Contingency

  • Level & School
    6th-level abjuration
  • Casting Time
    10 minutes
  • Range
    Self
  • Components
    V, S, M (a gem-incrusted statuette of yourself worth 1,500+ GP)
  • Duration
    10 days
  • Classes
    Wizard

Choose a spell of level 5 or lower that you can cast, that has a casting time of an action, and that can target you. You cast that spell—called the contingent spell—as part of casting Contingency, expending spell slots for both, but the contingent spell doesn't come into effect. Instead, it takes effect when a certain trigger occurs. You describe that trigger when you cast the two spells. For example, a Contingency cast with Water Breathing might stipulate that Water Breathing comes into effect when you are engulfed in water or a similar liquid.

The contingent spell takes effect immediately after the trigger occurs for the first time, whether or not you want it to, and then Contingency ends.

The contingent spell takes effect only on you, even if it can normally target others. You can use only one Contingency spell at a time. If you cast this spell again, the effect of another Contingency spell on you ends. Also, Contingency ends on you if its material component is ever not on your person.

Contingency 5e 2024 vs. 2014 edition differences

The 2024 version updates the school to abjuration, clarifies "an action" for casting time, and replaces "circumstance" with "trigger." It also standardizes the phrasing of effect timing ("trigger occurs" vs. "circumstance is met") but the core mechanics—spell level, effect timing, targeting, and one active contingency—remain the same.