Alternative Spell Schools

The forces of magic can be divided among multiple depending on personal or cultural philosophies. The ones described in the DMG and PHB are simply the most common divisions and as such are often muddied as spells which don't fall into neat boxes shift along the spectrum over time. The following are optional variants that a person may divide spells. While multiple classifications for spell schools may exist in the same world, it is unlikely that one character would use multiple classification systems simultaneously.

(Authors Note: While the different systems may have certain characteristics that overlap due to similarities in the way that one may divide types of magic they are intended to work wholly independently or in conjunction with one another. As a result schools that share many similar properties may be given names which are synonyms so as to not cause confusion if multiple systems are used. Example being: Transmutation, Modification, and Alteration. While these schools cover fundamentally similar ideas they are distinct to their system.)

Arcanum

Arcanum is a classification of magic based around the fundamental building blocks of magical energy. Those who follow the tradition of Arcanum recognize 10 types of magic: Death, Fate, Forces, Life, Matter, Mind, Prime, Space, Spirit, and Time.

Spells are mostly commonly a description of the result, but these effects can often be achieved in different methods depending on the source of the magic used. Some spells may even require the blending of multiple Arcanum to achieve the desired results. Consequently a spell may fall under multiple Arcanum.

Death

Death is the Arcanum dealing with the concept of death, caring more for the metaphysical associations rather than the literal absence of life. A mage can use Death to steal or trap souls, speak with the dead, raise and control undead minions, and return the dead to life.

Fate

Fate is the Arcanum dealing with abstract concepts of destiny and probability. A mage can use Fate to bestow blessings, sealing oaths, and influencing random events. This magic can not predict the outcome of events, merely influence them.

Forces

Forces is the Arcanum dealing with the concrete concept of energy. A mage can use Forces to create or otherwise manipulate: heat, light, radiation, electricity, and gravity.

Life

Life is the Arcanum dealing with anything living. A mage can use Life to heal wounds, transform or otherwise alter the bodies of living creatures, manipulate plants, and spread disease.

Matter

Matter is the Arcanum dealing with physical objects. A mage can use Matter to repair broken objects, transmute one substance into another, change the shape of matter, destroy objects, and create objects out of nothing.

Mind

Mind is the Arcanum dealing with the concept of thought. A mage can use Mind to aid in communication, create hallucinations, read or control minds, and connect telepathically.

Prime

Prime is the Arcanum dealing with the concept of magic itself. A mage can use Prime to sense magic, read auras, alter spells, dispel the magic of others, and imbue mundane objects with magical effects.

Space

Space is the Arcanum dealing with distance physical and metaphysical. A mage can use Space to conjure forth objects from other locations, teleport, shift between planes, and access remote viewing.

Spirit

Spirit is the Arcanum dealing with the abstract concept of essence, the inherit metaphysical energy of the inanimate but also the very being of many outsiders—beings from other planes. A mage can use Spirit to rouse the inanimate into acting, travel the Astral or Ethereal planes, ward off creatures of different planes.

Time

Time is the Arcanum dealing with the flow of time. A mage can use Time to divine the future, view the past, and alter the speed at which time affects an object or creature.

Spell Lists

Death

Cantrips

Chill Touch

Toll the Dead (XGtE)

1st Level

Arms of Hadar (PHB)

False Life

Inflict Wounds

2nd Level

Blindness/Deafness

Darknesss

Gentle Repose

Ray of Enfeeblement

Shadow Blade (XGtE)

3rd Level

Animate Dead

Feign Death (PHB)

Speak with Dead

Vampiric Touch

4th Level

Blight

Death Ward

Shadow of Moil (XGtE)

Sickening Radiance (XGtE)

5th Level

Antilife Shell

Danse Macabre (XGtE)

Enervation (XGtE)

Negative Energy Flood (XGtE)

6th Level

Circle of Death

Create Undead

Eyebite

Magic Jar

Soul Cage (XGtE)

7th Level

Finger of Death

Tether Essence (EGtW)

8th Level

Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting (EEPC)

9th Level

Power Word Kill

Fate

Cantrips

Blade Ward (PHB)

Guidance

Resistance

True Strike

1st Level

Bane

Bless

Ceremony (XGtE)

Guiding Bolt

Heroism

Hex (PHB)

Mage Armor

Shield of Faith

2nd Level

Aid

Find Traps

Fortune's Favor (EGtW)

Lesser Restoration

Pass without Trace

Warding Bond

3rd Level

Bestow Curse

Motivational Speech (AI)

Remove Curse

4th Level

Freedom of Movement

5th Level

Geas

7th Level v

Power Word Pain (XGtE)

