Bathe all creatures in a 60-foot-radius sphere centered in range with negative energy. They must roll a constitution save, taking 8d8 necrotic damage on a failure and half that on a success. The damage scales, adding 2d8 per level.
The exact nature of the negative planescape is still mostly unknown, in no small part because most of the researchers trying to learn about it keep becoming horrible creatures of death and mayhem.
-Archmage Uthemar
Cast a spell of level 5 or lower that you can cast in an action targeting yourself. This becomes the contingent spell, expending its spell slot as well as Contingency's spell slot. The spell doesn't take effect until a chosen trigger occurs.
As soon as the trigger happens, the spell takes effect whether you want it to or not, and then Contingency ends.
You can only target yourself with the contingent spell, you can only have one contingent spell at a time, and the whole spell ends if you ever don't have the material component on your person.
See the Player's Handbook for the exact rules.
Spells casting spells seems like a bad idea. Let's try it.
-Abjurist Ovtuch Irieya moments before major arcane breakthrough
Cut yourself with the knife component, taking 2d4 piercing damage that cannot be reduced. This animates the other material components into a homunculus, which remains a faithful companion and ally, dying if you die. It uses the homunculus stat block. If you cast the spell again while a previous homunculus lives, the spell fails.
You can spend up to half your hit dice on a long rest if your homunculus is on the same plane of existence as you, adding your constitution modifier to each, to give some of your maximum hit points to the homunculus until your next long rest. You can't undo this reduction before then.
See Xanathar's Guide for exact rules.
His name is Pipsqueak. Address him as such.
-Archmage Julian, regarding his hideous homunculus
Condense a bead of yellow light at a chosen point in range. The base fire damage it can inflict is 12d6, and this damage scales normally. Additionally, every time your turn ends while the spell is active, the damage increases by another 1d6. A creature may attempt to throw the bead up to 40 feet by rolling a dexterity save, with the spell ending if it fails or when the bead hits something.
When the spell ends, the bead explodes, dealing its cumulative fire damage to all creatures in a 20-foot radius, and lighting all loose flammable objects on fire. Creatures roll a dexterity save to take half damage.
See the Player's Handbook for the exact rules.
And this is a fireball, in its static form. For the love of Lyri, DO NOT POKE IT.
-Qemuel Fridson, Royal professor
Touch the material component and an object weighing 10 pounds or less and whose longest dimension is 6 feet or less. An invisible mark is inscribed on the sapphire. Only one object can be attached to a sapphire.
As a magic action, you can speak the name of the object and crush the sapphire. The object instantly appears in your hand, crossing any physical or planar distance, ending the spell. If another creature is holding or carrying the object, it doesn't transport it, but you immediately learn who and where that creature is.
The spell is a bit costly, but there is some keen interest from applicants we're fairly sure are from the thieves' guild.
-Branson Ottewell Anderson, Royal professor
Compel a creature you can see in range to die. If it has 100 hit points or fewer, it dies, otherwise suffering 12d12 psychic damage.
When empowered, it kills another person. Unempowered, it kills you, because speaking this word universally demands immediate execution.
-Eudoria Hackett, Royal professor
Assault a creature you can see in range with intense pain. If it has 100 hit points or fewer, and is not immune to being charmed, its speed is reduced to 10 feet, and it has disadvantage on all D20 rolls except for constitution saves.
The creature must roll a constitution save when casting a spell, or the spell fails and is wasted. At the end of its turns, it may roll a constitution save to end the effect.
While we are pleased to have solved the weavecraft of this word, we cannot think of any non-psychotic reasons to use it.
-Archmage Ieliana
Overwhelm a creature you can see in range. If it has 150 hit points or fewer, it becomes stunned, otherwise having a speed of 0 until the start of your next turn. The stunned target rolls a constitution save at the end of its turns until it succeeds, ending the condition.
Uhhhhh...?
-Novice Balvur Kingshorn, one of the victims of the failed recitation disaster
Create an illusion in range that fits in a 30-foot cube and is imperceptible until a trigger occurs. You may script the illusion's sounds and behavior for up to a 5 minute performance.
After being triggered and performing its programming, the illusion goes dormant for 10 minutes before rearming.
Physical interaction reveals the illusion as things pass through it. A creature may study the illusion and roll an investigation check against your spell save to see through it, making the illusion faded to that creature.
See the Player's Handbook for exact rules.
Archmage Moritz isnt in right now.
-the horrendous Beholder illusion outside the Archmage's Quarters that has scared every novice on campus
Give a willing creature truesight with a range of 120 feet.
It's all fun and games until you find out someone has been magically disguised for three years.
-Diviner Elton Elderwick