Fool’s Fancy: Spells for Tricksters and Mischief Makers

“I simply don’t see the point of being an all-powerful master of the arcane if you can’t have a little fun with it once in a while.”

Marreltok Physan, traveling wizard

Across the continent and throughout the realms, there are a variety of influential and powerful beings devoted to the domains of whimsy, trickery, and mischief. From deities who spend countless eons pranking their fellow gods to otherworldly patrons injecting their own brand of monkeyshines into the lives of hapless mortals, these powerful entities have inspired a plethora of festivals and holidays created to celebrate (or ward away) their particular senses of humor.

  But whether through direct intervention or simply acting as muses to the magically-inclined, the most powerful impact that these eternal jokesters have had by far is on the spell books of fun-loving casters.

The following are new spells for characters who don’t mind mixing a little nonsense and tomfoolery into their magical repertoires. As with all new play options, please consult your Game Master to verify that these spells mesh well with the vision and direction of their game. 

Fool’s Fancy Spells

Level Spell Class
0 Fetch! Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard
1st Summon Heckler Bard, Warlock
2nd Fire Flies Druid, Cleric, Ranger
3rd Bumbardier Blast Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
4th Gut-Busting Smite Paladin

Fetch! 

Illusion cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 15 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

“You want it? You want it? Go get it!”

With an impish chuckle and flourish of your hands, you create 2 glowing balls from thin air that completely capture the attention of two target creatures that can see you within range. The target creatures must make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, choose a direction to pretend to throw each ball. The target creature immediately moves 10 feet in that direction and continues to use its available movement to search for the ball until the start of your next turn. If a creature succeeds on its saving throw, it cannot be affected by this spell for 24 hours. 

  The spell’s number of balls increases by 1 when you reach 5th level (3), 11th level (4), and 17th level (5).

Summon Heckler

1st-level conjuration

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 90 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

“Blunt sword. Shoddy armor. No maidens.”

You hurl a drawn-out boo in the direction of your opponents and call forth an unseely fey spirit to highlight their insecurities and failures. The fey heckler is intangible and appears in an unoccupied 5-foot space that you can see within range. As a bonus action on your turn, you can move the heckler up to 30 feet to a space you can see.

  Until the spell ends, when the heckler moves into a creature’s space for the first time on a turn or a creature starts its turn with the heckler there, it must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, the target creature takes 1d6 psychic damage and has disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes. Once the heckler has been active for a number of rounds equal to 1 + your spellcasting ability modifier (minimum of two), it will begin to target you and your allies with its painful insults. At the start of each of your turns after meeting that threshold, you must make a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check. On a failure, you cannot end your concentration on this spell and you lose control of the heckler, which randomly targets you or one of your allies and moves up to 30 feet into their space. On a success, you can choose to end your concentration on the spell or use the heckler as normal. 

  At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.

Fire Flies

2nd-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 120 feet

Components: S

Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

“You would not believe your eyes!”

You shape tiny motes of fire and ash and fill a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point you choose within range with reasonable approximations of fireflies. The false fireflies shed dim light in the spell’s area. A creature can recognize that the fireflies aren’t real with an Intelligence (Investigation) check equal to your spell save DC. A creature takes 2d8 fire damage when it enters the spell’s area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there.

  At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 2nd.

Bumbardier Blast

3rd-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Self (30-foot line)

Components: V

Duration: Instantaneous

“Damn it, I just bought these pants.”

With intense resolve in your eyes and a deep rumble in your abdomen, you channel the acidic fury of the oft-underestimated bombardier beetle, showering your approaching foes with a stinging torrent of acid. You propel a stream of acid 30 feet long and 5 feet wide directly behind you. Each creature in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 4d12 acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

  At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d12 for each slot level above 3rd.

Gut-Busting Smite

4th-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 bonus action

Range: Self

Components: V

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

“Well, your friends thought it was hilarious.”

The next time you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack during this spell’s duration, your weapon cackles gleefully, and the attack deals an extra 3d6 psychic damage to the target. Additionally, each creature within 10 feet of the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the target creatures begin giggling uncontrollably, fall prone, and are incapacitated for the duration of the spell. 

  At the start of each of its turns, and each time it takes damage, an affected creature can make another Wisdom saving throw. On a success, the effect ends for that creature.


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