Sequester

8th Level

Holy Aura

9th Level

Invulnerability (XGtE)

Forces

Cantrips

Booming Blade (SCAG)

Control Flames (EEPC)

Create Bonfire (EEPC)

Dancing Lights

Eldritch Blast

Fire Bolt

Frostbite (EEPC)

Green-Flame Blade (SCAG)

Gust (EEPC)

Light

Lightning Lure (SCAG)

Produce Flame

Ray of Frost

Shocking Grasp

Thaumaturgy

Thunderclap (EEPC)

1st Level

Absorb Elements (EEPC)

Burning Hands

Catapult (EEPC)

Chaos Bolt (XGtE)

Chromatic Orb (PHB)

Earth Tremor (EEPC)

Feather Fall

Frost Fingers (RotF)

Hellish Rebuke

Jump

Magnify Gravity (EGtW)

Searing Smite (PHB)

Thunderous Smite (PHB)

Thunderwave

Witch Bolt (PHB)

Wrathful Smite (PHB)

Zephyr Strike (XGtE)

2nd Level

Aganazzar's Scorcher (EEPC)

Branding Smite

Continual Flame

Dragon's Breath (XGtE)

Earthbind (EEPC)

Flame Blade

Flaming Sphere

Gust of Wind

Heat Metal

Invisibility

Jim's Glowing Coin (AI)

Levitate

Moonbeam

Pass without Trace

Pyrotechnics (EEPC)

Scorching Ray

Shatter

Silence

Warding Wind (EEPC)

3rd Level

Blinding Smite (PHB)

Call Lightning

Crusader's Mantle (PHB)

Daylight

Fireball

Flame Arrows (EEPC)

Fly

Lightning Arrow (PHB)

Lightning Bolt

Protection from Energy

Pulse Wave (EGtW)

Wind Wall

4th Level

Fire Shield

Gravity Sinkhole (EGtW)

Greater Invisibility

Staggering Smite (PHB)

Storm Sphere (EEPC)

Wall of Fire

5th Level

Cone of Cold

Control Winds (EEPC)

Dawn (XGtE)

Destructive Wave (PHB)

Flame Strike

Immolation (EEPC)

Wall of Light (XGtE)

6th Level

Chain Lightning

Disintegrate

Gravity Fissure (EGtW)

Investiture of Flame (EEPC)

Investiture of Wind (EEPC)

Primordial Ward (EEPC)

Sunbeam

Wind Walk

7th Level

Crown of Stars (XGtE)

Fire Storm

Reverse Gravity

Whirlwind (EEPC)

8th Level

Control Weather

Dark Star (EGtW)

Earthquake

Sunburst

9th Level

Prismatic Wall

Ravenous Void (EGtW)

Life

Cantrips

Druidcraft

Infestation (XGtE)

Primal Savagery (XGtE)

Sapping Sting (EGtW)

Spare the Dying

Thorn Whip (PHB)

1st Level

Cure Wounds

Detect Poison and Disease

Entangle

Expeditious Retreat

Goodberry

Healing Word

Jump

Longstrider

Purify Food and Drink

Ray of Sickness (PHB)

2nd Level

Alter Self

Barkskin

Beast Sense (PHB)

Enhance Ability

Enlarge/Reduce

Lesser Restoration

Locate Animals or Plants

Prayer of Healing

Protection from Poison

Spider Climb

Spike Growth

3rd Level

Aura of Vitality (PHB)

Life Transference (XGtE)

Mass Healing Word

Plant Growth

Speak with Plants

Water Breathing

4th Level

Aura of Life (PHB)

Aura of Purity (PHB)

Giant Insect

Grasping Vine (PHB)

Polymorph

Stoneskin

5th Level

Contagion

Insect Plague

Mass Cure Wounds

Skill Empowerment (XGtE)

6th Level

Harm

Heal

Tenser's Transmutation (XGtE)

Wall of Thorns

7th Level

Regenerate

8th Level

Animal Shapes

9th Level

Mass Heal

Mass Polymorph (XGtE)

Power Word Heal (PHB)

Shapechange

True Polymorph

Matter

Cantrips

Acid Splash

Blade Ward (PHB)

Frostbite (EEPC)

Mending

Mold Earth (EEPC)

Poison Spray

Shape Water (EEPC)

Thorn Whip (PHB)

1st Level

Create or Destroy Water

Earth Tremor (EEPC)

Floating Disk

Fog Cloud

Grease

Hail of Thorns (PHB)

Ice Knife (EEPC)

Tenser's Floating Disk (PHB)

