Philosophy Spells for 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons

What follows is a collection of homebrew spells for 5^th Edition Dungeons & Dragons inspired by the ideas and thought experiments of philosophers throughout history. As a warning, I have done a fair amount of homebrew (mostly magic items, encounters, and world building) but I am not an expert. Importantly, this is my first attempt at homebrewing spells. Likewise, these have probably not been sufficiently play-tested. I encourage you to fiddle with them, adjusting them as you see fit in order to make them appropriate. I did attempt to stick fairly closely to the spells outlined in the Player’s Handbook, but I can’t guarantee that they aren’t over or under-powered without more play-testing.

I have endeavored to have the effect of the spell capture the spirit of the idea that inspired it (with some accomplishing this to a greater or lesser degree than others). I am sure that there are a number of other thought experiments and concepts that would lend themselves to becoming a spell, and I encourage you to make them and to tell me about what you came up with (or if you believe that you have a better version of one presented here). I welcome any and all suggestions that would improve what is included here. I initially made a list of about thirty or so references that sounded like possible candidates, but many didn't inspire much mechanically and many others seemed to cling too closely to spells that are already available.

I also tried to include spells representing thinkers from ancient, modern, continental, and analytic philosophy. I would love for someone more knowledgeable than me to come up with spells representing eastern and African philosophy.

Perhaps I will eventually have enough to make a philosopher subclass for the wizard or a philosophy school of magic. I will plan to update this page as I continue working on this. 

I should say that this project was partially inspired by this comic by Pete Mandik.

Listed in alphabetical order: 

Animal Spirits
Philosophy Cantrip

Casting Time:           1 action
Range:                        60 feet
Components:             V, S
Duration:                   Instantaneous

Flaming wind issues forth from your pineal gland toward a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the creature to assail it with the flame of animal spirits. On a hit, the target takes 1d6 fire damage, and (if the target is medium or small) is pushed back up to 5 feet from the caster.

At Higher Levels. This spell’s damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5^th level (2d8), 11^th level (3d8), and 17^th level (4d8). Likewise, this distance the target can be pushed back increases by 5 feet when you reach 5^th level (10 feet), 11^th level (15 feet), and 17^th level (20 feet).

Eternal Recurrence
3^rd-Level Philosophy

Casting Time:            1 Action
Range:                        60 feet
Components:             V, S, M (A single horsehair and a flame)
Duration:                   Concentration, Up to 1 minute

Choose a creature that you can see within range. That creature begins to repeatedly relive the last few moments in their mind. They must make a wisdom save. On a success, the target takes 1d8 psychic damage. On a failure, the target takes an amount of damage equal to the last attack made against them as psychic damage. Until the spell ends, you can use a bonus action on each of your subsequent turns to cause this damage again. If the damage from this spell causes the creature to drop below 1 hit point, they remain at 1 hit point instead.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4^th-level or higher, the damage dealt on a successful save increases by 1d8 for each slot above 3^rd.

Extend Mind
3^rd-Level Philosophy

Casting Time:           1 hour
Range:                        Touch
Components:             V, S
Duration:                   Concentration, 1 hour

You imbue an inanimate object within range with an extension of your own consciousness. For as long as the spell lasts, you can see and hear through the object as if you were in its space.

Floating Man
4th-Level Philosophy

Casting Time:           1 action
Range:                        60 feet
Components:             V, S, M (Mangrove root)
Duration:                   Concentration, 1 minute

Choose a humanoid that you can see within range. The target must succeed on a wisdom saving throw or be paralyzed, deafened, and blinded for the duration. On a failure, the target also begins to levitate 1 foot above the ground in the space they were already occupying. If the target was already flying or floating, they simply remain in the space they were occupying. At the end of each of its turns, the target can make another wisdom saving throw. On a success, the spell ends on the target.

