Reincarnate

A
Utility

Reincarnate is a Utility spell. Utility spells solve problems outside of combat or provide unique situational advantages.

See all Utility spells →
 spell of
restorative healing

Reincarnate is a Healing spell. Healing spells restore hit points and bring characters back to life.

See all Healing spells →
 that returns a recently dead humanoid to life in a new body, often as a different species.

2024 Rules
Level & School
5th-level necromancy
Casting Time
1 hour
Range
Touch
Components
V, S, M (rare oils worth 1,000+ GP, which the spell consumes)
Duration
Instantaneous
Classes
Druid

You touch a dead Humanoid or a piece of one. If the creature has been dead no longer than 10 days, the spell forms a new body for it and calls the soul to enter that body. Roll 1d10 and consult the table below to determine the body’s species, or the DM chooses another playable species.

1d10 Species
1 Aasimar
2 Dragonborn
3 Dwarf
4 Elf
5 Gnome
6 Goliath
7 Halfling
8 Human
9 Orc
10 Tiefling

The reincarnated creature makes any choices that a species’ description offers, and the creature recalls its former life. It retains the capabilities it had in its original form, except it loses the traits of its previous species and gains the traits of its new one.

2014 Rules
Level & School
5th-level transmutation
Casting Time
1 hour
Range
Touch
Components
V, S, M (rare oils and unguents worth at least 1,000 gp, which the spell consumes)
Duration
Instantaneous
Classes
Druid

You touch a dead humanoid or a piece of a dead humanoid. Provided that the creature has been dead no longer than 10 days, the spell forms a new adult body for it and then calls the soul to enter that body.

If the target's soul isn't free or willing to do so, the spell fails.

The magic fashions a new body for the creature to inhabit, which likely causes the creature's race to change. The GM rolls a d100 and consults the following table to determine what form the creature takes when restored to life, or the GM chooses a form.

d100 Race
01-04 Dragonborn
05-13 Dwarf, hill
14-21 Dwarf, mountain
22-25 Elf, dark
26-34 Elf, high
35-42 Elf, wood
43-46 Gnome, forest
47-52 Gnome, rock
53-56 Half-elf
57-60 Half-orc
61-68 Halfling, lightfoot
69-76 Halfling, stout
77-96 Human
97-00 Tiefling

The reincarnated creature recalls its former life and experiences. It retains the capabilities it had in its original form, except it exchanges its original race for the new one and changes its racial traits accordingly.

Reincarnate 5.5e 2024 vs. 5e 2014 edition differences

Reincarnate changed from transmutation to necromancy. It now affects a dead Humanoid or part of one, uses a 1d10 species table instead of the old d100 race table, and the list of possible outcomes changed. The new species’ traits are chosen as needed, and it explicitly loses the old species’ traits and gains the new ones.

Reincarnate popularity

Reincarnate is one of the rarest level 5 spells in the game. Choosing it will set you apart from all other casters.

Spells similar to Reincarnate

  • Raise Dead 5th-level necromancy

    It restore a dead creature to life at the same spell level and serves the same practical purpose of bringing someone back from death.

  • Revivify 3rd-level necromancy

    This is the lower-level, emergency version of bringing a corpse back to life and is often compared directly with longer-term resurrection options.

  • Resurrection 7th-level necromancy

    It is the higher-power counterpart that also calls a soul back into a new or healed body and fills the same niche at a greater scale.

  • True Resurrection 9th-level necromancy

    As the ultimate life-returning spell, it parallels reincarnate in theme by fully restoring life and identity, albeit far more powerful.

  • Clone 8th-level necromancy

    Clone creates a new body that a soul can occupy later, making it mechanically and thematically similar to forming a replacement body.