Do you use Spell Cards to reference your spells?
I have always found it useful to write down the information for each spell that my character could use on a 3×5 index card. Then I could pull just those cards with the spells I had prepared for easy reference.
Gale Force Nine has announced that they will soon have available now have available an official set of spell cards for 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons. I will probably get a set when they are available. You can read about them here: Adventurers Kit
In the mean time, Someone on reddit created an online spell card creator, where you can upload your own CSV file to make your own cards. It’s located here: D&D Next spellbook card generator
If you are like me, and like the larger 3×5 cards, you can download a Form-fillable PDF file that I created that prints 4 3″x5″ cards on one 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet of paper. You will have to enter all of the information about each spell, but then you can print them on your own printer. The first card has the information on the GREASE spell for you to use as a guide. You can download this file here: Spell_Cards
UPDATE – now more cards on a sheet!
Thanks to the suggestion by James RW. You can download them here: 5e_Blank_Spell_Cards
These cards are the more traditional 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″, like the power cards that the 4e Character Creator would print out.
Thanks to godeckyourself.com for appropriate printing instructions:
Prepare
Take some time to find the right paper for your printer.
Traditional paper makes your prints look dull and faded, and feel very flimsy. Find the thickest paper your printer can handle; photo paper tends to have a nice thickness.
Print
For best resuLts use the Latest version of Adobe Reader. After clicking print disable print scaling to prevent the cards from stretching.
Protect
Buy some card sleeves at your Local gaming store to protect your deck from gaming onslaught. These cards are the same size as poker cards, 2.5 by 3.5 inches, and fit modern sized card sleeves.
COLOR CARDS
As requested by Gabriel Schive, you can now have spell cards in various colors. Download them here.
Dungeon Master Assistance 
I lean toward “Anything that keeps us from looking something up mid-game is a good thing.” As a new player. my wife made a wizard in 4E. A printed list of powers was invaluable for her. I imagine we’ll do something similar to your provided sheet once we get started playing again.
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Thanks for the feedback. I always play with my wife as well. She likes to play a Paladin. I am anticipating a lot of new players now that 5E is published. I would love a post from you from time as you start playing again.
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I was wondering if you could create a pdf with more of the spell cards on a page? I would like to have a full sheet that I can look at and check them off as I go, similar to the power cards that the 4e Character Creator would print out. Thanks!
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Thanks for the suggestion. I have added these to the post above.
Enjoy!
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Thanks! I’m going to put these to use right away. I appreciate it!
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Just starting a new 5.0 campaign with a bunch of new players. These cards are going to be absolutely invaluable to us. Thank you so much!
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You are welcome. Let me know how the games goes.
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Because 5th edition has such a classic feel, I want to get my arcane spell casters to make up a spell book from a small ornate, leather bound note book. I want that feel of desperately flicking through pages to find the right spell. I think maybe a bible tome for the clerics and paladins. For the bards, i could be really cruel and make them memorise verse for spells. Not sure about sorcerers and rangers or even druids for that matter. Maybe some sort of obeah or santeria invocation or possession. But even they use vevers and incantation.
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Ashley,
That sounds like it would be a lot of fun, if your players enjoy that kind of thing. I caution you against forcing it on them if they don’t want to do it. Ask them first. It could work even if some think it would be fun and others don’t. Let the players that like the idea create a physical book that they can use at the game table – or memorize verses. For the others, simply describe the book and how their character can interact with it in game – or describe how their character always uses rhyming verbal components. I wouldn’t penalize a PC if the player couldn’t memorize the correct verse for the spell he wanted to cast. Often the character is smarter than the player (they are almost always stronger).
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Your cards are very nice and utilitarian. What did you use to create them? I have a use for them, but two of the fields I don’t use (Casting Time and Components). Any chance of getting the design files So I can make some changes?
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I used Adobe Acrobat XP Pro for the fields. I used Photoshop for the background. I will send a copies of the design files to your email.
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Thanks so much. These will be perfect.
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This is great! I’ve got the GF9 cards for Druids, but they sadly don’t include the Druid Circle spells. I’m a bit OCD, so is there a chance that the spell blanks could be made in the same color schemes as the GF9 cards (Arcane = red, Cleric = yellow, Druid = green, etc). I’d ask to grab the design files, but my Photoshop skills are limited to Paint sadly.
