Disguise Self
Level 1 · Illusion
- Utility
Carried by bard, sorcerer, and wizard, Disguise Self operates at the 1st level of the illusion school. Cast time: Action. Range Self, components V/S, duration 1 hour. Effect: You make yourself—including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person—look different until the spell ends.
Stat Block
- Level
- 1
- School
- Illusion
- Casting Time
- Action
- Range / Area
- Self
- Components
- V, S
- Duration
- 1 Hour
- Ritual
- No
- Concentration
- No
- Classes
- Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard
- Material
- —
Description
You make yourself—including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person—look different until the spell ends. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear heavier or lighter. You must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs as you have. Otherwise, the extent of the illusion is up to you. The changes wrought by this spell fail to hold up to physical inspection. For example, if you use this spell to add a hat to your outfit, objects pass through the hat, and anyone who touches it would feel nothing. To discern that you are disguised, a creature must take the Study action to inspect your appearance and succeed on an Intelligence (Investigation) 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 Illusion tradition is the school of the half-cast. Most Illusion spells leave room for the caster to add detail at the table: what does the figment do, what does it sound like, what does it look like up close. Disguise Self reads as Illusion the moment you see the effect — the spell creates a perceptual fiction the target's senses report as real. At level 1, Disguise Self is affordable in any caster's daily plan.
Class Fit
- Bard: Lore Bards reach Magical Secrets at level 6 and 10, which changes the calculus on Disguise Self: if a non-Bard list has it cheaper, Magical Secrets is the way in.
- Sorcerer: Metamagic is the angle for Disguise Self on a Sorcerer. Twin, Quicken, Subtle, Heightened, and Extended each change what the spell does at the table.
- Wizard: Tier 3 and tier 4 Wizards add 5th-9th level spells to the book — Disguise Self interacts with those upper-tier picks as part of a full prep loadout.
Related Spells
Frequently Asked Questions about Disguise Self
- What level spell is Disguise Self?
- Disguise Self sits at level 1 in the Illusion school of magic, prepared by Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard.
- What is the range of Disguise Self?
- Disguise Self is self-target only — the caster is the target of the spell, not another creature.
- How long does Disguise Self last?
- The duration on Disguise Self is 1 hour, with no concentration required.
- What components and casting time does Disguise Self need?
- For Disguise Self: the cast needs V, S, casting is a normal Action.