Not all spells in Dungeons & Dragons require the use of slots to cast, as there are some that can be completed as part of an arcane ritual. The benefit of a ritual is that the caster only needs to have the spell prepared or for it to be in their spellbook (if they’re a Wizard) in order to cast it. The downside is that the ritual takes ten minutes to cast, so the spell can’t be used in a hurry. Ritual spells also cannot have their level increased in order to make their effect stronger.
The ability to cast a spell as a ritual adds a ton of utility to some of the spellcasting classes in D&D, as not all have the knowledge to perform rituals. In the Player’s Handbook, the Bard, Cleric, Druid, and Wizard can cast ritual spells, while the Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer, and Wizard cannot. The spellcasting subclasses for non-magical classes (like the Eldritch Knight and Arcane Trickster) also cannot cast ritual spells.
The spell lists in the Player’s Handbook only list the spells alphabetically within their levels. This article lists all of the spells that can be cast as rituals in D&D, with their associated school noted next to them. The article also contains all of the ritual spells that appear in different official rulebooks, such as Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and Xanather’s Guide to Everything, all of which are marked, so players know where to find these spells if they wish to learn more.
The Ritual Spells In Dungeons & Dragons
1st Level Ritual Spells
- Alarm (Abjuration)
- Ceremony (Evocation) (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
- Comprehend Languages (Divination)
- Detect Magic (Divination)
- Detect Poison and Disease (Divination)
- Find Familiar (Conjuration)
- Identify (Divination)
- Illusory Script (Illusion)
- Purify Food and Drink (Transmutation)
- Speak with Animals (Divination)
- Tenser’s Floating Disk (Conjuration)
- Unseen Servant (Conjuration)
2nd Level Ritual Spells
- Animal Messenger (Enchantment)
- Augury (Divination)
- Beast Sense (Divination)
- Locate Animals or Plants (Divination)
- Magic Mouth (Illusion)
- Silence (Illusion)
- Skywrite (Transmutation) (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
- Wristpocket (Conjuration) (Explorer’s Guide To Wildemount)
3rd Level Ritual Spells
- Leomund’s Tiny Chest (Conjuration)
- Feign Death (Necromancy)
- Meld into Stone (Transmutation)
- Phantom Steed (Illusion)
- Leomund’s Tiny Hut (Evocation)
- Water Breathing (Transmutation)
- Water Walk (Transmutation)
4th Level Ritual Spells
- Divination (Divination)
5th Level Ritual Spells
- Commune (Divination)
- Commune With Nature (Divination)
- Contact Other Plane (Divination)
- Rary’s Telepathic Bond (Divination)
6th Level Ritual Spells
- Drawmij’s Instant Summons (Conjuration)
The main purpose of rituals is to make it less detrimental to take the exploration/utility spells, as many players would rather have combat options than risk burning a slot on something they might not use. The bulk of the ritual spells in Dungeons & Dragons are low-level, with the few mid-level ones involving communication of some kind. Rituals like comprehend languages and speak with animals are always useful to have in the field, as they can provide vital clues about the area. The ritual version of identify is also helpful to have for extended trips into the wilderness, on the off-chance that players come across any D&D magic items on their journey, and need to learn how they function if they want to use their powers effectively.