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I didn’t add a set for each color, but I made one set with multiple colors. I added them to the bottom of the original post, above. This was a good idea. Thanks. I hope these work for you.
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Thank you very much! You’ve just made a druid very happy!
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Druids are my friends! Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help, or if you have any ideas for something else I can provide as a playing aid.
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Can you add a set for each color???
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I had no idea there were these little spell cards. To have my “Hand” ready to deal in battle is always amazing, Thank you for all of your works and links!
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I am glad you found them and that you find them useful. I will continue to provide any tools that I can think of to help with the game. If you come across anything that you think would be of value to other D&D players or Dungeon Masters, please let me know.
Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post.
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Thank you very much with these i can traslate in italian for my players
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That is great. I am always glad to hear of unintended uses.
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Is there any chance that you will make class abilities cards? I’d find it really helpfull since i am very green when it comes to rpg’s or even DM-ing and coming weekend i will introduce d&d to my family for the first time with my brand new starter set 🙂
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Class ability cards is a great idea. I’ll think about that. Don’t be surprised if you find some on this blog in a few weeks.
Thanks for the idea.
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Awesome! Thank you very much.
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Thank you for posting these! I made cards for all of the spells used in Lost Mine of Phandelver for my grandkids to use when I ran it for them. You have provided a superb resource.
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So many people never bother to comment. Thank you for taking the time to let me know how these are being used, I am just happy that you find them useful.
I think it is great that you are playing with your grandkids.
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❤ this system! Noticed it's been down for me lately? I was wondering if anyone else has had any issues accessing the generator.
Anyway, I find these cards invaluable. Thank you so much for making this, it's very much appreciated!
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Thank you for taking the time to comment. I am glad you fine these useful.
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Do you have any backs created for the different colors and class types?
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No, but that is a good idea. Stay tuned.
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also what about sheets of just one color for each color?
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Exactly!
I started work on this yesterday (thanks to your suggestion). I plan on having a seperate set (front and back), each a different color, for each of the spell casting classes; Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Warlock and Wizard. I will also have a generic set with still another color you can use if you are playing a game with another class of spellcaster. You will still have to fill in the cards yourself, but you only need to do the spells that your charcater needs and you can easily add spells that do not appear in the Player’s Handbook.
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Do you make spell cards for other systems? I also play Rifts and fillable spell cards for it would be great! Or modify the existing one. Change casting time to saving throw and components to P.P.E.?
If you could do this, I’d be willing to make a donation or pay a fee.
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No, I am sorry but I don’t. If I get some free time I may do this for you, but I won’t charge you for it if I do.
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Ronny, I just stumbled across these. They’re absolutely top notch. Thanks you, they’ll come in really handy
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Thank you for taking the time to comment, Jason.
I have found other uses for these as well as for spells. For instance, I am playing in a game where I am a barbarian and I used these cards for all of the different features and abilities he has. I didn’t even bother to cut them apart. I refer to them every week.
Also, I have found that the spell descriptions on some of the sets of spell cards that they sell at the game stores are incomplete or incorrect. If you use them, please check the spell descriptions against the descriptions in the PHB. The most common problem is that they omit the last portion of the description because it is too long to easily fit on one card. On mine, what I do is finish the description on another card and label them “Card 1 of 3”, etc.
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Funnily enough I had the same idea of using them for feats & abilities. I bought some spell cards from a game store a little while back and was a bit disappointed as they didn’t have all the spells, but these are great as they’re so versatile. I’ve now got a complete set of cards with. spells, feats & abilities for my Bard & Paladin.
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Not everyone has access to a computer and a printer, but for those that do this only takes time and a lot of cut and paste and editing if you have OCR versions of a pdf version of the Player’s Handbook.
I like to print mine on heavy paper so they hold up better at the game table.
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I think these are wonderful, it allows me to fill in the spells that are for some reason not covered by the official DnD cards provided by Wizards of the Coast, racial abilities, feats, etc. To a new DnD player, it is incredibly helpful. Thank you!
