Shillelagh is a Druid transmutation cantrip cast as a bonus action. For 1 minute, a club or quarterstaff you are holding uses your spellcasting ability instead of Strength for melee attack and damage rolls, and its damage die becomes a d8. In the 2014 rules the weapon also becomes magical and the die stays a d8 forever. In the 2024 rules the die grows to a d10 at level 5, a d12 at level 11, and 2d6 at level 17, and you can deal Force damage instead of the weapon's normal type.
Shillelagh lets a druid fight in melee with Wisdom. A druid usually puts its best score in Wisdom and leaves Strength low. With Shillelagh, a club or quarterstaff hits as often as the druid's spells and deals 1d8 plus the Wisdom modifier.
It costs a bonus action and lasts 1 minute without concentration, so one casting covers a typical fight. It ends early if you cast it again or let go of the weapon.
The two editions split on scaling. The 2014 spell never improves, so by 5th level it trails cantrips like Produce Flame. The 2024 spell grows with your level and adds a Force damage option, which gets around most resistances.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Level | Cantrip |
| School | Transmutation |
| Casting Time | 1 bonus action |
| Range | Touch |
| Components | V, S, M |
| Material | Mistletoe, a shamrock leaf, and a club or quarterstaff. |
| Duration | 1 minute |
| Concentration | No |
| Ritual | No |
| Save/Attack | Melee weapon attack using your spellcasting ability |
| Classes | Druid |
| Metric | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Slot Efficiency | Free. It is a cantrip. |
| Action Economy | One bonus action per fight, then normal attacks with your action. |
| Opportunity Cost | (2014) Blocks leveled spells on the turn you cast it. |
When worth the cast: Any fight where you expect to make melee attacks, especially at low levels.
When NOT worth the cast: Fights where you plan to cast leveled spells every turn and stay at range.
| Character level | 2014 die | 2024 die |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | d8 | d8 |
| 5–10 | d8 | d10 |
| 11–16 | d8 | d12 |
| 17–20 | d8 | 2d6 |
Why it works: It lasts 1 minute and needs no concentration. If you know a fight is coming, spend the bonus action before initiative so your first turn is a full attack and a free bonus action.
This avoids the mistake of: Losing your first bonus action of every fight to setup.
Why it works: The 2024 version lets you deal Force damage or the weapon's normal type. A 2024 ghost resists bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing but not force.
This avoids the mistake of: Halving your own damage by sticking with bludgeoning.
Why it works: A skeleton is vulnerable to bludgeoning damage in both editions. A club or quarterstaff already deals bludgeoning, so it takes double.
This avoids the mistake of: Switching to Force out of habit and losing the vulnerability.
Why it works: The 2014 spell makes the weapon magical. A 2014 werewolf is immune to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered, so a Shillelagh club hits it for full damage.
This avoids the mistake of: Swinging a mundane club at a werewolf and dealing nothing.
Why it's bad: The spell names a club or quarterstaff. A spear, sickle, or scimitar doesn't qualify.
Do this instead: Carry a club or quarterstaff as your Shillelagh weapon.
Why it's bad: The spell ends if you let go of the weapon. Dropping it to cast with a free hand, or being disarmed, ends it.
Do this instead: Keep the weapon in hand. Use a spellcasting focus or a free hand for somatic components.
Why it's bad: The spell lets you use your spellcasting ability for both the attack and the damage roll. Using Strength wastes it.
Do this instead: Add your Wisdom modifier (or your spellcasting modifier) and proficiency bonus to the attack, and your Wisdom modifier to damage.
Why it's bad: The 2014 text has no damage increase at higher levels. A 1st-level and a 17th-level druid both roll a d8.
Do this instead: At higher levels in 2014, compare it with Produce Flame, which grows to 2d8 at 5th level, 3d8 at 11th, and 4d8 at 17th.
The 2024 Player's Handbook made several real changes to Shillelagh:
The class list is still Druid only. The 2024 Magic Initiate feat can grant it to other characters.
For 1 minute, a club or quarterstaff you are holding uses your spellcasting ability for melee attack and damage rolls, and its damage die becomes a d8. In 2014 the weapon also becomes magical. In 2024 the die scales with your level and you can deal Force damage.
Not in the 2014 rules, where it stays a d8. In the 2024 rules, the die becomes a d10 at level 5, a d12 at level 11, and 2d6 at level 17.
In the 2014 rules, yes. The 2024 text doesn't include that sentence and instead lets you deal Force damage.
You can, but it gains nothing. The spell sets the weapon's damage die (a d8, or the larger 2024 die at higher levels), and that die is the same in one hand or two. A two-handed quarterstaff already rolls a d8, so holding it in one hand and keeping the other free for a shield or a focus is usually better.
No. It lasts 1 minute without concentration. It ends early if you let go of the weapon or cast the spell again.
No. The spell only works on a club or a quarterstaff.
In the SRD it is a Druid cantrip. In the 2024 rules, the Magic Initiate feat lets any character learn it from the Druid list.
It is strong at levels 1 to 4 in both editions, because it turns a low-Strength druid into a capable melee attacker. The 2014 version falls behind later because it never scales. The 2024 version stays useful longer thanks to its bigger dice and Force damage.
Citations: SRD 5.1 (2014 rules), SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules)
Includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.
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