Introduction
At 6th through 9th circle, choose a spell for an endgame job: isolate a priority threat, reshape a dangerous area, restore a party, cross a campaign-scale obstacle, or establish a lasting protection. These slots are scarce, so a spell needs a situation where a lower-circle alternative cannot do the same work.
Tales of the Valiant organizes spells by four sources: Arcane, Divine, Primordial, and Wyrd. Class progression and class features determine the source lists and circles available to a character. Before selecting a high-circle spell, confirm source access, casting time, duration, target limits, and whether the spell requires concentration. Casting a second concentration spell ends the first one.
Cross-list access changes a character's options, but it is not a reason to select a spell in isolation. Verify the class feature that grants access, then choose the spell that covers a real party gap or recurring campaign problem. A strong high-circle pick has a useful job even when its most dramatic scene does not appear that day.
The Old Margreve adds high-circle rituals with a campaign-facing purpose. Conjure Forest Defender and Forest Sanctuary matter most when the group protects, develops, or repeatedly returns to a wild location. Their value depends on the campaign rather than a generic encounter rating.
Labyrinth Worldbook adds high-circle spells and rituals centered on Void effects, mazes, gravity, transformation, and difficult travel or infrastructure problems. Event Horizon, Void Rift, Yggdrasil Form, Greater Maze, and Unfathomable Emptiness are specialist options to compare against the core list, not automatic replacements for it.
Player's Guide 2 expands the Arcane, Divine, Primordial, and Wyrd lists. It also identifies Theurge as an Arcane and Divine caster and Witch as a Wyrd caster. Confirm which supplemental books are allowed at your table before building a plan around their spell lists.
For class-specific spell guides, see: Bard · Cleric · Druid · Sorcerer · Theurge · Warlock · Witch · Wizard
How to Use This Guide
Spells are rated from the perspective of the class or classes that access each list natively. Cross-list access (Magical Secrets, Mystic Arcanum) is called out explicitly. Ratings reflect general optimization across a wide variety of campaigns — your table's style always takes priority.
- ● Avoid this option.
- ● Situational. Strong in the right campaign or build, but not reliable in general play.
- ● A solid choice with a dependable job.
- ● A top-tier option that can define play at this tier.
6th Circle Spells
Arcane 6th Circle
Blade Barrier (Evocation) — ● Green A wall of slashing blades that deals 6d10 on a failed DEX save. It requires concentration but blocks physical movement effectively. At 6th circle, this is one of the better area-denial tools available.
Chain Lightning (Evocation) — ● Green 10d8 lightning to a primary target that chains to three others for half damage, no concentration. The multi-target economy is excellent against clustered groups. Falls off against single bosses.
Circle of Death (Necromancy; also Divine, Wyrd) — ● Orange 8d6 necrotic in a 60-foot radius. The damage ceiling is decent but the save-or-half profile without secondary effects means it will underperform against high-CON enemies. Concentration-free is appreciated.
Disintegrate (Transmutation; also Wyrd) — ● Blue 10d6+40 force damage on a failed DEX save. On a kill, the target is reduced to dust — no resurrection without Wish or True Resurrection. This is a reliable damage spike against single targets and the force damage type is virtually unresisted. The guaranteed destruction clause changes the game against undead-adjacent encounters.
Flesh to Stone (Transmutation) — ● Green Petrify a target that fails three CON saves over successive turns. Concentration-dependent but the outcome — a completely incapacitated creature that does not even need to be watched — is exceptional if it lands. Volatile against high-CON targets.
Freezing Sphere (Evocation) — ● Green Cold damage sphere you can use immediately or save as a delayed grenade. The delayed-grenade mechanic is novel. Less consistently powerful than Chain Lightning but more flexible.
Globe of Invulnerability (Abjuration) — ● Blue A 10-foot bubble that blocks all spells of 5th circle or lower from entering. Concentration-required, but against spellcasting enemies this is an impenetrable defensive shell. Changes encounters against mages fundamentally.
Ghostly Form (Player's Guide 2) (Transmutation; also Wyrd) — ● Green Become incorporeal, gain a flying speed, move through creatures and objects, and pick up a bundle of resistances and condition immunities. Excellent escape, infiltration, and survival magic. It is not as fight-ending as Irresistible Dance, but it is much better at making sure the caster is still around to be smug later.
Irresistible Dance (Enchantment; also Wyrd) — ● Blue No save to begin the effect — the target starts dancing and only gets a WIS save at the end of each of its turns. In the meantime, it has disadvantage on DEX saves and attack rolls while granting advantage to attackers. Against a single powerful enemy, this is one of the most reliable lockdowns at any tier.
King of Nothing (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Enchantment) — ● Orange CHA-save Humanoid-only psychic damage that can make the target insubstantial once it drops below half HP. The flavor is excellent and the death clause is brutal, but the target restriction and concentration requirement make it a specialist pick.
Life Drain (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Necromancy; also Divine) — ● Green Area necrotic damage that converts half the damage dealt into healing for chosen creatures near the victims. This is one of the better Labyrinth bridge spells: not just damage, not just healing, and especially nasty against clustered enemies.
Mass Suggestion (Enchantment; also Wyrd) — ● Green Suggestion scaled to twelve creatures. Social-encounter power that can also redirect entire enemy groups in the right narrative setup. Campaign-dependent; less powerful in pure dungeon combat.
Programmed Illusion (Illusion) — ● Orange A stored illusion that triggers on conditions you set. Creative but niche. GMs and players who lean into illusion-based problem-solving will find this compelling; general combat builds should skip it.
Prismatic Longbow (Labyrinth Worldbook / Player's Guide 2) (Evocation; also Divine) — ● Green Creates a concentration bow with seven one-use arrow colors, mixing damage with riders like petrification and banishment. It asks for repeated actions and both hands, but the flexibility is real if the fight is expected to last. Player's Guide 2 also puts it on Divine, which is big news for Theurge.
Pluck Soul (Player's Guide 2) (Necromancy; also Wyrd) — ● Orange Pull the soul from a low-HP Humanoid and store it in a gem. The flavor is incredible and the recovery option is nasty, but the HP threshold and Humanoid restriction make it a closer, not a default 6th-circle plan.
