Spells That Make No Sense In Dungeons And Dragons

Developing a believable magic system for stories or games is really challenging. It requires a lot of work and careful planning to avoid inconsistencies and plot holes when you’re establishing how magic works. Luckily, *Dungeons & Dragons* has been around for fifty years and gone through several editions, allowing them to carefully refine their spells and magical rules into a very solid system for their tabletop game.

Despite years of updates and improvements, some spells in Dungeons & Dragons still feel a little flawed. Sometimes these flaws are understandable when you’re playing the game, but they don’t quite fit within the game’s world. Other times, the spells are poorly explained or simply aren’t very useful. Ultimately, a few spells just don’t feel logically consistent within the game.

Alter Self

2nd Level Transmutation

This D&D spell lets players physically transform themselves in one of three ways. They can gain gills and webbed feet for swimming (Aquatic Adaptation), grow natural weapons like horns or claws (Natural Weapons), or alter their appearance. The problem with this spell is the final option – changing appearance – because it essentially does the same thing as the simpler, lower-level *Disguise Self* spell, which most players learn much earlier.

The other effects fundamentally change what a player can *do* – allowing them to breathe underwater or attack with claws, for example. However, the Change Appearance effect only alters how a player *looks*, without changing their abilities, which suggests it’s a visual illusion similar to the Disguise Self spell. Instead of simply replicating existing spells, why not offer players unique ways to modify their bodies that aren’t available anywhere else?

Sending

3rd Level Evocation

Okay, so as a gamer, let me tell you, the *Sending* spell is a lifesaver. If our party gets separated – which happens *a lot* – it lets me shoot a quick mental message, up to 25 words, to someone I know. Seriously, any distance works! The only catch is, if I’m trying to reach someone on a different plane of existence, there’s a small 5% chance the message just… doesn’t go through. But honestly, for the convenience, I’ll take that risk!

The 25-word limit is still a bit puzzling from a story perspective. In terms of game design, it’s understandable – it prevents the spell from becoming too strong and encourages players to be resourceful. However, within the game’s world, the restriction feels somewhat random. How does the spell actually *count* the words? And do words connected with hyphens, like “well-known,” count as one or two? Some players really focus on these kinds of details.

Invisibility

2nd Level Illusion

Invisibility is a common trope in fantasy stories. Characters often become unseen by drinking a potion, casting a spell, or using a special cloak. In Dungeons & Dragons, several classes of spellcasters can use a fairly simple spell to make themselves or another person invisible. But it’s not perfect – invisibility isn’t always reliable.

This invisibility effect ends when the creature casts a spell, attacks, or deals damage, which is unusual – no other spell behaves this way. It’s not about losing focus, as those actions don’t typically break concentration unless a new spell requiring concentration is cast. This rule likely exists to keep the game balanced, preventing players from endlessly attacking while remaining hidden. However, within the game’s story, there’s no logical reason why these actions would break the invisibility.

Conjure Animals

3rd Level Conjuration

This spell is worth noting because its name can be confusing. It doesn’t actually summon animals, but rather nature spirits that *look* like animals. Players get to choose what kind of animal form these spirits take, but they’ll appear as ghostly images instead of solid creatures.

This difference is important for how the game plays. Nature spirits are usually fey creatures, and they can react to spells or situations in ways that are different from regular animals. Players hoping to summon animal companions with this spell might be surprised to end up with fey creatures instead.

Legend Lore

5th Level Divination

Legend Lore is a versatile spell that lets many spellcasters quickly learn important details about people, places, or objects – like a magic item the party needs or a puzzling enemy. While powerful, the exact rules of how the spell works can be a little unclear.

This spell requires a subject that is genuinely famous for it to work – if the subject isn’t well-known, the spell fails with a disappointing sound. But how famous is famous enough? Does it need to be known across the entire game world, or is local recognition sufficient – like a hidden shrine revered by a small group? The spell is meant to uncover secrets, but that raises the question of what constitutes ‘fame’ in the first place. Ultimately, it’s up to the Dungeon Master to decide, but the spell’s vague wording can make it difficult to use effectively.

Banishment

4th Level Abjuration

This spell appears straightforward: a target creature must resist with a Charisma save or be instantly transported to another plane of existence. If the creature is already from another plane, they’re returned home and won’t be able to come back.

If the creature originally comes from the same plane it was banished from, the spell simply sends it to a safe, isolated space for just one minute. This makes you wonder if the spell is actually helpful against creatures that aren’t from other planes of existence. Why bother banishing someone if they’re just going to come right back after a minute?

2025-09-15 18:09