15 Best Bonus Action Spells

For most classes in Dungeons & Dragons, there are limited uses for your bonus action. Some classes and subclasses have special features to use as a bonus action, and spell casters can use their bonus actions to cast certain spells. But some players are often not sure how to take full advantage of their action economy, and they might not use their bonus action at all.

Every caster or gish character can have access to many bonus action spells, and knowing the best options available to your character can help you use your action economy much more efficiently.

Updated December 15, 2024, by Alfredo Robelo: While you can’t spend more than one spell slot per turn (unless you’re using homebrew rules), casting a spell as a bonus action can be a great boon for your party. And thanks to the 2024 Player’s Handbook changes, there are even more useful spells that only need a bonus action to be cast, so we’ve updated this article to include them.

18

Divine Favor

Deal More Damage For Free

• First Level
• School of Transmutation
• Available to Paladins

This used to be a spell not often used by paladins since it required concentration to maintain. While it made sense since it is an ongoing effect, the payoff wasn’t worth it: you deal a D4 extra damage with your attacks for a minute, but you lose it if you concentrate on any other spells like Smites or the like.

The 2024 Player’s Handbook made one important change to many paladin spells, Divine Favor included, since it no longer requires concentration. Since most battles last for a minute or less, you can spend an entire encounter dealing extra damage while also casting other protective spells or even as many Smites as you can cast.

17

Hail Of Thorns

Rain Damage On Your Foes

• First Level
• School of Conjuration
• Available to Rangers

Rangers had a similar problem to paladins when choosing what spell to use since a lot of them were competing with Hunter’s Mark. The main source of the problem was the need for concentration, and once again the 2024 Player’s Handbook comes in to solve the problem, removing the need to concentrate on the Hail of Thorns spell entirely.

This is a great boon for rangers since now the spell works in tandem with Hunter’s Mark instead of against it. You still use your action to attack (likely benefiting from Hunter’s Mark) while also dealing area damage against creatures five feet away from your target; this type of AoE attack is often lacking for low-level rangers.

16

Divine Word

Finish Them Off With A Whisper

• Seventh Level
• School of Evocation
• Available to Clerics

There aren’t many high-level spells that only use a bonus action, let alone ones that have dramatic effects. Divine Word is one such spell that, while only available to clerics, can finish off enemies that refuse to die, although they need to be very low health: 50 hit points or less is the threshold from which the spell starts to take effect.

However, the real strength of the spell lies in removing groups of enemies from the battlefield entirely, as long as they are from a different plane of existence. If you utter the Divine Word against a Celestial, an Elemental, a Fey or a Fiend, they get sent to their home plane (if they weren’t there to begin with), and can’t return to the plane they were banished from for 24 hours.

15

Shillelagh

Turn Your Staff Into A Proper Weapon

• Cantrip
• School of Transmutation
• Available to Druids

While druids are very versatile spell casters, they don’t have that many options when it comes to offensive cantrips or low-level spells. And this is where Shillelagh shines. This cantrip allows the high wisdom druids to be more effective with their melee weapons.

When you cast the cantrip on a club or a quarterstaff, your attacks with that weapon use your wisdom modifier instead of strength. This cantrip can also be useful for other wisdom-based classes if they can choose it through feats such as the Magic Initiate.

14

Compelled Duel

Force An Enemy To Fight You

• First Level
• School of Enchantment
• Available to Paladins

The holy trinity of RPG video games doesn’t always apply to Dungeons & Dragons. While healers and damage dealers have an obvious role in the game, tanks are harder to define in the TTRPG setting. But Compelled Duel is one of the spells that resemble the classic taunt ability of such characters.

The target of this spell must make a wisdom saving throw, and if they fail, they will have disadvantage on any attack roll they make against creatures other than the caster. Paladins can be very effective in protecting their allies using this spell.

13

Shield Of Faith

Raise Your AC

• First Level
• School of Abjuration
• Available to Clerics and Paladins

There are many spells that affect the armor class of the characters. Spells such as Bark Skin and Mage Armor either increase the base AC of the character while they aren’t wearing any armor, or they set a minimum number for the AC.

There aren’t many spells that can directly increase your armor class, and that’s why Shield of Faith is such a powerful spell. No matter what type of armor you are wearing, or how high your AC currently is, this spell increases your AC by 2. A second-level paladin can easily achieve an AC of 20 in combat using this spell.

12

Ashardalon’s Stride

Leave A Fiery Trail

• Third Level
• School of Transmutation
• Available to Artificers, Rangers, Sorcerers, and Wizards

This is one of the latest spells added to the game in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons. The spell offers a very thematic and fun effect, which can be quite powerful in the right situation. It’s also available to four different classes, which makes it very accessible.

By casting and concentrating on Ashardalon’s Stride, your movement speed is increased, you won’t provoke opportunity attacks, and you deal damage to any creature you pass by. The spell also gets considerably more powerful when you cast it at higher levels.

11

Dragon’s Breath

Allow Someone To Breathe Fire

• Second Level
• School of Transmutation
• Available to Sorcerers and Wizards

Dragon’s Breath is one of the best AoE damage spells in the 2nd level, and it’s always fun to breathe fire or other elements on your enemies. If you’re careful of your positioning and use this spell at the right time, it can be devastating.

After casting and concentrating on the spell, you can use your action to breathe in a 15-foot cone, dealing 3d6 damage to all enemies in the area. You can repeat this action each turn, for 1 minute or until your concentration is broken, making Dragon’s Breath a great choice for pure damage output.

