Last Updated on January 23, 2023
Sorcerers learn the fewest spells of any class. The idea is to use Metamagic to modify your existing spells to meet all of your requirements. Metamagic options, on the other hand, are limited and distributed sparingly. A bad spell list can ruin a player’s experience with the Sorcerer and make it a difficult class to build for.
Newer subclasses introduce ten or eleven innate spells, significantly expanding your list of known spells while drastically unbalancing previous subclasses that Wizards of the Coast has neglected to update. Sorcerers are considered full casters. Full casters can eventually learn spells up to 9th level.
Read our full guide to Sorcerer Spells 5e below:
Prepared Vs. Learned Spells
Sorcerers are learned spellcasters, so choose your spells carefully. When you gain another level in Sorcerer, you can swap out a learned spell for another spell, so you aren’t stuck with spells forever.
Cantrips
Sorcerers begin with four cantrips at level 1. They gain a fifth cantrip at level 4 and a sixth at level 10. Unlike leveled spells, cantrips are not interchangeable.
Mind Sliver
The damage isn’t particularly serious, but monster Intelligence saving throws are notoriously difficult. The real draw is the secondary effect: deducting 1d4 from the enemy’s next saving throw. You can cast this and use your bonus action to cast a catastrophic leveled spell like disintegrate if you take the Quickened Spell Metamagic.
Minor Illusion
This is a fantastic spell for imaginative players. A five-foot cube is quite large, and you could easily use this cantrip to conceal a door, object, or person. In a pinch, you could make it look like a wall and hide in a corner to avoid detection by the hapless guards.
Shape Water
Shape Water is an amusing spell because of its numerous applications. Our favorite application of this spell is to pour water into a doorknob and freeze it. The expanding ice should completely destroy the lock. You aren’t, however, limited to flexing on your party’s Rogue.
If your DM is willing, you could freeze the floor and make it very slippery, potentially forcing Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks to avoid falling. You can also deal significant damage if you can hurl a five-foot block of ice at an opponent or prevent anyone from entering through a frozen door. In some environments, you could even construct a bridge.
1st Level
You gain access to 1st level spells at level 1.
Mage Armor
Because Sorcerers do not have access to armor or shields, this is the only way to increase your AC to something resembling reasonable. This spell may save your life at lower levels. Most Sorcerers, however, do not exceed 14 or 16 in Dexterity (making 16 AC with Mage Armor).
By level 8, the basic math of 5e allows most enemies to hit you anyway. Because Sorcerers have the fewest spells of any class, you should get rid of Mage Armor at that point because it won’t help you much.
2nd Level
You gain access to 2nd level spells at level 3.
Suggestion
This is DnD’s Jedi mind control spell. If you make a friendly suggestion to someone to stop attacking your party or to let you all into the top-secret vault, they will have to obey your command.
The best part is that even if they succeed on their Wisdom saving throw and are not forced to obey your orders, they are unaware that you attempted to ensorcell them. If you successfully enchant them, they are also unaware when the spell ends.
3rd Level
You gain access to 3rd level spells at level 5.
Haste
Haste is for you if you need to get somewhere quickly, want a small increase to your AC, and think getting another action on your turn is an excellent idea. Remember that it requires concentration. You cannot use the Cast a Spell action as a hasted action. This is typically cast on a Rogue, Barbarian, or Paladin. Sorcerers can also use Metamagic to Twin this spell.
4th Level
You gain access to 4th level spells at level 7.
Wall of Fire
Wall of Fire is a fantastic area control effect. It doesn’t do anything else, but it’s often enough to justify keeping this spell on hand.
5th Level
You gain access to 5th level spells at level 9.
Bigby’s Hand
Bigby’s Hand functions in a variety of ways that are useful to a Sorcerer. Because you have so few spells, you must choose spells that serve multiple functions. You can use this spell to summon a massive hand to help you lift a heavy object (or yourself), block an enemy’s attack, punch someone, or grapple a creature.
6th Level
You gain access to 6th level spells at level 11.
