Power Word Stun Spell — 2024, 2014, PF1e & 3.5e
Power Word Stun disables a creature without an initial saving throw. The 2024 spell adds a fallback effect above the old 150-HP threshold; 2014 and the legacy d20 versions remain all-or-nothing.
At a Glance
| 2024 | Bard 8, Sorcerer 8, Warlock 8, Wizard 8; 150 HP or fewer Stunned, otherwise Speed 0 briefly |
|---|---|
| 2014 | Bard 8, Sorcerer 8, Warlock 8, Wizard 8; 150 HP or fewer Stunned, otherwise no effect |
| Pathfinder 1e | Sorcerer/Wizard 8; stun duration depends on current HP |
| D&D 3.5e | Sorcerer/Wizard 8, War 8; stun duration depends on current HP |
Choose Your Edition
Power Word Stun — 5.5e / 2024
| Level | 8th |
|---|---|
| School | Enchantment |
| Casting Time | Action |
| Range | 60 feet |
| Components | V |
| Duration | Instantaneous |
| Classes | Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard |
Choose one creature you can see within range.
- If it has 150 Hit Points or fewer, it gains the Stunned condition.
- If it has 151 Hit Points or more, it is not Stunned; instead, its Speed becomes 0 until the start of your next turn.
A Stunned target makes a Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the condition on itself on a success.
There is no initial saving throw. The 2024 spell therefore still imposes a short control effect when the target is above the stun threshold.
Power Word Stun — 5e / 2014
| Level | 8th |
|---|---|
| School | Enchantment |
| Casting Time | 1 action |
| Range | 60 feet |
| Components | V |
| Duration | Instantaneous |
| Classes | Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard |
Choose one creature you can see within range. If it has 150 Hit Points or fewer, it is Stunned. If it has 151 Hit Points or more, the spell has no effect.
The Stunned target makes a Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Power Word Stun — Pathfinder 1e
| School | Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting] |
|---|---|
| Level | Sorcerer/Wizard 8 |
| Casting Time | 1 standard action |
| Components | V |
| Range | Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) |
| Target | One creature with 150 HP or fewer |
| Duration | See table |
| Saving Throw | None |
| Spell Resistance | Yes |
| Current Hit Points | Stunned For |
|---|---|
| 50 or fewer | 4d4 rounds |
| 51–100 | 2d4 rounds |
| 101–150 | 1d4 rounds |
A creature at 151 Hit Points or more is unaffected. The spell works whether or not the creature can hear the word.
Power Word Stun — D&D 3.5e
| School | Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting] |
|---|---|
| Level | Sorcerer/Wizard 8, War 8 |
| Casting Time | 1 standard action |
| Components | V |
| Range | Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) |
| Target | One creature with 150 HP or fewer |
| Duration | See table |
| Saving Throw | None |
| Spell Resistance | Yes |
| Current Hit Points | Stunned For |
|---|---|
| 50 or fewer | 4d4 rounds |
| 51–100 | 2d4 rounds |
| 101–150 | 1d4 rounds |
A creature at 151 Hit Points or more is unaffected. Hearing the spoken word is not required.
D&D 3.5e also grants the spell through the War 8 domain slot.
What Changed?
- 2024: a target above 150 HP now has Speed 0 until the start of the caster’s next turn instead of ignoring the spell entirely.
- 2014: 151 HP or more means no effect.
- PF1e / 3.5e: no recovery saving throw; the initial HP band determines a fixed rolled duration of 1d4, 2d4 or 4d4 rounds.
- D&D 3.5e: includes War 8 access; PF1e core does not.
Using Power Word Stun
Current Hit Points determine the result. Damage dealt before the spell can turn a weak fallback into full Stunned control.
2024 is safer to cast into uncertainty. A target above the threshold still loses its movement briefly.
Legacy versions reward precise HP knowledge. A creature at 151 or more ignores the spell, while a creature at 50 or fewer can be Stunned for 4d4 rounds if Spell Resistance does not stop it.
Related Magic
- Power Word Kill — the 9th-level lethal counterpart.
- Power Word Blind — a legacy lower-level power word.
- Bard Spells — fifth-edition Bard access.
- Sorcerer and Wizard Spells — modern and legacy arcane access.
Sources and Licensing
- D&D 2024 Basic Rules — Power Word Stun. SRD 5.2 material is available under CC BY 4.0.
- D&D 2014 Basic Rules — Power Word Stun. SRD 5.1 material is available under CC BY 4.0.
- Pathfinder 1e Core Rulebook — Power Word Stun. Open Game Content under OGL v1.0a.
- D&D 3.5 SRD — Power Word Stun. Open Game Content under OGL v1.0a.
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