Divine Word — Complete D&D 5e Spell Guide

Table of Contents

• •Quick Answer
• •Overview
• •Stat Block
• •When NOT to Use
• •Comparisons
• •Spell Slot Efficiency
• •Pro Tips
• •Common Mistakes
• •Usage Tips
• •Synergies
• •FAQ

Overview

Listen up, new caster: Divine Word is a Situational gem in your 7th-level Cleric toolkit—a bonus action nuke that scales with enemy fragility. Utter it to force any number of visible, hearing creatures within 30 feet to Cha save; failures trigger tiered punishments from deafened (50 HP or less) to instant death (20 HP or less), plus banishing celestials/elementals/fey/fiends home for 24 hours regardless of HP. It's not Fireball—zero damage—but a cleanup crew for battered foes or outsider swarms. Slot economy? Burn a precious 7th here only if enemies are chipped (post-Spirit Guardians or ally DPR); otherwise, Fire Storm averages 52.5 fire damage over 4x20-ft cubes. Veterans love the bonus action freeing your main action for Sacred Flame (1d8 avg 4.5 radiant, ignores dex) or melee. Common trap: blasting full-health orcs expecting debuffs—they laugh off the mild deafen. RAW, no immunities specified, so undead/aberrations eat it if Cha fails. RAI? Likely intended for divine foes, but rules let it slap anything. Head-to-head: Beats Harm (6th, 14d6 necrotic avg 49 capped at 70 HP) on multiples/extras; loses to Power Word Kill (9th, no-save 100 HP instant) on solos. Prep if your campaign has demons (Avernus) or feywild jaunts; skip dungeon crawls.

Stat Block

When NOT to Use This

• •Foes above 50 HP, no celestials/elementals/fey/fiends.
• •Battlefield silence/deafness blocks hearing.
• •Need raw DPR over control (e.g., dragon full HP).
• •Party spread beyond 30 ft cluster.
• •High Cha save elites without debuffs prepped.

Spell Slot Efficiency

When worth the slot: 3+ foes <50 HP or any extraplanars present.

When NOT worth the slot: Solo full-HP boss or no hearing targets.

Pro Tips (Veteran Secrets)

Tip #1: Bonus action it after melee attack or cantrip—double impact turn 1.

Why veterans know this: Action economy king; turns 'wasted bonus' into win.

This avoids the mistake of: Using action on weak spell, bonus idle.

Tip #2: Banish first in mixed groups—fiends gone, mortals debuffed.

Why veterans know this: 24h lockdown >1h stun; planeswalkers hate Wish hunts.

This avoids the mistake of: Prioritizing stun on demon over exile.

Tip #3: Track HP precisely; announce 'under 20!' to DM for kills.

Why veterans know this: Avoids disputes; RAW instant death no Legendary Resistance.

This avoids the mistake of: Forgetting thresholds mid-chaos.

Tip #4: Multiclass Sorc for Twinned? No, Cleric only.

Why veterans know this: Subclass dips waste; pure Cleric optimal.

This avoids the mistake of: Chasing illegal twins.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Casting vs full-HP tanks expecting blind/stun.

Why it's bad: 50 HP deafen useless; wastes 7th slot vs Fire Storm 52.5 dmg.

Do this instead: Wait for DPR ramp; use Harm single-target.

Targeting deafened/silent foes.

Why it's bad: No effect; verbal requires hearing RAW.

Do this instead: Confirm audio; pick hearing targets.

Ignoring banishment on high-HP outsiders.

Why it's bad: Misses regardless-HP exile; focuses weak debuff.

Do this instead: Call out celestials/fiends first.

Upcasting for 'more power'.

Why it's bad: No scaling; pure waste.

Do this instead: Standard 7th; save higher slots.

