There are 51 Wisdom save spells in DnD 5e. Wisdom save spells typically control an enemy in some way, although they’re also often save-or-suck spells that either work 100% or don’t work at all. While 16/51 Wisdom save spells deal damage (mostly psychic damage), many more (almost all of them) debuff an enemy in some way. Loads of effects — charm, frightened, stunned, and even incapacitated — can come from Wisdom save spells. They are primarily found in the enchantment and illusion schools of magic.

Here are all the 5e spells that force a Wisdom saving throw:

As you can see, some of the most powerful control spells in the game rely on a failed Wisdom saving throw. From humble (but effective) crowd control at 1st-level spells like Tasha’s Hideous Laughter and Dissonant Whispers to strong damaging abilities like Spirit Guardians, to charm/command/suggestion-type spells, to one of the best AoE crowd control spells in the game, Hypnotic Pattern, Wisdom save spells are a big part of DnD 5e.

Are Wisdom Save Spells Good?

Wisdom save spells will land more often than most spells, on average. However, this is purely based on the average ability modifiers among DnD 5e’s monsters in the game’s main monster sourcebooks. The average Wisdom of monsters in 5e is 12.03 — the 3rd-lowest average ability score in the game.

For comparison, here are the average ability scores of the 802 monsters included in this data set: