Advanced Rituals allow spellcasters to weave multiple spells into a single spell with a more advanced outcome. They take more time, may consume more specific components, and may involve multiple spellcasters. This is sometimes referred to as "The Working" or "Workings".
Advanced Rituals expand the capability of ritual casting and are not limited to spells with the ritual tag. Ritual casting takes time and occurs only outside combat and within the story and exploration of roleplaying. Advanced Rituals may be used as a plot device, a new player reward, and a flavorful creativity outlet for players.
Broadly speaking, the benefits of Advanced Rituals are balanced and advance the plot:
The rules in this section expand traditional ritual casting rules presented in Dungeons & Dragons. Your Dungeon Master may choose to adopt and allow all forms of Advanced Ritual Casting. If they allow Advanced Rituals, they will likely choose to require Advanced Rituals to be researched and learned with predictable outcomes.
Unlike common rituals passed from mentor to apprentice, advanced rituals are rare workings. Most are discovered in ancient tomes, etched into ruin-walls, preserved in saintly codices, or developed through dedicated research. Once a lead caster has gained an advanced ritual by discovery, tutelage, bargain, or scholarship, that caster can practice and reproduce the ritual thereafter, provided the normal requirements of casting are met.
To take part in an advanced ritual, a creature must have the ability to cast ritual spells (such as the Ritual Casting feature, the Ritual Caster feat, or a similar feature granted by a class, subclass, or other rule at your table). A creature that can cast spells but can't cast rituals cannot participate.
Choral participation in Advanced Rituals is not constrained by spell affinity (Primal, Arcane, Divine) or the ability to cast a specific spell; Choral participation is dictated by the ability to channel or evoke the power of spells in a ritual nature.
An advanced ritual is a single spellworking created by combining two or more spells from the start. You don't cast one spell and then another; the magic is fused as it's formed. Because of this, interrupting an advanced ritual counts as interrupting a spell (see "Interruptions" below).
Performing an Advanced Ritual requires planning, a working guide, and care.
An advanced ritual takes substantially more time than a normal ritual. Advanced Rituals may not be performed as part of a Long Rest. If there are multiple participants, this time must be allocated by each participant. The casting times of the working are as follows:
| Spells | Casting Time |
|---|---|
| 1 | 30 minutes |
| 2 | 1 hour |
| 3 | 3 hours |
| 4 | 12 hours |
| 5 | 3 days |
When you include a spell in an advanced ritual, a participant must expend a spell slot to fuel it.
All components are always required for every spell included (verbal, somatic, and material). If a spell consumes its material components, those components are consumed as normal. In rituals involving more than one participant, spell components are only supplied once by the lead caster or their assistant caster(s).
One participant is the lead caster. The lead caster determines the ritual's spell save DC and spell attack modifier, makes any checks called for by the ritual, and chooses how amplification is spent. They may be the only spellcaster or they may be one of many.
Other spellcasters may participate and aid in empowering the Advanced Ritual spell. These spellcasters do not provide specific spells but must provide spell slots. See "Choral Casting" below.
A participant may be an assistant caster. An assistant caster counts as a Choral Caster but also provides a Secondary spell to working the Advanced Ritual.
No matter how many sources of amplification are available, an advanced ritual can absorb only so much power before it destabilizes.
The total amplification points that can be spent on a single advanced ritual can not exceed the lead caster's proficiency bonus. Any amplification points generated beyond this limit are left unused (though the components are still spent and the spell slots are still expended). All advanced rituals are important and providing a buffer in the case of choral particiants becoming interrupted may be prudent in some situations.
Specific class features such as Sorcerer Metamagic, Warlock Invocations, Channel Divinities, or other class features do not apply when those abilities are part of spells used in Advanced Rituals.
Advanced Rituals which combine multiple spells have one spell which is the foundational spell. This spell sets core nature of the ritual. Any other spells are supporting spells, which modify, reshape, or add riders to that foundation.
The combined result is a single coherent magical effect -- not two unrelated spells happening side-by-side.
Advanced Rituals rely on the universe of existing spells. The grimoires specify the foundational and any secondary spells required.
The Lead Caster must provide the primary foundational spell of the Advanced Ritual. That spell must be known and ready. That spell is committed to the ritual once it begins.
If there are secondary spells used to augment the foundational spell they will be noted in the grimoire. This spell or spells may be provided by the Lead Caster or any Assistant Caster(s). They must be known and ready. These are established and committed to the ritual once it begins.
If there are any Choral Casters they do not need to have any specific spells known or available for casting, but they must commit their spell slots to the ritual once it begins.
The advanced ritual's effective spell level is equal to the highest-level spell slot expended as part of the working.