True Seeing (Divination; also Divine, Wyrd) — ● Green Truesight for 1 hour. Campaign-dependent but when you need it, nothing else does the job.
Water Sentinel (Player's Guide 2) (Conjuration) — ● Green Summon a water elemental-style ally with extra water-control actions. Stronger in terrain-heavy fights than clean boss rooms, but the action economy is real and the water tricks matter in naval, swamp, sewer, and flood encounters.
Void Rift (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Evocation; also Wyrd) — ● Green Long-range Void terrain that pulls creatures toward a damaging center and destroys unattended objects. It is slower than a clean blast spell, but it can make a large area hostile for multiple rounds while forcing movement decisions.
Wall of Ice (Evocation; also Primordial) — ● Green A wall of panels that deal cold damage when shattered. Strong terrain control with a damage component. Less dominant than Wall of Force (which is 5th circle) but still a reliable 6th circle pick.
Divine 6th Circle
Blade Barrier (Evocation) — ● Blue On the Divine list, Blade Barrier is a strong 6th-circle damage wall. It requires concentration, so use it when sealing a choke point is worth giving up another sustained effect.
Create Undead (Necromancy; also Arcane) — ● Orange Create ghouls or more powerful undead. Campaign-dependent. In a necromancer-themed build or a campaign that rewards persistent minion use, this is worthwhile. In a dungeon-crawl context with frequent long rests, it has consistent value.
Forbiddance (Abjuration) — ● Orange Ward an area against magical travel and deal damage to specific creature types. Extraordinary in defensive setups or dungeon-prep scenarios. Nearly useless in offensive or roaming play.
Heroes' Feast (Conjuration; also Primordial) — ● Green Immunity to poison and fear, advantage on WIS saves, and a HP maximum increase for 24 hours. Pre-adventure buff that offers meaningful statistical weight across the entire party. The duration means you can cast this the morning before a fight. Excellent.
Harm (Necromancy; also Wyrd) — ● Green Up to 14d6 necrotic damage that cannot reduce the target below 1 HP, plus it lowers their hit point maximum. The capped-at-1 clause is a frustrating limitation, but the max-HP reduction can effectively doom a target before the party piles on. Reliable damage without concentration.
Life Drain (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Necromancy; also Arcane) — ● Green See Arcane assessment. Clerics normally win with direct healing, but this is a credible battle-Cleric option when enemies are grouped and allies are wounded.
Planar Ally (Conjuration; also Wyrd) — ● Orange Call an extraplanar entity and negotiate for its service. GM-dependent. Creatively powerful but unpredictable.
Prismatic Longbow (Labyrinth Worldbook / Player's Guide 2) (Evocation; also Arcane) — ● Green Player's Guide 2 adding this to Divine is a real Theurge moment. Clerics may not love spending repeated attacks with a magical bow, but Theurges can use it as a flexible encounter-long damage plan when the party needs varied riders more than another save-or-suck.
Pronouncement of Doom (Player's Guide 2) (Enchantment; also Wyrd) — ● Green A high-circle curse-style debuff that marks an enemy for misery. It is at its best when the party is ready to focus-fire the target immediately. The spell is not subtle, but neither is pointing at the villain and announcing that the meeting has been cancelled.
Righteous Fervor (Player's Guide 2) (Enchantment) — ● Blue The Divine 6th-circle PG2 standout. Party-wide offensive momentum is exactly what high-level Divine casting wants: fewer isolated hero moments, more "everyone is suddenly better at ending this fight." Theurge and Cleric should both flag this before reaching for flashier damage.
True Seeing (Divination) — ● Green See above. Great when the campaign calls for it.
Primordial 6th Circle
Conjure Forest Defender (The Old Margreve) (Conjuration; also Wyrd; Ritual) — ● Green Ritually animate a Humanoid body in a forest into a persistent forest defender that uses vine golem statistics. The 1-hour casting time, forest requirement, and body component make this campaign-specific, but a no-concentration ally that lasts until destroyed is real long-term value.
Heal (Necromancy; also Divine) — ● Blue 70 HP restored, all conditions removed. One of the best healing spells in the game by sheer efficiency. No concentration, no saving throw required. When an ally is going down in a boss fight, this is the answer.
Move Earth (Transmutation) — ● Orange Reshape terrain over ten minutes. Exceptional in exploration or preparation; essentially useless mid-combat.
Sunbeam (Evocation; also Divine) — ● Green Concentration beam that deals 6d8 radiant and blinds, reusable each turn as an action. Against undead or creatures vulnerable to radiant, this is devastating. Concentration cost and action economy limit its ceiling.
Transport via Plants (Conjuration) — ● Orange Teleportation using plants. Campaign-flavored utility. Situationally excellent, typically niche.
Wall of Ice (Evocation) — ● Green Same as Arcane. Strong terrain control.
Wall of Thorns (Evocation) — ● Green A wall of dense thorns that damages creatures passing through and turns terrain into difficult terrain. A Druid's versatile zoning tool for outdoor encounters.
Wind Walk (Transmutation) — ● Green Allies become fast-moving clouds. Excellent exploration and travel magic. In a campaign with meaningful travel sequences, Wind Walk is invaluable.
Wreath of Flames (Player's Guide 2) (Evocation) — ● Green Primordial casters get a strong fire-themed pressure spell that rewards being near the fight without pretending every Druid wants to stand politely in the back. It is not as universally important as Heal, but it gives battle-Druids a clean PG2 damage posture.
Yggdrasil Form (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Transmutation) — ● Blue Turns you into a treant form with a fresh HP pool and physical presence while retaining key proficiencies and usable features. It is not subtle, but it gives Primordial casters a true high-circle battle form before Shapechange.
Wyrd 6th Circle
Conjure Forest Defender (The Old Margreve) (Conjuration; also Primordial; Ritual) — ● Green See Primordial assessment. For Warlocks, this is an unusually durable ritual-style minion option if the campaign gives you access to forests, time, and the very grim material component.
Circle of Death (Necromancy) — ● Orange Same as Arcane assessment. Low floor on damage.
Disintegrate (Transmutation) — ● Blue Available to Warlocks via Mystic Arcanum. Outstanding single-target damage.
