Most Powerful Time Manipulation Spells In DND

Chronomancy deals with the flow of time. Able to manipulate time, these spellcasters in Dungeons & Dragons are seen in several different third-party sourcebooks, including Valda’s Spire of Secrets and Explorer’s Guide To Wildemount, with the latter having an entire subclass centered around spellcasters that specialize in these time-bending spells.

Related

Dungeons & Dragons: Best Spells For Expert Players

Are you playing a high-level caster in your Dungeons & Dragons campaign? Here are the best spells for you to add to your spellbook.

Chronomancy spells in Valdra’s Spire of Secrets, chronurgy spells in Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount, and general time-bending spells in the D&D fifth edition Player’s Handbook are all considered when determining which of these time spells are the best options to equip your spellcaster. It’s time to play with time in your campaign.

10

Delay

Sometimes all you need is a bit more time. Delay is a spell that’ll give you just that. It seems simple, but it can be used to create some unique opportunities. Delay allows you to target a creature, and on a failed Wisdom save, they are moved to the very bottom of the initiative order.

This will give your team time to get a plan, work together, and potentially handle any threats before they can interrupt or interfere. A small quick time spell that can have a large impact.

9

Temporal Shunt

A quick flick of the wrist sends a creature tumbling into time. On a failed Wisdom saving throw, the creature is thrown into another space in time. This forces any spell or attack made to completely miss, and the spell to be wasted. They reapper in an unoccupied space at the start of the next turn.

Related

Dungeons & Dragons: Best Spells For Expert Players

Are you playing a high-level caster in your Dungeons & Dragons campaign? Here are the best spells for you to add to your spellbook.

The best part is that the creature you sent through time doesn’t remember the spell being cast on them or that you’re the one who cast it. It’s a fun way to play with your enemy in both combat and roleplay.

8

Dire Warning

Dire Warning is you warning yourself in the future about something that will happen. It’s a pretty cool spell that will be very useful when it comes to roleplaying. You receive a six-word-long message from your future self, either warning you of something or helping you make a positive decision or impact.

In the future, when you come to the point that your future self warned you about, you’ll need to spend ten minutes delivering the message back in time to your past self. It makes for a unique and full-circle moment, perfect for roleplay-heavy campaigns.

7

Recall

Sometimes you need a low-level spell to quickly recall an action and save yourself. Nothing major, but useful in a pinch. That’s exactly why Recall is such a good spell.

Record a location as you cast this bonus action spell, and as a reaction when an enemy comes within five feet of you or attacks you, you can reclaim your place in time at the chosen location. This stint back in time happens before the attack or movement triggers, allowing you to travel back enough to get out of the way of danger.

6

Slow

This spell does the opposite of the Haste spell, affecting up to six creatures. Slow allows you to alter time in a 40-foot cube, requiring Wisdom saves from up to six creatures within the cube. On a failure, their speed is halved, they can’t take reactions, they gain a penalty to their AC.

Related

Dungeons & Dragons: How To Cast Spells Without Slots

Running low on slots? Here’s how to cast spells in Dungeons & Dragons without needing spell slots.

They can only choose an action or a bonus action on their turn, not both. This spell is great if you can capitalize on the spell dimensions and truly destroy a group of enemies before they get a chance to come for you and your party by slowing time around them.

5

Haste

A tried and true staple, Haste is still a spell that messes with time. Your speed is doubled, granting you several boons, including +2 to your Armor Class, advantage on Dexterity saving throws, and an extra action on your turn.

You’re moving so fast, thanks to the spell speeding you up. But what happens when the spell and the speed end? You’ll feel the crash as you become incapacitated with a speed of zero as you adjust to time settling itself. Haste is great in a pinch and mostly worth the drawback.

4

Reality Break

A time spell that has several different outcomes, Reality Break literally breaks reality and time to throw a creature into an unknown turmoil and madness. The spell lasts for a minute, and the creature thrust into time will be under its effects until the time duration or they roll a Wisdom saving throw to save themselves.

Outcomes from this temporal turmoil include taking 8d12 force damage, 10d12 force damage as the creature is teleported through a Wormhole, or becoming blinded and taking cold damage from the Chill of the Void. It’s a dark and scary spell that proves how dangerous time manipulation can be.

3

Time Ravage

This spell is very expensive, but it’s also very good. You target a creature and put it through the horror of rapid aging. This spell deals 10d12 necrotic damage on a failed Constitution save. That’s not all, though, as the rapid aging puts the creature at a point where it only has 30 days left to live before passing away from old age.

Related

Dungeons & Dragons: The 21 Most Useful Sixth-Level Spells, Ranked

We’ve put together the best sixth-level spells for wizards and casters in D&D, so you know which spells you should learn.

With this state comes disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws, and it cuts their walking speed in half. The only way to reverse this horrible aging is through a ninth-level casting of Wish or Greater Restoration to restore them to their previous age. A failure on this spell save is devastating and dangerous.

2

Paradox

What’s the best part of controlling time? Being able to undo something you’ve already done. You twist the flow of time into knots, undoing an action you’ve taken. While this doesn’t affect any movements others have made or any other indirect consequences from your actions, you get to completely undo any damage caused by you, removing the event you’ve done.

Be careful, though, as this spell does 10d8 psychic damage to whoever is undoing the action they’ve done, as history redirects itself to make up for the changes. That’s why it’s a Paradox. You’ll have to determine whether what you’ve done is worth reversing time.

1

Time Stop

The ultimate time manipulation spell, Time Stop does exactly what it says. You can completely stop the flow of time for everyone except yourself, and as long as you stay within the parameters of the spell, you’ll be able to do as you wish while time is stopped.

While everyone else is stuck in time, you can do anything as long as you stay within 1,000 feet of the location where it was cast, and it doesn’t affect anyone within the Time Stop or anything they’re wearing. The ultimate time spell, it doesn’t get much better than being able to halt time around you completely.

Original Release Date

1974

Player Count

2+

Age Recommendation

12+ (though younger can play and enjoy)

Length per Game

From 60 minutes to hours on end.

Franchise Name

Dungeons & Dragons

Publishing Co

Wizards of the Coast