Gaseous Form: Experience the Sensation of Being a Fart

Usable By: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

Spell Level: 3

School: Transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

Components: V, S, M (a bit of gauze and a wisp of smoke)

You transform a willing creature you touch, along with everything it’s wearing and carrying, into a misty cloud for the duration. The spell ends if the creature drops to 0 hit points. An incorporeal creature isn’t affected.

While in this form, the target’s only method of movement is a flying speed of 10 feet. The target can enter and occupy the space of another creature. The target has resistance to nonmagical damage, and it has advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws. The target can pass through small holes, narrow openings, and even mere cracks, though it treats liquids as though they were solid surfaces. The target can’t fall and remains hovering in the air even when stunned or otherwise incapacitated.

While in the form of a misty cloud, the target can’t talk or manipulate objects, and any objects it was carrying or holding can’t be dropped, used, or otherwise interacted with. The target can’t attack or cast spells.

Review by Sam West, Twitter:@CrierKobold

Gaseous Form at your table is going to go one of two ways. One: you’ll turn to a mist, a vaporous form, like a vampire disappearing into the night. Two: everyone will giggle at the word “gaseous”, making fart jokes and calling you “Fart-wizard” or “the great toot man”. That’s the entire spectrum of Gaseous Form, and I love it for that.

Mechanically, Gaseous Form is an out of combat fly speed with some excellent infiltration applications with an hour duration. I think it’s criminally underused. It can often feel like Invisibility meets Fly meets Etherealness, but you have to move very slowly. You can still take damage from traps and attacks, a major boon for DMs looking to counteract the now spectral player character from breaking into wherever they’re hiding the valuables consequence free.

Its limitations extend beyond that; if you go off on your own in Gaseous Form as anyone other than the caster, you can’t willingly end this on yourself, nor can you attack or cast other spells. Gaseous Form is pigeonholed into being an out of combat exploration and infiltration tool, which is probably a net positive. You could potentially use it defensively to get an endangered NPC out of a fight with the damage resistances, leveraging the incorporeal nature of it to escape most environments. For the most part, I’d expect to use this to spy, steal, and get places you aren’t supposed to be.

I’m a big fan of Gaseous Form. It's a new tool at 5th level for a wide array of characters to try, and gives you an interesting tool with plenty of room for countermeasures. If you’ve got a spare 3rd level spell to learn and want to expand into more world interaction, Gaseous Form should be an excellent pickup at nearly any table.

Gaseous Form FAQ:

Can I use Gaseous Form to fly up someone’s nose and into their lungs, then explode them from the inside?

First of all, gross. The answer, of course, is that it’s going to depend on your Dungeon Master. I’d lean toward probably not. If you can’t even penetrate liquid, then your gaseous form wouldn’t have the strength to force its way into the lungs of someone who would almost certainly resist you going in there.

Also, lungs aren’t just two big balloons in your chest. They’re made up of a bunch of tiny alveoli. If you wanted to turn solid inside there, you’d have to cram your entire self’s worth of air into one of those tiny sacs.

Unless some huge beast was actively trying to snort you, I’m ruling no on this one.

5e Spells

Gaseous Form: Experience the Sensation of Being a Fart

Gaseous Form FAQ: