Edition note: This guide targets 2014 5E (legacy PHB-style rules). If your table uses the 2024 Player's Handbook, confirm wording, class lists, and any renamed features before locking a build.
Moonbeam drops a silvery cylinder of light that burns creatures who enter or start their turn inside — and it’s infamous for forcing shapechangers toward their true form.
This Moonbeam 5E guide covers placement, moving the beam, and when other concentration spells win.
Spell Level: 2nd
Spell Type: Evocation
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 120 feet
Component Requirements: Verbal, Somatic, Material (several seeds of any moonseed plant and a piece of opalescent feldspar)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Class: Druid
Area: 5-foot-radius, 40-foot-high cylinder
At Higher Levels: +1d10 radiant damage per slot level above 2nd
How does Moonbeam work?
A silvery beam of pale light shines down in a 5-foot-radius, 40-foot-high cylinder centered on a point within range. Until the spell ends, dim light fills the cylinder.
When a creature enters the spell’s area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it is engulfed in ghostly flames that cause searing pain. It must make a Constitution saving throw, taking radiant damage on a failure (half on success).
A shapechanger makes its saving throw with disadvantage. If it fails, it also instantly reverts to its original form and can’t assume a different form until it leaves the spell’s light.
On each of your turns after you cast the spell, you can use a bonus action to move the beam up to 60 feet in any direction.
Best uses
- Punish enemies who must hold a doorway
- Hunt lycanthropes and other shapechangers
- Pair with forced movement so foes re-enter the cylinder
Moonbeam vs Spirit Guardians
| Spell | Level | Shape |
|---|---|---|
| Moonbeam | 2nd | Movable cylinder at range |
| Spirit Guardians | 3rd | Aura centered on you |
Moonbeam is the sniper lamp. Spirit Guardians is the walking blender for clerics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it damage allies?
Yes if they enter or start in the beam — place carefully.
Can I stack it with Faerie Fire?
Different concentration casters can; same caster can’t maintain both.
Is it worth preparing every day?
On undead / shapechanger heavy days, yes. Otherwise Spike Growth or Pass Without Trace may win more sessions.