Enchantment • Social Control

Charm Monster

Enchantment magic representing Charm Monster
Select the artwork to enlarge.

Charm Monster can make a dangerous creature regard its caster as a friend rather than an enemy. In fifth edition it uses a Wisdom saving throw; Pathfinder and D&D 3.5e use Will saves and longer durations. Unlike Charm Person, its target is not limited to Humanoids, although edition-specific immunities still apply.

Charm Monster at a Glance

5.5e / 2024 4th-level Enchantment; Bard, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
5e / 2014 4th-level Enchantment; Bard, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Pathfinder 1e Bard 3, Witch 4, Sorcerer/Wizard 4 (expanded Pathfinder class list)
D&D 3.5e Bard 3, Sorcerer/Wizard 4

Critical edition difference: 2017 Charm Monster ends with any harmful act by the caster or companions and requires its extra targets to be close together; 2024 ends when the caster or allies damage the target and does not repeat that spacing condition.

Spell Rules by Edition




Charm Monster — 5.5e / 2024

Level 4th
School Enchantment
Casting Time Action
Range 30 feet
Components V, S
Duration 1 hour
Save Wisdom

Choose one creature you can see within range. It makes a Wisdom saving throw, with Advantage if you or your allies are fighting it. On a failed save, it has the Charmed condition until the spell ends or until you or your allies damage it. While Charmed, it is Friendly to you. When the spell ends, it knows it was Charmed by you.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot: target one additional creature for each slot level above 4. Unlike the 2017 wording, the 2024 SRD does not specify that all extra targets be within 30 feet of each other. Each target must still be a creature you can see within the spell’s 30-foot range.

Charm Monster — 5e / 2014

Level 4th-level Enchantment
Classes Bard, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Casting Time 1 action
Range 30 feet
Components V, S
Duration 1 hour
Saving Throw Wisdom
Spell Resistance Not used in this edition

The 2014-era spell was published in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything (2017), rather than the original 2014 Player’s Handbook. The target has Advantage on the Wisdom save if it is fighting you or your companions. A failed save charms it until the hour ends or you or your companions do anything harmful to it, even if that harm deals no damage. The creature knows afterward that it was charmed.

At Higher Levels: each spell slot level above 4 adds one creature. All targets must be within 30 feet of one another when targeted. This extra-target spacing restriction belongs to the 2017 text, not the 2024 SRD wording.

Charm Monster — Pathfinder 1e

School Enchantment (Charm) [mind-affecting]
Level Bard 3, Witch 4, Sorcerer/Wizard 4
Components V, S
Casting Time 1 standard action
Range Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target One living creature
Duration 1 day/level
Saving Throw Will negates
Spell Resistance Yes

Functions as the Pathfinder Charm Person spell, except that creature type and size do not restrict the target. Combat or threats grant the target a +5 bonus on the saving throw. Charmed is not dominated: the subject treats the caster as an ally, cannot be ordered into obvious self-harm, and a hostile act by the caster or allies breaks the effect.

Rules sources: Pathfinder Core Rulebook; Advanced Player’s Guide Witch 4 spell list.

Charm Monster — D&D 3.5e

School Enchantment (Charm) [Mind-Affecting]
Level Bard 3, Sorcerer/Wizard 4
Components V, S
Casting Time 1 standard action
Range Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target One living creature
Duration 1 day/level
Saving Throw Will negates
Spell Resistance Yes

As the 3.5e Charm Person rules, but with no creature-type or size restriction. Mind-affecting immunity still applies. The effect changes attitude, not the target’s independent judgement or control of its actions.

Rules source: D&D 3.5 SRD — Charm Monster.

Counterplay and Immunities

A creature immune to the Charmed condition is unaffected in fifth edition. Entering combat before the save makes the spell less reliable, and damaging the target ends the fifth-edition charm. Dispel Magic can end the spell where that edition allows; Counterspell can stop the casting normally.

Using Charm Monster in Play

Charm Monster is best used to turn a hostile encounter into a conversation, gain temporary access, or calm a dangerous creature long enough to solve the real problem. It does not grant direct control over the target’s actions.

What Changed?

  • 5.5e / 2024: the charm ends when you or an ally damages its subject. Higher-slot targeting does not restate the older 30-foot spacing condition.
  • 5e / 2014 (2017 supplement): the charm ends after any harmful act by you or your companions. Additional targets must be within 30 feet of each other when selected.
  • Pathfinder 1e: the 4th-level Witch spell uses Will saves, spell resistance and a duration of one day per caster level. Mind-affecting immunities and the rules inherited from Charm Person still apply.
  • D&D 3.5e: the same legacy charm framework applies to Bards and Sorcerers/Wizards without automatically granting Witch access.

Worked Example: The Dangerous Gatekeeper

2024: a 9th-level Bard casts Charm Monster using a 5th-level slot against two creatures visible within 30 feet of the caster. The spell can affect both; each makes its own Wisdom save. If one creature is already fighting the party, that creature rolls with Advantage. A failed save makes it Friendly until the spell ends or the caster or allies damage it. It knows about the magic afterwards.

2014 / Xanathar’s: the same 5th-level slot can also target two creatures, but they must additionally be within 30 feet of each other. A failed save holds until the duration ends or the caster or companions do something harmful, not only when damage is dealt.

Pathfinder 1e: an 8th-level Witch has a close range of 45 feet and the charm lasts 8 days unless broken or otherwise removed. The living target makes a Will save, gaining +5 if the caster or allies are currently attacking or threatening it; spell resistance applies. The target sees the Witch as a trusted friend but does not become a puppet.

Games Master’s Rulings

Charm Monster is neither a command spell nor a licence to force suicidal acts. In Pathfinder and 3.5e, requests outside the target’s normal behaviour require an opposed Charisma check and threatening acts can end the charm. The legacy spell is mind-affecting, so the creature’s immunity must be considered. In fifth edition, use the Charmed condition and the selected version’s exact ending trigger; the spell does not grant domination.

Mythical Context

On the island of Aeaea, Circe offered Odysseus’ companions enchanted food and transformed them into animals. Odysseus withstood her magic with the herb moly given by Hermes, and she eventually restored his companions. The tale suggests both the menace of enchantment and the possibility of resistance, although Circe’s transformations are not the Charm Monster spell.

Circe in Greek myth — ancient texts and accounts

Historical Context

Apuleius’ second-century Roman novel The Golden Ass portrays fascination with witchcraft and transformative magic. Its heroine’s world includes enchanted ointments and changes of form, revealing how magic could be imagined in Roman literature. This is a fictional historical source, not evidence that anyone could enchant a creature or change its attitude through a spell.

Read Apuleius, The Golden Ass, especially the transformation chapters

Related Magic

Charm Person · Dominate Monster

Rules Sources and Licensing

5.5e / 2024: the D&D 2024 Basic Rules spell corresponds to SRD 5.2.1; that SRD material is licensed by Wizards of the Coast under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. 5e / 2014: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything (2017), p. 151, a separately copyrighted source whose wording is not claimed as Open Game Content here. The two fifth-edition panels are distinct.

Pathfinder 1e: Core Rulebook — Charm Monster and Advanced Player’s Guide — Witch 4 spell list. D&D 3.5e: SRD — Charm Monster. These OGL mechanics and their notices appear below. Artwork, modern summary prose, play examples and contextual commentary are not designated as new Open Game Content.

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