Divine Magic • Core Spell Reference

Sound Burst

Sound Burst unleashes a sudden, punishing blast of noise across a group of enemies. In Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e, it deals modest sonic damage but can stun those caught in the blast. The D&D 2024 and 2014 versions below provide complete, clearly labelled campaign adaptations with Thunder damage and Constitution saves.

Sound Burst at a Glance

School / level	Level 2 Evocation in all four builds
D&D 2024 and 2014	Unofficial campaign adaptations — 1d8 Thunder damage; Constitution save; reaction suppression or brief stun
Pathfinder 1e	Published Bard 2 / Cleric 2 — 1d8 sonic damage and Fortitude save against being stunned for 1 round
D&D 3.5e	Published Bard 2 / Cleric 2 — 1d8 sonic damage and Fortitude save against being stunned for 1 round
Area	10-foot-radius burst; range and saving throw follow the chosen edition
Related magic	Shatter · Thunderwave · Cleric spells

Spell Rules by Edition

Choose the rules for your campaign. The Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e versions are published legacy spells. The D&D 2024 and D&D 2014 versions are separately playable campaign adaptations — unofficial, not official fifth-edition spells. They use their own rules rather than importing Fortitude saves or damage reduction from earlier editions.

D&D 2024 D&D 2014 Pathfinder 1e D&D 3.5e

Sound Burst — D&D 2024

Campaign adaptation — unofficial. You conjure a short-lived explosion of sound that rattles a cluster of enemies. This option is written for 2024 spellcasting and conditions; Sound Burst does not appear as a separate spell in the 2024 core SRD.

Level and school	Level 2 Evocation — campaign spell
Availability	Cleric and Bard; other classes by GM approval
Casting Time	Action
Range and area	60 feet; 10-foot-radius Sphere centred on a point you can see
Components	V, S, M (a handheld bell or small musical instrument, reusable)
Duration	Instantaneous; no Concentration
Saving Throw	Constitution against your spell save DC

Each creature in the Sphere makes a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save it takes 1d8 Thunder damage and can’t take Reactions until the start of your next turn. If it fails by 5 or more, it also has the Stunned condition until the start of your next turn. On a successful save, it takes half the damage and suffers neither additional effect.

A creature that cannot hear the burst cannot be Stunned by this spell, but it still takes damage and can lose its Reactions on a failed save. The spell doesn’t automatically damage walls or unattended objects, push creatures, or produce an ongoing sound field.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot: the Thunder damage increases by 1d8 per slot level above 2nd. The radius and duration of the conditions do not increase. The spell uses your normal 2024 spell save DC; it has no spell attack roll or Concentration.

Example: Three guards occupy a 10-foot-radius Sphere. All make separate Constitution saves. One succeeds and takes half damage; one fails and loses Reactions; the third fails by 5 or more and is Stunned until the start of your next turn.

Sound Burst — D&D 2014

Campaign adaptation — unofficial. A Bard or Cleric may learn or prepare this 2nd-level spell with the GM’s permission. It is an original translation of the legacy Sound Burst effect using 2014 fifth-edition saving throws and conditions; the official 2014 spell Shatter remains a separate choice.

Level and school	2nd-level Evocation — campaign spell
Availability	Bard and Cleric; additional class access with GM approval
Casting Time	1 action
Range and area	60 feet; 10-foot-radius sphere
Components	V, S, M (a small bell or musical instrument, not consumed)
Duration	Instantaneous; no concentration
Saving Throw	Constitution (spell save DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + spellcasting ability modifier)

Choose a point within range. A painfully loud burst fills a 10-foot-radius sphere. Each creature there makes a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 1d8 thunder damage and cannot take reactions until the start of your next turn. A creature that fails the save by 5 or more is also stunned until the start of your next turn. On a success, it takes half damage and suffers no additional effects.

A creature unable to hear cannot become stunned from this spell, but it still takes thunder damage and loses reactions if it fails its save. The spell neither deafens creatures beyond its immediate effect nor damages objects automatically.

At Higher Levels: when cast using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the thunder damage increases by 1d8 for every slot level above 2nd. The spell is instantaneous and requires no concentration. Resolve the condition using the 2014 stunned rules rather than importing the Pathfinder Fortitude save.

