Okay, Magic Missile or Fire Bolt are classics, and depending on what your magical arsenal looks like, they're the way to go when you're up against a troll coven in the wilds of Faerün. But are they right for every game? Magic Missile is an evocation, I say we make it more evocative! I am simplifying this in the suggestion below, because in 5e there are variations in types of damage, elemental effects, saving throw differences, and all that. So, technically missile and bolt are not the same, but what if they were? Or, what if you talked to your DM about taking Magic Missile as a template with the same damage, range, etc., but you spiced it up a bit? Would you rather cast Magic Missile or "a savage undertow of rusty tin cans and the bones of the drowned dead"? Yeah, me too. And that'd really freak out the trolls.
Roll your own Magic Projectile Spell
You don’t need half a dozen spells that basically do the same thing. You need one that has your name on it. One that grows with you. Roll 2d20, one for each list to determine what you spell looks like when cast. Combine the descriptions to create your goto magical combat deterrent. Or just pair up one from each list into something that fits with your character’s vibe. Always feel free to make up something new.
1. A halting, juddering mass of
2. A billowing fog of
3. A bolt of
4. A spray of
5. A fan of
6. Glowing core of
7. A spinning oblong of
8. A gold cube floats gently forward then bursts open with
9. A wall of
10. Shreds of rotting canvas that flex with
11. A cloud of
12. A savage undertow of
13 An opaque cloud of
14. Urinous contortions of
15. Rippling folds of acid wire that become
16. Writhing handfuls of
17. An aggressive shoal of
18. A shadowy cloud of
19. The last breath of a treasure diver and the
20. Oily ripples of bloody chum and
1. threaded tangles of corpse bubbles with the final screams of the dead
2. iron-tusked sheet waves mixed with sharpened splinters of driftwood
3. blue and green blades made of the armor scales of dead Seaborn soldiers
4. cantankerous brindle-fish loops with jutting teeth
5. ink-stained beaks of long dead shredder squid
6. swirling giant kelp whips with catchy siren tunes (a little too catchy)
7. rusty tin cans and the bones of the drowned dead
8. colorful tubes of sharpened glass
9. eyeless spaghetti eels and ice knives
10. seaweed rot and poisonous detritus blooms
11. metallic crab claws at the ends of rusty iron rings of chain
12. snapping bands of giant translucent flatworms
13. twisting tentacles with sharpened metal door-keys on the tips
14. vibrant blue energy doing a deadly dance in the water (or air)
15. milky tendrils of energy with poisonous green tips
16. stringy lightning that hurts to look at, and targets the spines of enemies
17. cold darkness and ice spindles that cut through anything they touch
18. pale bony fingers reaching and clawing
19. sunken sailing ship rigging that coils and bites
20. diamond sharp slivers of sand and ground coral
You know what it looks like, now give it a name, maybe just a shortened version of the description?
Here are the 5e casting details:
LEVEL 1st CASTING TIME 1 Action RANGE/AREA 120 ft COMPONENTS S DURATION Instantaneous
SCHOOL Evocation ATTACK/SAVE Ranged DAMAGE/EFFECT Force
You hurl whatever chaotic amalgamation you selected above at a creature or object within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 force damage. This spell's damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 3rd level (2d10), 7th level (3d10), 9th level (4d10), 12th level (5d10), 15th level (7d10) and 17th level (9d10).
Now get out there and surprise the crap out of some foes by hitting them with oily ripples of bloody chum and snapping bands of giant translucent flatworms!