Hallucinatory Terrain
2024 Rules
- Level & School
- 4th-level illusion
- Casting Time
- 10 minute
- Range
- 300 feet
- Components
- V, S, M (a mushroom)
- Duration
- 24 hours
- Classes
- Bard, Druid, Warlock, Wizard
- Source
- Player's Handbook (2024)
You make natural terrain in a 150-foot Cube in range look, sound, and smell like another sort of natural terrain. Thus, open fields or a road can be made to resemble a swamp, hill, crevasse, or some other difficult or impassable terrain. A pond can be made to seem like a grassy meadow, a precipice like a gentle slope, or a rock-strewn gully like a wide and smooth road. Manufactured structures, equipment, and creatures within the area aren't changed.
The tactile characteristics of the terrain are unchanged, so creatures entering the area are likely to notice the illusion. If the difference isn't obvious by touch, a creature examining the illusion can take the Study action to make an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC to disbelieve it. If a creature discerns that the terrain is illusory, the creature sees a vague image superimposed on the real terrain.
2014 Rules
- Level & School
- 4th-level illusion
- Casting Time
- 10 minute
- Range
- 300 feet
- Components
- V, S, M (a stone, a twig, and a bit of green plant)
- Duration
- 24 hours
- Classes
- Bard, Druid, Warlock, Wizard
- Source
- Player's Handbook (2014)
You make natural terrain in a 150-foot cube in range look, sound, and smell like some other sort of natural terrain. Thus, open fields or a road can be made to resemble a swamp, hill, crevasse, or some other difficult or impassable terrain. A pond can be made to seem like a grassy meadow, a precipice like a gentle slope, or a rock-strewn gully like a wide and smooth road. Manufactured structures, equipment, and creatures within the area aren't changed in appearance.
The tactile characteristics of the terrain are unchanged, so creatures entering the area are likely to see through the illusion. If the difference isn't obvious by touch, a creature carefully examining the illusion can attempt an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC to disbelieve it. A creature who discerns the illusion for what it is, sees it as a vague image superimposed on the terrain.
Hallucinatory Terrain 5.5e 2024 vs. 5e 2014 edition differences
Hallucinatory Terrain popularity
How popular is Hallucinatory Terrain? It is a seldom seen spell in the game, and is chosen less than other options when available. This spell may fill a specific niche for a spellbook.
- Top 50% of all level 4 spells
- Bottom 50% of all 5e spells
- Bottom 50% picked level 4 Warlock spell
- Bottom 50% picked level 4 Wizard spell
- Bottom 10% picked level 4 Druid spell
- Bottom 10% picked level 4 Bard spell
Read about how this popularity data is calculated.
Spells similar to Hallucinatory Terrain
Plant Growth 3rd-level transmutation
It changes the character of a large outdoor region to hinder travel, offering a comparable way to shape terrain without directly attacking creatures.
Players prefer Plant Growth over Hallucinatory Terrain
Major Image 3rd-level illusion
Both create convincing sensory illusions at range, though Major Image depicts a smaller movable scene and lasts far less time.
Players prefer Major Image over Hallucinatory Terrain
Control Water 4th-level transmutation
The spell operates at the same level and range while reshaping a broad natural area for strategic movement and positioning.
Players prefer Control Water over Hallucinatory Terrain
Creation 5th-level illusion
Like Hallucinatory Terrain, it supports noncombat deception by producing an apparently real environmental feature for an extended period.
Players prefer Creation over Hallucinatory Terrain
Programmed Illusion 6th-level illusion
This illusion can persist indefinitely and alter what creatures perceive in a defined area, making it useful for elaborate environmental deceptions.
Players prefer Hallucinatory Terrain over Programmed Illusion
Mirage Arcane 7th-level illusion
It is the closest match, creating a large, long-lasting illusion that reshapes how an area of terrain appears and functions.
Players prefer Hallucinatory Terrain over Mirage Arcane