D&D 5E Levitate is a save-or-die spell

[borg286]

Unlike other save-or-suck spells, Levitate doesn't allow for saves past the first save.
Levitate becomes a save or die spell under the following conditions:

• The target has no or a weak ranged attack
• They can't reach the ceiling nor the floor 20' away
• They don't have a fly speed

If they fail their Con save then they float useless mid-air while the party deals with the rest of enemies. After that we have fun pelting it to death. Since most encounters often get done by round 5 or 6, that gives the whole party 5-4 rounds to focus down the target before the spell ends.

On a Sorcerer twinning it, you dramatically affect the difficulty of an encounter with few foes in it.

Am I missing something? Do most monsters have a ranged attack past level 7?

 

[Morrus]

Well, it's concentration, so your wizard is half-nullified while holding them up in the air. But yeah, other than that there's no save beyond the initial one.

That said, don't forget this bit:

If you are the target, you can move up or down as part of your move.

So if your move is more than the 20' the caster can move you, you're basically just exchanging an action with the caster as an action tax on both of you.

 

[jaelis]

I agree, for many targets it is really devastating. Though blindness and heat metal are also 2nd level and potential fight-enders.

@Morrus, I read that as "if you (the caster) are the target, you can move up or down as part of your move."

edit- I misremembered, blindness is save each turn.

 

[Guest 6801328]

I thought maybe this thread was necro’d from 2015. Apparently not.

 

[jaelis]

I thought maybe this thread was necro’d from 2015. Apparently not.

You mean like:

D&D 5E - Levitate on an unwilling creature

An unwilling creature gets only one save against Levitate. For control purposes, this seems to make it better than Telekinesis (5th level, save each round). Seems OP for a 2nd level spell. Am I missing something? And for bonus points - if the unwilling creature has the ability to fly, can it...

www.enworld.org

It does make the good point that the target can still dodge.

 

[jgsugden]

It is a battle ended for pure brutes with no ranged attacks or spells. However, it targets Con, which is a good save for most brutes, and doesn't do any good when there are low ceilings. I like to have it, but it is not a game breaker.

 

[Lanefan]

Unlike other save-or-suck spells, Levitate doesn't allow for saves past the first save.
Levitate becomes a save or die spell under the following conditions:

• The target has no or a weak ranged attack
• They can't reach the ceiling nor the floor 20' away
• They don't have a fly speed

If they fail their Con save then they float useless mid-air while the party deals with the rest of enemies.

If they're stupid, yes.

If they're smart - Levitate only controls vertical movement. Outdoors there's always wind, and sooner or later the target will get blown downwind out of range unless the caster manages to follow. Indoors, flapping your cloak or getting one of your nearby allies to spend a bonus action giving you a quick shove will get you moving, and sooner or later you'll hit a wall which gives you way more horizontal movement control as you can push yourself along or away from said wall.

After that we have fun pelting it to death. Since most encounters often get done by round 5 or 6, that gives the whole party 5-4 rounds to focus down the target before the spell ends.

On a Sorcerer twinning it, you dramatically affect the difficulty of an encounter with few foes in it.

Am I missing something? Do most monsters have a ranged attack past level 7?

Doesn't matter. Sometimes a single spell can win the battle, and I'm fine with that.

But remember, the NPC caster opponents can use it too.....

 

[Morrus]

If they're stupid, yes.

If they're smart - Levitate only controls vertical movement. Outdoors there's always wind, and sooner or later the target will get blown downwind out of range unless the caster manages to follow.

Being helplessly blown along slowly by a breeze in a direction you haven't chosen isn't any better than staying still, and is rather more humiliating; and the ability to be helplessly blown slowly along in a random direction by a breeze certainly isn't proof of smartness.

 

[Mistwell]

Unlike other save-or-suck spells, Levitate doesn't allow for saves past the first save.
Levitate becomes a save or die spell under the following conditions:

• The target has no or a weak ranged attack
• They can't reach the ceiling nor the floor 20' away
• They don't have a fly speed

If they fail their Con save then they float useless mid-air while the party deals with the rest of enemies. After that we have fun pelting it to death. Since most encounters often get done by round 5 or 6, that gives the whole party 5-4 rounds to focus down the target before the spell ends.

On a Sorcerer twinning it, you dramatically affect the difficulty of an encounter with few foes in it.

Am I missing something? Do most monsters have a ranged attack past level 7?

You got it. It's situational as you say, given the limitations on ceiling and their movement methods and teleportation options, but yes that is exactly how it works. Good spell, AND it has utility for your own party out of combat or even in it.

 

[Shiroiken]

Like many spells, it's pretty situational. Heat Metal is amazing against an armored opponent, but fairly worthless against most monsters. In an open area, against a single opponent with little/no ranged ability, Levitate is amazing. Against a group however, that concentration might be broken, freeing the creature (at 2d6 falling damage, plus prone), but even if not, the caster has spent a spell slot and concentration to limit 1 threat from the combat.