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.
Pass Without Trace is the party stealth engine. A veil of shadows wraps your group; each creature you choose within range receives a +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks and leaves no tracks.
This Pass Without Trace 5E guide covers group tactics and concentration management.
Spell Level: 2nd
Spell Type: Abjuration
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: Self
Component Requirements: Verbal, Somatic, Material (ashes from a burned leaf of mistletoe and a sprig of spruce)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
Class: Druid, Ranger
How does Pass Without Trace work?
For the duration, each creature you choose within 30 feet (including you) gets +10 to Stealth checks and can’t be tracked except by magical means. Surfaces show no tracks/signs of passage for the affected creatures.
Why +10 is absurd
Expertise and advantage are strong. A flat +10 often makes Stealth checks trivial even for plate wearers. Whole-party infiltration becomes a real strategy.
Best uses
- Approach a fortress unnoticed
- Escape after a heist
- Set up surprise rounds before a fight starts
Concentration conflict
Rangers often want Hunter's Mark in combat. Pass Without Trace is for the approach — drop it once blades are drawn unless you still need to re-hide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it help Soft cover / dim light?
It bonuses the Stealth check; you still need a way to hide per the rules (obscurement/cover, DM fiat in open fields).
Can enemies with Truesight ignore it?
Truesight does not automatically spot you, but it pierces illusion/invisibility — Pass Without Trace is abjuration veil/tracks, not invisibility. Stealth vs Perception still applies.
Is it better than Invisibility?
For a group, usually yes. Invisibility is individual and ends on attack.