Eyebite (Transmutation) — ● Green Concentration, but each turn you can apply one of three effects to a creature: frightened (and fleeing), unconscious, or poisoned with disadvantage. The unconscious option is remarkable — if the target fails its WIS save, it drops. Warlocks benefit here because Eyebite synergizes with sustained concentration over multiple rounds.
Harm (Necromancy) — ● Green Same as Divine assessment. Solid.
Ghostly Form (Player's Guide 2) (Transmutation; also Arcane) — ● Green See Arcane assessment. Witches like this more than Warlocks because a full Wyrd caster can prepare it when scouting, infiltration, or incorporeal movement actually matters instead of burning a precious Mystic Arcanum slot.
Irresistible Dance (Enchantment) — ● Blue Outstanding for Warlocks who benefit from one locked-down enemy while they blast with Eldritch Blast.
Mass Suggestion (Enchantment) — ● Green See Arcane assessment.
Pluck Soul (Player's Guide 2) (Necromancy; also Arcane) — ● Orange See Arcane assessment. Wyrd casters get the nastier version of high-circle bookkeeping here: great villain magic, narrower adventuring pick.
Pronouncement of Doom (Player's Guide 2) (Enchantment; also Divine) — ● Green See Divine assessment. This is one of the better PG2 Witch picks because it plays into Wyrd's "make one target's life unravel" identity.
True Seeing (Divination) — ● Green See above.
Void Bubble (Player's Guide 2) (Evocation) — ● Green A Wyrd area-control spell that brings the Void flavor without asking you to wait until 8th or 9th circle. Good for Witches who want a real battlefield spell and Warlocks who want their 6th-circle Mystic Arcanum to do more than bonk one target.
Void Rift (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Evocation; also Arcane) — ● Green See Arcane assessment. Warlocks like this as a Mystic Arcanum option when they want a large-area control spell rather than another single-target shutdown.
7th Circle Spells
Arcane 7th Circle
Arcane Sword (Evocation) — ● Orange A floating sword that deals 3d10 force as a bonus action. Action to create, bonus action to attack. The economy is awkward — you lose your bonus action every round to maintain a weapon while your action is better spent casting. Rarely optimal.
Delayed Blast Fireball (Evocation) — ● Green Fireball you can hold for up to a minute, building in intensity before detonating. Concentration dependency during the delay is the limitation. When the setup works, the payoff is massive.
Conjure Voidborn (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Conjuration; also Wyrd) — ● Green Summons a CR 6 or lower Aberration or Fiend for up to an hour. The creature is powerful but dangerous: if concentration breaks, it remains and turns hostile. Strong when you can command the battlefield, risky when you cannot.
Event Horizon (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Evocation; also Wyrd) — ● Blue Creates a gravity well around a Large or smaller creature, pulling nearby creatures in, restraining them, and turning the area around the target into dangerous terrain. It is concentration, but it can turn one enemy into a moving battlefield problem.
Etherealness (Transmutation; also Wyrd) — ● Green Enter the Ethereal Plane until the spell ends. Escape from almost any situation, scout areas, or set up ambushes. Niche in pure combat but uniquely powerful in the right scenario.
Finger of Death (Necromancy; also Divine, Wyrd) — ● Blue 7d8+30 necrotic. On a kill, the target immediately rises as a zombie under your control permanently. The zombie persists beyond the spell — no concentration, no duration. Use this to convert powerful humanoid enemies into permanent allies. One of the strongest spells at this tier.
Fire Storm (Evocation; also Primordial) — ● Green Ten 10-foot cubes of fire you arrange however you like, dealing 7d10 fire damage. The flexible cube arrangement makes this excellent for covering unusual encounter terrain. Does not harm plants if you prefer.
Forcecage (Evocation; also Wyrd) — ● Blue A cube of force that traps any creature you can see within range. No save to be trapped — the creature simply is. No concentration. Lasts one hour. Against any single powerful enemy that lacks teleportation, this is effectively a win condition. One of the best spells in the game.
Mutual Doom (Player's Guide 2) (Necromancy; also Wyrd) — ● Orange Linked punishment magic with a high ceiling and a very real "are we sure about this?" floor. Good for parties that can isolate targets or exploit damage sharing; worse when the melee line treats clustering as a lifestyle.
Petrifying Chains (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Evocation; also Wyrd) — ● Green Necrotic damage plus staged petrification, with disadvantage on follow-up saves if the target has taken other necrotic damage. It is less clean than Forcecage but much nastier in a necrotic-heavy party.
Prismatic Spray (Evocation) — ● Green Seven rays with random effects. The variance is the feature — some results are devastating (petrified, transported to another plane). Fine for AoE chaos in a large enemy group.
Project Image (Illusion) — ● Orange Create an illusion of yourself you can perceive through and cast spells through. Strong for reconnaissance or social situations. Complex action economy limits combat utility.
Reverse Gravity (Transmutation; also Primordial) — ● Blue Everything not anchored in a 50-foot radius falls upward, taking fall damage when the spell ends. Concentration, but the initial fall damage alone is enormous, and every airborne creature is incapacitated in a practical sense. Against enemies without flight or teleportation, this ends fights.
Sequester (Transmutation; also Divine) — ● Orange Hide a target in stasis, hidden from divination. Extraordinary for long-term storage or puzzle-trap scenarios. Nearly irrelevant in combat.
Teleport (Conjuration) — ● Blue Transport the entire party up to any known location on the same plane. The travel utility of Teleport is difficult to overstate in a campaign with faction politics, multiple dungeons, or time pressure. A functional necessity at high levels.
War Vessel (Labyrinth Worldbook / Player's Guide 2) (Conjuration; Ritual) — ● Orange Conjures a permanent gargantuan warship with weapons, furnishing, food, and invisible servants for crew support. This is campaign infrastructure, not a dungeon spell, but naval or Labyrinth-travel campaigns can make it matter.
Divine 7th Circle
Divine Word (Evocation) — ● Blue Creatures you choose that can hear you suffer effects based on their HP: deafened, blinded, stunned, or instantly killed at 20 HP or fewer. No concentration, no attack roll. Kills weaker creatures outright and severely debilitates others. Outstanding in fights with mixed enemy groups.
Finger of Death (Necromancy) — ● Blue On the Divine list, this is available to Clerics who lean into necromancy themes. See Arcane assessment. One of the most powerful spells at 7th circle.
