Earthquake
Level 8 · Transmutation
- Concentration
- Damage
- Save
Earthquake occupies the transmutation school at level 8, available to cleric, druid, and sorcerer. Cast time: Action. Range 500 feet, components V/S/M, duration up to 1 minute. Material: a fractured rock. Marked concentration. Effect: Choose a point on the ground that you can see within range.
Stat Block
- Level
- 8
- School
- Transmutation
- Casting Time
- Action
- Range / Area
- 500 feet
- Components
- V, S, M
- Duration
- up to 1 Minute
- Ritual
- No
- Concentration
- Yes
- Classes
- Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer
- Material
- a fractured rock
Description
Choose a point on the ground that you can see within range. For the duration, an intense tremor rips through the ground in a 100- foot-radius circle centered on that point. The ground there is Difficult Terrain.
When you cast this spell and at the end of each of your turns for the duration, each creature on the ground in the area makes a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature has the Prone condition, and its Concentration is broken. You can also cause the effects below.
A total of 1d6 fissures open in the spell's area at the end of the turn you cast it. You choose the fissures' locations, which can't be under structures. Each fissure is 1d10 x 10 feet deep and 10 feet wide, and it extends from one edge of the spell's area to another edge. A creature in the same space as a fissure must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or fall in. A creature that successfully saves moves with the fissure's edge as it opens.
The tremor deals 50 Bludgeoning damage to any structure in contact with the ground in the area when you cast the spell and at the end of each of your turns until the spell ends. If a structure drops to 0 Hit Points, it collapses. A creature within a distance from a collapsing structure equal to half the structure's height makes a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 12d6 Bludgeoning damage, has the Prone condition, and is buried in the rubble, requiring a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check as an action to escape. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage only.
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
Transmutation is the school that breaks parts of D&D's combat math on purpose. The system trusts that a Transmuter understands what they have done to a creature when they Polymorph it. The school tag on Earthquake is earned by the spell rewrites a property of a body, an object, or terrain. The 8th-level slot is the spellcaster's bank vault; Earthquake earns the cast or it doesn't.
Class Fit
- Cleric: Life Domain Clerics value Earthquake differently from War or Trickery Clerics; the Domain's identity shapes which spells become signature. Damage taken while concentrating on Earthquake forces a Con save at DC 10 or half damage, whichever is higher.
- Druid: Druid concentration is precious. Most Druids prep one big concentration spell and one non-concentration utility per day; Earthquake fits one of those slots. Keep in mind that Earthquake ends the moment the caster takes concentration off it for any reason.
- Sorcerer: At tier 1 a Sorcerer's known-spell budget is brutal. Earthquake earns its slot only if the build cannot win the next ten sessions without it. Concentration is the binding cost — Earthquake can't share a slot with another concentration spell.
Related Spells
Frequently Asked Questions about Earthquake
- What level spell is Earthquake?
- The spell Earthquake is a level 8 spell in the Transmutation school. Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer all have access to it.
- What is the range of Earthquake?
- The range on Earthquake is 500 feet — far enough that most casters can stay clear of the front line.
- Is Earthquake a concentration spell?
- Concentration is required for Earthquake, with a maximum duration up to 1 minute. The concentration rules apply: one at a time, and Con saves on damage.
- What components and casting time does Earthquake need?
- To cast: Earthquake requires V, S, M. Additionally, Material component: a fractured rock.