Wild Magic Table 5e Guide

Wild Magic Table 5e Guide: Everything You Need to Know

Magic is one of the fascinating things that makes a game of D&D alive. It is amazingly unpredictable and epic. It makes the world feel alive and vibrant. That is why D&D classes that can cast spells are so fun to play as. One subclass, in particular, stands out to be the very definition of magic being unpredictable and wild: the Wild Magic sorcerer.

See, a sorcerer has a sorcerous origin, which is the origin of their powers. Sorcerers who have Wild Magic as their sorcerous origin might have gotten their powers from exposure to some form of raw magic. Another possibility would be that you were blessed by a powerful creature.

Because the magic within these sorcerers comes from wild, unknown, and strange sources, they occasionally leak out into the world without the caster’s knowledge or consent. They have a class feature called Magic Surge; when a Wild Magic sorcerer casts a spell (not counting cantrips), they can unleash additional wild effects that can either help the party out or make the party’s situation more difficult.

Starting at level one, after a Wild Magic sorcerer casts a sorcerer spell of 1st level or higher, the DM can have the player roll a d20. If the player’s roll results in a 1, they must then roll a d100. The roll’s result determines what happens next using the Wild Magic Surge Table.

Welcome to a Wild Magic Table 5e Guide.

What is the Wild Magic Surge Table?

Wild Magic Surge Table

The Wild Magic Surge Table is a table consisting of a wide variety of effects. Again, when you roll a 1 on your d20 to determine if a Wild Magic Surge hits, you roll a d100. The resulting number will then reference the Wild Magic Surge Table on what the effect would be. The table is presented below and is taken from the Player’s Handbook, specifically on page 103.

d100 Effect d100 Effect
01-02 Roll on this table at the start of each of your turns for the next minute, ignoring this result on subsequent rolls. 51-52 A spectral shield hovers near you for the next minute, granting you a +2 bonus to AC and immunity to Magic Missile.
03-04 For the next minute, you can see any invisible creature if you have a line of sight to it. 53-54 You are immune to being intoxicated by alcohol for the next 5d6 days.
05-06 A Modron chosen and controlled by the DM appears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you, then disappears I minute later. 55-56 Your hair falls out but grows back within 24 hours.
07-08 You cast Fireball as a 3rd-level spell centered on yourself. 57-58 For the next minute, any flammable object you touch that isn’t being worn or carried by another creature bursts into flame.
09-10 You cast Magic Missile as a 5th-level spell. 59-60 You regain your lowest-level expended spell slot.
11-12 Roll a d10. Your height changes by several inches equal to the roll. If the roll is odd, you shrink. If the roll is even, you grow. 61-62 For the next minute, you must shout when you speak.
13-14 You cast Confusion centered on yourself. 63-64 You cast Fog Cloud centered on yourself.
15-16 For the next minute, you regain 5 hit points at the start of each of your turns. 65-66 Up to three creatures you choose within 30 feet of you take 4d10 lightning damage.
17-18 You grow a long beard made of feathers that remains until you sneeze, at which point the feathers explode out from your face. 67-68 You are frightened by the nearest creature until the end of your next turn.
19-20 You cast Grease centered on yourself. 69-70 Each creature within 30 feet of you becomes invisible for the next minute. The invisibility ends on a creature when it attacks or casts a spell.
21-22 Creatures have a disadvantage on saving throws against the next spell you cast in the next minute that involves a saving throw. 71-72 You gain resistance to all damage for the next minute.
23-24 Your skin turns a vibrant shade of blue. A Remove Curse spell can end this effect. 73-74 A random creature within 60 feet of you becomes poisoned for 1d4 hours.
25-26 An eye appears on your forehead for the next minute. During that time, you have an advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight. 75-76 You glow with bright light in a 30-foot radius for the next minute. Any creature that ends its turn within 5 feet of you is blinded until the end of its next turn.
27-28 For the next minute, all your spells with a casting time of 1 action have a casting time of 1 bonus action. 77-78 You cast Polymorph on yourself. If you fail the saving throw, you turn into a sheep for the spell’s duration.
29-30 You teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see. 79-80 Illusory butterflies and flower petals flutter in the air within 10 feet of you for the next minute.
31-32 You are transported to the Astral Plane until the end of your next turn, after which time you return to the space you previously occupied or the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied. 81-82 You can take one additional action immediately.
33-34 Maximize the damage of the next damaging spell you cast within the next minute. 83-84 Each creature within 30 feet of you takes 1d10 necrotic damage. You regain hit points equal to the sum of the necrotic damage dealt.
35-36 Roll a d10. Your age changes by several years equal to the roll. If the roll is odd, you get younger (minimum 1 year old). If the roll is even, you get older. 85-86 You cast Mirror Image.
37-38 1d6 flumphs controlled by the DM appear in unoccupied spaces within 60 feet of you and are frightened of you. They vanish after 1 minute. 87-88 You cast Fly on a random creature within 60 feet of you.
39-40 You regain 2d10 hit points. 89-90 You become invisible for the next minute. During that time, other creatures can’t hear you. The invisibility ends if you attack or cast a spell.
41-42 You turn into a potted plant until the start of your next turn. While a plant, you are incapacitated and have a vulnerability to all damage. If you drop to 0 hit points, your pot breaks, and your form reverts. 91-92 If you die within the next minute, you immediately come back to life as if by the Reincarnate spell.
43-44 For the next minute, you can teleport up to 20 feet as a bonus action on each of your turns. 93-94 Your size increases by one size category for the next minute.
45-46 You cast Levitate on yourself. 95-96 You and all creatures within 30 feet of you gain vulnerability to piercing damage for the next minute.
47-48 A Unicorn controlled by the DM appears in a space within 5 feet of you, then disappears 1 minute later. 97-98 You are surrounded by faint, ethereal music for the next minute.
49-50 You can’t speak for the next minute. Whenever you try, pink bubbles float out of your mouth. 99-00 You regain all expended sorcery points.