Plane Shift (Conjuration; also Wyrd) — ● Green Send allies to another plane or banish an enemy to one with a melee spell attack. The banish-an-enemy use is a single-target remove — target must find their own way back. Also a functional travel spell.
Regenerate (Transmutation; also Primordial) — ● Green Restores lost limbs and grants 1 HP per turn for an hour. The long-duration regeneration is exceptional for sustained combat. In campaigns where injury or limb-loss is possible, this is essential.
Resurrection (Necromancy) — ● Green Resurrect a creature dead for up to 100 years, restoring them completely. The cost (a diamond worth 1,000 gp) is the limitation. Functionally, this and Finger of Death are the highest-stakes uses of a 7th circle Divine slot.
Sequester (Transmutation) — ● Orange See Arcane assessment.
Primordial 7th Circle
Fire Storm (Evocation) — ● Green See Arcane assessment. Strong here on the Druid's list where fire-damage options are less common.
Four Winds (Transmutation) — ● Green Whirlwinds that bludgeon and toss foes. Unique Primordial-exclusive effect. Excellent zoning and forced movement.
Nacreous Shell (Player's Guide 2) (Abjuration) — ● Green Emergency durability magic for when the monster's turn went badly and the table suddenly got quiet. It is not glamorous, but keeping a high-level caster or frontline ally from falling over is worth more than another pile of dice.
Regenerate (Transmutation) — ● Green See Divine assessment.
Reverse Gravity (Transmutation) — ● Blue Available on the Primordial list. Same dominant assessment as Arcane.
Transmogrification (Transmutation) — ● Green Give yourself monstrous traits. A Druid-exclusive self-buff that is powerful in builds oriented around physical transformation.
Wyrd 7th Circle
Etherealness (Transmutation) — ● Green See Arcane assessment. Useful for the Warlock who wants an escape valve or reconnaissance option.
Conjure Voidborn (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Conjuration; also Arcane) — ● Green See Arcane assessment. Warlocks can make strong thematic use of this, but the "hostile if concentration breaks" clause is exactly the kind of drawback that punishes careless Mystic Arcanum choices.
Event Horizon (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Evocation; also Arcane) — ● Blue See Arcane assessment. This is one of the best Labyrinth Worldbook Wyrd additions because it gives Warlocks a true battlefield control option at 7th circle.
Finger of Death (Necromancy) — ● Blue Outstanding for Warlocks via Mystic Arcanum at 13th level. The zombie clause is permanent and concentrations-free — arguably the best 7th-circle Mystic Arcanum pick available.
Forcecage (Evocation) — ● Blue Available on the Wyrd list. Warlocks accessing this via Mystic Arcanum gain one free fight-winning cage per long rest.
Plane Shift (Conjuration) — ● Green See Divine assessment. Useful Wyrd access.
Petrifying Chains (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Evocation; also Arcane) — ● Green See Arcane assessment. It is not as reliable as Forcecage, but Warlocks with necrotic support can make the staged petrification much more threatening.
Mutual Doom (Player's Guide 2) (Necromancy; also Arcane) — ● Orange A wonderfully rude linked-fate spell that asks whether your party can exploit shared consequences without catching themselves in the blast radius. Strong at a table that enjoys dangerous setups; bad if your group's tactical plan is "stand near the problem and hope."
Void Embrace (Player's Guide 2) (Evocation) — ● Green Wyrd gets a bigger Void damage-and-control button here. It is the kind of spell that makes Witch feel like a full caster with its own endgame identity, not someone borrowing Warlock's dramatic coat.
Vision Voyage (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Conjuration; Ritual) — ● Orange Transports a willing group to another world after an uninterrupted dream voyage. It is useless in combat and highly campaign-dependent, but it is a major planar-travel tool when the Labyrinth itself is the campaign.
8th Circle Spells
Arcane 8th Circle
Antimagic Field (Abjuration) — ● Blue A 10-foot antimagic sphere around you. Spells cannot be cast, magic items go mundane, summoned creatures vanish. Concentration, but in the right situation — fighting a lich, a caster, a summoner — this entirely negates the enemy's toolkit. Paired with a melee-heavy party, it is backbreaking.
Demiplane (Conjuration; also Wyrd) — ● Green Open a door to a small extradimensional space. Prison, storage, or staging area. Niche but uniquely powerful for creative play.
Body of Ruin (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Evocation; also Wyrd) — ● Green Infects a Humanoid with Void energy that either damages the target heavily or forces it to release damaging pulses around itself. The Humanoid-only limit hurts, but when it lands it turns enemy positioning into a liability.
Feeblemind (Enchantment) — ● Blue Target's INT and CHA drop to 1, they cannot cast spells, use magic items, or communicate meaningfully. On a failed INT save, this effectively removes a caster from the fight permanently (or until healed with Greater Restoration). Against BBEG spellcasters, this is a priority pick.
Glimpse of the Void (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Enchantment) — ● Green Large-area INT-save terror that locks creatures into incoherent panic and random movement. It is concentration and does not solve every creature type, but it can dismantle clustered enemy groups that fail mental saves.
Glibness (Transmutation; also Divine) — ● Orange Your CHA checks and save rolls are treated as a 15 minimum. Exceptional for social campaigns; largely irrelevant in dungeon combat.
Greater Dominate (Enchantment; also Wyrd) — ● Blue Control any creature, not just Humanoids. Turn a powerful monster against its allies. One of the most swingy spells in the game — landing this on the right creature ends the encounter.
Incite Strife (Player's Guide 2) (Enchantment) — ● Green Turn enemy coordination into enemy conflict. This is not the cleanest boss-killer, but against elite groups it can make the other side spend its best actions making HR complaints with swords.
Incendiary Cloud (Conjuration) — ● Green A 20-foot cloud of fire that deals 10d8 each turn. Concentration, movable. Against enemies that cannot easily escape or teleport, the sustained damage is remarkable.
Maze (Conjuration; also Wyrd) — ● Blue Banish a creature to an extradimensional labyrinth. They are gone until they solve the maze — DC 20 INT check, or 10 minutes, whichever comes first. Non-Minotaurs with average INT will almost certainly spend the full duration trapped. One of the cleanest single-target removals in the game.
