DnD 3.5 to 5e Spell Conversions: Arrow Mind

 

Arrow Mind

1st-level divination

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• Casting Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Components: V, S, M (a flint arrowhead)
• Duration: 10 minutes
• Classes: Ranger

You expand your awareness to the point where your bow feels like an extension of your own body. When a hostile creature's movement provokes an opportunity attack from you, you can use your reaction to make one ranged attack against the provoking creature.

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One of the spells from my conversions of the entire Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Spell Compendium into 5e and published in Spells of Antiquity. 

DnD 3.5 to 5e Spell Conversions: Armor of Darkness

 

Armor of Darkness

4th-level abjuration

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Components: V, S
• Duration: 8 hours
• Classes: Cleric, Warlock

You touch a willing creature who isn’t wearing armor, enveloping them in a protective shroud of flickering shadows until the spell ends. For the duration, that creature has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. The creature’s base AC becomes 13 + its Dexterity modifier. The spell ends if the creature dons armor or if you dismiss the spell as an action. Additionally, the space the creature occupies is considered lightly obscured to creatures other than the target.

Undead creatures affected by Armor of Darkness have advantage on saving throws against Turn Undead.

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One of the spells from my conversions of the entire Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Spell Compendium into 5e and published in Spells of Antiquity. Well, basically some special spooky mage armor that includes darkvision and makes it easier to hide.

DnD 3.5 to 5e Spell Conversions: Arc of Lightning

 

Arc of Lightning

3rd-level evocation

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 feet (100 foot line)
• Components: V, S, M (two small iron rods)
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Classes: Sorcerer, Wizard

Choose one creature or object in range and one other creature or object within 100 feet of the first target. A bolt of electricity to arcs between the two targets. Both targets and any other creatures in a 5-foot wide line between those two creatures must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 8d6 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The lightning ignites flammable objects in the area that aren’t being worn or carried.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot above 3rd.

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One of the spells from my conversions of the entire Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Spell Compendium into 5e and published in Spells of Antiquity. This one is quite a bit like lightning bolt, only instead of a bolt straight from the caster, you get to choose a pair of creatures to zap between.

DnD 3.5 to 5e Spell Conversions: Appraising Touch

 

Appraising Touch

1st-level divination (ritual)

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Components: V, S, M (jeweler’s tools worth 25 gp)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
• Classes: Artificer, Bard, Wizard

Objects near you suddenly seem clearer and more in focus, allowing you to notice blemishes and imperfections you had missed before. For the duration, you have a +10 bonus to Intelligence checks made to estimate the value of a precious item and can determine if an object is a magical item at a touch. If you spend 1 minute handling a magical item you can determine the rarity of the item.

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One of the spells from my conversions of the entire Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Spell Compendium into 5e and published in Spells of Antiquity. Short and simple ritual spell, particularly good for those characters that feel like running some sort of side business.

DnD 3.5 to 5e Spell Conversions: Antimagic Ray

 

Antimagic Ray

7th-level abjuration

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Components: V, S, M (a pinch of powdered iron or iron fillings)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
• Classes: Cleric, Sorcerer, Wizard

You project an invisible ray from your finger toward a creature or object in range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target and everything they are wearing and carrying are cut off from the magical energy that suffuses the multiverse. Spells and other magical effects, except for those created by an artifact or a deity, are suppressed and have no effect on the target and any magical items they are wearing or carrying cease to function and are considered nonmagical items while the spell lasts.

If cast on a willing target, your attack automatically hits. At the end of each of the target’s turns, it can choose make a Wisdom saving throw against the spell. On a success, the spell ends.

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One of the spells from my conversions of the entire Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Spell Compendium into 5e and published in Spells of Antiquity. Here we go, a slightly lower leveled antimagic field, only targeting a single creature rather than an area, making it situationally better or worse.

