Nondetection is a useful utility spell that can be used for a variety of purposes. Let’s take a look at some of its uses and see how it can help you stay safe. ..
Nondetection
You create a shield of diamond dust. The shield is made up of a thin sheet of diamond that is 1 foot wide and 1 foot long. It has a hardness of 10 and a hit points equal to 25 gp worth of diamond dust. The shield lasts for 8 hours.
Anyone can cast the spell on an object or area to make it nondetectable by divination magic for eight hours. ..
If casting it on an object or area, the spell must be directed at something within a 10 foot cube. ..
The creature, object, or area is immune to divination magic and scrying sensors.
Who Gets It?
The bard, ranger, and wizard all have nondetection as a spell. This means that they can’t be detected by anyone, even if they’re wearing the right clothing or carrying the right items.
Deep gnomes can cast a free spell known as the Svirfneblin Magic feat. This spell allows the caster to cast a spell without taking any action other than sitting still. The caster must have a Charisma of at least 10 and be within 30 feet of a Svirfneblin.
Eberron half-elves can get the Mark of Detection from the spellcasting variant half-elves. These elves have a chance to gain nondetection when casting spells, even if they don’t have it already.
Dimir Guild members who have the Dimir Operative background can get a number of spells added to their class’ spell list, including nondetection. This makes them more effective at detecting things, as they are better able to see through illusions and other disguises.
Spell Drawbacks
Having undetection on you is helpful because it means you’re less likely to be detected.
The spell prevents you from using any divination spells on yourself.
Detect magic, detect evil and good, see invisibility, and several more divination spells target the caster.
Nondetection blocks divination spells from targeting you, so they would have no effect. ..
The spell blocks convenient spells like telepathic bond, which can be useful for communication.
This is unfortunate because it’s nonsensical. ..
The higher-level telepathy spell is evocation, and one would hope for some consistency in how you use magic for telepathy. Evocation allows you to communicate with other creatures through the use of energy. This type of magic is often used to read minds, sense emotions, or commune with the dead.
Nondetection Costs
Unfortunately, the detection spell costs a lot over time.
If you think you’ll need to cast nondetection on multiple people every day, I recommend looking for an amulet of proof against detection and location.
The amulet reproduces the effect of the nondetection spell.
The new spellcasting system in “Dragon Age: Inquisition” is more efficient and doesn’t require constant spell slots or funds to use. ..
These amulets are unusual items. While not cheap, they’re relatively inexpensive as magic items go. They are said to be effective in protecting the wearer from harm.
If you’re using the crafting rules from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, you can make amulets of proof against detection and location yourself. Each amulet costs 200 gp and takes 2 workweeks to enchant. ..
You could run into complications making them, or need to harvest a unique component for the crafting that is not available from other sources.
The cost of casting nondetection three times a day will be cheaper than casting it only once.
Nondetection: Uses, Tips & Tricks
Nondetection is a spell with many unique uses, depending on who is casting it. ..
If you want to avoid being seen by an enemy caster who can cast scrying, you can use nondetection.
It’s a great way to keep your party safe from detection by an evil lich or a malevolent hag. The nondetection spell can help them see your party without being detected.
Combat Tactics
Nondetection is a spell that is mostly useful off the battlefield. However, it has some uses as a defensive spell. ..
A creature can use nondetection to make itself immune to a ranger’s hunter’s mark spell. It also works as a defense against the mind spike spell. This can come in handy if you happen to be fighting an enemy that makes frequent use of those spells. ..
If you’re immune to some of the effects of an enemy’s foresight spell, nondetection might also work.
If you are wearing a ring of foresight, the spell will not block your attacks, but it might cancel out any advantage on your attack rolls against the creature with foresight. ..
Enemy Tactics
Nondetection can be used to make enemy NPCs less detectable by the player. This can have some fun uses, such as making them harder to hit or avoiding their attacks altogether. ..
Spells that detect magic are less effective against creatures that are not under the effects of nondetection. ..
- Here are some examples of how the Trump administration is using its power to change the rules of the game: -The Trump administration is changing the rules of the game by imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. -The Trump administration is also changing the rules of the game by cutting off funding to so-called sanctuary cities. -The Trump administration is also changing the rules of the game by freezing all federal funds to so-called sanctuary cities.
To hide something from detection by spells, use the detect magic spell. To disguise a monster as a humanoid, use the disguise self spell. To allow a fiend to masquerade as a humanoid, use the polymorph spell. To hide an object or creature from any number of spells, use the locate object or locate creature spells. ..
