What is Misty Step 5E?
Misty Step 5E (PHB, p. 260) is a 2nd level conjuration spell, which is available natively to Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards. It requires vocal and somatic components and takes a bonus action to cast. When you cast this spell you immediately teleport to an unoccupied space up to 30 feet away, you must be able to see the space to teleport to it.
Is Misty Step 5E a good spell?
Misty Step is an excellent spell for short-range teleporting, thanks to only needing a bonus action to cast it. This leaves your action open to attack, cast a cantrip, Dodge, or even Dash further away. Whilst 30 feet isn’t a great distance, it’s usually more than enough to get you away from a monster without provoking any opportunity attacks and can be paired with your normal movement to cover greater distances. This is often far enough to help you overcome environmental obstacles as well such as a gap between buildings, or a trapped corridor. As you advance in levels and the relevancy of other 2nd level spells diminishes, Misty Step remains relevant throughout your entire career for what it’s intended for, it just gets comparatively cheaper.
The only shortfall of Misty Step as you become higher level is you might want to bring others with you, which can be achieved with higher level spells, such as Thunder Step and Dimension Door.
How can you get Misty Step 5E spell?
If you have the need to teleport away from trouble, or simply don’t want to walk to the tavern bar, then fear not! Here is a list of how you can grab this spell:
- Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard – All of these classes get Misty Step on their spell list.
- Arcane Trickster (Rogue Subclass) – This Rogue can choose spells from the Wizard spell list, and can choose Misty Step as one of their unrestricted spells from 8th level.
- Eldritch Knight (Fighter Subclass) – Similar to above, this Fighter subclass can choose spells from the Wizard list and can choose Misty Step as one of their unrestricted spells from 8th level.
- Circle of the Land (Druid Subclass) – Choosing the Coast option will give you Misty Step as an always prepared spell at 3rd level.
- Horizon Walker (Ranger Subclass) – These planar Rangers gain Misty Step as a spell at 5th level thanks to their Horizon Walker Magic feature.
- Fey Wanderer (Ranger Subclass) – Similar to above, this subclass gets access to Misty Step at 5th level through their Fey Wanderer Magic feature.
- Oath of Ancients (Paladin Subclass) – This fey-like Paladin gets Misty Step through their oath spells at 5th level.
- Oath of Vengeance (Paladin Subclass) – As above, so below, this subclass also gets Misty Step at 5th level as an oath spell.
- Fey Teleportation (Feat) – High elves can take this feat to grab a free casting of Misty Step once per short or long rest, in addition to the Sylvan language and boosting either their Int or Cha by +1.
- Fey Touched (Feat) – This feat gives you Misty Step, along with one 1st level spell of your choice from either the divination or enchantment schools. You can cast each of these spells once per long rest for free and can increase either your Int, Wis, or Cha by +1 when you take this feat.
- Githaynki (Race) – A special version of Misty Step, getting it through this race’s Githyanki Psionics feature allows you to cast it once per long rest from 5th level onwards. However, casting it through this feature allows you to do so without any spell components, so you could teleport with your hands full/bound! This bonus applies to Mage Hand and Jump, which the feature also gives you.
- Mark of Passage (Human Variant) – This Dragonmark variant of the human allows you to cast Misty Step once per long rest with the Magical Passage feature.
How to roleplay the Misty Step 5E spell
Need some help roleplaying the Misty Step spell? Here are some examples to help you out:
- The githyanki Rogue finds herself surrounded by goblins, their crude weapons raised in readiness. She desperately searches for a way out, but sees none. Thinking quickly, she concentrates on a point behind a nearby tree and vanishes in a shower of silver sparks, reappearing a moment later with a grin on her face. The goblins look around, confused, before resuming their attack, but the rogue is now in a much better position to defend herself.
- The Wizard approaches the castle wall, his heart pounding in his chest. He knows that one misstep could mean disaster. After taking a deep breath, he focuses on a nearby balcony and disappears in a swirl of wispy smoke, reappearing a moment later on the balcony itself. He looks around carefully, making sure that he hasn’t been seen, before slipping inside the castle and continuing his mission.
- The party reached a particularly treacherous stretch of cliffs that would take hours to navigate. The Sorcerer suggested using Misty Step to transport herself and tying a rope on the other side so they could bridge the gap. She focuses on a spot on the other side of the gap, disappearing in a puff of mist and reappearing on the other side.
We hope that you now know how to create some breathing room for yourself when you need it most. For those looking to incorporate this spell into their next Eldritch Knight build, be sure to check out our Fighter 5E guide. And for those interested in discovering new spells, our DnD 5E spells section has everything you need.
