What is the Zone of Truth spell in D&D 5e?
Zone of Truth is a 2nd-level enchantment spell. It’s one of 5e’s more unique spells because it can do something no other spell does: force affected creatures to tell the truth for a limited time. Even though it’s a low-level spell, Zone of Truth is considered quite powerful—it can totally change the direction of an adventure or roleplaying exchange by uncovering hidden information! Casting time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Target: A 15-foot-radius sphere centered on a point of your choice within range Components: Verbal and somatic Duration: 10 minutes
How does Zone of Truth work?
Zone of Truth compels creatures inside its range to speak truthfully. When casting Zone of Truth, you create a 15-foot-radius bubble anywhere within 60 feet of yourself. All creatures inside the affected area must make a Charisma saving throw; if they fail, the creature can’t tell a deliberate lie as long as they’re inside the Zone of Truth. If you cast the spell, you’re also aware of each creature inside and whether or not they failed their saving throw. In other words, you know which creatures are affected by the spell and which ones aren’t!
Creatures inside the Zone of Truth are aware it’s there. On the other hand, even if you try to cast Zone of Truth covertly, any creature affected by the spell is aware of it (and knows they’re affected). Thus, although they can’t lie deliberately, they can still avoid answering any questions or try to be evasive in order to skirt around the truth. For example, say your character tries casting Zone of Truth on a bandit to find out where their main camp is. If affected, the bandit could refuse to answer or say something like, “We move around a lot,”—which could be the truth, but also doesn’t fully answer your question or tell you where the camp is currently.
The caster can be affected by their own Zone of Truth. If you cast Zone of Truth, you’ll still have to make a saving throw and be affected by the spell if you fail (or deliberately fail it) as long as you’re standing within the spell’s area. So, if you want to avoid being compelled by your own spell, be sure to stand outside its radius after casting it! Keep in mind that even if you step into your own Zone of Truth in order to prove your trustworthiness to another character, there’s no way for that character to know for sure you’re affected (other than trusting your word).
How to Use Zone of Truth as a Player
Interrogate enemies or NPCs with important information. Are you hunting down an enemy spy? Trying to solve a murder mystery? Are you close to unraveling a major enemy’s schemes and figuring out what they’ve planned next? Zone of Truth can be an amazing tool for any kind of questioning or interrogation, so don’t be afraid to use it—especially if you don’t have much time to spare and need fast answers. Just remember that affected creatures know they’re being compelled! If you use the spell on an NPC (non-player character) who isn’t hostile to you, you may end up souring that relationship when the NPC realizes what’s happening. If you know you might make someone angry by compelling them to tell the truth, you could try persuading them first—or simply be prepared to deal with the consequences. On the other hand, if you’re interrogating an enemy and aren’t worried about keeping things civil, go ahead and use Zone of Truth at any time!
Instigate a (truthful) discussion about player character backstories. Besides the more obvious uses for Zone of Truth, you can also use it to have a little fun with your fellow players. Earlier on in many campaigns, it’s normal for players to be a little secretive about their character’s backstory. If your character is the inquisitive type, you could use Zone of Truth to learn more about your party! If you don’t want to risk upsetting another party member by compelling them with the spell, try proposing it as a game of sorts. Suggest casting Zone of Truth with everyone (including yourself) inside, with all of you deliberately failing the save. Then, go around the group and ask each other questions, allowing characters to skip questions they don’t want to answer (or pressing them if you feel it’s important).
How to Use Zone of Truth as a DM
Have NPCs cast Zone of Truth while questioning the players. Players aren’t the only ones who can use Zone of Truth. There are plenty of ways you can incorporate Zone of Truth into an adventure by creating NPCs or enemies that can cast it. This can be a great way for an NPC to make sure the players are serious about helping them, or determine what information the players currently know. For example, if the head priest at a temple needs urgent help, they could cast Zone of Truth on the party to see if their intentions are genuine. If a powerful noble is working against the party, they have the group imprisoned and then cast Zone of Truth to interrogate them. If the party are suspects in a high-profile crime, the investigator in charge might ask them to submit to a Zone of Truth spell.
