Hello, evil wizards and lazy adventurers. Do you consider yourself a born leader, or are you not in the mood to do some trivial tasks? Mass Suggestion 5e is one of those underused spells with so much potential if you are creative.
Our Expert Dungeon Master has poured his heart and soul into writing this guide on one of his favorite spells, Mass Suggestion in DnD 5th edition. We will discuss the pros and cons, FAQs, and how to use this enchantment in the best possible way.
What is Mass Suggestion 5e, and how does it work
Attributes
- Casting time: 1 action
- Level: 6th level enchantment
- Range: 60 feet
- Target: Up to 12 creatures within visual and audible range
- Components: Verbal and material (snake tongue and a bit of honeycomb or drop of sweet oil.)
- Duration: 24 hours
- Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard, and Bard
Spell description
When you cast the spell, you may suggest an activity (of up to 2 sentences) to up to 12 targets of your choice within range that hear and understand you.
Target fails the WIS saving throw: When the target fails the saving throw, the creature will pursue the action to the best of its ability. This action can last up to the spell’s duration (24h). The spell automatically ends when the target has completed the action.
Target succeeds the saving throw: Nothing happens to the creature.
Upcasting is possible. If you upcast it to the 7th level, you extend the duration from 24 hours to 10 days. If you put it in the 8th spell slot, the duration becomes 30 days. Finally, if you put mass suggestion in your 9th slot, the duration is prolonged to a year and a day.
Rules:
- Creatures that are immune to charming are immune to Mass suggestion
- You need to word the suggestion, so the course of action is reasonable to do
- Asking for unreasonable actions (e.g., put yourself on fire or go stab the king) will dispel the spell automatically.
Mass Suggestion advantages and drawbacks
Advantages
- Lots of targets: Up to 12 targets is a lot. This can be an entire banquet table or a small raiding party.
- Long duration: 24 hours (and up to over a year) is a long time to be able to mess with a target.
- WIS saving: I love wisdom saving throws. This saving throw is excellent for dumb mobs like undead and small-time cannon fodder.
- Can be upcast: You can upcast Mass Suggestion quite a bit. The duration can increase 366-fold if you put it three slots higher, which is quite impressive.
Drawbacks
- Nothing too crazy: You can’t use the charm to convince NPCs to do stuff they would never dream of, which is quite limiting.
- Need a good DM: Mass Suggestion is one of the spells that tests how good your DM is. A bad DM will either limit it too much or will allow things that are game-breaking.
Best uses for Mass Suggestion 5e
1. Make nobles and officials corrupt
Nobles and officials are always looking to make some extra coin. However, sometimes the reward is not worth the risk, and they need a little convincing. Mass suggestion is excellent to have a whole squadron of nobles doing dirty deals with you or amongst themselves. There are a couple of ways you can use this spell and the consequences if you do this use.
- Get better deals from nobles and officials due to you bribing them
- Blackmail nobles and officials because you know they accept bribes
- Get Nobles and officials removed from office or executed because they took bribes
2. Get better prices and steal stuff
Merchants want to make a deal, and underpaid shopkeepers don’t care how much they get for items that don’t belong to them. Maybe you can give the people in the marketplace a suggestion to sell their stuff on the cheap to you. Get your entire shopping trip done at several merchants with a massive discount.
Of course, you can also use this to do a massive heist. Just make people look the other way; filling out so much paperwork and risking your life to protect someone else’s stuff is not worth it, isn’t it?
3. Use prejudice and hate to have allies turn on one another
Sometimes your opponent’s army is a bunch of ragtag sown together minions with little amicability between them. Knowing DnD lore helps to know which creatures do not like each other. For example, Giants have prejudice and sometimes even downright hate against smaller creatures.
4. Make cannon fodder flee
Do you want to give up your life for this wacky cult leader? Are the plans of this evil lich really what you want to execute? I suggest you guys just run away until you are out of danger.
A suggestion like this is logical and extremely useful. However, the odds of a bunch of minions accepting this proposition are even more significant if they have seen a couple of their buddies perish to horrifying attacks like Circle of Death or Destructive wave.
Advice and final thoughts
You can not use Mass Suggestion 5e for over-the-top stuff! This is because so many players think it is some kind of god spell that enables you to be some kind of deity that can send people on crazy suicide quests. No, it does not work that way. It is a suggestion and must sound logical and somewhat reasonable in the mind of the target of the spell.
| Advantages | Drawbacks |
|---|---|
| Can target multiple individuals (up to 12). | Cannot convince targets to do things they would never consider. |
| Long duration (up to 24 hours or more). | Requires a good DM to manage the spell effectively. |
| Targets make Wisdom saving throws, which can be effective against certain types of creatures. | |
| Can be upcast for longer durations. |
Best Uses for Mass Suggestion 5e
- Manipulate nobles and officials for personal gain.
- Obtain better prices and potentially facilitate theft.
- Exploit prejudice and incite allies to turn on each other.
- Use on cannon fodder to convince them to flee dangerous situations.
Creative players who enjoy role-playing and have a lot of brilliant ideas for logical and not stupid plans will genuinely enjoy using the mass suggestion in their campaign. For those players and DMs, the spell is more than worth it to take for your 6th spell slot.
Mass Suggestion FAQ
Does damage end Mass Suggestion?
No, damage does not end mass suggestion outright. Instead, it ends when you suggest an action that is not reasonable or when the proposed action has been completed.
What level is Mass Suggestion 5e?
It is a level 6 enchantment available to Bards, sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards to cast.
Can you upcast Mass Suggestion 5e?
Yes, it is possible to upcast Mass Suggestion. When you do this, the duration of the spell will be increased. For example, if you put it in a 7th level, you can prolong the duration to 10 days. In the slot above that, the eight, you get 30 days. At the highest upcast, the 9th slot, you can place targets under the enchantment for a year and a day!