Sense Life (5e Spell)

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Work In Progress
Sense Life
Divination cantrip
Casting time: 1 action
Range: 15 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 round


Until the spell ends, you gain a number of supernatural senses, which allow you to magically determine information about creatures within range that you can see. Some of these senses, in their base forms, are very nascent and will be unable to yield any useful information.

  • Presence. Whether or not the creature currently exists, as well as its exact location in relation to you.
  • Health. Whether or not the creature currently has all of their hit points.
  • Alertness. Whether or not the creature is unconscious.
  • Injury. Whether or not the creature is missing any limbs or organs. You do not learn which body parts are missing, if you sense this is the case.
  • Ailments. Whether or not the creature has been afflicted with any nonmagical diseases. You do not learn which diseases are present, if you sense this is the case.
  • Mind. At a basic level, this will always return an inconclusive answer.
  • Activity. At a basic level, this will always return an inconclusive answer.

This spell cannot detect aberrations, celestials, constructs, elementals, fiends, plants, oozes, or undead. It also cannot detect creatures that are petrified, dead, or invisible, and it can be fooled by illusions.

Modular Spell Upcasting.This spell uses Modular Spell Upcasting. By default, you have 0 Power Points; once you reach 3rd level and acquire your first one, you can then refer to the table below for how to upcast this spell by allocating Power Points.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell, the number of Power Points you can allocate to it increases by one when you reach 3rd level (1), 5th level (2), 11th level (3), 13th level (4), 17th level (5), and 19th level (6).

The default Power Point allocation for this spell (omitting modes with 0 Points allocated) is Casting Time 1.

—Power Point Cost—
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Detection Radius 🔗 15 ft. 30 ft. 60 ft. 90 ft. 120 ft. 150 ft. 300 ft.
Duration 🔗 1 round 1 minute 10 minutes 1 hour 8 hours 1 day Until Dispelled
Casting Time 🔗 1 minute 1 action 1 bonus action
Enhanced Mode: Presence 1 points 2 points 3 points 4 points 5 points 6 points
Enhanced Mode: Health 1 points 2 points 3 points 4 points 5 points 6 points
Enhanced Mode: Alertness 1 points 2 points 3 points 4 points 5 points 6 points
Enhanced Mode: Injury 1 points 2 points 3 points 4 points 5 points 6 points
Enhanced Mode: Ailments 1 points 2 points 3 points 4 points 5 points 6 points
Enhanced Mode: Mental State 1 points 2 points 3 points 4 points 5 points 6 points
Enhanced Mode: Activity 1 points 2 points 3 points 4 points 5 points 6 points

Enhanced Mode: Presence. When you allocate Power Points to this mode, you become able to sense additional types of life. Choose a number of the following options with a combined Presence Point cost equal to the amount of Power Points allocated:

  • The Artificial (1 Presence Point). The spell can now detect constructs.
  • The Frozen (1 Presence Point). The spell can now detect petrified creatures.
  • The Natural (1 Presence Point). The spell can now detect elementals and plants.
  • The Spiritual (1 Presence Point). The spell can now detect undead.
  • The Dead (2 Presence Points). The spell can now detect corpses and yield information about them to your other senses as would be appropriate. The spell can also now detect Undead.
  • The Invisible (2 Presence Points). The spell can now detect creatures you cannot see, negating any benefits from invisible they may have against you.
  • The Outsider (2 Presence Points). The spell can now detect celestials and fiends.
  • The Unusual (2 Presence Point). The spell can now detect abberations and oozes.
  • The Ethereal (3 Presence Points). The spell can now detect creatures within its radius that exist on the ethereal plane.
  • The Hidden (3 Presence Points). The radius of the spell can now penetrate most barriers, but is still blocked by 5 feet of stone, 5 inches of common metal, one inch of lead or gold, or 15 feet of wood or dirt.
  • The Mirrored (4 Presence Points). The spell can now detect creatures within its radius that exist in the Feywild or the Shadowfell.
  • The False (5 Presence Points). You gain truesight until the spell ends.
  • The Obfuscated (X Presence Points). The spell can now detect creatures who are being cloaked by anti-divination magic that was cast with a spell slot of Xth level or lower.

Enhanced Mode: Health. When you allocate Power Points to this mode, you become more sensitive to how near or far a creature is from death's door. Choose a number of the following options with a combined Health Point cost equal to the amount of Power Points allocated:

  • The Bloodied (1 Health Point). You can now accurately sense whether or not a creature's current hit points are below half their maximum.
  • The Living (1 Health Point). You can now accurately sense whether or not a creature is alive, dying, or dead. However: Undead, if detectable, will always register as being dead; and Constructs, if detectable, will never register as being alive, dying, nor dead.
  • The Bolstered (2 Health Points). You can now sense whether or not a creature has any temporary hit points, as well as accurately determine how many temporary hit points it has.
  • The Harmed (4 Health Points). You can now accurately determine exactly how many hit points a creature has.

(Work in Progress!)

Enhanced Mode: Alertness. When you allocate Power Points to this mode, you become more sensitive to a creature's level of consciousness and perceptiveness. Choose a number of the following options with a combined Alertness Point cost equal to the amount of Power Points allocated:

  • The Aware (1 Alertness Point). You can now accurately determine whether or not a creature is aware of your presence.
  • The Impaired (1 Alertness Point). You can now accurately determine whether or not a creature is blinded or deafened.
  • The Stupored (1 Altertness Point). You can now accurately determine whether or not a creature is incapacitated, stunned, or has one or more levels of exhaustion.

(Work in Progress!)

Enhanced Mode: Injury. When you allocate Power Points to this mode, you become more sensitive to a creature's... well, state of overall injury; be it external or internal; physical or mental; If it's been hurt, this can sense it. Choose a number of the following options with a combined Injury Point cost equal to the amount of Power Points allocated:
(Work in Progress!)

Enhanced Mode: Illness. When you allocate Power Points to this mode, you become more sensitive to the various non-external maladies afflicting a creature. Choose a number of the following options with a combined Ailments Point cost equal to the amount of Power Points allocated:
(Work in Progress!)

Enhanced Mode: Mind. When you allocate Power Points to this mode, you become more sensitive to a creature's emotions, state of mind, and overall mental health. Choose a number of the following options with a combined Mind Point cost equal to the amount of Power Points allocated:
(Work in Progress!)

Enhanced Mode: Activity. When you allocate Power Points to this mode, you become more sensitive to a creature's conscious intentions and immediate plans. Choose a number of the following options with a combined Activity Point cost equal to the amount of Power Points allocated:
(Work in Progress!)

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