All 5e Psychic Spells – Command the Magic of the Mind

Invading the mind isn’t just a thing of science fiction. Fantasy settings have been dabbling in mental magic since early on in their inception. Mindflayers in D&D 5e are just one example of a creature specializing in this form of magic, but what about player characters? What psychic spells are in D&D 5e, and what classes can cast them?

Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition has 19 spells capable of dealing psychic damage. Artificers, clerics, and rangers cannot cast any psychic spells. However, every other spellcasting class has access to at least one spell that can deal psychic damage.

🧠 Explore More Elemental Spell Types
Psychic damage gets into your head, but elemental magic hits just as hard. Explore other damage types in D&D 5e:

• 🧪 Acid Spells in D&D 5e
• ❄️ Cold Spells in D&D 5e
• 🔥 Fire Spells in D&D 5e
• 🌌 Force Spells in D&D 5e
• ⚡ Lightning Spells in D&D 5e
• ☠️ Poison Spells in D&D 5e
• 🌩️ Thunder Spells in D&D 5e

Check out the table below for easy navigation through all the spells in this article! For class-specific spells, use the additional tabs to filter the table to display only the spells available to the chosen class.

What is Psychic Damage?

Psychic damage in Dungeons & Dragons represents the mental and emotional harm inflicted through arcane means, distinct from physical injury. This type of damage targets the mind of a creature, bypassing physical defenses and directly assaulting its mental fortitude.

Spells that deal psychic damage often involve manipulating thoughts, inducing excruciating mental pain, or overwhelming the senses with terrifying illusions. Psychic damage is a testament to the power of the mind and the vulnerabilities that lie within the psyche of every creature

If you’re interested in learning more about each psychic spell or want to figure out what spells each class has access to, keep reading below.

Complete List of Psychic Spells

chaos bolt

Level: 1st
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range/Area: 120 ft
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
School: Evocation
Mechanics: Chaos Bolt fires a random type of energy, determined by a dice roll, at a target. The spell’s damage type varies, and under certain conditions, the energy can jump to another target nearby.
Author Rating: B-Tier
Comments: Offers versatile damage types and the potential for chaining attacks, making it unpredictable but potentially very powerful. Its effectiveness can vary greatly depending on luck.
Sourcebook: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
Classes: Sorcerer
TL;DR: Launches energy with a randomly determined damage type, possibly chaining to additional targets.

Spell Review and Deep Dive

Table of Contents

Psychic Spells Available by Class

Mastering the magic of the mind is only available to some spellcasters, and if you’re looking to start weaponizing your enemy’s fear against them, you’ll have to start by looking at your class. Some classes can’t access any spells capable of dealing psychic damage, and others, like the bard, sorcerer, and wizard, have a vast selection to choose from.

Artificer

Unfortunately, artificers are one of the three classes that cannot cast spells that deal psychic damage and can’t even pick up any psychic spells with a subclass.

Bard

Psychic spells are right up the Bard’s alley. Mocking enemies, making them flee from a melody, or leaving them in simple silence with an intelligence score of 2.

Bards also have the class feature called Magical Secrets, allowing them to learn spells from any class, the number of additional spells the bard can learn is increased if they are a Lore bard making it possible to grab even more mind-melting magic.

As well, the college of Whispers boasts some pretty amazing subclass abilities that fit the psychic spell theme and Psychic Blades even dishes out psychic damage.

Cleric

Unfortunately, clerics are another one of the three classes that cannot cast spells that deal psychic damage.

Druid

Druids don’t dabble in mental magic very much at all. So little that they can only cast one spell that can deal psychic damage, and it’s Feeblemind. A powerful spell, but if you’re trying to play the next mind freak that can shape-shift into animals, you should look into multiclassing.

Paladin

The smiting king/queen, known as the paladin, picks up two more smite spells to add to their arsenal that both deal psychic damage. Wrathful Smite and Staggering Smite are both great spells that add some great options for crowd control.

Ranger

Unfortunately, rangers are the last of the three classes that cannot cast spells that deal psychic damage.

Sorcerer

The class with the second most psychic spells at their disposal. Sorcerers are no slouch when it comes to prying into the minds of their enemies and turning their thoughts against them.

Warlock

Fear, madness, and terror are core fundamentals of the warlock. Naturally, these are also critical factors in psychic spells, so the two pair together quite nicely.

Wizard

The king/queen of weaponizing the brain, wizards have a staggering 13 of the possible 18 spells that can deal psychic damage. If you’re looking to make a character specializing in psychic magic and want the largest pool of spells to pick from, look no further than the wizard.

Arcane Trickster

The art of illusion, manipulation, and being able to weaponize fear fit perfectly into this spell-slinging rogue archetype. Psychic spells tend to lean more towards the illusion and enchantment schools of magic, giving the arcane trickster a decent repertoire of mind magic.

Eldritch Knight

Eldritch knights are more on the path of destruction and beefy defensive spells. Only having access to the Mind Sliver spell, psychic spells are certainly not their specialty.

Are Psychic Spells Good?

In the realm of Dungeons & Dragons, psychic spells are a unique and often underrated tool in a spellcaster’s arsenal. Unlike the visceral and immediate impact of fire spells, psychic spells offer a subtler, yet equally potent approach to combat and problem-solving.

These spells excel in manipulating the battlefield in unseen ways, from clouding the minds of enemies to sowing confusion and fear. Psychic spells can bypass common resistances and immunities that physical and elemental spells face, making them invaluable against a wide array of foes, including those impervious to more conventional attacks.

They are not just about inflicting damage; they offer a cerebral approach to combat and storytelling, proving that sometimes the most powerful weapon is the mind itself.

Your thoughts matter to us! Share your experiences and insights on psychic spells in the comments below.