Rewind - Quest Spells

We ran across Quest Spells while we were researching the Cleric Deep Dive and we became intrigued. A creation that existed in 2nd edition, it was unceremoniously dropped in the next edition, which is a damn shame. While epic spells are introduced in the next edition, they are so different from the Quest Spell design that we can’t really consider them to be a suitable replacement. Quest Spells add a fantastic tier of spells for heroes going on one last amazing adventure before retirement, and we have some good news. We are giving them a much-needed update for Dungeons & Dragons - 5th edition.

A couple of things before we dive in - Quest spells are for ‘priests’ only. The cleric was a subclass of the priest in 2nd edition with two other subclasses the Mythos Priest and the Druid. Deities and gods were referred to as Powers and spell stat blocks were set up differently. Priest spells were grouped into 16 different spheres, and depending on your class, you had access to some, more access to others, and no access at all to others. We know, it's confusing as hell, but if you want to read more about it, head over to our Cleric Deep Dive and you'll be able to read all about it.

What is a Quest Spell?

Priests were treated as second class citizens when it came to spells in the earlier editions, for example, wizards had the wish spell, while the priest only got up to 6th-level spells. The Quest Spell was an answer to this problem facing our healers. Divine entities, which we will refer to as Powers moving forward, could level cities, rain down holy fire upon armies, and cause you and the 100,000 people who lived near you, to have a terrible day. For some reason, the Powers never really felt like giving Priests access to more powerful magic, probably due to laziness. 

Many probably asked this major question: why can’t priests, who have literal gods on their side, not cast some of the strongest magic around? First off, we aren't talking about the raw radiant energy wielded by the powers; we are just referring to some slightly stronger spells so that the wizards can stop rubbing it in the priest’s face. We can only assume that the Powers noticed the plight of the poor priests who worships them and decided to intervene in their own mysterious ways. Thus the Quest Spells were introduced in the 2nd edition book, Tome of Magic (1991).

Quest Spells gave the priest a spell of immense strength that they would not have under normal circumstances, and it was meant only to assist the priest in successfully completing a quest they had undertaken or were given. Such large scale missions were usually done in the name of their Power, so it only fits that the Power helped them be successful in their task. These spells can only be granted by the Powers and a priest has no other way of accessing a spell of such magnitude. 

Updating Quest Spells to 5th Edition

Now, in 5th edition, a Cleric can cast 9th-level spells just like a real magic-user. The great injustice against the Cleric is gone and they can now cast up to four different 9th-level spells! … maybe the injustice isn’t quite gone yet, especially when you look at the wizard’s fifteen different options for their 9th-level spell slot. 

Our redesign of the Quest Spells is focused on updating the mechanics of the spells for the 5th edition, as well as providing examples for epic quests for a cleric to go on and the downsides of controlling such raw magic.  

How to get a Quest Spell

There are basically two ways for a cleric to receive a Quest Spell, and both involve something terrible going on. We aren't talking run-of-the-mill BBEG and the end of a campaign arc, we are talking Cataclysmic-End-Of-The-World-As-We-Know-It type of terrible.

When this happens, a Power can reach out to their loyal cleric in some fashion and let them know that they are the chosen one of some divine favor and, if they really want to cast the most powerful bit of magic they will ever be able to cast, they are going to have to go on a quest. Of course, ‘chosen’ is just a way of saying that your Power requires you to do what they say, and since they are an all-powerful being telling you what to do, it’s probably a good idea to listen.

The second and more common way is for the cleric to request divine intervention from their Power. All-powerful beings have a lot on their plates, and may not be aware of the terrible atrocities or deadly plague sweeping the land. A responsible cleric can pray with all their might, explain the situation, and hope the Power intercedes. A Power that isn't a total jerk will review and consider their cleric’s request, and if it is worthy, might come to their aid. A cleric needs to be confident that the event taking place is worthy of such intervention because Powers are not thrilled with clerics that are is continuously crying wolf on such minor things like a paper cut.

A cleric is only going to get a Quest Spell, at least most of the time, when cataclysmic events are unfolding relating to a portfolio, or domain, of the Power they follow. A Power of weather isn’t really going to care about an army of orcs marching across the land, just as a Power of war isn’t really going to care that all the trees are disappearing and someone isn’t speaking up for them.

