Hold Person
Level 2 · Enchantment
- Concentration
- Save
- Control
Hold Person is an enchantment spell at level 2, sitting on the bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, warlock, and wizard lists. Cast time: Action. Range 60 feet, components V/S/M, duration up to 1 minute. Material: a straight piece of iron. Marked concentration. Effect: Choose a Humanoid that you can see within range. At higher levels: You can target one additional Humanoid for each spell slot level above 2.
Stat Block
- Level
- 2
- School
- Enchantment
- Casting Time
- Action
- Range / Area
- 60 feet
- Components
- V, S, M
- Duration
- up to 1 Minute
- Ritual
- No
- Concentration
- Yes
- Classes
- Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
- Material
- a straight piece of iron
Description
Choose a Humanoid that you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or have the Paralyzed condition for the duration. At the end of each of its turns, the target repeats the save, ending the spell on itself on a success.
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
Hold Person is Enchantment because it works directly on the target's mind, severing the connection between intent and body. A humanoid (or monstrous humanoid in some rulings) fails a Wis save and is paralyzed for up to a minute, with a new save at the end of each of its turns. Paralyzed creatures auto-fail Strength and Dexterity saves, and melee attacks against them are automatic critical hits.
Class Fit
- Bard: Bards prepare Hold Person as their classic single-target lockdown at level 3. The save-or-suck pattern is at its strongest at tier 2: most enemies fail at least once, and the auto-crit interaction is a regular party-coordination play.
- Cleric: Most tier-2 Cleric builds prepare Hold Person. The 2nd-level slot is abundant, and the spell scales via upcast — each slot level above 2 adds one more target. Cleric concentration competes with Spirit Guardians and Bless, so Hold Person sees more use in encounters where the party doesn't yet have a key target to focus on.
- Druid: Druids consider Hold Person against the Wild Shape baseline — every spell cast is a turn not spent transforming. At 60 feet, Hold Person stays usable from the caster's typical positioning.
- Sorcerer: Quicken Spell turns an Action into a Bonus Action; if Hold Person costs an Action, Quicken opens a two-spell turn. Keep in mind that Hold Person ends the moment the caster takes concentration off it for any reason.
- Warlock: Eldritch Blast is the Warlock's default action. Hold Person only competes with Eldritch Blast if it does more than scale-damage to one target. As a concentration spell, Hold Person occupies the caster's single concentration slot.
- Wizard: Wizards add Hold Person to the spellbook once and prepare it on the days that warrant it — a different decision from the class's known-spell competitors. Hold Person reaches 60 feet, which lets the caster stay clear of the front line.
Tactical play (Doungim editorial)
Wisdom save; paralysis on humanoids only. Combo target: any boss with bad Wis save and friends with melee weapons. Paralyzed = auto-fail Str/Dex saves, attacks against the target have advantage, attacks from within 5 ft crit on hit. Upcast to slot 3 to target two humanoids.
Related Spells
Frequently Asked Questions about Hold Person
- What level spell is Hold Person?
- Hold Person is a level 2 spell from the Enchantment school. The classes that can prepare it: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard.
- What save does Hold Person require?
- Hold Person forces a Wisdom save. The DC is the caster's spell save DC (8 + proficiency + casting modifier).
- What is the range of Hold Person?
- From the caster's position, Hold Person reaches 60 feet.
- Is Hold Person a concentration spell?
- Hold Person is a concentration spell. Maximum duration is up to 1 minute. The caster can only maintain one concentration spell at a time, and damage forces a Con save to keep it active.
- What components and casting time does Hold Person need?
- Hold Person requires V, S, M. Material component: a straight piece of iron.
- Can Hold Person be upcast?
- Hold Person scales when upcast: You can target one additional Humanoid for each spell slot level above 2.