Ban Zone of Truth in certain adventures to preserve the mystery. If you’re planning an adventure with lots of twists and mysteries that you’d rather your players solve the old-fashioned way, you can always take away the option to cast Zone of Truth. This might mean setting your adventure in a place that frowns on enchantment magic, or outright telling players the spell isn’t allowed. By creating an adventure in a place where there’s a law against charming or compelling other people, you can organically turn players away from spells like Zone of Truth and challenge them to find new ways of solving the mystery at hand!
How to Work Around Zone of Truth
Lie by omission or try to dodge the question. If your character is forced into a Zone of Truth and fails their saving throw, there are still ways to avoid giving away information. Try telling the truth selectively; answer a question, but don’t include the information you’re trying to hide. Alternatively, fire back with a question of your own to plant doubt in the questioner’s mind. For example, say a guard asks, “Where were you the night Lord Vancourt was attacked?” You could lie by omission and say, “I went to the Sleepy Sylph tavern. Later, I went down to the Docks District.” This could be true—but you could also have attacked Lord Vancourt somewhere between the tavern visit and “later.” Otherwise, you could dodge the question by asking, “Why would I attack Lord Vancourt?” or “I’m just an adventurer. Why are you asking me instead of his fellow nobility?”
Give an ambiguous answer. If the character interrogating you mistakenly asks a question that could be open to interpretation somehow, try giving a vague response that appears to answer their question (but really doesn’t). Leave out as much detail as you can to make sure you’re not deliberately lying! For example, if the guard says, “We need to find the culprit behind Lord Vancourt’s attack. Who are you loyal to?” you could respond by saying, “To the lord, of course.” This answer doesn’t specify which lord you’re loyal to—so you could be referring to somebody else, but tricking the guard into thinking it’s Lord Vancourt.
Refer to other characters (or previous statements). When someone asks a question you don’t want to answer, imply that you must be truthful (and trustworthy) by claiming that someone else could vouch for you. Also, if the interrogator already questioned you before casting Zone of Truth, you could refer back to a lie you told while not affected by the spell. For example, say a guard asks, “Did you attack Lord Vancourt?” You could say, “What?! Why would you think that? Everyone knows I’m an upstanding citizen; ask my employer, Nyla!” Alternatively, if you were already questioned before the spell was cast, you could say, “I already told you I didn’t do it. Why are you still asking?”
Tell the truth from your character’s perspective. In some cases, you can get away with lying because, in your character’s eyes, they’re not lying: they genuinely believe what they’re saying. If you’re a player, keep in mind that the DM may question this at first if they don’t know what you’re doing—but, overall, it’s a viable strategy! For example, if the guard asks whether you murdered Lord Vancourt, you could say, “No, I’m no murderer!” The catch is that your character did kill him—they just don’t see it as murder or a crime because they know Lord Vancourt was evil, and see their actions as bringing a villain to justice.
Is Zone of Truth a good spell?
Zone of Truth is a powerful tool for both players and DMs. Not only is Zone of Truth the only 5e spell capable of forcing creatures to tell the truth, but it’s also very hard to get around unless you succeed on the initial saving throw against it. Plus, even if an affected creature tries to be evasive, you can simply ask more specific “yes” or “no” questions until you have the information you need. Spells like Suggestion, which can compel creatures to fulfill a certain action, can’t be used to escape Zone of Truth (since it can’t make creatures forget something or believe what they’re saying). Even high-level spells like Glibness (which prevents the detection of a lie) and Mind Blank (which protects against charms and mind-reading) can’t protect creatures from the effects of the comparatively low-level Zone of Truth. In any campaign with a lot of RP (roleplaying) and intrigue, Zone of Truth is sure to come in handy more than once!
Which classes can cast Zone of Truth?
Bards, clerics, and paladins can cast Zone of Truth. If you’re playing a character with one of the aforementioned classes, you can easily learn (and cast) Zone of Truth by adding it to your character’s list of known spells once they reach a high enough level to use it. There are also a couple of subclasses that automatically learn Zone of Truth, including: Order Domain (cleric subclass) Oath of the Crown (paladin subclass) Oath of Devotion (paladin subclass)
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