2nd Level

Acid Arrow

Cloud of Daggers (PHB)

Cordon of Arrows (PHB)

Enlarge/Reduce

Immovable Object (EGtW)

Invisibility

Knock

Maximilian's Earthen Grasp (EEPC)

Melf's Acid Arrow (PHB)

Skywrite (EEPC)

Sniloc's Snowball Swarm (EEPC)

Spike Growth

Web

3rd Level

Conjure Barrage (PHB)

Create Food and Water

Erupting Earth (EEPC)

Galder's Tower (LLoK)

Meld into Stone

Melf's Minute Meteors (EEPC)

Sleet Storm

Stingking Cloud

Tidal Wave (EEPC)

Wall of Sand (EEPC)

Wall of Water (EEPC)

Water Walk

4th Level

Control Water

Fabricate

Ice Storm

Otiluke's Resilient Sphere (PHB)

Resilient Sphere

Stone Shape

Vitriolic Sphere (EEPC)

Watery Sphere (EEPC)

5th Level

Cloudkill

Conjure Volley (PHB)

Creation

Maelstrom (EEPC)

Passwall

Transmute Rock (EEPC)

Wall of Stone

6th Level

Blade Barrier

Bones of Earth (EEPC)

Freezing Sphere

Globe of Invulnerability

Investiture of Ice (EEPC)

Investiture of Stone (EEPC)

Move Earth

Otiluke's Freezing Sphere (PHB)

Wall of Ice

Wall of Thorns

7th Level

Magnificent Mansion

Simulacrum

8th Level

Incendiary Cloud

Mighty Fortress (XGtE)

Tsunami

9th Level

Meteor Swarm

Mind

Cantrips

Encode Thoughts (GGtR)

Friends (PHB)

Message

Minor Illusion

Prestidigitation

Vicious Mockery

1st Level

Animal Friendship

Beast Bond (EEPC)

Cause Fear (XGtE)

Charm Person

Command

Compelled Duel (PHB)

Comprehend Languages

Disguise Self

Dissonant Whispers (PHB)

Distort Value (AI)

Hideous Laughter

Hunter's Mark

Illusory Script

Silent Image

Sleep

Speak with Animals

Tasha's Hideous Laughter (PHB)

2nd Level

Animal Messenger

Augury

Calm Emotions

Crown of Madness (PHB)

Detect Thoughts

Enthrall

Gift of the Gab (AI)

Hold Person

Locate Object

Magic Mouth

Mind Spike (XGtE)

Mirror Image

Phantasmal Force (PHB)

Suggestion

Zone of Truth

3rd Level

Clairvoyance

Enemies Abound (XGtE)

Fast Friends (AI)

Fear

Hypnotic Pattern

Incite Greed (AI)

Major Image

Sending

Tongues

4th Level

Charm Monster (XGtE)

Compulsion

Confusion

Dominate Beast

Hallucinatory Terrain

5th Level

Awaken

Commune

Commune with Nature

Dominate Person

Dream

Hold Monster

Legend Lore

Mislead

Modify Memory

Rary's Telepathic Bond (PHB)

Seeming

Synaptic Static (XGtE)

Telekinesis

Telepathic Bond

6th Level

Mass Suggestion

Mental Prison (XGtE)

Otto's Irresistible Dance (PHB)

Programmed Illusion

7th Level

Mirage Arcane

Prismatic Spray

Project Image

8th Level

Antipathy/Sympathy

Dominate Monster

Feeblemind

Glibness

Illusory Dragon (XGtE)

Mind Blank

Power Word Stun

Telepathy (PHB)

9th Level

Psychic Scream (XGtE)

Weird

Prime

Cantrips

Sacred Flame

Word of Radiance (XGtE)

1st Level

Detect Magic

Divine Favor

Faerie Fire

Identify

Jim's Magic Missile (AI)

Magic Missile

2nd Level

Arcane Lock

Arcanist's Magic Aura

Darkvision

Magic Weapon

Nystul's Magic Aura (PHB)

See Invisibility

Spiritual Weapon

3rd Level

Counterspell

Dispel Magic

Glyph of Warding

5th Level

Holy Weapon (XGtE)

6th Level

True Seeing

8th Level

Antimagic Field

Space

1st Level

Alarm

Shield

2nd Level

Misty Step

Rope Trick

Wristpocket (EGtW)

3rd Level

Blink

Hunger of Hadar (PHB)

Leomund's Tiny Hut (PHB)

Magic Circle

Summon Lesser Demons (XGtE)