Mind Blank (Abjuration) — ● Green Immunity to psychic damage and all mental effects for 24 hours. Extraordinary protection against telepathic or enchantment-heavy enemies. Cast it the morning before a known encounter.
Power Word Stun (Enchantment; also Divine, Wyrd) — ● Green Stun a creature with 150 HP or fewer — no save initially. It gets a CON save at the end of each of its turns. Against a boss at moderate HP, this is potentially a multi-turn lockdown.
Pierce the Veil (Player's Guide 2) (Divination; also Wyrd) — ● Green High-circle anti-deception and mental pressure magic for campaigns where hidden truths are not just flavor text. Stronger in intrigue, planar, and occult campaigns than in straight monster rooms.
Power Word Petrify (Player's Guide 2) (Enchantment; also Divine, Wyrd) — ● Green The Power Word package gets a statue button. Like the other Power Word spells, the HP threshold is the whole game: devastating when timed correctly, embarrassing when fired into a creature that still has too much health and self-esteem.
Sigil in Yellow (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Enchantment; also Wyrd; Ritual) — ● Orange Creates a hidden mesmerizing sigil that can alert you, let you perceive or read the target, or briefly take precise control. Incredible for traps, surveillance, and intrigue; too slow and prepared to be a normal adventuring spell.
Divine 8th Circle
Antipathy/Sympathy (Enchantment; also Primordial, Wyrd) — ● Orange Attract or repel specific creature types from an area. Powerful for garrison defense or lair preparation. Impractical mid-adventure.
Control Weather (Transmutation; also Primordial) — ● Orange Dramatically alter local weather over 5 miles. Extraordinary world-affecting utility. Ten minutes to take effect — not a combat spell.
Glibness (Transmutation) — ● Orange See Arcane assessment.
Holy Aura (Abjuration) — ● Blue Allies in 30 feet gain advantage on saves, enemies who hit them with melee attacks are blinded. Concentration, but a 30-foot radius that makes your entire party substantially harder to kill is exactly what the Cleric wants to be doing in the final fights.
Power Word Stun (Enchantment) — ● Green See Arcane assessment.
Power Word Petrify (Player's Guide 2) (Enchantment; also Arcane, Wyrd) — ● Green See Arcane assessment. Divine casters appreciate having a hard condition finisher that does not pretend to be healing. Sometimes the best support is turning the monster into decor.
Sunburst (Evocation; also Primordial) — ● Green 60-foot radius explosion of blinding radiant. Solid AoE that blinds on a failed CON save. Against undead or sun-sensitive creatures, this is brutal.
Primordial 8th Circle
Animal Shapes (Transmutation) — ● Green Transform any number of willing allies into Beasts of CR 4 or lower. The tactical flexibility — frontliners become CR 4 Beasts, the party adapts to the scenario — is strong in a Druid's hands.
Earthquake (Evocation) — ● Green Open fissures, damage structures, impose concentration saves. The scale of terrain disruption is unmatched. In outdoor or dungeon encounters with structural elements, Earthquake changes the physical battlefield entirely.
Geyser Surge (Player's Guide 2) (Evocation) — ● Green Big water pressure for Primordial casters: movement disruption, verticality, and damage in one terrain-conscious package. It is better in maps with water, pits, ledges, ships, or bridges, which is to say it gets fun when the map is not a featureless rectangle.
Overgrowth (Player's Guide 2) (Transmutation) — ● Blue This is the PG2 Primordial spell to circle. Massive plant-based battlefield control and restraint pressure lets a Druid turn the map into a problem the enemies have to solve before they can solve the party.
Sunburst (Evocation) — ● Green See Divine assessment.
Tidal Wave (Evocation) — ● Green A massive wave of water. Deals bludgeoning damage, knocks creatures prone, and reshapes terrain. Excellent battlefield control with a large area of effect.
Wyrd 8th Circle
Demiplane (Conjuration) — ● Green See Arcane assessment.
Body of Ruin (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Evocation; also Arcane) — ● Green See Arcane assessment. The Humanoid restriction is more painful on a once-per-long-rest Warlock pick, but it is nasty in political, cult, and mage-hunting campaigns.
Greater Dominate (Enchantment) — ● Blue Outstanding for Warlocks via Mystic Arcanum — turning a powerful creature against its allies for free, once per long rest, is fight-defining.
Maze (Conjuration) — ● Blue Outstanding Mystic Arcanum pick for Warlocks. One free removal per long rest.
Power Word Stun (Enchantment) — ● Green See Arcane assessment.
Pierce the Veil (Player's Guide 2) (Divination; also Arcane) — ● Green See Arcane assessment. Witch likes this as occult utility that still belongs in a high-circle slot; Warlock should be more cautious because Mystic Arcanum wants fight-winners first.
Power Word Petrify (Player's Guide 2) (Enchantment; also Arcane, Divine) — ● Green See Arcane assessment. Wyrd getting this matters most for Witch, because a prepared caster can hold it for the right fight instead of stapling a once-per-day Warlock choice to a conditional HP threshold.
Sigil in Yellow (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Enchantment; also Arcane; Ritual) — ● Orange See Arcane assessment. A Warlock with time, secrecy, and a patron-flavored lair can turn this into a terrifying information trap.
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Start Building9th Circle Spells
Arcane 9th Circle
Gate (Conjuration; also Wyrd) — ● Green Open a portal to another plane and summon a creature of your choice through it. If the named creature fails to resist, it arrives. This is the most reliable way to call a specific powerful creature to your aid — or send a specific powerful enemy away. Wish is usually better, but Gate has situational dominance.
Greater Maze (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Conjuration; also Wyrd) — ● Blue A harsher Maze variant that also damages the banished target each round and requires two successful DC 20 INT checks to escape. If the enemy is bad at INT checks, this is a brutal single-target removal spell.
Meteor Swarm (Evocation; also Primordial) — ● Blue 40d6 fire + bludgeoning damage split across four explosions covering an enormous area. The most raw damage output of any 9th-circle spell. In encounters with large numbers of enemies spread across an open area, this wipes encounters. Against single bosses with fire resistance, it underperforms.
Power Word Kill (Enchantment; also Divine, Wyrd) — ● Green Kill a creature with 100 HP or fewer instantly, no save. The HP threshold is the constraint — the most powerful enemies at this tier often have more than 100 HP. Against lieutenants or weakened bosses, this is a clean win. Against a full-health boss, hold this for the moment they drop below the threshold.