DnD 3.5 to 5e Spell Conversions: Animate Elements

 

Animate Elements

1st-level conjuration

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• Casting Time: 1 minute
• Range: 90 feet
• Components: V, S, M (burning incense for air, soft clay for earth, sulfur and phosphorus for fire, or water and sand for water)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
• Classes: Druid, Wizard

You call forth an Elemental spirit, which manifests in an unoccupied space that you can see within range. This creature uses the Animated Element stat block. When you cast this spell, choose an element: Air, Earth, Fire, or Water. The creature resembles a tiny version of a regular Elemental of the chosen type, and the type chosen determines certain traits in its stat block. The elemental is friendly to you and your companions for the duration and takes its turn immediately after you in initiative. It obeys any verbal commands that you issue to it (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any commands to the elemental, it defends itself from hostile creatures but otherwise takes no actions.

While concentrating on this spell, you can use an action to dismiss the Elemental early. If your concentration is broken, the Elemental doesn’t disappear. Instead, you lose control of the elemental. When this happens, it becomes hostile toward you and your companions and it might attack. An uncontrolled Elemental can’t be dismissed by you, and it disappears 1 hour after you summoned it. 

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One of the spells from my conversions of the entire Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Spell Compendium into 5e and published in Spells of Antiquity. This one is just a super low level conjuration spell to get the party pet train rolling.

DnD 3.5 to 5e Spell Conversions: Anger of the Noonday Sun

 

Anger of the Noonday Sun

5th-level evocation

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Self (20-foot radius)
• Components: V, S
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Classes: Druid

Your body explodes with radiance, bathing the area around you in sunlight. Each creature other than you within a 20-foot-radius sphere centered you must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 5d8 radiant damage and is blinded until the start of your next turn. On a successful save, it takes half as much damage and isn’t blinded. Undead and Oozes have disadvantage on their saving throw.

If any of this spell’s area overlaps with an area of darkness created by a spell of 5th level or lower, the spell that created the darkness is dispelled.

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One of the spells from my conversions of the entire Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Spell Compendium into 5e and published in Spells of Antiquity. Fancy big druid spell- useful for blinding drow and burning vampires.

DnD 3.5 to 5e Spell Conversions: Angelskin

 

Angelskin

2nd-level abjuration

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Components: V, S
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
• Classes: Cleric, Paladin

Until the spell ends, one willing creature you touch gains resistance against radiant damage and against bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks.

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One of the spells from my conversions of the entire Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Spell Compendium into 5e and published in Spells of Antiquity. This one is fairly simple and straightforward. Just a decent little low-level buff spell.

DnD 3.5 to 5e Spell Conversions: Analyze Portal

 

Analyze Portal

3rd-level divination (ritual)

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Components: V, S, M (a crystal lens and a small mirror)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
• Classes: Artificer, Sorcerer, Wizard

You can detect the presence of any magical portal or gate to another plane of existence within one mile. If you can see a portal or gate within 30 feet you can spend a bonus action on your turn to determine any of the following information:

• What key or command word is needed to activate the portal.
• Any special circumstances governing the portal’s use (such as specific times when it can be activated).
• A glimpse of the area where the portal leads.

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One of the spells from my conversions of the entire Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Spell Compendium into 5e and published in Spells of Antiquity. Here's a super situational one- probably not your first or even 10th choice for a sorcerer, but definitely in the "nice to have on the back burner" page for your party wizard. Definitely plays into certain campaigns more than others. I believe it originated in the Manual of the Planes and would have been mentioned alongside Sigil, the city of doors, which gives it a lot more utility than a classic dungeon crawl.

DnD 3.5 to 5e Spell Conversions: Amorphous Form

 

Amorphous Form

3rd-level transmutation

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Components: S, M (a pinch of gelatin)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
• Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

You transform a willing creature you touch, along with everything it’s wearing and carrying, into an amorphous oozelike state for the duration. The spell ends if the creature drops to 0 hit points or dies. An incorporeal creature isn’t affected. While transformed, the creature uses the Amorphous Creature stat block.

The creature is limited in the actions it can perform by the nature of its new form, and it can’t speak, cast spells, or take any other action that requires hands or speech.

The target’s gear melds into the new form. The creature can’t activate, use, wield, or otherwise benefit from any of its equipment.

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One of the spells from my conversions of the entire Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Spell Compendium into 5e and published in Spells of Antiquity. So, even when you aren't a plasmoid, sometimes you just gotta pretend otherwise. Though you do get a slam attack, this really isn't much of a combat form, which it more than makes up for by having some pretty decent utility.