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Lets start with what ritual casting is. In Dungeons and Dragons Fifth edition select spells my be cast without expending a spell slot if you

A: Spend 10 ADDITIONAL minutes casting it
– That means a spell that takes one action, such as Detect Magic, now takes 10 minutes and 1 action. [ 10 minutes 6 seconds ]
– And a spell that takes one hour, such as Find Familiar, now takes 1 hour 10 minutes. [ 70 minutes ]

B: You have the ability to cast spells ritually
– Wizards can ritually cast any spell in their book that has the ritual tag
– Bards, Clerics, and Druids can ritually cast any prepared spell that has the ritual tag
– Select classes have the ability to cast some spells as ritual, Such as the Pact of Tome warlocks who can scribe any ritual spell into their book for a cost

Multi-classing – all ritual ability’s are self contained. You cant take a level in Druid and expect the ability to ritually cast your Eldritch knight spells.

pages 201-202 PHB, or pages 78-79 of PBR PDF

So you want to cast some ritual spells but don’t have the ability to do so? There is a feat for that


The Ritual caster feat

Requirement: Intelligence or Wisdom of 13 or higher

You have learned a number of spells that you can cast as rituals. These spells are written in a ritual book, which you must have in hand while casting one of them.

When you choose this feat, you acquire a ritual book holding two 1st-level spells of your choice.
Choose one of the following classes: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard.
You must choose your spells from that class’s spell list, and the spells you choose must have the ritual tag.
The class you choose also determines your spellcasting ability for these spells: Charisma for bard, sorcerer, or warlock; Wisdom for cleric or druid; or Intelligence for wizard.

If you come across a spell in written form, such as a magical spell scroll or a wizard’s spellbook, you might be able to add it to your ritual book. The spell must be on the spell list for the class you chose, the spell’s level can be no higher than half your level (rounded up), and it must have the ritual tag. The process of copying the spell into your ritual book takes 2 hours per level of the spell, and costs 50 gp per level. The cost represents material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the fine inks you need to record it.

PHB 169

Pro Tip: when selecting a class for the ritual feat
Wizard: best choice. (Largest list, and it includes the spell find familiar)
Bard, Cleric, Druid: have situational uses
Sorcerer & Warlock: just don’t

(Largest list, and it includes the spell find familiar, a feature that is a spell) Adding Spells to Your Ritual Book – that are the same class as the one you chose when you picked the feat

  • Copy off a scroll.
  • Copy off out of wizard’s spellbook.

A Quick list of options


Wizard: Ritual spells
1st Level: Alarm, comprehend languages, Detect magic, Find familiar, Identify, Illusory script, Tenser’s floating disk, Unseen servant
2nd Level: Gentle repose
3rd Level: Feign death, Leomund’s tiny hut, Phantom steed, Water breathing.
5th Level: Contact other plane, Rary’s telepathic bond.
6th Level: Drawmij’s instant summons.

Cleric: Ritual spells
1st Level: Detect magic, Detect poison and disease, Purify food and drink, Speak with animals, Identify (Knowledge domain only.).
2nd Level: Augury, Gentle repose, Silence.
3rd Level: Feign death, Meld into stone, Water walk.
4th Level: Divination, 5th Leve, Commune.
6th Level: Forbiddance.

Druid: Ritual spells
1st Level: Detect magic, Detect poison and disease, purify food and drink, speak with animals.
2nd Level: Animal messenger, Beast sense, Locate animal or plants.
3rd Level: Feign death, Meld into stone, Water walk.
4th Level: Divination.
5th Level: Commune with Nature.

Bard: Ritual spells
1st Level: Comprehend languages, Detect magic, Identify, Illusory script, Unseen servant, Speak with animals.
2nd Level: Animal messenger, Locate animals or plants, Silence.
3rd Level: Feign death, Leomund’s tiny hut.


There are three different types of ritual casting available, with slightly different rules for how you accomplish casting a ritual.

Ritual Book Casting: You have a book (either a ritual book or a spellbook) which contains spells you can cast as rituals. As long as you have that book available, you can cast those ritual spells. They do not cost you any spell slots.

Prepared Rituals: Your spell list contains spells which can be cast as a ritual. If you have one of those spells prepared, you can cast it as a ritual. It does not cost you any spell slots. Note that you can still use these spells as non-ritual spells with their normal casting time, and spend a spell slot on them.

Rote Rituals: These are rituals based on spells you can cast but you don’t have to prepare them ahead of time. The two examples are the barbarian’s rituals and the Pact of the Tome warlock’s Book of Ancient Secrets feaure as applied to warlock spells already known by the warlock that have the ritual tag. This is the rarest type of ritual casting.