Sneaking subtly down a dark hallway, the group crept through the shadows, listening at each intersection for coming guards. They’d already encountered a few patrols but were quiet enough to simply pass without a trace as they slunk towards the castle’s dungeon, hoping to find their lost comrade. Even the Paladin in clunky armor made it through with the help of a specific spell.
What is Pass Without Trace 5e Spell?
The spell’s text from the Basic Rules reads: “A veil of shadows and silence radiates from you, masking you and your companions from detection. For the duration, each creature you choose within 30 feet of you (including you) has a +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks and can’t be tracked except by magical means. A creature that receives this bonus leaves behind no tracks or other traces of its passage.”
Pass without Trace 5e Stats
| Level | 2 |
| Casting Time | 1 Action |
| Range/Area | Self |
| Classes | Druid, Ranger |
| Components | Verbal, Somatic, Material* |
| Duration | 1 hour |
| School | Abjuration |
| Attack/Save | None |
| Damage/Effect | Buff |
How Does Pass without Trace Work?
The spell is relatively self-explanatory. You can grant an unlimited number of creatures, including yourself, a +10 to Dexterity (Stealth) checks for up to an hour. It’s a concentration spell, so you’ll need to be careful not to take any damage or risk losing your concentration. It only takes an action to cast, so you could theoretically cast it during combat to escape a losing fight.
Is Pass without Trace a Good Spell?
Pass without Trace 5e is a simple but highly effective spell. In DnD 5e’s bounded math system, adding a +10 bonus is likely enough to pass even high DCs. When a group of characters attempts a skill check, many DMs will perform a group check instead of individually passing and failing each person. With a group check, the DM looks at the average score and compares it to their set DC.
Even if one person doesn’t roll very well or has disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks, a group check can make up for it. However, if someone rolls a natural 1, all bets are off.
Which Classes Can Use Pass without Trace?
Pass without Trace is available on the Druid and Ranger spell lists. It is automatically prepared for Circle of the Land (Grassland) Druids and Trickery Domain Clerics. Other classes can get Pass without Trace through certain feats, such as Magic Initiate, and Bards can obtain it through their Magical Secrets features.
We hope you enjoyed this Pass without Trace 5e Spell guide, why not check out Crossbow Expert 5e or Bless 5e?
Alexa spends the majority of her days explaining the ins and outs of DnD to her two cats, much to their dismay.