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Fear

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Fear
  • Level: 3
  • School: Illusion
  • Class: Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
  • Casting Time: Action
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V, S, M (a white feather)
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

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.

Tactical Usage​

Area Intimidation: Fear provides powerful battlefield control through psychological manipulation. This 3rd-level illusion spell excels at disrupting enemy formations and forcing repositioning.

Optimal Timing: Deploy against clustered enemies, when battlefield control is crucial, or to break enemy formations and charges.

Resource Management: Uses a 3rd-level spell slot - available from character level 5+. 1-minute concentration with ongoing control potential.

Target Selection: 30-foot cone originating from caster affects all creatures in area.

Spell Combinations​

Synergistic Spells:

  • Area Control: Combine with spike growth or difficult terrain to punish forced movement
  • Damage Enhancement: Layer with area damage spells to target fleeing enemies
  • Positioning Magic: Pair with wall spells to control escape routes

Class Feature Interactions:

  • Spell Save DC: Higher spellcasting ability improves success against enemy Wisdom saves
  • Intimidation Skills: Enhanced social abilities complement fear-based magic
  • Illusion Mastery: Wizards specializing in illusion gain enhanced fear effectiveness

Multi-Caster Coordination: Multiple fear effects can control different areas or guarantee enemy displacement.

Material Component Details​

Component Acquisition: White feather or heart of a hen - obtainable from farms, markets, or natural sources.

Component Handling: Components represent courage and fear, symbolizing the psychological nature of the spell.

Roleplay Opportunities: Different fear manifestations reflect personal phobias or psychological manipulation techniques.

Economic Considerations: Minimal component costs for powerful battlefield control capability.

Creator Notes​

Encounter Balancing: Forced movement and frightened condition significantly affect enemy positioning and action economy.

NPC Usage: Fear-focused enemies or intimidating creatures might use similar psychological warfare.

Environmental Considerations: 30-foot cone affects significant battlefield area. Forces movement away from caster.

Campaign Integration: Excellent control magic for encounters emphasizing positioning and psychological warfare.

Environmental Interactions​

Terrain Effects: 30-foot cone covers substantial encounter area. Forced movement interacts with terrain hazards.

Weather Influence: Unaffected by weather conditions, providing reliable control regardless of environment.

Structural Interactions: Frightened creatures move away from caster, potentially into environmental hazards.

Elemental Interactions: Psychological effects unaffected by elemental conditions or creature physical properties.

Common Rulings & Clarifications​

Timing Questions: Action casting time with 1-minute concentration. Effects apply immediately to failed saves.

Target Limitations: All creatures in 30-foot cone. Wisdom save to resist. Immune creatures unaffected.

Duration Interactions: Concentration required. Frightened creatures can repeat saves at end of turns.

Mechanical Interactions: Frightened condition plus forced movement away from caster. Cannot move closer while frightened.

Alternative Applications​

Non-Combat Uses: Crowd dispersal, intimidation displays, psychological pressure, or area clearing.

Social Encounters: Mass intimidation, crowd control, demonstrating psychological power, or forcing social retreats.

Exploration Applications: Clearing dangerous areas of creatures, forcing animal retreats, or creating safe passages.

Utility Functions: Crowd control, area clearing, intimidation assistance, or psychological demonstration.

Same School: Other illusion spells like minor illusion (cantrip false sensory), major image (3rd level complex illusion), phantasmal force (2nd level single-target illusion).

Similar Effects: cause fear (1st level single target), fear (3rd level area effect), antipathy/sympathy (8th level permanent area emotion).

Progression Options: cause fear (1st level single target), fear (3rd level area), antipathy/sympathy (8th level permanent emotion control).

Complementary Magic: spike growth (punish movement), web (additional control), counterspell (prevent enemy responses).

Scaling Analysis​

Level Progression: Remains valuable throughout campaigns for battlefield control and enemy positioning.

Upcast Benefits: No improvement from higher spell slots, making this a pure 3rd-level control investment.

Campaign Phases: Peak effectiveness in mid-level play where positioning control provides maximum tactical value.

Comparative Value: Excellent control magic that provides area battlefield manipulation for moderate resource investment.

Narrative Flavor​

Casting Description: Dark psychological energy emanates from you as primal terror takes hold of all enemies within your sight.

Effect Manifestation: Affected creatures experience overwhelming dread and instinctive flight responses, desperately fleeing from your presence.

Personal Style: Different casters manifest unique fears - illusion wizards create specific phobias, while others project general supernatural dread.

World Integration: Represents psychological warfare magic available to various traditions, often associated with intimidation specialists, fear-based magic, or battlefield control techniques.