Tiny Hut

4th Level

Arcane Eye

Banishment

Black Tentacles

Dimension Door

Evard's Black Tentacles (PHB)

Leomund's Secret Chest (PHB)

Locate Creature

Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum (PHB)

Private Sanctum

Secret Chesst

Summon Greater Demons (XGtE)

5th Level

Banishing Smite (PHB)

Circle of Power (PHB)

Conjure Elemental

Far Step (XGtE)

Infernal Calling (XGtE)

Scrying

Steel Wind Strike (XGtE)

Teleportation Circle

Wall of Force

6th Level

Arcane Gate (PHB)

Drawmij's Instant Summons (PHB)

Find the Path

Guards and Wards

Instant Summons

Scatter (XGtE)

Word of Recall

7th Level

Force Cage

Mordenkainen's Sword

Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion (PHB)

Plane Shift

Symbol

Teleport

8th Level

Demiplane

Maze

9th Level

Blade of Disastor (RotF)

Gate

Imprisonment

Spirit

Cantrips

Mage Hand

Sword Burst (SCAG)

1st Level

Armor of Agathys (PHB)

Detect Evil and Good

Find Familiar

Protection from Evil and Good

Sanctuary

Unseen Servant

2nd Level

Find Steed

Flock of Familiars (LLoK)

3rd Level

Conjure Animals

Phantom Steed

Spirit Guardians

Tiny Servant (XGtE)

4th Level

Conjure Minor Elementals

Conjure Woodland Beings

Faithful Hound

Find Greater Steed (XGtE)

Galder's Speedy Courier (LLoK)

Guardian of Faith

Guardian of Nature (XGtE)

Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound (PHB)

Phantasmal Killer

5th Level

Animate Objects

Arcane Hand

Bigby's Hand (PHB)

Dispel Evil and Good

Hallow

Planar Binding

Wrath of Nature (XGtE)

6th Level

Conjure Fey

Druid Grove (XGtE)

Forbiddance

7th Level

Conjure Celestial

Etherealness

9th Level

Astral Projection

Time

1st Level

Gift of Alacrity (EGtW)

2nd Level

Blur

3rd Level

Catnap (XGtE)

Haste

Slow

4th Level

Divination

5th Level

Temporal Shunt (EGtW)

6th Level

Contingency

8th Level

Reality Break (EGtW)

9th Level

Foresight

Time Ravage (EGtW)

Time Stop

Multi-Arcanum Spells

Cantrips

Magic Stone (EEPC) <Forces> <Prime>

Shillelagh <Life> <Prime>

1st Level

Color Spray <Forces> <Mind>

Ensnaring Strike (PHB) <Life> <Matter>

Snare (XGtE) <Matter> <Space>

2nd Level

Dust Devil (EEPC) <Forces> <Spaces>

Healing Spirit (XGtE) <Life> <Spirit>

3rd Level

Revivify <Death> <Fate>

Beacon of Hope <Fate> <Life>

Nondetection <Fate> <Prime>

Thunder Step (XGtE) <Forces> <Space>

Gaseous Form <Life> <Matter>

Elemental Weapon (PHB) <Forces> <Prime>

4th Level

Elemental Bane (EEPC) <Fate> <Forces>

5th Level

Raise Dead <Death> <Fate>

Greater Restoration <Fate> <Life>

Reincarnate <Fate> <Life>

Contact Other Plane <Mind> <Space>

Tree Stride <Life> <Space>

Swift Quiver (PHB) <Matter> <Space>

6th Level

Heroes' Feast <Fate> <Life>

Transport via Plants <Life> <Space>

Flesh to Stone <Life> <Matter>

Create Homunculus (XGtE) <Matter> <Mind>

Planar Ally <Mind> <Space>

7th Level

Resurrection <Death> <Fate>

Divine Word <Fate> <Spirit>

Delayed Blast Fireball <Forces>

Create Magen (RotF) <Life> <Matter>

Temple of the Gods (XGtE) <Matter> <Spirit>

8th Level

Maddening Darkness (XGtE) <Death> <Matter>

Clone <Death> <Life>

9th Level

True Resurrection <Death> <Forces>

Storm of Vengeance <Forces> <Matter>

Wish <ALL>

Spell School by Process

Name: WIP

Creation

Short: The creation of something from nothing Long: WIP

Modification

Short: Changing the properties of a thing Long: WIP

Enhancement

Short: Amplifying a property a thing already possesses Long: WIP

Channeling

Short: Moving existing energy Long: WIP

Manipulation

Short: Moving existing matter Long: WIP

Spell Lists

WIP

Elder Scrolls Esque

Name: WIP

Spell Losts

WIP