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Blindness Deafness

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Blindness/Deafness
  • Level: 2
  • School: Transmutation
  • Class: Bard, Cleric, Sorcerer, Wizard
  • Casting Time: Action
  • Range: 120 feet
  • Components: V
  • Duration: 1 minute

One creature that you can see within range must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or it has the Blinded or Deafened condition (your choice) for the duration. At the end of each of its turns, the target repeats the save, ending the spell on itself on a success.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. You can target one additional creature for each spell slot level above 2.

Tactical Usage​

When to Choose Blindness/Deafness:

  • Excellent for disabling key enemies with sensory impairment
  • Strong choice against spellcasters (blindness prevents many spells)
  • Valuable for creating tactical advantages through vision denial
  • Essential for long-range debuffing with 120-foot range

Condition Selection:

  • Blindness: Prevents targeting, grants advantage to attackers, disadvantage on attacks
  • Deafness: Prevents auditory communication, may affect spellcasting
  • Blindness Priority: Generally more tactically impactful than deafness
  • Situational Deafness: Useful against sonic attacks or communication disruption

Duration Considerations:

  • Save at end of each turn provides recovery opportunity
  • 1-minute duration covers most combat encounters
  • Constitution saves typically favor heartier creatures
  • Higher-level slots enable multiple targets

Spell Combinations​

Debuff Enhancement:

  • Hold Person: Prevent saves while blinded/deafened
  • Bane: Reduce Constitution save bonuses
  • Hex: Target Constitution to weaken saves
  • Silvery Barbs: Force rerolls on successful saves

Tactical Exploitation:

  • Fireball: Area damage against blinded enemies who can't see it coming
  • Sneak Attack: Blindness grants advantage for rogues
  • Spell Attacks: Advantage against blinded targets
  • Positioning: Move freely around blinded enemies

Material Component Details​

Verbal Only:

  • Simplicity: Only verbal component required
  • Stealth: May alert enemies but no obvious material focus
  • Accessibility: Can be cast when restrained or disarmed
  • Reliability: Unaffected by component theft or environmental factors

Roleplay Opportunities:

  • Describe words that strip away sensory perception
  • Reference the gradual onset of sensory loss
  • Use voice to convey the nature of impairment chosen
  • Emphasize the disorienting effect on target

Creator Notes​

Adjudication Guidance:

  • Blinded condition provides advantage to attackers, disadvantage to target
  • Deafened condition prevents hearing but has fewer mechanical effects
  • Save attempts occur at end of each of target's turns
  • 120-foot range allows safe casting distance

Encounter Impact:

  • Blindness dramatically reduces enemy effectiveness
  • May force enemies to change tactics or positioning
  • Deafness can isolate enemies from communication
  • NPCs should react realistically to sudden sensory loss

Balancing Considerations:

  • 2nd-level slot cost appropriate for powerful debuff
  • Constitution saves give most creatures reasonable resistance
  • Regular save attempts prevent permanent debuff
  • Multiple targets available with higher-level casting

Environmental Interactions​

Sensory Impairment Effects:

  • Blinded creatures cannot see environmental hazards
  • Deafened creatures miss auditory warnings or signals
  • Navigation becomes significantly more difficult
  • May trigger panic or disorientation responses

Social Implications:

  • Sudden sensory loss may be seen as cruel or evil magic
  • Could be viewed as temporary disability requiring care
  • May affect how NPCs react to party's magical methods
  • Demonstrates significant magical power over others

Combat Dynamics:

  • Blinded enemies may retreat or seek cover
  • Deafened enemies cannot coordinate with allies effectively
  • Changes battlefield awareness and tactical options
  • May force enemies into defensive or predictable patterns

Common Rulings & Clarifications​

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Can blinded creatures cast spells that require sight? A: No, spells requiring line of sight to target cannot be cast while blinded.

Q: Does deafness prevent all spellcasting? A: No, only spells with verbal components that require hearing oneself clearly.

Q: Can the same target be affected by both blindness and deafness? A: Only with multiple castings, but you must choose one condition per casting.

Q: Do the conditions end immediately on a successful save? A: Yes, the effect ends immediately when the save succeeds.

Alternative Applications​

Non-Combat Uses:

  • Interrogation: Sensory deprivation for psychological pressure
  • Crowd Control: Temporarily disable threats without permanent harm
  • Social Manipulation: Create dependency during negotiations
  • Escape Aid: Blind pursuers to facilitate retreat

Creative Problem-Solving:

  • Prevent enemies from witnessing important activities
  • Stop communication between enemy groups
  • Create openings for stealth or infiltration
  • Demonstrate magical power as intimidation

Sensory Magic:

  • Faerie Fire: Vision enhancement rather than impairment
  • Darkness: Environmental vision denial
  • Silence: Environmental hearing denial
  • True Seeing: Sensory enhancement magic

Debuff Alternatives:

  • Hold Person: Complete incapacitation
  • Slow: Action economy reduction
  • Bane: Numerical penalties
  • Bestow Curse: Versatile debuff options

2nd-Level Alternatives:

  • Web: Restraint and area denial
  • Hold Person: Complete incapacitation
  • Suggestion: Behavioral control
  • Invisibility: Self-enhancement rather than enemy debuff

Scaling Analysis​

Level Progression:

  • Early Game: Significant tactical advantage against single targets
  • Mid Game: Multiple targets increase encounter impact
  • Late Game: Constitution saves become harder to land

Target Scaling:

  • 2nd Level: Single target (focused debuff)
  • 3rd Level: Two targets (significant improvement)
  • 4th Level: Three targets (strong encounter control)

Long-Term Viability:

  • Sensory debuffs remain relevant at all levels
  • Higher-level creatures often have better Constitution saves
  • Multiple targeting maintains usefulness
  • Situational value never completely disappears

Narrative Flavor​

Extended Description: You speak words of sensory dissolution that seem to reach directly into your target's nervous system. Whether you choose to steal their sight or hearing, the effect is both immediate and disorienting. Blinded victims find their world suddenly plunged into absolute darkness, while deafened targets experience an eerie silence as if submerged underwater. The magical impairment feels unnatural and unsettling, creating a desperate desire to regain the lost sense.

Sensory Details:

  • Blindness: Absolute darkness or white void, disorientation
  • Deafness: Profound silence, feeling of pressure in ears
  • Psychological: Panic, vulnerability, confusion
  • Physical: Stumbling, reaching, compensatory behaviors

Cultural Context: Different societies may view sensory impairment magic differently—some seeing it as merciful non-lethal control, others as cruel torture. The spell raises questions about temporary disability and the ethics of sensory deprivation as a weapon.