Locate Creature
- Level: 4
- School: Divination
- Class: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger, Wizard
- Casting Time: Action
- Range: Self
- Components: V, S, M (fur from a bloodhound)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
Describe or name a creature that is familiar to you. You sense the direction to the creature's location if that creature is within 1,000 feet of you. If the creature is moving, you know the direction of its movement.
The spell can locate a specific creature known to you or the nearest creature of a specific kind (such as a human or a unicorn) if you have seen such a creature up close-within 30 feet-at least once. If the creature you described or named is in a different form, such as under the effects of a Flesh to Stone or Polymorph spell, this spell doesn't locate the creature.
This spell can't locate a creature if any thickness of lead blocks a direct path between you and the creature.
Tactical Usage
Target Tracking: Locate Creature provides continuous tracking of specific individuals within 1,000 feet, making it excellent for pursuit, surveillance, or maintaining contact with important NPCs during complex encounters.
Search and Rescue: The spell excels at finding missing persons, lost allies, or specific creatures during emergency situations where conventional search methods prove inadequate or time-consuming.
Combat Intelligence: Track enemy movements during extended encounters or identify the location of invisible, hidden, or shapeshifted opponents who might otherwise evade detection.
Spell Combinations
Scrying Coordination: Use Scrying to identify targets at long range, then Locate Creature for precise tracking when they come within the 1,000-foot range limit.
Invisibility Counter: Locate Creature bypasses invisibility and stealth, making it valuable for tracking rogues, assassins, or magically concealed enemies during tactical situations.
Teleportation Circle Pursuit: When enemies escape through teleportation, use Locate Creature upon arrival to immediately reestablish contact if they remain in the area.
Material Component Details
Bloodhound Fur Significance: The component connects to bloodhounds' legendary tracking ability, symbolically representing the spell's superior creature location and pursuit capabilities.
Tracking Tradition: Bloodhounds represent the pinnacle of natural tracking ability, making their fur an appropriate focus for magical enhancement of similar capabilities.
Component Durability: The fur component can be preserved and reused, making Locate Creature economically sustainable for regular use without ongoing component replacement costs.
Creator Notes
Familiarity Requirement: The spell requires personal familiarity with the target, preventing abuse for tracking random enemies or unknown threats without prior contact.
Transformation Immunity: Polymorphed or magically altered creatures cannot be located, providing defense against the spell for shapeshifters and transformed beings.
Lead Blocking: Any thickness of lead completely blocks the spell, providing a mundane but effective counter to magical tracking that clever enemies might exploit.
Environmental Interactions
Range Limitations: The 1,000-foot range works well in most encounter areas but might be limiting in very large dungeons, outdoor pursuits, or multi-level structures.
Movement Tracking: The spell provides directional information about target movement, allowing prediction of enemy routes and tactical positioning based on movement patterns.
Concentration Duration: The 1-hour concentration duration allows extended tracking but competes with other concentration spells during tactical situations.
Common Rulings & Clarifications
Specific vs General: You can locate either a specific known creature or the nearest creature of a type you've observed closely (within 30 feet), providing flexibility in targeting.
Close Observation: The 30-foot observation requirement for creature types ensures you have sufficient familiarity to distinguish between similar species or variants.
Movement Awareness: The spell reveals direction of movement, not speed or destination, requiring interpretation and prediction for effective pursuit.
Alternative Applications
Legal Investigation: Track suspects, witnesses, or persons of interest during legal proceedings, criminal investigations, or law enforcement operations.
Diplomatic Security: Maintain location awareness of important diplomatic figures, ensuring their safety during sensitive negotiations or public appearances.
Academic Research: Track specific creatures for behavioral studies, migration research, or ecological surveys that require extended observation periods.
Related Spells
Locate Animals or Plants: Lower-level version focusing on natural creatures with longer range but more limited creature type selection.
Locate Object: Different focus on inanimate objects rather than living creatures. Use based on whether tracking beings or finding items better serves mission needs.
Scrying: Provides visual information about distant targets rather than location tracking. Combine both for comprehensive intelligence gathering and target monitoring.
Scaling Analysis
Mid Levels (7-12): Locate Creature becomes available when 4th-level spell slots provide significant utility and tracking capabilities become crucial for complex adventures.
High Levels (13-18): Remains valuable for specific tracking needs though teleportation and planar travel can circumvent the spell's range limitations.
Campaign Integration: Most valuable in campaigns emphasizing investigation, pursuit, or social intrigue where creature location provides strategic or narrative advantages.
Narrative Flavor
Directional Awareness: A subtle compass-like sensation develops in your mind, pointing steadily toward your target. The mental connection feels warm and persistent, like a gentle magnetic pull.
Movement Sensitivity: When your target moves, you sense the directional change immediately. The tracking sensation shifts smoothly as they change course, maintaining constant awareness of their relative position.
Bloodhound Connection: The fur component creates a sympathetic link to legendary tracking abilities. Your awareness expands beyond normal senses to encompass supernatural location sensitivity.