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Fear

Illusion
Level: 3rd-level
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Duration: Up to 1 minute
Components: V, S, M
Materials: A white feather or the heart of a hen.

You project a phantasmal image of a creature's worst fears. Each creature in a 30-foot cone must succeed on a wisdom saving throw or drop whatever it is holding and become frightened for the duration. While frightened by this spell, a creature must take the Dash action and move away from you by the safest available route on each of its turns, unless there is nowhere to move. If the creature ends its turn in a location where it doesn't have line of sight to you, the creature can make a wisdom saving throw. On a successful save, the spell ends for that creature.

Concentration

Spell Details

School: Illusion
Level: 3
Ritual: No
Concentration: Yes
Classes: Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
A-Tier Fear is a powerful control spell that disables multiple enemies through forced movement and disadvantage on actions, making it excellent for battlefield control and preventing enemy actions.

Player Guide

Position yourself so the 30-foot cone catches as many enemies as possible, ideally clustering them together. The spell forces affected creatures to use their action to Dash away from you each turn, preventing them from attacking, casting spells, or taking meaningful actions. Combine this with difficult terrain or allies blocking escape routes to trap enemies or funnel them into disadvantageous positions. Remember that frightened creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls against you, so this spell both disables and protects you simultaneously.

DM Tips

Clarify whether a frightened creature forced to Dash can move diagonally or must move in a straight line directly away from the caster. Remember that the spell ends if a creature can't move away on its turn (such as being cornered), so environmental geometry significantly impacts this spell's effectiveness.