Since nondetection blocks divination magic, any spellcasting enemies that the party encounters might make use of the spell if they have access to it.
Where It Gets Tricky
Divination magic is a form of magic that uses objects or symbols to gain insight into the future. There is no one definition of divination magic, and it can be used for a variety of purposes, including fortunetelling, predicting events, and gaining knowledge about oneself or others. There is no one definitive way to define divination magic, as its use can vary depending on the person using it. Some people may consider it to be a form of witchcraft, while others may see it as a separate category altogether. Regardless of how people define it, divination magic is an ancient practice that has been used for centuries to gain insight into the future. ..
The spell says ‘divination magic’ rather than ‘divination spells’ because the intent is to use the spell to divine information, not to cast a spell. ..
In a corner case, the matter most important is what the person doing the action wants or needs.
If you ran across a magical scanning device powered by divination magic, anything with nondetection on it wouldn’t show up on the scan.
Some magic items are not that specific.
If they are, it usually means that they will reproduce the effect of a divination spell.
True Seeing vs. Truesight
One divination spell in 5th edition is true seeing.
This spell grants a creature truesight, which allows them to see into the Ethereal plane, see in darkness, see through illusions, and has various other features.
A creature with innate truesight has a clear understanding of what is happening in the world around them, regardless of the distractions or illusions that may be present.
A creature with nondetection cast on it is immune to the true seeing granted by a spell. ..
A creature with innate truesight would be unaffected by most things.
This leads to a number of other corner cases with the nondetection spell. The short version is that if an effect isn’t caused by a spell, nondetection doesn’t affect it.
This includes effects like the paladin’s Divine Sense ability. Divine Sense is a divination spell, so it isn’t necessarily blocked by nondetection.
A DM can rule otherwise, and it does make sense that an ability like Divine Sense might count as divination magic. Officially, however, nondetection doesn’t work on effects that aren’t explicitly divination.
Talking To Gods & Otherworldly Entities
Certain spells use divination magic to ask a god or powerful entity a question. Augury, divination, commune, and contact other plane all ask an external entity for information or advice.
The answer is, it depends. If the spell is undetected by nondetection, then it will not be detected by any spells. However, if the spell is undetected by Detection Spells, then it will be detected by all spells.
Different Dungeon Masters will have different ideas about what is and isn’t appropriate for their game. ..
When casting augury, you are asking a god or other entity if a course of action will go well or poorly for you. You are not trying to detect or locate something, you are asking about your personal future. ..
The entity that augury contacts knows whatever it happens to know. The same goes for a god you call up with commune or the extraplanar demigod you talk to with contact other plane.
The general ruling is that nondetection doesn’t stop you from gaining information about something when you ask an external source. However, if the person you’re asking for information from is not someone you trust, then it may be difficult to get them to provide the information you need.
The mind blank spell, which is more powerful, explicitly foils high-level spells and effects used to gain information about a target. ..
Spellcasters who commune with nature can gain a deep understanding of their surroundings. The spell doesn’t require a nearby tree to tell the caster if someone was in the area recently. It detects powerful extra-planar entities, buildings, prevalent creatures, and other details about the area. ..
Since the spell is specifically trying to discover information about an area, the general rule is that nondetection would make you immune to it.
What Counts as Targeting?
Nondetection is a spell that allows the caster to remain undetected by any form of detection. There are two arguments about the wording of the spell. The first argument is that it should be worded “the caster remains undetected by any form of detection,” because that is what the spell does. The second argument is that it should be worded “the caster cannot be detected,” because that is what the spell does. ..
The spell says that the target cannot be targeted by any divination magic.
The line is interpreted to mean that nondetection only prevents you from being targeted by divination spells that specifically target you.
This issue is because the Trump administration is trying to roll back environmental regulations.
A number of divination spells only target the person or object they are cast on. ..
If you use detect magic, you won’t be able to cast the nondetection spell yourself, but someone else using detect magic would see a magical aura around you from the spell.
The first line of the spell, “you hide a target that you touch from divination magic,” suggests that the spell hides the target from divination magic. This would mean that the target would not be detected by any divination spells cast on it, including spells cast by the caster themselves. ..
According to the game’s designers, the second interpretation is the correct one.
In a conversation on twitter, Jeremy Crawford said that if you were to cast nondetection on yourself, you would be immune to the see invisibility spell.
This is an important point because invisibility is one of the spells that targets the caster.
Like a spell, this magic detects magical auras around the caster.
The designers wanted to create a magical effect that would make it impossible for anyone to see you.
