Spellcasters require concentration to control their spells. Learn about 5E concentration check and how concentration works in the 5th Edition of Dungeons and Dragons.
Magic in both real life and D&D 5E can be quite mystifying. Many Spells in D&D require concentration as they are only effective with intense focus. It is a key part of spell casting in D&D and losing Concentration means you will end up stopping the spell. Even a slight interruption in the spell caster’s concentration would end the effects of the spell.
Therefore, if you are someone who likes to play magical characters in D&D, it is important to know everything regarding concentration and 5E concentration check. In this article, we will explain everything there is to know about concentration and 5E concentration check in D&D 5E.
So without further ado, let’s get to it, shall we?
Table of Contents
What Is Concentration in D&D 5E?
Just like a swordsman in D&D requires impeccable blade skills to survive, a spellcaster requires the capability to control magic. There are many powerful spells in D&D that need something more than magic manipulation. They require the spellcaster to be always in control of the spell’s duration.
D&D 3.5 originally introduced the concept of Concentration to control powerful spells using multi-turn durations. It was a skill that you could harness in order to be in more control of your magic. But how does it work in 5E?
Well, concentration in 5E has been tweaked with some changes. It is not a skill that you can learn anymore. In fact, it is now linked with a spell’s duration. So every time you cast a spell that says “concentration” under its duration, you will need to concentrate on that spell as long as it is active. If you lose your concentration, the spell will immediately end.
Pretty simple, right?
But that’s not the only way your concentration can end. It will also end when you die, become incapacitated, or when you cast a different concentration spell while still concentrating on one of them. Moreover, you also need to keep your concentration when casting a spell that needs longer than one action, such as Ritual spells.
For instance, casting the spell with a duration of 10 minutes-casting time requires concentration. So you won’t be able to ritually cast any spell like Detect Magic when you are already concentrating on a spell.
However, that’s not it. Concentration spells also require concentration checks for effectiveness. Read on to find out what concentration checks are in D&D 5E.
D&D 5E Concentration ChecK: What Is it?
When you have cast a concentration spell and sustain damage or are surprised at your Dungeon Master’s discretion, you will need to make a concentration check to see if your concentration is still maintained. Concentration checks are carried out to avoid ending the spell completely.
There are three 5E concentration checks:
- Damage-Based: These are the concentration checks in which you are required to roll a Constitution Saving throw against a DC 10, or half the damage sustained, whichever one of these is higher. If you have sustained damage from more than one source, roll a check from each of them.
- Shock-Based: These are the concentration checks in which you can be shaken up by a moving element in the environment and disturb your concentration. This concentration check involves a flat DC 10.
- Auto-fail: These do not really count as concentration “checks”. Rather, they are things result in automatically dropping concentration, such as dying, or your HP dropping to 0. Casting another concentration spell would also cause your first spell to end.
So make sure you know which spells are active throughout the game and avoid taking too much damage to keep your concentration.
Master the art of arcane in D&D 5E by learning more about all the spells.
Conclusion
So that’s all, folks. This post explains what a 5E concentration check is and how concentration works in D&D 5E. Now that you know how it works and what you can do to keep your spells from ending, go ahead and become the most powerful spellcaster who terrifies everyone.