Note that many of these effects last for a minute. If you are in combat, a whole minute would mean 10 rounds. That means the effect will be active for 10 rounds. Furthermore, if the effect is a spell, it will not get affected by Metamagic, a third-level sorcerer feature. If it normally needs concentration, the spell will not require it and will last for its entire duration. Lastly, effects casting a spell will not expend a spell slot.

Which effects in the Wild Magic Table cast spells?

Fireball

There are nine effects in the table that makes you cast a spell.

d100 roll Spell casted Spell level Target Is It centered on yourself?
7-8 Fireball 3 All creatures including you Yes
9-10 Magic Missile 5 Your choice No
13-14 Confusion N/A All creatures including you Yes
19-20 Grease N/A All creatures including you Yes
45-46 Levitate N/A You No
63-64 Fog Cloud N/A N/A Yes
77-78 Polymorph N/A You (If the saving throw fails, you turn to a sheep) No
85-86 Mirror Image N/A N/A No
87-88 Fly N/A A random creature within 60 ft. of you No

Which effects in the Wild Magic Table summon creatures?

Modron

There are only three effects in the table that summons creatures in an unoccupied space near you. All of these creatures disappear after a minute, and all of them are controlled by the DM.

d100 roll Creature summoned Distance of summoned creature
5-6 Modron Within 5 feet of you
37-38 1d6 Flumphs Within 60 feet of you
47-48 Unicorn Within 5 feet of you

Which effects in the Wild Magic Table are useful?

Magic Missile spell

The term “useful” is very subjective, but let’s define useful effects as:

  • Effects that damage enemies
  • Effects that boost you or your allies
  • Effects that do not harm you

Here is a list of effects that hit those marks, as well as an explanation of why it is deemed so.