Disintegrate
This is a powerful damage spell, and necrotic damage is rarely resisted. Upcasting increases damage by 3d6 for each level, which is fantastic. To impose disadvantage on the saving throw, use Heightened Spell Metamagic or if you’re a Shadow Magic Sorcerer, your Hound of Ill Omen feature.
7th Level
You gain access to 7th level spells at level 13.
Teleport
This is one of the spells in DnD that we wish could be real. The ability to transport yourself and up to eight other eager creatures anywhere on your plane of existence is as impressive in-game as it is in real life.
8th Level
You gain access to 8th level spells at level 15.
Dominate Monster
You are given command of a monster. You can use your action to gain control of the monster and manipulate it to do your bidding, but you can also leave it alone and give it telepathic instructions if you’re busy doing something else. It only makes subsequent saving throws when it takes damage, so if you treat your new pet nicely, it will remain charmed for up to an hour.
9th Level
You gain access to 9th level spells at level 17.
Meteor Swarm
This is the most powerful spell in DnD. Four massive meteors strike within one mile of your location, dealing 40d6 damage. Given the relative size of most fantasy cities and towns, that’s enough to do serious damage to both foes and buildings.
Sorcerer Spells 5e Complete List
Here is a complete list of Sorcerer 5e Spells in 5th Edition DnD, which also includes some Spells from Unearthed Arcana (UA), which is not official Material. While you’re here, be sure to check out our full guide to Sorcerer 5e Subclasses.
Cantrip
- Acid Splash
- Blade Ward
- Booming Blade
- Chill Touch
- Control Flames
- Create Bonfire
- Dancing Lights
- Fire Bolt
- Friends
- Frostbite
- Green-Flame Blade
- Gust
- Infestation
- Light
- Lightning Lure
- Mage Hand
- Mending
- Message
- Mind Sliver
- Minor Illusion
- Mold Earth
- On/Off (UA)
- Poison Spray
- Prestidigitation
- Ray of Frost
- Shape Water
- Shocking Grasp
- Sword Burst
- Thunderclap
- True Strike
1st Level Sorcerer Spells
- Absorb Elements
- Acid Stream (UA)
- Burning Hands
- Catapult
- Chaos Bolt
- Charm Person
- Chromatic Orb
- Color Spray
- Comprehend Languages
- Detect Magic
- Disguise Self
- Distort Value
- Earth Tremor
- Expeditious Retreat
- False Life
- Feather Fall
- Fog Cloud
- Grease
- Ice Knife
- Id Insinuation (UA)
- Infallible Relay (UA)
- Jump
- Mage Armor
- Magic Missile
- Ray of Sickness
- Remote Access (UA)
- Shield
- Silent Image
- Silvery Barbs
- Sleep
- Sudden Awakening (UA)
- Tasha’s Caustic Brew
- Thunderwave
- Witch Bolt
2nd Level Sorcerer Spells
- Aganazzar’s Scorcher
- Alter Self
- Arcane Hacking (UA)
- Blindness/Deafness
- Blur
- Cloud of Daggers
- Crown of Madness
- Darkness
- Darkvision
- Detect Thoughts
- Digital Phantom (UA)
- Dragon’s Breath
- Dust Devil
- Earthbind
- Enhance Ability
- Enlarge/Reduce
- Find Vehicle (UA)
- Flame Blade
- Flaming Sphere
- Gust of Wind
- Hold Person
- Icingdeath’s Frost (UA)
- Invisibility
- Kinetic Jaunt
- Knock
- Levitate
- Magic Weapon
- Maximillian’s Earthen Grasp
- Mental Barrier (UA)