10

Hex

Deal More Damage Against A Target

• First Level
• School of Enchantment
• Available to Warlocks

This 1st level spell is almost identical to Hunter’s Mark, and both of them are available to only one class. But there are a lot of subclass features and feats that let any class choose these spells. Both Hex and Hunter’s Mark add 1d6 damage to any attack you make against your target, but each of them has an extra benefit as well.

Hex makes all chosen ability checks of the target be at disadvantage, and Hunter’s Mark lets you know the location of your target at all times. Between the two, Hex is generally more useful for warlocks and any other class that can choose the spell for extra damage.

9

Swift Quiver

Attack Again As A Bonus Action

• Fifth Level
• School of Transmutation
• Available to Rangers

Rangers are often considered one of the weakest classes in the game. Most of their low-level spells don’t have a significant impact on combat, but at higher levels, with spells such as the fifth level Swift Quiver, they can dish out a lot of damage in each turn.

When you cast this spell on your quiver, each turn after that, you get to attack twice with your ranged weapon as a bonus action. This is a huge boost to a ranger’s action economy, as they can easily attack four times in a single turn.

8

Blade Of Disaster

High Level Melee Damage For Casters

• Ninth Level
• School of Conjuration
• Available to Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards

This well-named ninth-level spell is the highest-level bonus action spell in the game. Blade of Disaster is one of the most powerful offensive spells in the game, and it is an ongoing bonus action that you can keep using for up to one minute if you manage to hold concentration on it.

The spell lets you make two attacks with the summoned blade when you cast it and on the following turn with a bonus action. Each attack deals 4d12 force damage, and its attacks are considered a critical hit if you roll an 18 or higher on your d20 which deals a whopping 12d12 damage to the target. When it comes to raw damage, Blade of Disaster is the best bonus action spell in the game.

7

Holy Weapon

Bless An Ally’s Weapon

• Fifth Level
• School of Evocation
• Available to Clerics and Paladins

Another great offensive spell, Holy Weapon can empower your (or one of your allies’) weapons with divine power to deal extra radiant damage on each hit. Each attack with the infused weapon deals an extra 2d8 damage, and on top of that, if you ever decide to end your concentration on the spell, you can cause it to explode in a small radius, dealing 4d8 radiant damage and possibly blinding enemies in a 30 foot radius of the weapon.

Clerics and paladins are the only classes who have access to this spell, but casting these spells on allies who make more attacks in one round is extremely effective. Monks or fighters can especially take advantage of this spell.

6

Shadow Blade

Attack From Darkness With A Blade Made Of It

• Second Level
• School of Illusion
• Available to Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards

Shadow Blade is a great spell for gish characters or any caster who is brave enough to get up close to the enemy. By casting this spell as a bonus action, you summon a shadowy sword in your hand that deals 2d8 psychic damage with each hit.

The blade has finesse, light, and thrown properties, so you can even make your attack from a distance and then make the sword reappear in your hand as a bonus action while you hold concentration. The most beneficial use of this spell is in places that are in dim light or darkness, as you get advantage on your attack rolls in those conditions.

5

Sanctuary

Avoid Harm

• First Level
• School of Abjuration
• Available to Artificers and Clerics

Sanctuary is one of the most useful defensive spells for support characters if you know how to use it. When the spell is active on you or another creature, any enemy who tries to attack you or cast a harmful spell that targets you must succeed in a wisdom saving throw or choose a new target. If they can’t choose a new target within range, their attack or spell will be wasted.

The important part to remember is that if the target who is under the effect of sanctuary attacks another character or casts a harmful spell, will cause the spell to end. The spell goes great with another supportive concentration spell such as aura of vitality, as sanctuary itself is not a concentration spell.

4

Misty Step

Teleport Around The Battlefield

• Second Level
• School of Conjuration
• Available to Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards

Positioning is a crucial aspect of combat in D&D, so a spell that lets you close the distance with an out-of-reach enemy or get out of a dangerous situation is extremely helpful for anyone. Misty Step lets you teleport to a location that you can see as a bonus action.

While it’s only available to three classes, any character can gain access to this powerful spell by feats or subclass features. The best feat for gaining access to this spell is the fey touched feat from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.

3

Wrathful Smite

Make Your Enemies Fear You

• First Level
• School of Evocation
• Available to Paladins

There are many different smite spells available to paladins, and each of them has its uses. But the best smite for most situations is Wrathful Smite. The spell gives your next attack an extra 1d6 of psychic damage, and it also frightens the target if they fail their saving throw.

The great thing about this spell is that unlike other fear effects in the game, the target doesn’t get to repeat their saving throw at the end of their turn. Instead, they have to use their action to try and end the effect.

2

Spiritual Weapon

Gain A Temporary Ally

• Second Level
• School of Evocation
• Available to Clerics

There are many spells that let you deal damage as a bonus action during multiple turns, and a few of them made it on this list. But spiritual weapon is better than most of them for one reason, and that is not being a concentration spell.

When you cast this spell, and on following turns for one minute, you get to make an attack against a creature, dealing 1d8 force damage to your target. This spell is especially powerful as clerics can use it alongside their very powerful concentration spells.

1

Healing Word

Heal Wounds From A Distance

• First Level
• School of Evocation
• Available to Bards, Clerics, and Druids

There are many powerful healing spells and effects in D&D, but healing word is always regarded as one of the most powerful spells in the game. The spell lets you heal an ally within 60 feet with a bonus action for 1d4 plus your spell casting ability modifier.

While the healing of this spell is very miniscule, the way D&D combat, specifically, going unconscious during combat works, a single casting of this spell allows you to bring an ally back into the fight very efficiently. This can often lead to unrealistic moment where one character keeps going unconscious, while a healer bring them back into the fight over and over again. When it comes to keeping up the action economy, healing word is the most powerful healing spell in the game.