Prismatic Wall (Abjuration) — ● Green A rainbow wall with seven layers, each with a different devastating effect. The layers must be destroyed in order. Exceptional for blocking passages or protecting a position — nearly impossible for most creatures to breach.
Time Stop (Transmutation) — ● Blue Take 1d4+1 turns in a row while everyone else is frozen. Stack buffs, reposition, set up zones, force-cage an enemy while they cannot react. The amount of preparation you can front-load in three to five free turns is staggering. One of the strongest combat spells at 9th circle.
True Polymorph (Transmutation; also Primordial) — ● Blue Transform any creature or object into any creature or object. If concentration holds for one hour, the transformation is permanent. Turn an ally into a dragon. Turn the BBEG into a pebble. Permanently. The most flexible and potentially decisive spell in the game.
Unfathomable Emptiness (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Divination) — ● Blue No-concentration INT-save shutdown against up to three creatures. Failed saves stun first, then can degrade into incapacitation. The 30-foot range is dangerous, but the action economy swing is exactly what a 9th-circle control spell should do.
Wraithblade (Player's Guide 2) (Necromancy; also Wyrd) — ● Green The PG2 necrotic weapon fantasy for casters who still want their 9th-circle spell to involve personally ruining someone. It is less universally correct than Wish or Time Stop, but for gish-leaning Arcane builds and Witch themes, it has real style and enough bite to avoid being pure cosplay.
Weird (Illusion; also Wyrd) — ● Green Phantasmal Killer scaled to every creature of your choice in a 30-foot sphere. Psychic damage every turn, concentration-frightened state. The multi-target application of an already-strong spell.
Wish (Conjuration) — ● Blue Replicate any spell of 8th circle or lower without expending a slot or components. Or wish for something unique and risk permanent Wish loss. The replication use alone makes Wish the most consistently powerful 9th circle spell in the game. Always take Wish.
Divine 9th Circle
Foresight (Divination; also Primordial) — ● Blue Advantage on every check and save, enemies always have disadvantage against you. No concentration. Eight hours. Cast this before a boss fight and you are statistically dominant for the entire encounter.
Mass Heal (Necromancy; also Primordial) — ● Blue Restore 700 HP divided across any number of creatures within range. Also ends blinded, deafened, and paralyzed conditions. In a fight where the party is on the ropes, Mass Heal can bring everyone back from the edge in a single action. No spell restores as much HP this efficiently.
Power Word Kill (Enchantment) — ● Green See Arcane assessment.
Power Word Recover (Enchantment) — ● Blue Fully restore an ally's hit points. No concentration, no save needed. When your Fighter has one hit point and the boss hasn't gone yet, this wins rounds.
Storm of Vengeance (Conjuration; also Primordial) — ● Green A 10-round storm that deals escalating effects each round — acid rain, lightning bolts, thunder claps. The total damage output over a full 10-round encounter is massive, but concentration over that many rounds is the catch. In prolonged fights, extraordinary.
Infernal Dominion (Player's Guide 2) (Enchantment) — ● Green High-circle infernal control for Divine casters who want the room to understand that mercy was available earlier. It is specialized and campaign-flavored, but it gives Cleric and Theurge a 9th-circle option that is not just emergency healing.
Sun Cycle (Labyrinth Worldbook / Player's Guide 2) (Transmutation; also Primordial; Ritual) — ● Orange See Primordial assessment. Divine casters use this less as nature magic and more as a temple, settlement, or stronghold-scale time tool.
True Resurrection (Necromancy) — ● Green Resurrect someone dead up to 200 years, reconstruct them completely even without remains. The ultimate insurance policy.
Primordial 9th Circle
Forest Sanctuary (The Old Margreve) (Abjuration; Ritual) — ● Orange Protect a 200-foot cube of forest from environmental threats for 24 hours, including storms, strong winds, floods, and comparable magical effects. This is not a combat spell; it is a domain spell for defending a sacred grove, base, village, or Margreve refuge. The year-long permanent version is campaign infrastructure, not adventuring utility.
Sun Cycle (Labyrinth Worldbook / Player's Guide 2) (Transmutation; also Divine; Ritual) — ● Orange Accelerates a 300-foot sphere so a full day passes inside in one minute. This is powerful campaign infrastructure for daily-use recovery, projects, and environmental pressure, but it is too strange and limited to rate like a normal 9th-circle adventuring spell.
Mass Heal (Necromancy) — ● Blue See Divine assessment. Druids rarely get this kind of healing throughput.
Meteor Swarm (Evocation) — ● Blue See Arcane assessment.
Metamorphosis (Transmutation) — ● Green Permanently alter an ally's physical form. A unique Primordial-exclusive permanent transformation effect with significant narrative and mechanical implications.
Shapechange (Transmutation) — ● Blue Transform into any creature of a CR equal to your level for up to one hour. Unlike Wild Shape, this includes Legendary Creatures and Dragons. A Druid at 17th level can become a CR 17 creature with full statistics. Concentration is the cost, but the power ceiling is extraordinary.
Storm of Vengeance (Conjuration) — ● Green See Divine assessment.
True Polymorph (Transmutation) — ● Blue See Arcane assessment.
Wyrd 9th Circle
Astral Projection (Necromancy) — ● Orange Project the party into the Astral Plane. Extremely powerful for planar exploration; campaign-dependent.
Gate (Conjuration) — ● Green Top Warlock Mystic Arcanum pick at 17th level. Free powerful summoning once per long rest.
Greater Maze (Labyrinth Worldbook) (Conjuration; also Arcane) — ● Blue See Arcane assessment. For Warlocks, this competes directly with Gate and Weird as a 9th-circle Mystic Arcanum, and it wins when single-target removal is the party's missing piece.
Imprisonment (Abjuration) — ● Green Create a unique prison for a creature — buried, chained, frozen, shrunk, or slumbering. No saving throw to maintain the effect once it lands. The single best long-term removal spell in the game for permanent NPC threats.
Power Word Kill (Enchantment) — ● Green See Arcane assessment. Excellent Warlock Mystic Arcanum option.
