Did You Know?
- Many iconic D&D spells are named after their fictional creators — Bigby's Hand, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion. These wizards were actual player characters in Gary Gygax's original campaigns.
- The eight schools of magic in D&D (Evocation, Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Illusion, Necromancy, Transmutation) have remained remarkably stable since AD&D 2nd Edition, and most fantasy settings have borrowed them wholesale.
- Final Fantasy's spell naming convention — Fire/Fira/Firaga, Cure/Cura/Curaga — was invented because the original NES cartridge didn't have enough memory for full spell names. The tiered suffix system stuck and became one of gaming's most recognizable naming patterns.
This generator produces names for magic spells, abilities and incantations for tabletop campaigns, games and fiction, scaled to a spell level and a school of magic. Unlike the wizard name generator, it avoids character and item names: a spell name has to describe an effect.
The 62 names below are real Dungeons & Dragons 5e spells, each with its level and school, so you can see what a given level and school tends to sound like before you generate your own.
Damage and Evocation Names
| Name | Level, school and why the name works |
|---|---|
| Fire Bolt | Cantrip, evocation. Element plus delivery shape, the simplest recipe |
| Ray of Frost | Cantrip, evocation. Names the shape (ray) and the element |
| Acid Splash | Cantrip, conjuration. Substance plus a short, wet verb |
| Burning Hands | 1st-level evocation. Body part plus condition, so the range is obvious |
| Thunderwave | 1st-level evocation. One compound word, sound plus motion |
| Shatter | 2nd-level evocation. A single verb that is already the effect |
| Scorching Ray | 2nd-level evocation. Adjective plus shape |
| Fireball | 3rd-level evocation. Element plus shape, the best-known name of this type |
| Lightning Bolt | 3rd-level evocation. Element plus projectile |
| Wall of Fire | 4th-level evocation. The "[Shape] of [Element]" form |
| Cone of Cold | 5th-level evocation. Names the area of effect, not the damage |
| Chain Lightning | 6th-level evocation. A modifier that describes how it spreads |
| Sunbeam | 6th-level evocation. Light as a line, one word |
| Whirlwind | 7th-level evocation. Compound noun, no verb needed |
| Sunburst | 8th-level evocation. Same root as Sunbeam, scaled up with a different suffix |
| Earthquake | 8th-level evocation. A real phenomenon used as the name |
| Meteor Swarm | 9th-level evocation. Noun plus a collective word for scale |
Protection and Healing Names
| Name | Level, school and why the name works |
|---|---|
| Shield | 1st-level abjuration. Bare noun, reactive spell |
| Counterspell | 3rd-level abjuration. Prefix "counter-" says exactly what it answers |
| Dispel Magic | 3rd-level abjuration. Verb plus object |
| Globe of Invulnerability | 6th-level abjuration. Shape plus a long Latinate abstract noun |
| Antimagic Field | 8th-level abjuration. Anti- prefix plus area |
| Banishment | 4th-level abjuration. Action noun ending in -ment |
| Wall of Force | 5th-level evocation. Same pattern as Wall of Fire with a non-elemental noun |
| Cure Wounds | 1st-level evocation. Verb plus injury |
| Healing Word | 1st-level evocation. Treats healing as speech, so the name shows the casting style |
| Heal | 6th-level evocation. A single verb works at higher levels when it carries weight |
| Mending | Cantrip, transmutation. Quiet, domestic, matches a cantrip |
| Spirit Guardians | 3rd-level conjuration. Names what appears rather than the effect |
| Resurrection | 7th-level necromancy. Five syllables of gravity |
| True Resurrection | 9th-level necromancy. A "True" prefix marks the upgrade of an earlier spell |
Illusion, Mind and Divination Names
| Name | Level, school and why the name works |
|---|---|
| Minor Illusion | Cantrip, illusion. "Minor" marks the level in the name itself |
| Mirror Image | 2nd-level illusion. Two plain nouns that read as a picture |
| Phantasmal Force | 2nd-level illusion. "Phantasmal" is the school vocabulary |
| Major Image | 3rd-level illusion. Pairs with Minor Illusion as a size ladder |
| Mirage Arcane | 7th-level illusion. Noun-adjective order sounds scholarly |
| Charm Person | 1st-level enchantment. Verb plus target |
| Hold Person | 2nd-level enchantment. Same verb-plus-target form |
| Suggestion | 2nd-level enchantment. A soft word for a controlling spell, which fits the school |
| Dominate Monster | 8th-level enchantment. A strong verb signals the higher level |
| Geas | 5th-level enchantment. A rare archaic word, so it sounds like a binding oath |
| Clairvoyance | 3rd-level divination. Long, Latin-rooted, calm |
| Scrying | 5th-level divination. A single archaic verb |
| True Seeing | 6th-level divination. "True" again as the upgrade marker |
