Bard Magic • Spell Reference

Silence Spell

The Unanswered Quiet

A priest and armed companions beneath a bell in a chamber filled with magical mist — Silence suppresses sound in a bounded area; the rules for its centre and duration depend on the edition.

Silence seals a space against sound, spoken spellcasting, and shouted warnings. It is a 2nd-level Bard spell in all four editions below.

Silence at a Glance

5.5e / 2024	Bard 2 • Illusion • Action or Ritual • 120 feet • Concentration, up to 10 minutes
5e / 2014	Bard 2 • Illusion (ritual) • 1 action • 120 feet • Concentration, up to 10 minutes
Pathfinder 1e	Bard 2 • Illusion (glamer) • 1 round • Long range • 1 round/level (D)
D&D 3.5e	Bard 2 • Illusion (glamer) • 1 standard action • Long range • 1 minute/level (D)

Spell Rules by Edition

5.5e / 20245e / 2014Pathfinder 1eD&D 3.5e

Silence — 5.5e / 2024

Rules source: System Reference Document 5.2.1.

Spell	Level 2 Illusion (Bard, Cleric, Ranger)
Casting Time	Action or Ritual
Range	120 feet
Components	V, S
Duration	Concentration, up to 10 minutes

For the duration, no sound can be created within or pass through a 20-foot-radius Sphere centered on a point you choose within range. Any creature or object entirely inside the Sphere has Immunity to Thunder damage, and creatures have the Deafened condition while entirely inside it. Casting a spell that includes a Verbal component is impossible there.

Silence — 5e / 2014

Rules source: System Reference Document 5.1.

Spell	2nd-level illusion (ritual; Bard, Cleric, Ranger)
Casting Time	1 action
Range	120 feet
Components	V, S
Duration	Concentration, up to 10 minutes

For the duration, no sound can be created within or pass through a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point you choose within range. Any creature or object entirely inside the sphere is immune to thunder damage, and creatures are deafened while entirely inside it. Casting a spell that includes a verbal component is impossible there.

Silence — Pathfinder 1e

Rules source: Archives of Nethys — Silence.

School	illusion (glamer)
Level	Antipaladin 2, Bard 2, Cleric 2, Inquisitor 2, Mesmerist 2, Oracle 2, Psychic 2, Skald 2, Warpriest 2
Casting Time	1 round
Components	V, S
Range	long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area	20-ft.-radius emanation centered on a creature, object, or point in space
Duration	1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw	Will negates; see text or none (object)
Spell Resistance	yes; see text or no (object)

Upon the casting of this spell, complete silence prevails in the affected area. All sound is stopped: Conversation is impossible, spells with verbal components cannot be cast, and no noise whatsoever issues from, enters, or passes through the area. The spell can be cast on a point in space, but the effect is stationary unless cast on a mobile object. The spell can be centered on a creature, and the effect then radiates from the creature and moves as it moves. An unwilling creature can attempt a Will save to negate the spell and can use spell resistance, if any. Items in a creature’s possession or magic items that emit sound receive the benefits of saves and spell resistance, but unattended objects and points in space do not. Creatures in an area of a silence spell are immune to sonic or language-based attacks, spells, and effects.

Silence — D&D 3.5e

Rules source: D&D 3.5 SRD — Silence.

School	Illusion (Glamer)
Level	Bard 2, Cleric 2
Components	V, S
Casting Time	1 standard action
Range	Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area	20-ft.-radius emanation centered on a creature, object, or point in space
Duration	1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw	Will negates; see text or none (object)
Spell Resistance	Yes; see text or no (object)

Upon the casting of this spell, complete silence prevails in the affected area. All sound is stopped: Conversation is impossible, spells with verbal components cannot be cast, and no noise whatsoever issues from, enters, or passes through the area. The spell can be cast on a point in space, but the effect is stationary unless cast on a mobile object. The spell can be centered on a creature, and the effect then radiates from the creature and moves as it moves. An unwilling creature can attempt a Will save to negate the spell and can use spell resistance, if any. Items in a creature’s possession or magic items that emit sound receive the benefits of saves and spell resistance, but unattended objects and points in space do not. This spell provides a defense against sonic or language-based attacks.

What Changed Between Editions

2024 and 2014	Both create a stationary 20-foot-radius sphere at 120 feet, need Concentration for up to 10 minutes, prevent sound and Verbal spellcasting, and protect wholly enclosed creatures and objects from Thunder damage. Both have the Ritual option; a caster must have the relevant Ritual casting ability.
Pathfinder 1e	Casting takes 1 round, and the duration is 1 round per caster level. The long-range emanation can move with its creature or object centre. An unwilling creature used as the centre can resist; simply entering the emanation does not grant a save.
D&D 3.5e	Casting takes 1 standard action and the duration is 1 minute per caster level. Its mobile centre and resistance rules resemble Pathfinder, but its protection is worded as a defence against sonic or language-based attacks.

Using Silence in Play

Place the modern sphere across a doorway, alarm bell, or hostile caster’s position. A creature can still walk out of the area, so positioning and allies who can hold a passage matter. The sphere blocks sound rather than sight, movement, or every kind of communication.

Coordinate before the spell takes effect: your own spoken warnings and spells with Verbal components are blocked too. Cast Silence from outside an existing silent area, since Silence itself has a Verbal component. Ordinary Silence does not itself prohibit writing, gestures, or telepathy.

In Pathfinder and 3.5, choose the centre carefully. A willing companion or unattended object can carry the emanation, while an unwilling creature or a protected item may resist according to the selected panel. The modern versions remain fixed at the chosen point.

Why Silence Matters

Silence matters because it does not merely inconvenience creatures. It changes the law of the space it occupies.

A frightened witness may still cry out.
A dying man may still warn his companions.
A mage may still speak power into the world.
A bell may still call help.

Inside Silence, none of those assumptions remain true.

That makes the spell one of the most precise denial tools of its level. It does not need to wound enemies to weaken them. It can sever spoken spellcasting, warning, command, prayer, song, alarm, and coordination all at once. In many encounters, that is more decisive than damage.

These spells deny different ways of perceiving and coordinating:

Invisibility denies sight
Greater Invisibility denies sight during active action
Silence denies sound

That shift matters because it opens a different kind of control. The enemy may still see perfectly well, but seeing helps little if no warning can be shouted, no spell can be spoken, and no answer can leave the room.

Rules Sources and Licensing

This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.

This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at https://www.dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.

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