Forcecage
Forcecage creates an invisible prison of magical force. Modern versions trap creatures without an initial saving throw but differ sharply on Concentration; Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e use separate legacy force-prison rules.
At a Glance
| 2024 | Bard 7, Warlock 7, Wizard 7; Concentration up to 1 hour |
|---|---|
| 2014 | Bard 7, Warlock 7, Wizard 7; 1 hour, no Concentration |
| Pathfinder 1e | Sorcerer/Wizard 7; 1 round/level; Reflex negates |
| D&D 3.5e | Sorcerer/Wizard 7; 2 hours/level; no save |
| Modern prison | 20-ft barred cage or 10-ft solid box |
Choose Your Edition
Forcecage — 5.5e / 2024
| Level | 7th |
|---|---|
| School | Evocation |
| Casting Time | Action |
| Range | 100 feet |
| Components | V, S, M (ruby dust worth 1,500+ gp, consumed) |
| Duration | Concentration, up to 1 hour |
| Classes | Bard, Warlock, Wizard |
Create an immobile, invisible, cube-shaped prison of magical force in an area within range. Choose one form:
- Cage: up to 20 feet on a side, with half-inch bars spaced half an inch apart.
- Box: up to 10 feet on a side, with solid force walls that block matter and spells passing into or out of the area.
A creature completely inside the chosen area is trapped. A creature only partly inside, or too large to fit, is pushed away from the centre until completely outside.
A trapped creature cannot leave by nonmagical means. Teleportation or interplanar travel requires a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, the escape attempt fails and the spell or effect used to escape is wasted.
The cage extends into the Ethereal Plane and blocks ethereal travel. Dispel Magic cannot dispel it.
Forcecage — 5e / 2014
| Level | 7th |
|---|---|
| School | Evocation |
| Casting Time | 1 action |
| Range | 100 feet |
| Components | V, S, M (ruby dust worth 1,500 gp) |
| Duration | 1 hour |
| Classes | Bard, Warlock, Wizard |
The 2014 spell uses the same 20-foot barred cage or 10-foot solid box, the same forced repositioning for creatures that do not fit, and the same Charisma save for teleportation or planar escape.
The prison extends into the Ethereal Plane and cannot be dispelled by Dispel Magic.
Major edition difference: the 2014 spell lasts for 1 hour and does not require Concentration. That makes it much harder to end by disrupting the caster than the 2024 spell.
Forcecage — Pathfinder 1e
| School | Evocation [Force] |
|---|---|
| Level | Sorcerer/Wizard 7 |
| Casting Time | 1 standard action |
| Components | V, S, M (ruby dust worth 500 gp) |
| Range | Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) |
| Area | 20-ft barred cage or 10-ft windowless cell |
| Duration | 1 round/level (D) |
| Saving Throw | Reflex negates |
| Spell Resistance | No |
Creatures in the area are caught unless too large to fit; if a creature cannot fit, the spell fails. Teleportation and astral travel can provide escape, while the force extends into the Ethereal Plane and blocks ethereal travel.
Pathfinder makes the prison materially more vulnerable than the classic 3.5e version. Mage’s Disjunction can affect it, Disintegrate automatically destroys it, and its walls can be damaged by spells, weapons and supernatural abilities. The walls have Hardness 30 and 20 hit points per caster level.
A sphere of annihilation or rod of cancellation destroys the prison immediately.
Forcecage — D&D 3.5e
| School | Evocation [Force] |
|---|---|
| Level | Sorcerer/Wizard 7 |
| Casting Time | 1 standard action |
| Components | V, S, M (ruby dust worth 1,500 gp) |
| Range | Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) |
| Area | 20-ft barred cage or 10-ft windowless cell |
| Duration | 2 hours/level (D) |
| Saving Throw | None |
| Spell Resistance | No |
The classic 3.5e spell creates an immobile invisible prison. Creatures too large to fit cause the spell to fail rather than being pushed outside.
Teleportation and astral travel can escape; the prison extends into the Ethereal Plane and blocks ethereal travel. Dispel Magic does not remove it.
Disintegrate, a sphere of annihilation or a rod of cancellation can destroy the prison. Unlike PF1e, the core 3.5e spell does not give the force walls normal hardness-and-hit-point rules.
What Changed?
- 2024: Forcecage now requires Concentration for up to 1 hour, and the 1,500+ gp ruby dust is explicitly consumed.
- 2014: lasts 1 hour without Concentration.
- PF1e: radically shorter at 1 round/level, allows a Reflex save, costs 500 gp in ruby dust, and gives the cage destructible wall statistics.
- D&D 3.5e: lasts 2 hours/level, allows no save and uses the classic 1,500 gp component.
Using Forcecage
Choose box or cage for the actual problem. The solid box prevents matter and spells from crossing its boundary in modern rules. The larger barred cage allows interaction through its narrow gaps where the rules permit it.
2024 requires protection of Concentration. Trapping a dangerous creature is no longer enough by itself; the caster must remain able to maintain the spell.
Do not import Pathfinder’s destructible-wall rules into other editions. PF1e deliberately changed the force prison by giving it hardness, hit points and a Reflex save.
Related Magic
- Wall of Force — a flexible force barrier rather than a complete prison.
- Disintegrate — an explicit legacy counter to the force prison.
- Teleport — modern magical escape still requires the Forcecage Charisma save.
- Plane Shift — interplanar escape is likewise subject to the modern save.
- Bard Spells — fifth-edition Bard access.
- Sorcerer and Wizard Spells — Wizard and legacy arcane access.
Sources and Licensing
- D&D 2024 Basic Rules — Forcecage. SRD 5.2 material is available under CC BY 4.0.
- D&D 2014 Basic Rules — Forcecage. SRD 5.1 material is available under CC BY 4.0.
- Pathfinder 1e Core Rulebook — Forcecage. Open Game Content under OGL v1.0a.
- D&D 3.5 SRD — Forcecage. Open Game Content under OGL v1.0a.
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