Example: A priest uses Sound Burst to interrupt two foes closing on an injured ally. Both take damage and save separately. A foe that fails loses its reaction, which may allow the ally to withdraw without an opportunity attack; one that fails by 5 or more is stunned briefly.

Sound Burst — Pathfinder 1e

Published Pathfinder 1e rules. Bard 2 and Cleric 2. Core Rulebook source.

School and level	Evocation [sonic]; Bard 2, Cleric 2
Casting Time	1 standard action
Range	Close (25 feet + 5 feet per 2 caster levels)
Area	10-foot-radius spread
Components	V, S, F/DF (musical instrument is the arcane focus)
Duration	Instantaneous
Saving Throw	Fortitude partial
Spell Resistance	Yes

You create an instantaneous eruption of painful noise. Every creature in the 10-foot-radius spread takes 1d8 sonic damage. Each affected creature makes a Fortitude save; a failed save also leaves it stunned for 1 round. The saving throw does not halve the damage; it determines only the stun. A creature unable to hear cannot be stunned by this spell, but still takes the damage.

The normal Pathfinder spell resistance rules apply. Spell save DC is 10 + spell level (2) + casting ability modifier, modified by relevant feats and effects. The spell is instantaneous, has no concentration requirement and gains no additional dice from caster level.

In play: if three enemies stand within the spread, all three take 1d8 damage if the spell affects them. A successful Fortitude save prevents stunning; it does not negate the sound damage.

Sound Burst — D&D 3.5e

Published D&D 3.5e rules. Bard 2 and Cleric 2. Official SRD spell reference.

School and level	Evocation [Sonic]; Bard 2, Cleric 2
Casting Time	1 standard action
Range	Close (25 feet + 5 feet per 2 caster levels)
Area	10-foot-radius spread
Components	V, S, F/DF (arcane focus: a musical instrument)
Duration	Instantaneous
Saving Throw	Fortitude partial
Spell Resistance	Yes

All creatures in the burst’s 10-foot-radius spread take 1d8 sonic damage, provided the spell overcomes applicable spell resistance. A creature also makes a Fortitude saving throw against being stunned for 1 round. A successful save prevents the stun but does not halve the damage.

Creatures that cannot hear are not stunned, but can still be damaged. The arcane focus is a musical instrument; a Cleric instead uses the divine focus component specified by the spell. Saving throw DC is 10 + spell level (2) + relevant casting ability modifier, adjusted by applicable effects. The sound is an instantaneous burst rather than an ongoing emanation and has no higher-level slot scaling.

In play: Sound Burst can stop a cluster of enemy actions for a round, but its 1d8 damage remains modest. Save separately for each creature; do not replace Fortitude with Constitution or apply the fifth-edition additional effects.

Using Sound Burst

Sound Burst favours a caster who can catch several enemies within a small area without endangering allies. In close chambers the sound may alert guards and bystanders, although only the mechanical area specified by each spell version takes automatic damage. It is not Thunderwave: the original spell does not push creatures, and the fourth-edition versions here are not the same rules as a fifth-edition thunder spell.

What Changes Between Editions?

Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e deal 1d8 sonic damage, without a damage-halving save, and can stun for a full round on a failed Fortitude save. In the two fifth-edition campaign adaptations, creatures make Constitution saves; successes halve the 1d8 thunder damage, ordinary failures suppress reactions, and failures by 5 or more cause a brief stun. These modern effects are deliberately narrower than the legacy versions. Unlike Shatter, Sound Burst’s modern conversion does not automatically damage unattended objects.

Related Rules

See the Cleric spell list, Cleric class, Shatter and Thunderwave for related spellcasting choices.

Source status: Pathfinder 1e and 3.5e Sound Burst derive from their published d20 rule sets. The D&D 2014 and 2024 versions are original, unofficial campaign adaptations using the respective fifth-edition rules. 2024 and 2014 class and conditions references: 2024 Basic Rules and 2014 Basic Rules. The fifth-edition SRDs 5.2.1 and 5.1 are available through D&D Beyond under CC BY 4.0; original conversion rules are not described as official publisher content.

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