Haste spell in DnD 5E explained

What is Haste?

Haste (PHB, p. 250) is a 3rd level transmutation spell, which is available natively to Artificers, Sorcerers, and Wizards. It requires vocal, somatic, and material components with the latter being a piece of licorice root. It takes an action to cast and has a range of 30 feet, targeting one creature, and lasts for 1 minute or until you lose concentration, whichever comes first. The target receives three benefits: their speed is doubled, their AC increases by +2, and they gain an additional action every turn. This additional action can only be used for the Attack action, Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object actions, and if you would normally make multiple attacks with the Attack action, you can only make a single weapon attack. For example, a 5th level Fighter affected by this spell would be able to make three longsword attacks a turn, two from their Extra Attack, and one from the additional action granted by Haste.

When this spell ends the target is unable to move or take any actions until after its next turn, this includes bonus actions and reactions.

Is Haste a good spell?

Haste is an excellent spell that is balanced with a potentially devastating penalty. Every character would benefit from being buffed by this spell, spellcasters can benefit from the added mobility, but by far weapon users get the most out of this spell. The more damage a weapon user can do per attack, the more valuable this spell is. For example, a Barbarian that chooses to use Reckless Attack can get more out of that advantage, whilst the AC bump mitigates the advantage on attacks against them. Rogues are also a good choice for this spell, as they can make their regular attack and ready an attack to happen off their turn, allowing them to get Sneak Attack damage twice a round.

However, you need to be very aware of the penalty of this spell as if it drops earlier than you intended, it can really change the direction of an encounter. Because of this, the caster should either be careful to try and avoid things that would potentially break concentration and/or invest in being successful at Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration. Ways of doing this include the Warcaster feat, the Mind Sharpener infusion for Artificers, and a Sorcerer’s Constitution save proficiency. Sorcerers in particular can get more out of this spell by using the Twinned Spell Metamagic to Haste two party members at once, just remember this doubles the risk!

How can you get Haste?

If you have the need to go faster than fast, then fear not! Here is a list of how you can grab this spell:

• Artificer, Sorcerer, Wizard – All of these classes get Haste on their spell list.
• Arcane Trickster (Rogue Subclass) – This Rogue can choose spells from the Wizard spell list, and can choose Haste as one of their unrestricted spells from 14th level.
• Eldritch Knight (Fighter Subclass) – Similar to above, this Fighter subclass can choose spells from the Wizard list and can choose Haste as one of their unrestricted spells from 14th level.
• Circle of the Land (Druid Subclass) – Choosing the Grassland option will give you Haste as an always prepared spell at 5th level.
• Horizon Walker (Ranger Subclass) – These planar Rangers gain Haste as a spell at 9th level thanks to their Horizon Walker Magic feature.
• Oath of Glory (Paladin Subclass) – This boisterous Paladin gets Haste through their oath spells at 9th level.
• Oath of Vengeance (Paladin Subclass) – As above, so below, this subclass also gets Haste at 9th level as an oath spell.

How to roleplay the Haste spell

Need some help roleplaying the Haste spell? Here are some examples to help you out:

• As you cast the spell, you feel a surge of energy coursing through your body. Suddenly, your feet feel light as air, and you know you can move faster than you ever have before. You break into a sprint, dashing across the battlefield with incredible speed.
• With a flick of your wrist, you cast the Haste spell on your ally. They feel a sudden burst of speed and reflexes, as if time itself were moving slower for them. They see openings in their enemy’s defenses they never could have spotted before, and strike with deadly precision.
• You watch in horror as the enemy mage mutters a few arcane words and gestures. Suddenly, the enemy soldiers move with inhuman speed, closing the distance to your party in seconds. They swing their weapons with dizzying speed, making it almost impossible to defend against them. It’s clear that this will be a difficult fight.

Hopefully, this article was informative and showed you the power of a good magical expresso. If you’re interested in this spell for your next Paladin build, then check out our Paladin guide, or If you’re interested in researching other spells then check out our spells section, Good luck out there adventurers, until next time, be careful of that post-haste crash!