Locate Creature
Level 4 · Divination
- Concentration
Listed under divination, Locate Creature costs a 4th-level slot for bard, cleric, druid, paladin, ranger, and wizard casters. Cast time: Action. Range Self, components V/S/M, duration up to 1 hour. Material: fur from a bloodhound. Marked concentration. Effect: Describe or name a creature that is familiar to you.
Stat Block
- Level
- 4
- School
- Divination
- Casting Time
- Action
- Range / Area
- Self
- Components
- V, S, M
- Duration
- up to 1 Hour
- Ritual
- No
- Concentration
- Yes
- Classes
- Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger, Wizard
- Material
- fur from a bloodhound
Description
Describe or name a creature that is familiar to you. You sense the direction to the creature's location if that creature is within 1,000 feet of you. If the creature is moving, you know the direction of its movement. The spell can locate a specific creature known to you or the nearest creature of a specific kind (such as a human or a unicorn) if you have seen such a creature up close—within 30 feet—at least once. If the creature you described or named is in a different form, such as under the effects of a Flesh to Stone or Polymorph spell, this spell doesn't locate the creature. This spell can't locate a creature if any thickness of lead blocks a direct path between you and the 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
Divination is the quiet school. Its spells rarely deal damage and rarely move things. They reveal, identify, foresee. Locate Creature is Divination because the spell answers a question the caster could not otherwise reach. Casting Locate Creature at level 4 means giving up another high-value spell that turn — the slot is that scarce.
Class Fit
- Bard: For a Bard, Locate Creature is best paired with another spell using the same target on the same turn — Bonus-Action plus Action layering is where the class wins fights. Note that Locate Creature requires concentration; switching to a second concentration spell ends it.
- Cleric: Life Domain Clerics value Locate Creature differently from War or Trickery Clerics; the Domain's identity shapes which spells become signature. Damage taken while concentrating on Locate Creature forces a Con save at DC 10 or half damage, whichever is higher.
- Druid: Druids consider Locate Creature against the Wild Shape baseline — every spell cast is a turn not spent transforming. Concentration on Locate Creature forces the caster to choose between this spell and the next big concentration play.
- Paladin: Channel Divinity is the Paladin's Action-cost competitor in encounter math; Locate Creature earns its slot when it complements rather than conflicts. Locate Creature's concentration requirement makes it vulnerable to a single failed save when the caster takes damage.
- Ranger: Rangers tend to pick Locate Creature when the campaign terrain matches the spell's strengths. Forest-heavy campaigns favor different spells than desert ones. As a concentration spell, Locate Creature occupies the caster's single concentration slot.
- Wizard: Tier 3 and tier 4 Wizards add 5th-9th level spells to the book — Locate Creature interacts with those upper-tier picks as part of a full prep loadout. The concentration tag on Locate Creature means a single failed Constitution save can end the effect mid-encounter.
Related Spells
Frequently Asked Questions about Locate Creature
- What level spell is Locate Creature?
- Locate Creature sits at level 4 in the Divination school of magic, prepared by Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger, Wizard.
- What is the range of Locate Creature?
- Locate Creature is self-target only — the caster is the target of the spell, not another creature.
- Is Locate Creature a concentration spell?
- Concentration is required for Locate Creature, with a maximum duration up to 1 hour. The concentration rules apply: one at a time, and Con saves on damage.
- What components and casting time does Locate Creature need?
- For Locate Creature: the components are V, S, M; on top of that, Material component: fur from a bloodhound.