Maze: Tell Him to Get Lost

Usable By: Wizard

Spell Level: 8

School: Conjuration

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

Components: V, S

You banish a creature that you can see within range into a labyrinthine demiplane. The target remains there for the duration or until it escapes the maze.

The target can use its action to attempt to escape. When it does so, it makes a DC 20 Intelligence check. If it succeeds, it escapes, and the spell ends (a minotaur or goristro demon automatically succeeds).

When the spell ends, the target reappears in the space it left or, if that space is occupied, in the nearest unoccupied space.

Review by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold

Banishment and Polymorph both are spells I reference in these reviews all the time. Each does something critical by removing a specific entity from existence for a time on a failed save; they are iconic save or dies, and reshape how a DM can present large enemies. They are one of the primary reasons legendary resistances exist. Maze then gives that idea the finger, as it requires no saves at all. Just die. No save.

8th level spells need to do something every time you cast them, and Maze technically does. In a set piece fight with a single leading monster and its subordinates, Maze guarantees you time to deal with said subordinates while their boss struggles to work their way out of an extra dimensional puzzle. This is something you can always rely on to work; if you’re within 60 feet of the baddy, you can put them in time out.

The best case for the spell is mazing something with legendary resistances; it gets around them entirely. Unfortunately for Maze, that is the only situation where it’s really worth it over a different status spell. It’s not four spell slots better than Banishment if you’re targeting something that lacks free passes on saves, or otherwise has ludicrous save modifiers. Banishment comes with the very real upside of being able to up-cast to hit more than one creature at a time, making it remove multiple threats simultaneously, and each of those can be removed PERMANENTLY. Once something fails a Banishment save, it’s gone as long as you’re concentrating. Maze is always just the one creature, and that creature gets to attempt to break free every round thereafter, both major downsides when comparing the two. When Irresistible Dance exists at 6th level and provides similar utility that also circumnavigates legendary resistances for a round, I just can’t get behind Maze.

All in all Maze can be fine when used in a specific encounter, but there are tools at lower levels that’ll do what it's doing about as good if not a bit better. A low intelligence creature might get stuck there for the entire fight, but that creature probably would be in just as bad a spot if it got removed in any other number of ways. Maze is still undoubtedly powerful, as all the single target temporary removal effects are. It just isn’t universally better than the lower level options, and doesn’t justify its level when compared.

5e Spells

Maze: Tell Him to Get Lost