Judith’s Strange Violin
6^th-Level Philosophy

Casting Time:           1 Action
Range:                        20 feet
Components:             V, S, M (a violin string and a pinch of rosin)
Duration:                   Concentration, 1 minute

The sound of a violin carries on the wind from you to a target you can see within range, tethering your life forces together. For as long as the spell lasts, any time the target would drop to 0 hit points, the target instead drops to 1 hit point. If the target is at 1 hit point when concentration is broken, the target immediately drops to 0 hit points. 

Leap of Faith
5^th-Level Philosophy

Casting Time:           1 action
Range:                        Self 
Components:             V, S, M (a mirror worth at least 200 gp) 
Duration:                   Instantaneous

You engage in the reflection of inwardness before leaping forward. You are transported to a different plane of existence. Your destination is determined by rolling a d8 on the following table:

1                                     The (Prime) Material Plane

2                                     The Ethereal Plane

3                                     The Plane of Fire

4                                     The Plane of Air

5                                     The Plane of Earth

6                                     The Plane of Water

7                                     The Astral Plane

8                                     The Feywild

If you are already on the plane determined by the roll, nothing happens.

At Higher Levels. Starting at 11^th level, you can add or subtract your religion modifier to this roll.

Mereological Nihilism
Philosophy Cantrip

Casting Time:           1 action
Range:                        30 feet
Components:             V, S
Duration:                   1 minute

You target a creature or object within range, attempting to reduce it to its mereological simples. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target is transmuted from an x to a collection of atoms arranged x-wise. Upon being transmuted, the target is functionally unaffected. Any creature interacting with the target must make an intelligence check against your spell save DC. On a success, they regard the target as they otherwise would. On a failure, they are no longer able to regard the target as they otherwise would but, instead, regard the target as a collection of atoms arranged x-wise.

At Higher Levels. Starting at 5^th level, you can target one additional creature or object. You can target two additional creatures or objects starting at 11^th level, and 3 additional creatures or objects starting at 17^th level.

Occam’s Razor
1^st-level Philosophy

Casting Time:           1 action
Range:                        120 feet
Components:             V, S
Duration:                   1 minute

A razor-sharp beam of white light streaks toward a creature of your choice within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 4d6 slashing damage, and the next intelligence save the target makes (within the next minute) has disadvantage, thanks to the startling nature of the razor.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2^nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1^st.

Panopticon
2^nd-Level Philosophy

Casting Time:           1 action
Range:                        Self
Components:             V, S (thread from a turtleneck)
Duration:                   Concentration, 1 minute

Your field of vision widens to encompass everything within a 60-foot-radius sphere. You gain advantage on all perception checks involving vision made within the sphere. Any creature in the area with cover (whether half, three-quarters, or total) when the spell is cast or who gains cover in the area during the duration of the spell must make a wisdom save. On a failure, the target loses their cover.

Realm of the Forms
7^th-Level Philosophy

Casting Time:           1 action
Range:                        60 feet
Components:             V, S
Duration:                   Concentration, 1 hour            

You focus on a target within range, grasping their immaterial form. If the target is willing, they are placed within a demiplane inside of the caster’s mind for the duration of the spell. If they are unwilling, the target must succeed on a wisdom saving throw to avoid being moved to the demiplane. Once inside the demiplane, the target can use an action to attempt a wisdom contest in order to leave the demiplane. When the target returns from the demiplane, they appear 5 feet directly in front of the caster’s line of sight.

At Higher Levels. Starting at 17^th level, you can target 1 additional creature.         

Veil of Ignorance
2^nd-Level Philosophy

Casting Time:           1 action
Range:                        Self
Components:             V, S
Duration:                   Concentration, up to 1 minute

You create a 20-foot-radius sphere, centered on yourself, densely filled with layers of ephemeral veils. Peering through the veil, anyone inside the sphere is stripped of their idiosyncrasies and accidental features. The sphere spreads around corners, and any attacks made within the sphere are assigned targets randomly from among any creature in the sphere at the time of the attack (including the caster or attacker).

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3^rd level or higher, the radius of the sphere increases by 20 feet for each slot level above 2^nd.