This is our biggest spell update ever. Homebrew monsters can now cast spells. Every spell, trait, and feature on your character sheet can have personal notes. Species spellcasting just got way more flexible. And your spell list has new filters and controls you've been asking for.
Let's walk through it all.
Homebrew Monsters Can Cast Spells
When we launched homebrew monsters, you could build complete stat blocks with actions, legendary actions, and lair effects. But the most common request we heard was: what about spells?
From the lowly Cultist casting Sacred Flame to an ancient Lich with a ninth-level slot and a grudge, spellcasting monsters are a huge part of D&D. Now your homebrew monsters can do the same.
What you can build:- Spellcasting ability — set Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as the casting stat
- Spell slots by level — define exactly how many slots the monster has at each level
- At-will, innate, and prepared spells — categorize spells by how the monster uses them
- A dedicated spell picker with search, filtering by school and level, and bulk selection
- Extra damage on attacks — add bonus fire damage to a sword strike, or necrotic damage to a claw attack
When you run your spellcasting monster in an encounter, ICE5e tracks spell slots as they're spent. No more sticky notes tracking "did this guy cast Shield twice already?" The slot tracker handles it for you.
On the stat block:Monster stat blocks now display full spellcasting information — the ability, save DC, attack bonus, and organized spell lists by slot level. Your players can look at the block and immediately understand what they're up against.
Add Notes to Any Spell
This is one of those features that seems small until you use it, and then you can't live without it.
Every spell on your character sheet now has a notes field. Open any spell's details and you'll find a text area at the bottom. Type whatever you want. Notes are saved per-spell, per-character, and they're private — other players can't see them.
What people are using it for:- Tactical reminders — "Save this for the boss fight" or "Only use when we have clear line of sight"
- House rule notes — "DM ruled this works on undead too"
- Level optimization — "Cast at 4th level from Paladin slots for max smite value"
- Roleplay flavor — "Learned from the hermit on the mountain"
Notes on Traits, Features, and Feats Too
We didn't stop at spells. You can now add notes to any trait, feature, or feat on your character sheet. If your Fighting Style has a house rule exception, or your Tavern Brawler feat was re-flavored as "Barroom Brawler" at your table, you can note that right on the feature itself.
Species Spellcasting: Way More Flexible
Species with innate spellcasting — like Tieflings, High Elves, or your homebrew creations — just got a major upgrade.
Previously, species spellcasting was limited to a few common abilities. Now it supports all six ability scores: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
Why this matters for homebrew:Want to build a species of warriors who channel magic through sheer physical endurance? Set their spellcasting to Constitution. Psychic beings who cast with their mind? Intelligence. The system now supports whatever concept you can imagine.
If you're using Experienced mode, you can also override the spellcasting ability for any species — giving you full control over multiclass interactions and edge cases.
Filter Spells by Casting Time
The spell picker and spell list now support filtering by casting time. Need to find a bonus action spell in a hurry during combat? Filter to "1 Bonus Action" and see exactly what's available. Looking for reactions? Rituals? One filter dropdown handles it all.
This was a direct community request, and it makes finding the right spell during a session dramatically faster.
Remove Individual Racial Spells
If your species grants you spells — like a Tiefling's racial magic — you can now remove individual spells from your list while keeping the rest. Previously they were locked in.
This is useful if your DM ruled that your character lost a specific racial spell through story events, or if you simply don't want a particular spell cluttering your list.
Weapon Proficiency Override
Experienced mode now lets you toggle weapon proficiencies directly. If your character should have proficiency with a weapon that the rules don't grant — a background perk, a house rule, a story reward from your DM — you can enable it with one click.
What's Next
This was a big one, but we're already working on what comes next:
- Spell tagging — organize your spells with custom tags
- Monster templates — pre-built spellcasting monsters ready to drop into encounters
- Encounter difficulty calculator — smarter CR estimates that account for spellcasting
Ready to build a spell-slinging monster? Head to https://ice5e.com — free, always, and your monsters just learned magic.
Happy rolling.