Spell Slots in D&D 5e: Complete Guide

Spell slots are the resource you spend to cast leveled spells. Without them, you're stuck casting cantrips. Understanding how slots work, how they recover, and how upcasting interacts is essential for any spellcaster.

The Basics

You have a table of spell slots based on your class and level. At level 3 Cleric, you have:

• 1st level: 4 slots
• 2nd level: 2 slots

You can cast a 1st-level spell by expending a 1st-level slot. You can also cast a 1st-level spell using a 2nd-level slot (that's upcasting, covered below).

Slots are a per-day resource. Long rest recovers them. Warlocks are the exception (short rest for Pact Magic slots).

Full Caster Progression

Full casters are Bards, Clerics, Druids, Sorcerers, Wizards. They gain spell levels faster:

• Level 1: 1st-level spells
• Level 3: 2nd-level
• Level 5: 3rd-level
• Level 7: 4th-level
• Level 9: 5th-level
• Level 11: 6th-level
• Level 13: 7th-level
• Level 15: 8th-level
• Level 17: 9th-level

Slot counts by level (standard full caster):

Level 1: 2 x 1st. Level 2: 3 x 1st. Level 3: 4 x 1st, 2 x 2nd. Level 5: 4 x 1st, 3 x 2nd, 2 x 3rd. Level 9: 4 x 1st, 3 x 2nd, 3 x 3rd, 3 x 4th, 1 x 5th. Level 20: 4 x 1st, 3 x 2nd, 3 x 3rd, 3 x 4th, 3 x 5th, 2 x 6th, 2 x 7th, 1 x 8th, 1 x 9th.

Half Caster Progression

Paladins and Rangers are half casters. They gain spells slower:

• Level 2: 1st-level spells
• Level 5: 2nd-level
• Level 9: 3rd-level
• Level 13: 4th-level
• Level 17: 5th-level (cap)

Fewer slots overall. Max 5th-level spells.

Third Caster Progression

Eldritch Knight Fighter and Arcane Trickster Rogue are third casters. They gain spells slowest:

• Level 3: 1st-level spells
• Level 7: 2nd-level
• Level 13: 3rd-level
• Level 19: 4th-level (cap)

Very few slots. Capped at 4th-level.

Pact Magic (Warlock)

Warlocks are different. They get:

• 1st level: 1 slot (1st level)
• 2nd level: 2 slots (1st level)
• 3rd level: 2 slots (2nd level)
• 5th level: 2 slots (3rd level)
• 7th level: 2 slots (4th level)
• 9th-10th level: 2 slots (5th level)
• 11th-16th level: 3 slots (5th level)
• 17th-20th level: 4 slots (5th level)

Plus Mystic Arcanum at level 11: spells of 6th-9th level, one per long rest each.

Warlock slots always cast at the highest Pact Magic level. And they recover on short rest.

Upcasting

A spell can be cast using a higher-level slot than normal, often with improved effect.

Spells that scale with slot level:

• Cure Wounds (1st level). Base: 1d8+spellcasting mod. +1d8 per slot level above 1st.
• Magic Missile (1st). Base: 3 missiles. +1 missile per slot level above 1st.
• Fireball (3rd). Base: 8d6 damage. +1d6 per slot level above 3rd.
• Hold Person (2nd). Base: 1 target. +1 target per slot level above 2nd.
• Animate Dead (3rd). Base: create 1 skeleton/zombie. +2 per slot level.

Spells that don't scale with slot level:

• Counterspell (3rd). Same effect regardless of slot (counter a spell of the slot's level or lower).
• Dispel Magic (3rd). Same, ends spells of the slot's level or lower.
• Fly, Polymorph, Banishment. Effect the same, just more targets for some or more resistance.

When to upcast:

• Your slot of the spell's base level is expended.
• You want more targets (Hold Person at 4th level = 3 targets).
• You want more damage (Fireball at 5th level = 10d6).
• You need the spell and have higher slots available.

Slot Recovery

• Full casters: All slots on long rest.
• Half casters: All slots on long rest.
• Third casters: All slots on long rest.
• Warlocks: All Pact Magic slots on short rest.
• Mystic Arcanum (Warlock): Once per long rest per spell.

Some class features recover slots:

• Wizard Arcane Recovery. Once per day, during short rest, recover slots summing up to half your Wizard level (rounded up).
• Druid (Circle of the Land) Natural Recovery. Similar to Arcane Recovery.
• Sorcerer Font of Magic. Convert Sorcery Points to slots.
• Spell Retrying (some rulesets). None in core 5e; look to variants.

Cantrips

Cantrips are level 0 spells. They don't consume slots and can be cast at will.

Cantrip count varies by class:

• Wizard, Sorcerer: 3-5 cantrips known.
• Cleric, Druid: 3 cantrips.
• Bard, Warlock: 2-4 cantrips.

Cantrips scale with character level (not class level), doubling damage at level 5, tripling at 11, quadrupling at 17.

In Solo Play

Solo spellcasters must manage slots carefully:

• Don't blow everything on round 1. Long combats burn slots fast.
• Upcast judiciously. Don't upcast Cure Wounds if Healing Word is enough.
• Cantrips for chip damage. Save slots for big moments.
• Ritual casting. Free utility.
• Warlock advantage. Short rest between fights recovers slots.

The Endlessness and Spell Slots

Our AI Dungeon Master tracks spell slots by level, handles upcasting automatically (when you cast Cure Wounds "at 3rd level," it applies 3d8 + mod healing), and refreshes slots on rests. Mystic Arcanum uses (once per long rest) are separately tracked.

For related reads, our concentration rules, complete spell list, and action economy give the full spellcasting picture.

Final Takeaway

Spell slots are your scarce resource. Know your class progression. Know which spells upcast meaningfully. Plan your day's casting.

Start a caster on The Endlessness and see how slot management drives your combat strategy.