- Mind Spike
- Mind Thrust (UA)
- Mirror Image
- Misty Step
- Nathair’s Mischief
- Nathair’s Mischief (UA)
- Phantasmal Force
- Pyrotechnics
- Rime’s Binding Ice
- Scorching Ray
- See Invisibility
- Shadow Blade
- Shatter
- Snilloc’s Snowball Storm
- Spider Climb
- Spray of Cards (UA)
- Suggestion
- Tasha’s Mind Whip
- Thought Shield (UA)
- Vortex Warp
- Warding Wind
- Web
- Wither and Bloom
3rd Level Sorcerer Spells
- Antagonize (UA)
- Ashardalon’s Stride
- Blink
- Catnap
- Clairvoyance
- Conjure Lesser Demon (UA)
- Counterspell
- Daylight
- Dispel Magic
- Enemies Abound
- Erupting Earth
- Fear
- Fireball
- Flame Arrows
- Flame Stride (UA)
- Fly
- Freedom of the Waves (HB)
- Gaseous Form
- Haste
- Haywire (UA)
- House of Cards (UA)
- Hypnotic Pattern
- Incite Greed
- Intellect Fortress
- Invisibility To Cameras (UA)
- Lightning Bolt
- Major Image
- Melf’s Minute Meteors
- Protection from Ballistics (UA)
- Protection from Energy
- Psionic Blast (UA)
- Sleet Storm
- Slow
- Stinking Cloud
- Summon Warrior Spirit (UA)
- Thunder Step
- Tongues
- Vampiric Touch
- Wall of Water
- Water Breathing
- Water Walk
4th Level Sorcerer Spells
- Banishment
- Blight
- Charm Monster
- Confusion
- Conjure Barlgura (UA)
- Conjure Knowbot (UA)
- Conjure Shadow Demon (UA)
- Dimension Door
- Dominate Beast
- Ego Whip (UA)
- Fire Shield
- Greater Invisibility
- Ice Storm
- Polymorph
- Raulothim’s Psychic Lance
- Raulothim’s Psychic Lance (UA)
- Sickening Radiance
- Spirit of Death (UA)
- Stoneskin
- Storm Sphere
- Synchronicity (UA)
- System Backdoor (UA)
- Vitriolic Sphere
- Wall of Fire
- Watery Sphere
5th Level Sorcerer Spells
- Animate Objects
- Bigby’s Hand
- Cloudkill
- Commune with City (UA)
- Cone of Cold
- Conjure Vrock (UA)
- Control Winds
- Creation
- Dominate Person
- Enervation
- Far Step
- Freedom of the Winds (HB)
- Hold Monster
- Immolation
- Insect Plague
- Seeming
- Shutdown (UA)
- Skill Empowerment
- Summon Draconic Spirit
- Summon Draconic Spirit (UA)
- Synaptic Static
- Telekinesis
- Teleportation Circle
- Wall of Light
- Wall of Stone
6th Level Sorcerer Spells
- Arcane Gate
- Chain Lightning
- Circle of Death
- Disintegrate
- Eyebite
- Fizban’s Platinum Shield
- Fizban’s Platinum Shield (UA)
- Flesh to Stone
- Globe of Invulnerability
- Investiture of Flame
- Investiture of Ice
- Investiture of Stone
- Investiture of Wind
- Mass Suggestion
- Mental Prison
- Move Earth
- Otherworldly Form (UA)
- Otiluke’s Freezing Sphere
- Psychic Crush (UA)
- Scatter
- Sunbeam
- Tasha’s Otherworldly Guise
- True Seeing
7th Level Sorcerer Spells
- Conjure Hezrou (UA)
- Crown of Stars
- Delayed Blast Fireball
- Draconic Transformation
- Draconic Transformation (UA)
- Dream of the Blue Veil
- Etherealness
- Finger of Death
- Fire Storm
- Plane Shift
- Power Word: Pain
- Prismatic Spray
- Reverse Gravity
- Teleport
8th Level Sorcerer Spells
- Abi-Dalzim’s Horrid Wilting
- Demiplane
- Dominate Monster
- Earthquake
- Incendiary Cloud
- Power Word: Stun
- Sunburst
9th Level Sorcerer Spells
- Blade of Disaster
- Gate
- Mass Polymorph
- Meteor Swarm
- Power Word: Kill
- Psychic Scream
- Time Stop
- Wish
