What official spells exist that can be used by characters to resurrect their fallen comrades in Dungeons & Dragons? Which classes can cast them and at what level?
[RPG] What spells are available to resurrect characters
character-deathdnd-5eresurrectionspells
Related Solutions
Here's One Player/DM's Experience
For the DM, 5e is much, much easier to manage and the combat flows much faster than 3.5e. High-powered monsters have much simpler mechanics and strategies, and yet they still "feel" powerful and interesting - thanks largely to the "legendary actions". Thanks to the simple advantage/disadvantage mechanic there are fewer rulings to make and its much easier to answer the fundamental question of combat: Did I hit? Hit points and damage levels are generally well-balanced, so a 15th level combat doesn't take all that much longer than a 3rd level combat with a similar number of figures. That said, high-level combat in other systems can be brutally short due to save-or-die mechanics, which are nearly absent in 5e.
For the player, preparation for spellcasters takes roughly as much time as in other editions, depending on the particular class. But I find that there is one huge difference, and that is that in 5e getting the preparation right is much less important. A player doesn't have to obsess over getting just the right set of spells for their caster to be effective. You can pick up a blank character sheet and draw up a 15th-level wizard in the minutes before the game, pick out spells based on how you like the names, and your character will still, more likely than not, have a successful adventure.
In my experience, the theater-of-the-mind style can work both ways. At times it can slow things down as players pepper the DM with questions. On the flip side, it eliminates fussing over things like how precise can an area-effect spell be figured. Whether it is a plus or minus for you will really depend on your group.
Name | Level | Classes | Companions |
---|---|---|---|
Thunder Step | 3rd | Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard | 1 |
Dimension Door | 4th | Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard | 1 |
Teleportation Circle | 5th | Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard | no limit |
Arcane Gate | 6th | Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard | no limit |
Transport via Plants | 6th | Druid | no limit |
Word of Recall | 6th | Cleric | 4 |
Teleport | 7th | Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard | 8 |
Plane Shift | 7th | Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard | 8 |
Gate | 9th | Cleric, Sorcerer, Wizard | no limit |
In detail (all page references are from the PHB, unless otherwise stated):
Thunder Step: 3rd level Conjuration spell, minimum 5th level caster, (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard). XGtE, pg. 168.
90 ft range. Up to 2 creatures. Same plane only. Note that it also deals damage around you as you leave, so have any companions not brought along clear the area
Dimension Door: 4th level Conjuration spell, minimum 7th level caster (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) p. 233
500 ft range. Up to 2 creatures. Same plane only
Teleportation Circle: 5th level Conjuration spell, minimum 9th level caster (Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard) p. 282
Unlimited range, requires teleportation circle sequence. As many people can pass through it before it closes. Same plane only.
Arcane Gate: 6th level Conjuration spell, minimum 11th level caster (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) p. 214
500 ft range. As many people can pass through it. Same plane only.
Transport via Plants: 6th level Conjuration spell, minimum 11th level caster (Druid) p. 283
Unlimited range. As many people can pass through it before it ends. Same plane only.
Word of Recall: 6th level Conjuration spell, minimum 11th level caster (Cleric) p. 289
Unlimited range, must have a designated sanctuary. Up to 5 creatures. Possibly allows travel between planes if you are in a different plane than your sanctuary.
Teleport: 7th level Conjuration spell, minimum 13th level caster (Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard) p. 281
Unlimited range. Up to 9 (You + 8) creatures. Same plane only.
Plane Shift: 7th level Conjuration spell, minimum 13th level caster (Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) p. 266
Unlimited range. Up to 9 (You + 8) willing creatures. Allows travel to different planes.
Gate: 9th level Conjuration spell, minimum 17th level caster (Cleric, Sorcerer, Wizard) p. 244
Unlimited range. As many people can pass through it before it closes. Allows travel to different planes.
Page references for SRD V 5.1 (Arcane Gate is not included in the SRD): Dimension Door p. 135; Teleportation Circle p. 186; Transport via Plants p. 188; Word of Recall p. 193; Teleport p. 185; Plane Shift p. 168; Gate p. 148
Best Answer
There are a small number of spells available for resurrecting players as listed below. The time limit is the maximum amount of time you have to cast this after the character dies—for example, you can't cast Revivify once one minute has passed after the character's died.
Note that Bards have access to the Magical Secrets class feature, which lets them learn any of these spells not listed under the Bard class. For the spells that are listed for the bard class, they won't have to expend this feature to learn them.
\$\begin{array}{|l|c|l|} \hline \textbf{Name} & \textbf{Level} & \textbf{Classes} & \textbf{Time limit} \\ \hline \text{Revivify} & \text{3rd} & \text{Cleric, Paladin} & 1\,\text{minute} \\ \text{Raise Dead} & \text{5th} & \text{Bard, Cleric, Paladin} & 10\,\text{days} \\ \text{Reincarnate} & \text{5th} & \text{Druid} & 10\,\text{days} \\ \text{Resurrection} & \text{7th} & \text{Bard, Cleric} & 100\,\text{years} \\ \text{True Resurrection} & \text{9th} & \text{Cleric, Druid} & 200\,\text{years} \\ \text{Wish} & \text{9th} & \text{Sorcerer, Wizard} & \text{Depends} \\ \hline \end{array} \$
Or, with more information:
Revivify
Raise Dead
Reincarnate
Resurrection
True Resurrection
Wish
Classes: Sorcerer, Wizard
Spell level: 9th
Minimum character level: 17
Casting Time: 1 action
Maximum allowed time after death: Depends
Cost: None
Requires body: Depends
Restores body parts: Depends
Special: Wish can be used to cast any spell at 8th level or lower without any additional cost, so you can just choose any of the previous resurrection spells except True Resurrection.
Theoretically, Wish can do much more than that, for example ignore the maximum allowed time after death, but that comes at a cost, described in the Wish spell, and may fail entirely or produce unwanted effects.
Honorable Mention (accessory spell):
Gentle Repose