Enervation
2014 Rules
- Level & School
- 5th-level necromancy
- Casting Time
- Action
- Range
- 60 feet
- Components
- V, S
- Duration
- Concentration, 1 minute
- Classes
- Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
- Source
- Xanathar's Guide to Everything
A tendril of inky darkness reaches out from you, touching a creature you can see within range to drain life from it. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a successful save, the target takes 2d8 necrotic damage, and the spell ends. On a failed save, the target takes 4d8 necrotic damage, and until the spell ends, you can use your action on each of your turns to automatically deal 4d8 necrotic damage to the target. The spell ends if you use your action to do anything else, if the target is ever outside the spell's range, or if the target has total cover from you.
Whenever the spell deals damage to a target, you regain hit points equal to half the amount of necrotic damage the target takes.
Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 5th.
Enervation 5.5e 2024 vs. 5e 2014 edition differences
Enervation is currently only available in the 2014 edition.
Enervation popularity
How popular is Enervation? 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 10% of all 5e spells
- Bottom 10% of all level 5 spells
- Bottom 10% picked level 5 Sorcerer spell
- Bottom 10% picked level 5 Warlock spell
- Bottom 10% picked level 5 Wizard spell
Read about how this popularity data is calculated.
Spells similar to Enervation
Hex 1st-level enchantment
Like Enervation, it rewards sticking to one enemy over time and comes from a class that also likes this kind of sustained pressure.
Players prefer Hex over Enervation
Vampiric Touch 3rd-level necromancy
It has the same life-draining feel, keeps you focused on one target, and also turns the damage into healing for you.
Players prefer Vampiric Touch over Enervation
Mind Spike 2nd-level divination
It is a single-target spell with a similar casting range and duration, and it deals repeated psychic punishment instead of a one-off burst.
Players prefer Mind Spike over Enervation
Witch Bolt 1st-level evocation
This is another concentration spell that locks you into repeatedly using your action to keep harming the same creature at range.
Players prefer Witch Bolt over Enervation
Ray of Sickness 1st-level necromancy
Both are low-risk necrotic attacks aimed at one creature, though this one is front-loaded rather than lingering.
Players prefer Ray of Sickness over Enervation