| Legend Lore | 5th-level divination. Alliteration reads as scholarship |
Signature, Death and Summoning Names
| Name | Level, school and why the name works |
|---|---|
| Tasha's Hideous Laughter | 1st-level enchantment. Creator's name plus an emotional adjective |
| Leomund's Tiny Hut | 3rd-level evocation. The possessive plus a small, homely noun |
| Otiluke's Resilient Sphere | 4th-level evocation. Creator, adjective, shape |
| Evard's Black Tentacles | 4th-level conjuration. Creator plus a vivid, plural image |
| Bigby's Hand | 5th-level evocation. Creator plus a body part |
| Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion | 7th-level conjuration. Alliterative and deliberately long |
| Circle of Death | 6th-level necromancy. Shape plus a blunt noun |
| Finger of Death | 7th-level necromancy. Body part plus noun, a darker twin of Burning Hands |
| Animate Dead | 3rd-level necromancy. Verb plus a collective adjective |
| Soul Cage | 6th-level necromancy. Two nouns, a metaphor for imprisonment |
| Conjure Elemental | 5th-level conjuration. School verb plus the thing summoned |
| Dimension Door | 4th-level conjuration. Alliteration plus a mundane object |
| Gate | 9th-level conjuration. One word for a high-level spell |
| Polymorph | 4th-level transmutation. Greek roots: many forms |
| Disintegrate | 6th-level transmutation. The sound of the word matches the effect |
| Time Stop | 9th-level transmutation. Two plain words, no decoration |
| Wish | 9th-level conjuration. One syllable at the top of the power scale |
Four Patterns Behind Them
Most of the names above come from four shapes. "[Adjective] [Effect]" covers Burning Hands and Scorching Ray. "[Creator]'s [Effect]" covers Bigby's Hand and Leomund's Tiny Hut. "[Effect] of [Noun]" covers Cone of Cold and Circle of Death. A single word covers Fireball, Shatter and Wish.
The generator uses all four, plus a Latin-flavoured pattern for utility and scholarly spells. It also checks the result against the spell level you pick, which is why a cantrip comes back as something like Fire Bolt rather than Meteor Swarm.
What the Generator Will Not Give You
Its prompt tells the model that a spell describes an action, not a person or object. "Flamius the Burning" is a character, and "Flame Tongue" is a weapon, so neither counts as a spell name. Run-of-the-mill pairings like "Dark Blast" or "Fire Strike" are also marked as too generic.
If you need names for the people or things around the spell, use the magic item name generator instead.
Choosing a Name by School and Level
Each school has a vocabulary. Evocation names are short and percussive (Thunderwave, Shatter). Abjuration names deny or protect (Shield, Counterspell, Banishment). Necromancy names use death words (Blight, Soul Cage). Illusion names sound unstable (Phantasmal Force, Mirage Arcane).
Level sets the weight. Cantrips are one or two plain words (Light, Mending). Mid-level spells add a modifier (Chain Lightning). 7th to 9th level reaches for single huge words or "of" phrases (Meteor Swarm, Time Stop, Storm of Vengeance).
Ability and Skill Names for Games
The same structure works for non-D&D abilities. Replace "spell" with "ability" and the patterns hold: an element plus a delivery shape (Ember Lance), a verb for an active skill (Shatter Guard), or an "of" phrase for an ultimate (Hour of Ruin). Those three are examples of the patterns, not names from a published game.
Pick the tone setting to move between serious, playful and edgy, and choose a level to set how big the name feels.
Common Questions
What are some good healing spell names?
D&D's own are plain: Cure Wounds, Healing Word, Heal, Mass Cure Wounds. They name the action or the injury and stay short. To make your own, keep that verb-plus-object shape and add a soft element, such as a light or water word.
Can I use these names for abilities or skills in a game?
Yes. The generator works for any magical ability: tabletop, video game, card game or novel. Choose the school and level that match how powerful the ability should feel.
Why do so many D&D spells have a wizard's name in them?
Names like Bigby's Hand, Tasha's Hideous Laughter and Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion credit an in-world inventor. The pattern implies the spell was researched and published, so it is best for spells you want to carry some lore.
Should a higher-level spell have a longer name?
Not always. Wish and Gate are among the shortest names at 9th level. What changes is weight: higher levels use bigger words and "of" phrases, and cantrips stay plain.
Sources
- DND 5th Edition: Spells — spell levels and schools used in the tables.
- Magic in Dungeons & Dragons (Wikipedia) — the eight schools of magic and their earlier names.
Updated October 2026: added 62 spell names with levels and schools, added sources, rewrote the FAQ from search data.
