Fear 5e spell

3rd-level illusion (concentration) · 2024 version below

Casting time: 1 action
Range: Self (30-foot cone)
Components: V, S, M (A white feather or the heart of a hen)
Duration: Concentration, Up to 1 minute
School: Illusion
Level: 3
Saving throw: Wisdom

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.

Classes that can cast Fear

Class	First available	Spellcasting ability
Bard spells	5th character level	Charisma
Sorcerer spells	5th character level	Charisma
Warlock spells	5th character level	Charisma
Wizard spells	5th character level	Intelligence

Fear in the 2024 rules

The 2024 Player’s Handbook revised many spells, and the SRD 5.2 carries the new text. What changed from the 2014 version above:

Range: Self (30-foot cone) → Self.

Casting time: Action
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (a white feather)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
School: Illusion
Level: 3
Classes: Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Tags: concentration

Each creature in a 30-foot Cone must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or drop whatever it is holding and have the Frightened condition for the duration.

A Frightened creature takes the Dash action and moves away from you by the safest route on each of its turns unless there is nowhere to move. If the creature ends its turn in a space where it doesn't have line of sight to you, the creature makes a Wisdom saving throw. On a successful save, the spell ends on that creature.

2024 version from the SRD 5.2. Most tables settle on one edition, so check which one yours uses.

Other 3rd-level illusion spells

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