Usage Tips

• •Scan for low-HP clusters post-AoE; a single 20-HP goblin dies free, scaling to hordes. Position 30 ft back for safety, ensuring line-of-sight/hearing. Pair with bonus action for max value.
• •Prioritize banishables like demons over mortals—24-hour lockdown trumps temporary stun. Track enemy planes via lore; fey in material plane? Prime target.
• •Use in tight chokepoints where Spirit Guardians (3rd slot, 3d8 avg 13.5/hit) grinds HP below thresholds over turns.

Rules Notes

• •Targets must be able to hear you; silent/deafened immune to effects.
• •HP thresholds checked at cast time; effects don't stack—lowest applies (e.g., 15 HP gets death).
• •Banishment hits failing celestials/elementals/fey/fiends even if they'd only get deafened by HP.
• •No upcast benefit; higher_level empty.
• •RAW works on undead/machines—no explicit immunity.

Synergies

• •Spirit Guardians softens packs to kill range without burning slots.
• •Bane (2nd, -1d4 save) nudges Cha fails on bosses.
• •Hold Monster upcast (5th, Wis save paralyze auto-fail? No, different save—but chains CC.
• •Foresight (9th) advantage on saves hurts enemies' Cha rolls.

Anti-Patterns

• •No damage output; don't sub for DPR.
• •Cha saves rare for Clerics—foes often proficient.
• •30 ft range limits vs flying/large battlefields.

Tactical Modules

• •Finisher Combo — When to use: Enemies at 10-50 HP after party nova like Fireball (8d6 avg 28).. Synergy: Bonus action after Toll the Dead (cantrip, 4d12 avg 26 necrotic at lvl 13).
• •Extraplanar Purge — When to use: Fiend cults summon imps/balors mid-fight.. Synergy: Dismissal (4th) single-target backup if banish fails.
• •Elite Squad Wipe — When to use: Boss minions chipped by AoE, boss >50 HP.. Synergy: Guardian of Faith (4th) distracts while you clean.

Countermeasures

• •Threat: Legendary fiend with +10 Cha save. — Response: Pre-cast Bane or debuff gear like Rod of the Pact Keeper.. Fallback: Plane Shift self/group away.
• •Threat: Full-HP ogre mob, no outsiders. — Response: Skip; Fire Storm instead.. Fallback: Mass Cure Wounds if allies hurt.
• •Threat: Silent spell casters or deaf foes. — Response: Confirm hearing first; target others.. Fallback: Shatter (2nd, thunder AoE).

Frequently Asked Questions

is divine word good 5e

Situational for Clerics. Excellent bonus-action finisher on low-HP foes (<20 HP instant kill) or banishing fiends/fey, but poor vs full-health tanks—prep Fire Storm instead.

divine word 5e cleric guide

7th-level evocation, bonus action Cha save on multiples: death at 20 HP, stun at 30, banish outsiders. Use post-DPR; synergizes with Spirit Guardians. Skip healthy groups.

does divine word work on undead 5e

Yes, RAW—no undead immunity. They Cha save; <=20 HP die instantly. Great vs weakened zombies/skeletons.

divine word vs power word kill 5e

Divine Word: multi-target save-based, bonus action, 20 HP kill + banish. Power Word Kill: single no-save 100 HP kill, action. PWK better solo boss; DW crowds.

can divine word banish dragons 5e

No, dragons aren't celestial/elemental/fey/fiend. Only HP debuffs if fail Cha save. Use Plane Shift for dragons.

divine word vs harm 5e

Harm (6th): single 14d6 (avg 49, cap 70 HP) necrotic action. Divine Word (7th): multi bonus, tiered CC/kill/banish. Harm for fat solo; DW chipped groups.

is divine word concentration 5e

No, instantaneous duration. Stack with Spirit Guardians, Holy Aura freely—no concentration clash.

divine word worth preparing over fire storm

Only if low-HP cleanup or fiends expected. Fire Storm superior general AoE dmg (10d10 avg 55). Assess table foes.

Citations: api:spells/divine-word

Includes SRD content per CC BY 4.0. Source: dnd5eapi.co.