Feather Fall
Level 1 · Transmutation
- Utility
A 1st-level spell in the transmutation school, Feather Fall appears on the bard, sorcerer, and wizard lists. Cast time: Reaction. Range 60 feet, components V/M, duration 1 minute. Material: a small feather or piece of down. Effect: Choose up to five falling creatures within range.
Stat Block
- Level
- 1
- School
- Transmutation
- Casting Time
- Reaction
- Range / Area
- 60 feet
- Components
- V, M
- Duration
- 1 Minute
- Ritual
- No
- Concentration
- No
- Classes
- Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard
- Material
- a small feather or piece of down
Description
Choose up to five falling creatures within range. A falling creature's rate of descent slows to 60 feet per round until the spell ends. If a creature lands before the spell ends, the creature takes no damage from the fall, and the spell ends for that creature.
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 spells edit the parameters of a fight. Haste doubles speed; Slow halves it. Enlarge changes a body's category; Reduce shrinks it. Feather Fall sits in Transmutation because the spell rewrites a property of a body, an object, or terrain. The 1st-level slot is the most-cast slot of tier 1 — Feather Fall earns its place there or somewhere else.
Class Fit
- Bard: Bards take Feather Fall as one of their fixed picks; the trade-off is that swapping it later requires a level-up spell-swap or a downtime retraining session. As a Reaction spell, Feather Fall trades the caster's next opportunity-attack window for the effect.
- Sorcerer: Quicken Spell turns an Action into a Bonus Action; if Feather Fall costs an Action, Quicken opens a two-spell turn. Reaction spells like Feather Fall only resolve when the caster's trigger condition is met.
- Wizard: Tier 3 and tier 4 Wizards add 5th-9th level spells to the book — Feather Fall interacts with those upper-tier picks as part of a full prep loadout. 60 feet is enough range that Feather Fall doesn't pull the caster forward.
Related Spells
Frequently Asked Questions about Feather Fall
- What level spell is Feather Fall?
- Feather Fall sits at level 1 in the Transmutation school of magic, prepared by Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard.
- What is the range of Feather Fall?
- The range on Feather Fall is 60 feet — far enough that most casters can stay clear of the front line.
- How long does Feather Fall last?
- Without concentration, Feather Fall runs for its full 1 minute duration regardless of what else the caster is doing.
- What components and casting time does Feather Fall need?
- For Feather Fall: the cast needs V, M; on top of that, Material component: a small feather or piece of down; the casting time is reaction (not a standard Action).