Any spell, including the highest-level spell slot, may be cast at a level higher than its required level as normal. If this is the highest-level spell used in a working, then it will increase the effective spell level to that higher level.
The effective spell level is used in all spell effects as defined by the combined spell ritual.
Advanced Rituals are normally found rather than created. Powerful rituals take years to research and refine. Single rituals occupy entire grimoires.
Advanced rituals can be strengthened in three ways: potent components, choral casting, and attuned locations. Each grants amplification points, which the lead caster spends to heighten the ritual's outcome.
| Amplification | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Minor Components | +1 |
| Major Components | +2 |
| Mythic Components | +4 |
| Special Components | per DM |
| Per Choral Caster | +1 |
| Receptive Location | +1 |
| Major Location | +2 |
| Mythic Location | +4 |
| Other Special | per DM |
When a spell is included in an advanced ritual, the participant fueling that spell can provide improved material components to empower the working. Choose one of the following options for that spell (in addition to the spell's normal components, if any):
Multiple ritual-capable spellcasters can combine their voices, gestures, and will into a single working.
Each additional full participant beyond the lead caster grants +1 amplification point, provided that participant:
Note on Slot Matching: A choral participant doesn't need to know or have prepared the spells used in the ritual. They don't even need to be able to cast the spell. Instead, they must expend the same number of spell slots, of the same levels, as the lead caster expends to fuel the ritual.
Some places are receptive to magic—built on leylines, crowned by standing stones, sanctified by centuries of prayer, tainted by old tragedies, or shaped by extraplanar bleed. At the DM's discretion, the location itself can lend power to a ritual (advanced or otherwise).
This benefit is granted only while the ritual is performed within that location's influence, as determined by the DM.
When the ritual is completed, the lead caster spends amplification points to heighten the effect. Each point can be spent on options below, chosen when the ritual resolves. Some options may be taken more than once. Not all amplification points need to be spent.
If the combined spell has a range greater than 0 feet, double the range. If the resulting combined spell has multiple applicable ranges this amplification must have one of the ranges chosen. If the spell has a range of touch, is increased to 10 feet. Example: For one amplification point, a 60 foot range becomes 120 feet. This may be used more than once with multiple amplification points. Example: For two amplification points, a 60 foot range is doubled twice becoming 240 feet.
If the combined spell effect has a radius, double that radius. If the combined spell effect is a cone, double the distance of the cone. If the spell has a range of touch, the spell has a radius of 5 feet. If there are multiple area aspects to the combined spell effect, one aspect must be chosen. Example: for one amplification point a 20-foot radius becomes 40-foot radius. This may be taken multiple times for multiple amplification points. Example: for two amplification points a 20-foot radius becomes an 80-foot radius.
If the combined spell effect has a duration (other than instantaneous), double the duration. Example: 10 minutes becomes 20 minutes. This may be taken multiple times. Example: with three amplification points, a 10 minute duration is doubled three times becoming 80 minutes.
If the combined spell affects a number of creatures (targets, chosen creatures, or creatures you can designate), double the number it can affect. Example: "up to 6 creatures" becomes "up to 12 creatures." and a combined spell which only affects one target can affect two targets. This may not be taken more than once.
Double the damage or healing die or value used by the combined spell. Example: a combined spell which uses Power Word Kill would change from "If the target has 100 Hit Points or fewer, it dies. Otherwise, it takes 12d12 Psychic damage." to "If the target has 200 Hit Points or fewer, it dies. Otherwise, it takes 24d12 Psychic damage." This may not be taken more than once.
Increase the combined spell's save DC by +1. This may be taken multiple times. Example: the lead caster's spell DC is 17. They apply three amplification points to this combined spell. The DC is now 20.
Advanced Rituals are rare. Amplifcation can have unintended consequences even the lead caster does not understand. If doubling creates nonsense, the DM can instead grant an equivalent benefit that preserves the ritual's intent. Likewise, the type of amplification may be altered to preseve the intent.
Advanced rituals are delicate. They often span a large amount of time and can involve many participants. If the lead caster is incapacitated or unable to perform components, the ritual fails.
When the lead caster takes damage or suffers a major disruption (as determined by the DM), the lead caster must succeed on a Constitution saving throw to maintain the working, using the normal concentration DC rule (DC 10 or half the damage, whichever is higher). On a failure, the ritual collapses.
When an advanced ritual collapses:
Ritual spellcaster participants may also be interrupted. If they are incapacitated their amplification contribution is removed. Similar to the lead caster, if they take damage or suffer a major disruption they must also succeed on a normal spell concentration DC. If they fail that check their amplification contribution is removed and their spell slots are lost.
Below is a multitude of unique recommended advanced rituals which may be discovered in your campaigns.