Alarm: choose a warning that reaches the caster

SRD 5.2.1 · Spell decisions

Before casting

Casting detailSRD 5.2.1 requirement
Casting time1 minute or Ritual
Range30 feet
ComponentsV, S, M (a bell and silver wire)
Duration8 hours

At the table

  1. Choose a door, window or area within 30 feet, no larger than a 20-foot Cube.
  2. Designate any creatures that will not trigger it, and choose audible or mental warning.
  3. An audible handbell lasts 10 seconds within 60 feet of the ward; a mental ping reaches the caster within 1 mile and can wake them.

Example decision

A caster sets a mental Alarm at camp, then travels two miles away. A non-exempt creature enters the ward while the spell is still active. Does the spell promise a mental ping to the caster at that distance?

No; the mental alert requires the caster to be within 1 mile.

The eight-hour duration keeps the ward active, but the mental-warning clause separately requires the caster to be within one mile. Distance from the ward therefore matters even when time remains. An audible alarm has a different, local reach; selecting that mode would not turn it into a two-mile message either.

Watch for this mistake

Alarm does not state that it blocks entry, identifies the intruder or changes into the other warning mode later. Its value is timely notice, with exemptions chosen when it is cast.

Ask the table

Who is exempt, which warning mode is selected, and where will the caster be when it matters?

Source spell

Level 1 Abjuration (Ranger, Wizard) Casting Time: 1 minute or Ritual Range: 30 feet Components: V, S, M (a bell and silver wire) Duration: 8 hours You set an alarm against intrusion. Choose a door, a window, or an area within range that is no larger than a 20-foot Cube. Until the spell ends, an alarm alerts you whenever a creature touches or enters the warded area. When you cast the spell, you can designate creatures that won’t set off the alarm. You also choose whether the alarm is audible or mental: Audible Alarm. The alarm produces the sound of a handbell for 10 seconds within 60 feet of the warded area. Mental Alarm. You are alerted by a mental ping if you are within 1 mile of the warded area. This ping awakens you if you’re asleep.

Source: SRD 5.2.1, 107. Online guide.

Source and reuse

This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.

The explanation, example and table prompt are Table Ready adaptations; source text has been reflowed. This guide and its printable card are available under the same CC BY 4.0 license. Independent reference; no official affiliation. These rules are optional for our system-neutral adventures.