Divine Magic • Core Spell Reference

Silence

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Silence at a Glance

5.5e (2024)	Level 2
5e (2014)	Level 2
Pathfinder 1e	Level 2
D&D 3.5e	Level 2
Browse	Cleric spells • Cleric class

Spell Rules

5.5e (2024)5e (2014)Pathfinder 1eD&D 3.5e

Silence — 5.5e (2024)

Cleric spell level 2. Edition source.

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)

Cleric spell level 2. Edition source.

Spell	2nd-level illusion (ritual)
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

Cleric spell level 2. Edition source.

School	illusion (glamer)
Level	bard 2, cleric 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

Cleric spell level 2. Edition source.

School	Illusion (Glamer)
Level	Brd 2, Clr 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.

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.

Within your current spell sequence, the structure remains very clean:

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

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