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Thank you, Levin.
I am working on incorporating something similar to these cards into the next version of my character sheet, with several “cards” per sheet for spells and for magic items, and for traits, feats, and features. There will also be separate sheets for each class with all of that class features listed by level. I just realised from your comment that I should also have a separate sheet for each race as well, with all of that’s race’s abilities already filled in.
Stay tuned.
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Elo! Just asking if you have a pdf of the back of the cards? Specifically the big one with the 4/page. Looks very nice. But good lord, placing all the spells is taking forever. I’m still not done with the cantrips after a couple of hours.
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I have created 9 different pdf files, one for each magic using class. Each is a different color and each set includes a different back as well. Sounds just like what you need. Except they are all 8 cards on a page. I guess I need to add another set at the larger size. I prefer the larger size myself. I will be adding a new post with links to these when they are finished.
As for as tips on adding the text to the cards. What I do is a little complicated, but here goes.
First I have a PDF of the Player’s Handbook with selectable text. I open the PDF cards, and the PHB, and a txt editor (I use Notepad ++). I select the text from the PHB. I past it into the txt editor. I manually combine the separate lines – so the sentences aren’t broken. I search and replace all double spaces into single spaces. I often edit the description to make it shorter. Then I copy the text and past it into the card.
That sounds like a lot of work, but I find it faster than typing all of the text directly into the card.
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Thanks! Yeah, been doing something like that I’ve just got started on 2nd level, and I’m not just adding PHB spells, but those from other “official” sources as well. There are way too many! LOL.
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You are quite ambitious. I really thought that players would just create cards of the spells they had in their spell books. That is what I have done when I am playing in other peoples games. I have also used them for spells when playing in other gaming systems with different spells.
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It’s my OCD popping up again. Haha! I planned to do just like your said at first. When I got done with my spells up to 3rd level I thought to create all of them for the entire play group instead of just my use. Just finished all spells up to 2nd level (excluding Urban Arcana, cause the PDF is broken). Got 167 spells! I wonder how many this would be by 9th level!
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Finally completed the spell cards (5″ x 3″) for spells from the Player’s Handbook, Elemental Evil Player’s Companion, and Sword Coast Adventurer Guide! I also plan to create spell cards for The (Not Really) Complete Tome of Spells, Unearthed Arcana – Modern Magic and any other sources I can find in the future. ^_^
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwpK99vX7tXKSVRJN1FqRy1zT28/view?usp=sharing
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Will share another file in a day or so. The next version should have the name of the spells mentioned for each sheet instead of just numbers. Dunno why I didn’t think of it before. This would make it easier for those just planning to print stuff that they will be using.
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Wow. Thanks for sharing.
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Here are the revised spell cards. Labelled the spells for each sheet to be able to find what you need easier. Old link has been removed.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwpK99vX7tXKSkRtUllMWndkeU0/view?usp=sharing
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Hi! First of all, thanks a lot for sharing these! They look super useful and pretty 😀
Now, I’d like to ask: could you translate the parts that are by default in English? I can complete the cards in Spanish for my friends quite well, but the main “attributes” of each spell, so to speak, are part of an image I can’t edit with my (poor) photo-editing skills.
In case you need the terms in Spanish, they are:
Casting Time = Tiempo de lanzamiento (could be shortened to just “Tiempo” if space is an issue)
Range = Rango
Components = Componentes
Duration = Duración
Thanks a lot in advance! 😀
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I obviously didn’t consider other languages when I created these. I tend to forget how many followers I have and that a lot of you play in a different language. Doing as you request could unleash a flood of requests for different languages. A better solution would be to make all of the titles/labels editable. I will add that to my list of update requests.
It may be a while before I can make these changes. For now, you could use my general purpose cards here:
https://olddungeonmaster.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/5e-general-purpose-cards/
Thank you for your suggestion.
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Any chance we can get coloured cards by page (ie, all red on one page, all green on another etc.)? So we can colour code by class or by spell type.
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I have done that for spells by class:
https://olddungeonmaster.wordpress.com/2017/07/21/dd-5e-fallible-spell-cards-by-class/
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Nice post thanks for shharing
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