more mundane means. I could even see this spell being put onto a shield, allowing a warrior to catch spells and throw them back at enemies.
*Featured image — Did you know there’s over one million different variations of counterspell in Magic: The Gathering. Just kidding but there’s still a tremendous number. Case in point Absorb from Ravnica Allegiance expansion, which not surprisingly counters a spell and also gives you 3 life. You can use the stored energy to last a little longer and hopefully send some magic back your opponent’s way. [Art by Izzy]
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