Harm

A
Damage

Harm is a Damage spell. Damage spells focus on dealing harm to enemies.

See all Damage spells →
 spell that floods one creature with virulent necrotic magic, dealing devastating damage and sapping away its vitality.

2024 Rules
Level & School
6th-level necromancy
Casting Time
Action
Range
60 feet
Components
V, S
Duration
Instantaneous
Classes
Cleric

You unleash virulent magic on a creature you can see within range. The target makes a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 14d6 Necrotic damage, and its Hit Point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the Necrotic damage it took. On a successful save, it takes half as much damage only. This spell can't reduce a target's Hit Point maximum below 1.

2014 Rules
Level & School
6th-level necromancy
Casting Time
Action
Range
60 feet
Components
V, S
Duration
Instantaneous
Classes
Cleric

You unleash a virulent disease on a creature that you can see within range. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 14d6 necrotic damage, or half as much damage on a successful save. The damage can't reduce the target's hit points below 1. If the target fails the saving throw, its hit point maximum is reduced for 1 hour by an amount equal to the necrotic damage it took. Any effect that removes a disease allows a creature's hit point maximum to return to normal before that time passes.

Harm 5.5e 2024 vs. 5e 2014 edition differences

On a failed save, the target’s hit point maximum is now reduced by the necrotic damage it took immediately, instead of being reduced for 1 hour. The old “can’t reduce HP below 1” limit is now tied to the hit point maximum reduction, not the damage. Also, the old disease-based early recovery clause is gone.

Spells similar to Harm

  • Finger of Death 7th-level necromancy

    A high-level necromancy spell that deals a large amount of single-target necrotic damage, making it thematically and mechanically close to this spell.

  • Circle of Death 6th-level necromancy

    Shares the same school and deals heavy necrotic damage at a similar power tier, though it affects an area rather than a single target.

  • Disintegrate 6th-level transmutation

    A same-level, single-target spell that delivers very large instantaneous damage and can drastically change a target's survivability in one hit.

  • Blight 4th-level necromancy

    A lower‑level necromancy spell that deals potent necrotic damage to a single creature, making it a smaller-scale analogue in the same damage niche.

  • Inflict Wounds 1st-level necromancy

    A touch-range necromancy spell that focuses on delivering concentrated necrotic damage to one creature, representing the low-level version of this effect.