Of course, there are always exceptions. If the event in question is because of another Power doing something evil, preferably a rival Power to the one you worship, then that's a whole different can of worms because now you are in the middle of a conflict between immortal beings. Let's not get into that too much, but if the DM does decide this is a good idea, we recommend being very careful. No one wins when the Powers go to war against each other.

A Power is also going to bestow upon a cleric a Quest Spell when there is a danger to their followers, church, and lands. People may see the Powers as being selfish and only caring about themselves, but they will protect their people… if for no other reason than a Power isn't a Power if there is no one left to worship them. As you'll see below, each spell has the opportunity for a fun and exciting campaign, with no two being alike, and each Quest Spell being able to support multiple, unique adventures.

Quest Spells

The following Quest Spells are taken from 2nd edition and from the book Tome of Magic. After each spell, we provide ideas for adventures and include a few risks for casting such awe-inspiring magic.

Additionally, we provide 5th edition versions of these Quest Spells.

Link to the Quest Spells updated for the rules of 5th Edition:
For best results in GM Binder, we recommend using a chrome browser

Animal Horde (Conjuration/Summoning)

Sphere: Animal, Summoning
Range: 0'
Duration: 1 day
Casting Time: 1 turn
Area of Effect: 10-mile radius
Saving Throw: None

This potent spell summons a number of animals to the priest. For each level of the priest, a number of animals totaling 10 hit dice appear. The Power who grants the spell enables the priest to know exactly what types and numbers of animals are within the area of effect. The priest may specify the numbers of animals he wants; for instance, a 16th-level priest could summon 60 HD of wolves, 40 HD of bears, and 60 HD of wolverines. The animals will begin arriving in one round and will be assembled at the priest's location at the end of three turns. The animals will not fight among each other even if they are natural enemies. Monsters (dragons, gorgons, hell hounds, etc.) cannot be summoned with this spell. The summoned animals will aid the priest in any means of which they are capable. They will enter battle, protect the priest and his companions, or perform a specified mission until the priest dismisses them or the spell expires. During this time, the priest can automatically communicate with his animals. At the end of the spell, the animals instinctively return to their lairs. For the first three turns after the spell expires, the animals will not attack the caster, his companions, or other summoned animals. After this time, the animals will behave normally.

Our first spell is geared more towards the druid but is not only limited to them. Most druids dream of charging into battle with a horde of furry creatures at their side, defending the forest in the name of their Power. This spell gives them the ability to do just that. Looking at the 2nd edition example above, a 16th level priest could summon forth 20 wolves (3 HD ea.), 13 black bears (3 HD + 3 ea.) or 8 brown bears (5 HD+5 ea.), and 20 wolverines (3 HD ea.). The druid is then walking into whatever terrifying disaster is going on with an army made up of over 50 animals at their disposal.

There are a few things worth knowing before casting this spell, like the duration of the spell is only a single day. While that is a decent amount of time if the big quest you have this spell for is to make some tea, if you are actually needing to remove a group of foul-natured poachers from the Power's forest, you’ll have to do a bit of careful timing to cast it at the right time. Casting it too early and you might not have the friendly animal friends available for the final showdown, cast it too late and you may not be able to cast it because you're dead. With an area of effect of 10 miles, there shouldn't be a problem summoning the creatures wanted, as long as the caster does not think its a good idea to attempt to summon polar bears in the middle of the tropical jungle.

While the spell’s description clearly states that no monsters are allowed, which is pretty cut and dry for 5th edition, it is a little murkier than it seems. The stat blocks in the 2nd edition Monstrous Manuals do not specify between a beast, aberration, monstrosity, and so on. Sometimes you are able to discern what type of creature they are by reading the ecology section of the monster description, but even then the information can be sparse. We are quite confident in saying that players would push the limits of what was an animal. Now no one is going to try and say a lich is an animal, but what about a hound of ill-omen? No place in the description are they called a monster, in fact, the first sentence states that they are beasts. There are a number of creatures like this across the ten plus Monstrous Manuals and Monstrous Compendiums. So instead of lions, tigers and, bears it could be greeloxs, hounds of ill-omen, and ice lizards. Oh my!

Quest Ideas

Civilized Lands - Civilization is growing further and further, cutting down forests and running off creatures. While druids and rangers have been leading a guerilla war against the mercenaries hired by the cities, they are slowly losing more and more ground. 

Demonic Presence - A gate to the Abyss has opened and with it, demons. They spill out of this small gate and are corrupting the lands. Animals and plants are being destroyed and your god has chosen you to fight off this invasion before the world is lost. 

