Skip to main content

Alarm

Abjuration
Level: 1st-level
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 30 feet
Duration: 8 hours
Components: V, S, M
Materials: A tiny bell and a piece of fine silver wire.

You set an alarm against unwanted intrusion. Choose a door, a window, or an area within range that is no larger than a 20-foot cube. Until the spell ends, an alarm alerts you whenever a Tiny or larger creature touches or enters the warded area.

When you cast the spell, you can designate creatures that won't set off the alarm. You also choose whether the alarm is mental or audible. A mental alarm alerts you with a ping in your mind if you are within 1 mile of the warded area. This ping awakens you if you are sleeping. An audible alarm produces the sound of a hand bell for 10 seconds within 60 feet.

Ritual

Spell Details

School: Abjuration
Level: 1
Ritual: Yes
Concentration: No
Classes: Ranger, Ritual Caster, Wizard
B-Tier Alarm is a powerful utility spell for prepared casters that excels at preventative defense and information gathering, but offers no direct combat value.

Player Guide

Use Alarm defensively to secure your long rest location, camp perimeter, or safe house—cast it on doors and windows to gain advance warning of intrusions while you sleep. Designate yourself and allies as exceptions so only enemies trigger the alert, giving you precious time to prepare or flee. The spell's 8-hour duration makes it ideal for overnight security, and the mental ping works even if you're on another plane, making it invaluable for monitoring distant locations. Consider casting it on a portable object or door frame you carry to create mobile early-warning coverage in a dungeon or hostile territory.

DM Tips

Remember that Alarm only alerts the caster—it doesn't prevent entry or cause any effect beyond a mental ping, so don't let players treat it as an impenetrable barrier. Be clear about what counts as 'entering' the warded area: does climbing through a window count? Does an arrow fired through it trigger it? Consider these edge cases with your table for consistent rulings.