Star Well (Player's Guide 2) (Evocation) — ● Blue The flashy PG2 Wyrd 9th-circle pick: gravity, confinement, and endgame weirdness in one very rude package. For Witch, this is a headline spell. For Warlock, it competes with Gate and Greater Maze, but at least it competes like it showed up dressed for the finale.
Wraithblade (Player's Guide 2) (Necromancy; also Arcane) — ● Green See Arcane assessment. Witch gets the better version of the choice because Wraithblade can be prepared for the build and day rather than being locked as a Warlock's only 9th-circle Arcanum.
Weird (Illusion) — ● Green See Arcane assessment. Strong Warlock Mystic Arcanum option for crowd control.
Wish (Conjuration) — ● Blue Wish is on the Arcane list, not Wyrd, and Warlocks cannot access Wish natively. This is the gap Mystic Arcanum cannot close, which is a meaningful long-term limitation of the class.
Best Old Margreve High-Circle Picks
| Spell | Circle | Source List | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conjure Forest Defender (The Old Margreve) ● | 6th | Primordial, Wyrd | Forest campaigns, persistent guardian play |
| Forest Sanctuary (The Old Margreve) ● | 9th | Primordial | Grove defense, settlement protection, campaign infrastructure |
These are not general "take this every day" spells. They are high-circle tools for campaigns where land, forest, bases, sacred groves, or long-term magical projects matter.
Best Labyrinth Worldbook High-Circle Picks
| Spell | Circle | Source List | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event Horizon (Labyrinth Worldbook) ● | 7th | Arcane, Wyrd | Gravity restraint, melee disruption, moving control zones |
| Greater Maze (Labyrinth Worldbook) ● | 9th | Arcane, Wyrd | Single-target removal with ongoing psychic damage |
| Unfathomable Emptiness (Labyrinth Worldbook) ● | 9th | Arcane | No-concentration multi-target INT-save shutdown |
| Yggdrasil Form (Labyrinth Worldbook) ● | 6th | Primordial | Treant battle form and emergency durability |
| Void Rift (Labyrinth Worldbook) ● | 6th | Arcane, Wyrd | Void terrain, forced movement, object destruction |
| Life Drain (Labyrinth Worldbook) ● | 6th | Arcane, Divine | Area damage converted into ally healing |
| Petrifying Chains (Labyrinth Worldbook) ● | 7th | Arcane, Wyrd | Necrotic parties and staged petrification |
| Body of Ruin (Labyrinth Worldbook) ● | 8th | Arcane, Wyrd | Humanoid bosses and anti-cluster pressure |
| War Vessel (Labyrinth Worldbook / Player's Guide 2) ● | 7th | Arcane Ritual | Naval campaigns, strongholds, expedition logistics |
| Sigil in Yellow (Labyrinth Worldbook) ● | 8th | Arcane, Wyrd Ritual | Surveillance traps, lairs, intrigue play |
Labyrinth Worldbook's best high-circle spells are not trying to out-Wish Wish. They are better when the party needs a gravity lock, a Void zone, a terrifying maze, a battle form, or long-term Labyrinth infrastructure.
Best Player's Guide 2 High-Circle Picks
| Spell | Circle | Source List | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Righteous Fervor (Player's Guide 2) ● | 6th | Divine | Party offense and momentum for Cleric and Theurge |
| Overgrowth (Player's Guide 2) ● | 8th | Primordial | Huge restraint and terrain control |
| Star Well (Player's Guide 2) ● | 9th | Wyrd | Witch endgame gravity control |
| Power Word Petrify (Player's Guide 2) ● | 8th | Arcane, Divine, Wyrd | HP-threshold shutdown and boss finishing |
| Pronouncement of Doom (Player's Guide 2) ● | 6th | Divine, Wyrd | Focus-fire debuff play |
| Void Bubble (Player's Guide 2) ● | 6th | Wyrd | Mid-tier Wyrd area control |
| Nacreous Shell (Player's Guide 2) ● | 7th | Primordial | Emergency durability |
| Void Embrace (Player's Guide 2) ● | 7th | Wyrd | Void damage and control for Witch |
| Pierce the Veil (Player's Guide 2) ● | 8th | Arcane, Wyrd | Occult truth-finding and mental pressure |
| Infernal Dominion (Player's Guide 2) ● | 9th | Divine | Infernal battlefield control for Cleric and Theurge |
| Wraithblade (Player's Guide 2) ● | 9th | Arcane, Wyrd | Necrotic weapon builds and Witch style points |
| Mutual Doom (Player's Guide 2) ● | 7th | Arcane, Wyrd | Risky linked-fate damage plans |
Player's Guide 2 is strongest when it gives Witch and Theurge spells that match how those classes actually play. Witch gets a fuller Wyrd ladder, while Theurge gets more reasons to care about both Arcane and Divine preparation instead of defaulting to the same old all-stars.
Player's Guide 2 Rituals Worth Knowing
Arcane Nullification, Greater Personal Time Fold, Music of the Spheres, Soul Entanglement, Ship Ward, Greater Ward Dwelling, and Sun Cycle (Labyrinth Worldbook / Player's Guide 2) are the PG2 high-circle rituals to flag for campaign play. They are not everyday combat buttons, but they matter for strongholds, travel, linked-fate plots, planar weirdness, and any table where the party owns a place, a ship, or a problem large enough to need paperwork.