The Vile Hunt - A group of poachers are hunting and destroying the local ecosystem, slaughtering animals for the glory of their evil god. Their destruction has caused serious issues for your own god, whose power is linked to the forests of the world and it is beginning to dwindle. The evil god is slowly getting stronger and attracting more and more followers to the cause. 

Conformance (Conjuration/Summoning, Invocation)

Sphere: Law
Range: 0"
Duration: 6 turns
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: 80-foot-diameter sphere
Saving Throw: None

The conformance spell has a simple principle with a profound effect: probable events always manifest. In game terms, this means that events with a probability of 51% or better always occur. Thus, if a saving throw of 9 is required to avoid an effect, no roll is necessary; the save is automatically successful. If a warrior must roll 10 or better to hit an enemy, he automatically hits. Conversely, improbable actions (those with less than a 50% chance) always fail. If a warrior must roll 12 or better to hit an enemy, he automatically fails. If a thief's chance to hide in shadows is 49%, he automatically fails. There are two conditions that affect this spell. First, a prayer spell is continuously operative in the area of effect, shifting the balance of combat probabilities toward the favor of the Priest who casts this spell and his companions. Second, probabilities of exactly 50% always shift in favor of the spellcasting priest. For example, if a roll of 11 or better is needed to save against a spell effect, this is a 50% chance for success. In such cases, the Priest and his friends always make the save and enemies always fail. This spell is particularly potent if bless and enchant spells are cast in the area of effect.

This is an interesting spell as for 6 turns, which in 2nd edition is about 1 hour long, everything that would probably happen will happen. On the flip side, if something probably won’t happen it won’t. The best part is that it doesn’t affect just the priest, but the priest, the priest’s friends, and more importantly, the priest’s enemies. Some people may view this only in terms of weapon hits and misses, saving throws, and skill checks. These are very important and are probably the main reason a priest would cast the spell; to turn the tide of battle in their favor and with any luck, finish off the opposing foes. Creative players will do all sorts of crazy stunts, sometimes with a purpose, other times just for the sheer hell of it.

Quest Ideas

Rule of Mechanus - To cast this spell, your god has commanded you to travel to their domain on Mechanus and to study the cogs that turn and power the whole multiverse. Doing so, you are given visions of a future of chaos and it is on you to ensure chaos does not upset the balance of power.

Time Lord - A god of time is worried that chaos may cause their plans to fall apart, and so they call on you. You must go on a quest to save a place of importance to the god and ensure that an unlikely event doesn’t come to pass.

Fear Contagion (Abjuration)

Sphere: Charm, War
Range: 240 yards
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: Special

A priest casting fear contagion selects a single creature to be the focus of the spell. The creature is affected by magical fear and receives no saving throw to avoid the effect. All creatures within 10 yards of the target creature must make a saving throw versus spell with a - 4 penalty; failure indicates that they are also affected by fear. If BATTLESYSTEM™ rules are used, the spell forces the affected unit to make a Morale Check at a -6 penalty. If this roll fails, the unit automatically routs. Creatures affected by fear will flee in a direction away from the spellcaster for as long as they are able to run (refer to Chapter 14 of the Player's Handbook for rules). Such creatures will then spend one full turn cowering after being forced to rest. During this time, affected creatures suffer -4 penalties to attack rolls, and all dexterity bonuses are negated. When using BATTLESYSTEM rules, fear-struck creatures are permitted rally tests with a - 3 penalty and must engage in rout movement until they rally. However, a rally test is not permitted until two turns of rout movement have been completed. As creatures run in fear, their fear is contagious. Any creature that comes within 10 yards of a creature affected by this spell must make a saving throw (no penalties) or be forced to flee from the spellcaster. In BATTLESYSTEM™ rules, creatures make a standard Morale Check with a -3 penalty. Creatures affected by fear no longer cause fear in others after they have passed one mile from the original center of the spell effect.

Fear spreads. Think of zombie movies and TV shows but no biting required. While we disagree on whether or not auto fails were a good thing or not in the earlier editions, for a Quest spell it makes sense. Find the enemy you hate the most, cast Fear Contagion and the poor soul is scared shitless of you. Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars, do not roll a saving throw; you’re just frightened. And like we said before, fear spreads. As the people within 10 feet of patient zero fail their saving throws and start to run away, anyone that comes within 10 feet of them needs to make a saving throw, and away we go. Pretty soon there is a very good chance there will be a large number of creatures running away from the priest. They will keep running for a mile, at which point the irrational fear of our holy man drops. Problem is, they are now a mile away and our priest and their friends have probably completed there task. Considering that even if the creature, with a normal movement speed of 30 feet, was somehow able to dash every round, it would still take them around 88 rounds to get back. If the priest can’t seal the deal before that, they probably deserve to fail.

