Control Water
Level 4 · Transmutation
- Concentration
- Damage
- Save
- AOE
Listed under transmutation, Control Water costs a 4th-level slot for cleric, druid, and wizard casters. Cast time: Action. Range 300 feet, components V/S/M, duration up to 10 minutes. Material: a mixture of water and dust. Marked concentration. Effect: Until the spell ends, you control any water inside an area you choose that is a Cube up to 100 feet on a side, using one of the following effects.
Stat Block
- Level
- 4
- School
- Transmutation
- Casting Time
- Action
- Range / Area
- 300 feet
- Components
- V, S, M
- Duration
- up to 10 minutes
- Ritual
- No
- Concentration
- Yes
- Classes
- Cleric, Druid, Wizard
- Material
- a mixture of water and dust
Description
Until the spell ends, you control any water inside an area you choose that is a Cube up to 100 feet on a side, using one of the following effects. As a Magic action on your later turns, you can repeat the same effect or choose a different one.
You cause the water level of all standing water in the area to rise by as much as 20 feet. If you choose an area in a large body of water, you instead create a 20-foot tall wave that travels from one side of the area to the other and then crashes. Any Huge or smaller vehicles in the wave's path are carried with it to the other side. Any Huge or smaller vehicles struck by the wave have a 25 percent chance of capsizing. The water level remains elevated until the spell ends or you choose a different effect. If this effect produced a wave, the wave repeats on the start of your next turn while the flood effect lasts.
You part water in the area and create a trench. The trench extends across the spell's area, and the separated water forms a wall to either side. The trench remains until the spell ends or you choose a different effect. The water then slowly fills in the trench over the course of the next round until the normal water level is restored.
You cause flowing water in the area to move in a direction you choose, even if the water has to flow over obstacles, up walls, or in other unlikely directions. The water in the area moves as you direct it, but once it moves beyond the spell's area, it resumes its flow based on the terrain. The water continues to move in the direction you chose until the spell ends or you choose a different effect.
You cause a whirlpool to form in the center of the area, which must be at least 50 feet square and 25 feet deep. The whirlpool lasts until you choose a different effect or the spell ends. The whirlpool is 5 feet wide at the base, up to 50 feet wide at the top, and 25 feet tall. Any creature in the water and within 25 feet of the whirlpool is pulled 10 feet toward it. When a creature enters the whirlpool for the first time on a turn or ends its turn there, it makes a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 2d8 Bludgeoning damage. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage. A creature can swim away from the whirlpool only if it first takes an action to pull away and succeeds on a Strength (Athletics) check against your spell save DC.
5e (2014) vs 2024 changes
This spell has both a 5e (2014) and 2024 Player's Handbook version. Doungim shows the current 2024 stat block above. Differences between editions typically affect components, range, or scaling — check both source books for the table.
Doungim Lore
School Fit
The Transmutation tradition reshapes matter. Stone becomes mud, mud becomes stone, a humanoid becomes a tyrannosaurus. Control Water is Transmutation because the spell rewrites a property of a body, an object, or terrain. At level 4, the slot economy tightens — Control Water competes with the strongest spells in the band.
Class Fit
- Cleric: A Cleric's prep is the most flexible casting setup in the game. Control Water earns its slot on days when the encounter is right for it. Control Water's concentration requirement makes it vulnerable to a single failed save when the caster takes damage.
- Druid: Druids prepare Control Water from the full list each day, but the Wild Shape economy means prep cycles look different from a Cleric's. At 300 feet, Control Water stays usable from the caster's typical positioning.
- Wizard: The Wizard's daily prep list is the class's flexibility lever — every long rest is a chance to reconsider what Control Water is doing on the sheet. The concentration tag on Control Water means a single failed Constitution save can end the effect mid-encounter.
Related Spells
Frequently Asked Questions about Control Water
- What level spell is Control Water?
- The spell Control Water is a level 4 spell in the Transmutation school. Cleric, Druid, Wizard all have access to it.
- What is the range of Control Water?
- From the caster's position, Control Water reaches 300 feet.
- Is Control Water a concentration spell?
- Control Water runs on concentration for up to 10 minutes. The caster can drop it on their next turn or lose it to a failed save after taking damage.
- What components and casting time does Control Water need?
- For Control Water: Control Water is cast with V, S, M; on top of that, Material component: a mixture of water and dust.