Top High-Circle Spells
| Spell | Circle | Source List | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wish ● | 9th | Arcane | Universal; replicates any 8th-circle spell |
| True Polymorph ● | 9th | Arcane, Primordial | Permanent transformation, win-conditions |
| Forcecage ● | 7th | Arcane, Wyrd | Single-target removal, no save |
| Event Horizon (Labyrinth Worldbook) ● | 7th | Arcane, Wyrd | Gravity restraint and moving control zone |
| Star Well (Player's Guide 2) ● | 9th | Wyrd | Witch endgame gravity control |
| Overgrowth (Player's Guide 2) ● | 8th | Primordial | Massive terrain restraint |
| Righteous Fervor (Player's Guide 2) ● | 6th | Divine | Party offense and Divine momentum |
| Time Stop ● | 9th | Arcane | Setup, stacking buffs, free actions |
| Greater Maze (Labyrinth Worldbook) ● | 9th | Arcane, Wyrd | Nightmare maze removal with psychic damage |
| Foresight ● | 9th | Divine, Primordial | Sustained advantage, pre-boss buff |
| Unfathomable Emptiness (Labyrinth Worldbook) ● | 9th | Arcane | No-concentration multi-target shutdown |
| Finger of Death ● | 7th | Arcane, Divine, Wyrd | Single-target + permanent zombie |
| Reverse Gravity ● | 7th | Arcane, Primordial | Mass incapacitation, battlefield domination |
| Irresistible Dance ● | 6th | Arcane, Wyrd | Single-target lockdown, no initial save |
| Yggdrasil Form (Labyrinth Worldbook) ● | 6th | Primordial | Treant battle form and durability |
| Globe of Invulnerability ● | 6th | Arcane | Anti-caster defensive bubble |
| Mass Heal ● | 9th | Divine, Primordial | 700 HP party recovery |
| Feeblemind ● | 8th | Arcane | Disable enemy casters permanently |
| Maze ● | 8th | Arcane, Wyrd | Single-target removal, no save |
| Divine Word ● | 7th | Divine | Mass debilitation, instant kills at low HP |
| Disintegrate ● | 6th | Arcane, Wyrd | Single-target force damage, prevents resurrection |
| Shapechange ● | 9th | Primordial | Become any creature of your level's CR |
Class Highlights
Wizard
The Wizard wins the high-circle game by simple breadth. Every Arcane spell on this list is available to a Wizard, and they can swap prepared spells between long rests — meaning the optimal spell for a given encounter is always accessible. Forcecage, Feeblemind, Time Stop, and Wish are the four spells that define Wizard play at tier 4. Event Horizon (Labyrinth Worldbook), Greater Maze (Labyrinth Worldbook), and Unfathomable Emptiness (Labyrinth Worldbook) expand that control package without replacing the core winners. Player's Guide 2 adds useful Arcane sidegrades like Ghostly Form, Water Sentinel, Pierce the Veil, Power Word Petrify, and Wraithblade, but Wish is still sitting at the top of the tower eating everyone else's lunch.
Cleric
The Cleric's high-circle list is built for the party, not the caster. Divine Word, Holy Aura, Mass Heal, Foresight, and Power Word Recover are all party-oriented in ways the Arcane list simply is not. Life Drain (Labyrinth Worldbook) gives Clerics a rare damage-and-healing bridge at 6th circle, while Sun Cycle (Labyrinth Worldbook / Player's Guide 2) is campaign infrastructure for temples, settlements, and long-term projects. Player's Guide 2 adds real Divine pressure through Righteous Fervor, Pronouncement of Doom, Power Word Petrify, and Infernal Dominion, which gives Clerics more ways to make a fight end before Mass Heal becomes necessary.
Druid
The Primordial list is underrated at high circles. Shapechange is the sleeper — transforming into any creature of your CR is a wildly flexible mechanic. Yggdrasil Form (Labyrinth Worldbook) gives Druids a strong 6th-circle version of that fantasy before the 9th-circle ceiling arrives. Player's Guide 2 adds Wreath of Flames, Nacreous Shell, Geyser Surge, and especially Overgrowth, giving Druids more ways to make the terrain hostile without apologizing to the furniture. The weakness is raw single-target damage — build your Druid's high-circle picks with the recognition that their role is control and transformation, not blasting.
Warlock
Labyrinth Worldbook is unusually generous to Wyrd high-circle play. Event Horizon (Labyrinth Worldbook) and Greater Maze (Labyrinth Worldbook) are legitimate Mystic Arcanum contenders, while Void Rift (Labyrinth Worldbook) and Petrifying Chains (Labyrinth Worldbook) give Warlocks more ways to fight through control instead of only damage. Player's Guide 2 adds tempting Wyrd options like Void Bubble, Void Embrace, Star Well, and Wraithblade. The catch is opportunity cost: a Warlock choosing one is often passing on Forcecage, Finger of Death, Maze, Gate, or Greater Maze.
Theurge
Theurge gets the cleanest Player's Guide 2 upgrade because it naturally cares about both Arcane and Divine. Prismatic Longbow becoming Divine matters, Righteous Fervor is an excellent party engine, and Pronouncement of Doom, Power Word Petrify, and Infernal Dominion give the class more top-end Divine pressure. The Arcane side still contributes Ghostly Form, Water Sentinel, Pierce the Veil, and the usual Wizard-grade control. See the Theurge spell guide when deciding which half of the prepared list needs to carry the day.
Witch
Witch is the real winner of the PG2 Wyrd expansion. Warlock has to lock Mystic Arcanum choices; Witch can prepare for the campaign and rotate as needed. Ghostly Form, Pluck Soul, Pronouncement of Doom, Void Bubble, Mutual Doom, Void Embrace, Pierce the Veil, Power Word Petrify, Star Well, and Wraithblade make Wyrd feel like a full high-circle list instead of a drawer full of dramatic knives. For class-specific picks, see the Witch spell guide.
Hot Takes
Hot Take: At this tier, a spell earns its scarce slot by changing who can participate in an encounter or by solving a campaign-scale problem. Forcecage, Maze, Wish, Mass Heal, and terrain effects are strongest when their source access, casting time, concentration, and target restrictions match the scene. A narrow setup spell can be decisive in its campaign without becoming a universal default.
Final Notes
At high circles, compare a spell by its job instead of its damage line. Ask whether it removes a target, protects the party, changes the map, solves a travel or ritual problem, or provides an answer nobody else in the party can supply.
Before a session, select one or two likely high-circle jobs and keep the rest of the list flexible. Check casting time, concentration, targets, components, and supplemental-book permission before assuming an impressive option works in the moment.
Campaign-facing magic deserves the same review as combat magic. The Old Margreve rituals are most useful to parties that protect a place over time, while Labyrinth Worldbook options can support unusual control, travel, and infrastructure problems. Player's Guide 2 expands the four source lists and gives Theurge and Witch players more high-circle choices to compare.
Build around the party's actual gaps and the campaign's recurring pressures. The best spell is the one your character can access, prepare or know, and cast at the moment its specific job matters.
For more spell-by-spell breakdowns, see the full class guides: Bard · Cleric · Druid · Sorcerer · Theurge · Warlock · Witch · Wizard
For the class and circle index, return to the Tales of the Valiant Spell Guides.
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