The spell description discusses how this spell works with the Battlesystem 2e rules. Without going all the way down the rabbit hole, the Battlesystem was the rule set for mass combat in this edition of D&D. It was the successor to the Chainmail system and it explained how to calculate AC, rules for determining hit points, turn order, and everything else in between for mass combat. Considering how much information the spell description gives when using the Battlesystem, one can quickly assume that this spell was meant to be used on armies, not just a small group of monsters. Imagine a battlefield from Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, then picture it when the priest casts this spell. Fun times.

Quest Ideas

Learning to Fear - For a cleric to learn this spell, they must first go on a quest to learn what it truly means to fear. They are taken to the Lower Planes where they must face their fears and be able to overcome those challenges, only then can they use this spell. 

Stop the Horde - A horde of barbarians are roaming the frozen wastes, led by a feared warrior said to be touched by a god of war. The armies of your homeland stand no chance against the oncoming onslaught unless you can turn the tide.

Siege Walls (Conjuration/Summoning, Invocation)

Sphere: Creation
Range: 480 yards
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 1 turn
Area of Effect: One building
Saving Throw: None

A siege wall uses magical energy to fortify all external areas of a fortified building, such as walls, battlements, drawbridges, and gates. External surfaces to be protected must be contiguous. The protective effects of the siege wall are compatible with BATTLESYSTEM™ rules (see Chapter 7). Creatures assaulting the protected building have their movement rates reduced by half when trying to scale the exterior surfaces (scaling ladders, etc.). Attackers suffer a -2 penalty to damage rolls for missile fire. Damage or AD caused by war machines is reduced by 2 die levels (if normal damage is 1d12, 1d8 is rolled instead; if damage is 1d10, 1d6 is rolled; ballista has AD8). Damage caused by crushing engines is rolled at -2 to the damage roll or ADs. Hits or hit points of crushing engines are reduced by half. All enemies attacking a building protected by siege wall who enter an enclosed wall space are out of command unless they are in the line of sight of their commander, regardless of his control diameter. All exterior areas of the fortification have their hit points or Hits doubled (see Hits of Building Features in BATTLESYSTEM™ rules). The siege wall expires if the building is destroyed; it lasts a maximum of 24 hours.

One of the common unifiers for the Quest Spells was that they were often used as part of mass combat, which makes some sense as this edition, and the previous ones, give fighters armies to lead to glory! Clerics would even be given their own group of soldiers to protect their constructed fortress. Unlike the other spell, this spell doesn’t make the enemy terrified of you but rather you get to watch the opposing army wear themselves out as they attempt to breach your walls. 

This Quest Spell is especially useful for clerics who follow a god of war or even a god of peace. They simply want to ensure that they are protecting the commoners inside their city walls, keeping them safe from harm.

Quest Spells

Dragon Attack - Dragons are raining death from the skies above and it is up to you to save as many of the civilians as you can. Your god will only give you the power to cast this spell if you can rescue enough of the city’s inhabitants in one spot.

Holding Off the Invaders - Your god has chosen you to protect a narrow pass that an invading army is attempting to use to circle your home city. While the generals foolishly aren’t listening to you, you know there is a small fort that might be able to hold off the enemy.

Undead Plague (Necromancy)

Sphere: Necromantic
Range: 1 mile
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 2 rounds
Area of Effect: 100-yard square/level
Saving Throw: None

By means of this potent spell, the priest summons many ranks of skeletons to do his bidding. The skeletons are formed from any and all humanoid bones within the area of effect. The number of skeletons depends on the terrain in the area of effect; a battle site or graveyard will yield 10 skeletons per 100 square yards; a long-inhabited area will yield three skeletons per 100 square yards, and wilderness will yield one skeleton per 100 square yards. The spell's maximum area of effect is 10,000 square yards. Thus, no more than 1,000 skeletons can be summoned by this spell. The skeletons created by this spell are turned as zombies and remain in existence until destroyed or willed out of existence by the priest who created them.

