Unseen Servant
At a Glance
| 5.5e / 2024 | Level 1 ritual · 60 feet · 1 hour · AC 10, 1 HP, Strength 2 |
|---|---|
| 5e / 2014 | 1st-level ritual · 60 feet · 1 hour · AC 10, 1 HP, Strength 2 |
| Pathfinder 1e | Level 1 · Close range · 1 hour/level · 20-pound lift · area damage threshold 6 |
| D&D 3.5e | Bard/Sorcerer/Wizard 1 · Close range · 1 hour/level · 20-pound lift · area damage threshold 6 |
An unseen servant is an invisible, mindless, shapeless force that performs simple tasks at your command.
Spell Rules
Unseen Servant — 5.5e / 2024
| Spell | Level 1 Conjuration · Bard, Warlock, Wizard |
|---|---|
| Casting Time | Action · Ritual |
| Range | 60 feet |
| Components | V, S, M (string and wood) |
| Duration | 1 hour · no concentration |
| Servant | Medium invisible force · AC 10 · 1 HP · Strength 2 |
Create a mindless force in an empty ground-level space within range. It cannot attack; losing its single Hit Point ends the spell.
Once per turn, spend a Bonus Action to direct it mentally: move up to 15 feet and interact with an object. It carries out simple human tasks, such as serving, cleaning, fetching or mending, until finished, then awaits another order. Ordering a task that would carry it farther than 60 feet from you ends the spell. Higher slots add no benefit.
Unseen Servant — 5e / 2014
| Spell | 1st-level Conjuration · Bard, Warlock, Wizard |
|---|---|
| Casting Time | 1 action · ritual |
| Range | 60 feet |
| Components | V, S, M (string and wood) |
| Duration | 1 hour · no concentration |
| Servant | Medium invisible force · AC 10 · 1 HP · Strength 2 |
Create a mindless force in an empty ground-level space within range. It cannot attack; losing its single hit point ends the spell.
Once per turn, spend a bonus action to direct it mentally: move up to 15 feet and interact with an object. It carries out simple human tasks, such as serving, cleaning, fetching or mending, until finished, then awaits another order. Ordering a task that would carry it farther than 60 feet from you ends the spell. Higher slots add no benefit.
Unseen Servant — Pathfinder 1e
| School / Level | Conjuration (creation) · Bard 1, Sorcerer/Wizard 1; additional classes in the linked PF1e list |
|---|---|
| Casting Time | 1 standard action |
| Range | Close (25 feet + 5 feet/2 caster levels) |
| Components | V, S, M (string and wood) |
| Duration | 1 hour/level |
| Saving Throw / SR | None · Spell Resistance no |
A shapeless invisible force repeats one simple task at a time. Strength 2 allows lifting 20 pounds, dragging 100 pounds and exerting 20 pounds of force. It opens ordinary unstuck doors, fetches, cleans and mends. Skill tasks cannot exceed DC 10 or require trained-only skills.
Its base speed is 15 feet. It cannot climb, swim or fly, but can walk on water. It never makes attack rolls. Six points of area-attack damage dissipate it, without saving throws. Sending it beyond the range measured from your current position ends it.
Unseen Servant — D&D 3.5e
An unseen servant is an invisible, mindless, shapeless force that performs simple tasks at your command.
This material is Open Game Content, and is licensed for public use under the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a.
Conjuration (Creation)
| Level | Bard 1, Sorcerer/Wizard 1 |
|---|---|
| Components | V, S, M |
| Casting Time | 1 standard action |
| Range | Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) |
| Effect | One invisible, mindless, shapeless servant |
| Duration | 1 hour/level |
| Saving Throw | None |
| Spell Resistance | No |
It can run and fetch things, open unstuck doors, and hold chairs, as well as clean and mend. The servant can perform only one activity at a time, but it repeats the same activity over and over again if told to do so as long as you remain within range. It can open only normal doors, drawers, lids, and the like. It has an effective Strength score of 2 (so it can lift 20 pounds or drag 100 pounds). It can trigger traps and such, but it can exert only 20 pounds of force, which is not enough to activate certain pressure plates and other devices. It can’t perform any task that requires a skill check with a DC higher than 10 or that requires a check using a skill that can’t be used untrained. Its speed is 15 feet.
The servant cannot attack in any way; it is never allowed an attack roll. It cannot be killed, but it dissipates if it takes 6 points of damage from area attacks. (It gets no saves against attacks.) If you attempt to send it beyond the spell’s range (measured from your current position), the servant ceases to exist.
Material Component A piece of string and a bit of wood.
What Changed
- 2024 and 2014 use the same basic servant: a one-hour ritual effect, explicit AC and HP, and bonus-action orders.
- PF1e and 3.5e scale range and duration by caster level and specify task, skill and force limits.
- PF1e explicitly forbids climbing, swimming and flight while allowing walking on water. The 3.5e spell text does not include that sentence.
Work Without Hands
A tray crosses a chamber, a broom sweeps an empty corridor, or a chair draws back before its guest sits. The servant is useful for repeated household work and awkward object handling. Its lack of judgement makes clear, simple orders essential.
Uses and Limits
- Carry small tools, fetch supplies, serve a meal or maintain a simple cleaning task while the caster attends to something else.
- Open an ordinary door or handle an object from a distance when the task fits the selected edition’s rules.
- Check weight, force and task requirements before relying on it near traps. The legacy servant cannot activate every pressure plate; the modern spell does not guarantee successful trap detection.
- It has no attack permission and supplies no extra combat action for the caster. Complex craftsmanship, lockpicking, medical treatment and independent scouting require abilities the spell does not grant.
At the Table
Keep the object and the task visible in the scene: a latch, tray, broom, bell-rope or bucket. For an unusual job, decide whether it is simple enough and whether the servant can exert the necessary force. Treat any extra capability as a ruling, rather than transferring a limit or benefit from another edition.
Related Magic
Sources and Licensing
- Unseen Servant — 2024 rules
- Unseen Servant — 2014 rules
- Unseen Servant — Pathfinder 1e
- Unseen Servant — D&D 3.5e
This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 and System Reference Document 5.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available through the D&D SRD page. Both are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. Rules summaries are adapted; tactical and setting commentary is separate.
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The Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e rules material on this page is derived from Open Game Content and is used under the Open Game License Version 1.0a. Presentation, navigation, original commentary and setting material are not designated Open Game Content by this notice.
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System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
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