d100 roll Effect Why it is useful
3-4 See invisible creatures within your line of sight for one minute. It is very effective when battling invisible enemies. You no longer need to guess their location, and you no longer have a disadvantage on your attack roll.
9-10 Cast a 5th-level Magic Missile spell. You can shoot seven projectiles that never miss and deals 1d4 + 1 force damage each. If targeted on a single foe, it would deal an average of 24 to 25 force damage. Plus, you can choose the targets of each of these darts.
15-16 For the next minute, you regain 5 hit points at the start of each of your turns. It is very useful when you are low on health. This would sum up to 50 HP that can be regained. Note, though, that you cannot exceed your maximum HP capacity.
21-22 Within the next minute, if a spell you cast requires a saving throw, its target suffers from a disadvantage on the said saving throw. Your enemies have a disadvantage on saving throws against your spells, making them more likely to get hit.
25-26 Grow another eye on your forehead which will disappear after a minute. The eye grants you an advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that require sight. You have an advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks requiring sight, making it very useful when searching for something or someone within an area.
27-28 Within the next minute, spells that have a casting time of 1 action during combat will instead have it as 1 bonus action. This means that you can cast a spell while simultaneously doing something else that would require action, like an attack or a cantrip.
29-30 Choose an unoccupied space within 60 ft. of you that you can see, and you can teleport there. Teleporting could move you out of harm’s way, such as a large swarm of enemies coming at you or a boulder heading straight towards you.
33-34 Any damaging spell you cast within the next minute will deal its maximum damage. Maximum damage is extremely useful for bringing down tough foes. For example, a Fireball spell in this effect would deal a whopping 48 fire damage, since that is the maximum of an 8d6.
39-40 Heal by 2d10 HP. Healing 2d10 HP, on average, would heal you by 11 HP.
43-44 Within the next minute, you gain the ability to teleport up to 20 ft. as a bonus action. Another teleportation benefit. Since it is a bonus action, this means you can attack or cast a spell, then teleport.
51-52 A spectral shield appears and grants you a +2 bonus on your AC plus immunity against Magic Missile. A bonus on your AC means that you are less likely to get hit by your enemies. Another benefit is that you are immune to Magic Missile, a spell that shoots projectiles that normally never miss.
59-60 Regain an expended spell slot with the lowest level. Regaining an expended spell slot is extremely useful for casters since it would mean that you can cast another spell one more time.
65-66 Choose up to three creatures 30 ft. near you; they each take 4d10 lightning damage. What’s good about this spell is that you have full control over who you can damage with this. You can deal more damage during combat without accidentally killing yourself or your teammates.
71-72 Within the next minute, gain resistance to all damage. You are resistant to all damage, meaning any damage you receive will get halved. For example, if you are hit by a Fireball spell dealing 28 fire damage and fail the saving throw, you would only get 14 fire damage. If you would have succeeded in the saving throw, that would mean you take only 7 fire damage. That’s impressive!
81-82 Immediately make an additional action. Gaining one more action during your turn can help you in many ways. You can attack again, cast another spell, and do things that would cost 1 action.
85-86 Cast the Mirror Image spell. The Mirror Image spell is useful in the sense that a creature trying to attack you will instead attack an illusory duplicate of yours. This spell makes you less of a punching bag.
91-92 Immediately revive as per the Reincarnate spell’s rules if you die within the next minute. You can cheat death! You no longer need to roll a death save if you die within the next minute. Although the DM can randomly make a new body or choose a form, you can convince them if you want to retain your current body.
99-00 Regain all your sorcery points. Regaining all your sorcery points means you can use them for a variety of useful ways, such as creating spell slots through the Flexible Casting feature or using a Metamagic option through the Metamagic feature.

Which effects in the Wild Magic Table are harmful?

polymorph spell

Harmful effects are effects that have the opposite definition of the useful effects as defined in the section before this. Do they damage you or your enemies? Boost your opponents? Here is a list of effects that hit those marks, as well as an explanation of why it is deemed so.

d100 roll Effect Why it is harmful
7-8 Cast a 3rd-level Fireball spell centered on yourself. Everyone, friend or foe, within a 20 ft. radius from you are hit. You are hit as well. Keep in mind that the spell’s damage is 8d6 fire damage, so this is very deadly especially during the lower levels.
13-14 Cast the Confusion spell centered on yourself. Unless you have a very high Wisdom saving throw that might save you from this, it is a very troubling effect. Just like the Fireball, this also affects you and anyone within a 10 ft. square from you. Confusion has varying effects, such as not being able to take action, moving in random directions, and more.
41-42 Transform into a potted plant. You are incapacitated + vulnerable to all types of damage. You revert to your form when either it is the start of your next turn already, or if your HP drops to 0. Being incapacitated and being vulnerable to all types of damage is very harmful especially during combat. You cannot take actions or reactions, plus you take double damage on any kind! Thankfully, this will only last until the start of your next turn.
67-68 Until the end of your next turn, you become frightened by the nearest creature from you. Being frightened means you have a disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls while the creature is within line of sight. This makes you less likely to land a blow successfully or perform actions properly. Furthermore, you cannot willingly move closer to the said creature.
77-78 Cast the Polymorph spell on yourself and turn into a sheep if you fail the saving throw. When you turn into a sheep through the Polymorph spell, you will have the sheep’s statistics, including its HP. Sheep have low stats, with an Intelligence modifier of -4 and a Wisdom modifier of -3. A sheep also has low HP being 1d8 or an average of 4.

All other effects not classified as useful or harmful are effects whose usefulness varies depending on the circumstance. For example, rolling an 83 or 84 deals damage to each creature within 30 ft. of you. This is great if you are surrounded by enemies, but if you are near your allies, this will greatly damage your party.

FAQ

Question: How many effects does the Wild Magic Table have?

Answer: There are 50 effects overall in the original Wild Magic Surge Table found in the Player’s Handbook.

Question: Do Homebrew Wild Magic Tables exist?

Answer: Yes. There are plenty of them on the web, or you can even make your own in your campaign with the approval of your DM.

Question: Can I make my own Homebrew Wild Magic Table?

Answer: Yes. As long as it is approved by your DM, why not? It is your campaign, so have fun by your own rules.

Question: Is there a d1000 or d500 Wild Magic Table?

Answer: Of course. Again, the internet is your friend. Whether it be a d200, d300, d500, or d1000, D&D Beyond and Reddit have multiple threads of such topics.

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