Control Winds
2014 Rules
- Level & School
- 5th-level transmutation
- Casting Time
- Action
- Range
- 300 feet
- Components
- V, S
- Duration
- Concentration, 1 hour
- Classes
- Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard
- Source
- Xanathar's Guide to Everything
You take control of the air in a 100-foot cube that you can see within range. Choose one of the following effects when you cast the spell. The effect lasts for the spell's duration, unless you use your action on a later turn to switch to a different effect. You can also use your action to temporarily halt the effect or to restart one you've halted.
Gusts. A wind picks up within the cube, continually blowing in a horizontal direction you designate. You choose the intensity of the wind: calm, moderate, or strong. If the wind is moderate or strong, ranged weapon attacks that pass through it or that are made against targets within the cube have disadvantage on their attack rolls. If the wind is strong, any creature moving against the wind must spend 1 extra foot of movement for each foot moved.
Downdraft. You cause a sustained blast of strong wind to blow downward from the top of the cube. Ranged weapon attacks that pass through the cube or that are made against targets within it have disadvantage on their attack rolls. A creature must make a Strength saving throw if it flies into the cube for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there flying. On a failed save, the creature is knocked prone.
Updraft. You cause a sustained updraft within the cube, rising upward from the cube's bottom side. Creatures that end a fall within the cube take only half damage from the fall. When a creature in the cube makes a vertical jump, the creature can jump up to 10 feet higher than normal.
Control Winds 5.5e 2024 vs. 5e 2014 edition differences
Control Winds is currently only available in the 2014 edition.
Control Winds popularity
How popular is Control Winds? It is one of the rarest spells in the game, and it is almost never chosen when available. This spell is virtually unheard of in most campaigns, but you can change that.
- Bottom 25% of all level 5 spells
- Bottom 10% of all 5e spells
- Bottom 10% picked level 5 Sorcerer spell
- Bottom 10% picked level 5 Wizard spell
- Bottom 10% picked level 5 Druid spell
Read about how this popularity data is calculated.
Spells similar to Control Winds
Wind Walk 6th-level transmutation
The shared wind theme and long-duration concentration make it feel related, even though this one is mainly about travel instead of control.
Players prefer Wind Walk over Control Winds
Gust of Wind 2nd-level evocation
It’s the closest match: both reshape a stretch of air, hinder movement and ranged attacks, and let you keep adjusting the effect while concentrating.
Players prefer Gust of Wind over Control Winds
Control Weather 8th-level transmutation
Both spells manipulate the weather itself rather than blasting foes directly, and each can define the conditions of an entire encounter.
Players prefer Control Weather over Control Winds
Warding Wind 2nd-level evocation
This also creates a sustained wind that disrupts arrows and changes how creatures move through the area, just on a smaller scale.
Players prefer Control Winds over Warding Wind
Whirlwind 7th-level evocation
It shares the same air-manipulation theme and uses wind to control positioning, though it leans more into lifting and tossing creatures around.
Players prefer Control Winds over Whirlwind