Who needs cute little animals from the forest when you can raise an army of the dead to do your bidding? A party of 50 bears is fun, but an army of 1,000 zombies is better. Way better. When you first raise your army of the dead they expel themselves from the earth as skeletons and you might be thinking to yourself, how good can a skeleton army be? Skeletons have 1 HD and one attack for 1d6 damage, which means your army of undead is made up of 1,000 HD, unlike the druid who only gets 10 HD per their level. Though there is the major drawback that the skeletons are affected by Turn Undead, but that’s a small price to pay for an undead army under your command.

Now, you should make sure that when you cast the spell that you’re in a location that will have a lot of corpses in the ground. While 10,000 square yards seems like a big number, in reality, it's about as big as 1.6 football fields, that’s American football fields by the way. If you are more accustomed to soccer (football?) fields, then you are looking at 1.25 soccer fields. We only point out this size because you need to make sure you maximize the number of undead you can raise, you don’t want to cast this in a forest and only get 100 skeletons when you deserve 1,000 skeletons!

This spell is great for those who don’t want to worry about what their army thinks about, seeing as how skeletons don’t have a mind of their own. It’s great for necromancers who just want to make friends and march on the living cities of the world and add them to their army. The best part is that this spell doesn’t have a duration, all you have to worry about is all your skeletons being destroyed or you simply decide to will them out of existence.

Quest Spells

Protecting the Living - Your god commands you to protect your home city, but first, you must find an ancient artifact hidden beneath an ancient battlefield. The key to the protection of your city comes in the form of ancient bodies that litter the battlefield.

Undeath March - Undeath suits you, and your god wishes to reward you for your loyalty to spreading necrotic energies throughout the world. You are tasked with recovering an Unholy Symbol trapped and locked away in a temple of pure positive energy, only then will you be able to summon forth your undead army. 

Risks for Casting Quest Spells

No matter what, there are always risks for casting such powerful magic and a mortal’s body is rarely prepared to handle such raw power. Below are a few suggestions of the risks associated with casting a Quest Spell, either roll a d10 or pick one that you think is appropriate for your own campaign. Even if a caster can only cast a Quest Spell once, based on their god’s own decision, these spells always leave a mark.

1. The caster immediately becomes 5d10 years older when they cast the Quest Spell. This effect is permanent.

2. The caster permanentely loses access to a 1st-level spell slot. If they cast the Quest Spell again, they permanetely lose access to a 2nd-level spell slot. This continues until they lose access to a 9th-level spell slot and if they choose to cast the Quest Spell again, they permanetely lose access to divine magic.

3. The caster’s Hit Point Maximum is permanetly decreased by 1d20. This decrease can not be reduced.

4. The caster must expend half of their maximum spell slots in order to cast the Quest Spell. They suffer damage equal to the number of spell slots expended.

5. They are so overcome by the radiant energy that passed through their body, they are blind for 1 week as they recover from the strain.

6. The caster’s body is so suffused with divine energy that they can no longer lie or tell the truth depending on the god they worship. If they follow a neutral god, they can only ever speak in half-truths.

7. If they cast the Quest Spell Undead Plague, they immediately and permanetely turn into an undead creature.

8. The caster’s Constitution score is reduced by 1d4. The target dies if this reduces its Constituion to 0. This reduction can be not removed.

9. The Quest Spell causes the caster to briefly unexist and their body dematerializes until the Quest Spell’s duration ends.

10. The caster’s mind is wracked by the divine energies and, after the spell is cast, they find it difficult to remember everything about their past experiences. Per the DM’s discretion, they are no longer proficient in a language, tool, weapon, or armor they were proficient in.

Quest Spells for 5th Edition

We have updated the Quest Spells we looked at today to 5th edition, of course these are only suggestions and the DM should think about how a Quest Spell might function in their own games and what they might look like.

Link to the Quest Spells updated for the rules of 5th Edition:
For best results in GM Binder, we recommend using a chrome browser

Quest spells can add an exciting end game adventure or be an epic way to present mass combat into your campaign. The best part is there is a Quest spell for everyone, so if you don’t like one of the ones listed above, find yourself a copy of the 2nd edition Tome of Magic and I’m sure there you’ll find a Quest spell for you.

Got something you’d like to see a Deep Dive on?
Let us know in the comments below!

If you enjoy our Deep Dive series consider
supporting us on Patreon and following us on Twitter!

More Deep Dives…

Header Image: Tome of Magic by TSR Inc.