Dread Mercy

2nd-level enchantment (Bard,Paladin,Ranger)


  • Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you reduce a creature within 60 feet to 0 hit points with a weapon attack
  • Range: 60 feet
  • Components: V
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

You offer an opponent mercy in exchange for its cooperation. Choose one creature within range that you have just reduced to 0 hit points with a weapon attack. You instead reduce that creature to 1 hit point and immediately command its surrender. It must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature is frightened of you, but rather than fleeing, the frightened creature stays where it is and does not move unless you tell it to. For the duration, the creature (that failed its save) will not attack you, and it fearfully obeys any instructions it can hear and understand that will not directly harm it (for example, it will not knowingly drink poison or walk off a cliff). While affected, the creature will not deliberately say anything to you that it believes to be a lie, though it can simply remain silent if you do not ask any direct questions. Whenever you or one of your allies attempt to harm the creature, or if you give it instructions that would harm it or force it to make a saving throw against another effect, it repeats its Wisdom saving throw against this spell, ending the spell on a success. You always know if a creature has succeeded or failed on a saving throw against this spell. When the spell's effect ends, a creature that never succeeded on any saving throws against this spell is unaware it was magically influenced, believing its fear of you was merely natural.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the duration is increased to 1 hour. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the duration is increased to 8 hours.