Forcecage: Expensive Time Out

Usable By: Bard, Warlock, Wizard

Spell Level: 7

School: Evocation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 100 feet

Duration: 1 hour

Components: V, S, M (Ruby dust worth 1,500 gp)

An immobile, invisible, cube-shaped prison composed of magical force springs into existence around an area you choose within range. The prison can be a cage or a solid box, as you choose.

A prison in the shape of a cage can be up to 20 feet on a side and is made from 1/2-inch diameter bars spaced 1/2 inch apart.

A prison in the shape of a box can be up to 10 feet on a side, creating a solid barrier that prevents any matter from passing through it and blocking any spells cast into or out from the area.

When you cast the spell, any creature that is completely inside the cage’s area is trapped. Creatures only partially within the area, or those too large to fit inside the area, are pushed away from the center of the area until they are completely outside the area. A creature inside the cage can’t leave it by nonmagical means. If the creature tries to use teleportation or interplanar travel to leave the cage, it must first make a Charisma saving throw. On a success, the creature can use that magic to exit the cage. On a failure, the creature can’t exit the cage and wastes the use of the spell or effect. The cage also extends into the Ethereal Plane, blocking ethereal travel.

This spell can’t be dispelled by Dispel Magic.

Review by Samuel West, Twitter: @CrierKobold

Sometimes the best solution is procrastination; well, not really, but for those of you like me out there who want this to be true, there is Forcecage. Stick your problems in a box and deal with the consequences later!

Forcecage is bananas. It doesn’t require concentration, lasts an hour, imposes exactly zero saving throws to work, and modally can trap up to some huge creatures. It’s like if Polymorph turned something into a box, but that box lasted an hour and was indestructible. And the target can’t make a save against it.

The only instances where the spell falters is when you’re dealing with massive enemies who can’t fit in either mode, or large enough enemies with access to ample ranged options to pepper you from the confines of the indestructible bird cage. If it’s Large or smaller, though, you can just stick them in a box for an hour and go about your business.

Each mode specifically does have moments to shine. While the box is more often better as it deals with the bulk of magical enemies, the cage works great if you’re looking to trap a huge melee beast. Once it's in there, you can stand back and fire off Fire Bolts until it's dead. It can’t go anywhere, the cage is literally indestructible. More often you’ll find sticking the enemy shaman or wizard into the box will turn off all magical aid the big monster had, assuming you don’t just stick the big bad in the box until all the little monsters are dealt with.

A neat trick you can do with Forcecage is stick something inside the cage BEFORE you cast it. For example, if one character creates a Cloud of Daggers in the space of a creature, then the other Forcecages that creature with the Cloud of Daggers, now you have one very cramped space full of whirling spinning knives and a single entity who physically can’t leave.

Not only is Forcecage excellent at removing enemies, it can be a neat trick to pull out protectively. Consider you’re being overwhelmed by zombies; stick the four members of your group in an indestructible bubble and give the cleric time to cast Forbiddance!

If you’ve got 1,500 gold to spare (and at 13th level you should have a fair bit of coin) Forcecage will deliver. It’s both flexible and powerful; you rarely will feel you wasted the slot, because at minimum you’re getting an enemy's teleport out of it, where at maximum the spell is warping encounters without even requiring saves.

5e Spells

Forcecage: Expensive Time Out