Glyph of Warding — Complete D&D 5e Spell Guide

Table of Contents

• •Quick Answer
• •Overview
• •Stat Block
• •When NOT to Use This
• •Spell Slot Efficiency
• •Pro Tips
• •Common Mistakes to Avoid
• •Usage Tips
• •Rules Notes
• •Synergies
• •Anti-Patterns
• •Tactical Modules
• •Countermeasures
• •Glyph of Warding in the 2024 Rules
• •Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Answer

Glyph of Warding is a 3rd-level abjuration spell for Bards, Clerics, and Wizards. Over 1 hour, and for 200 gp of powdered diamond that the spell consumes, you inscribe a nearly invisible glyph on a surface or inside a closable object. You set what triggers it. When triggered, it either explodes for 5d8 acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage in a 20-foot-radius sphere (Dexterity save for half), or casts a spell you stored in it. It lasts until dispelled or triggered.

Overview

Glyph of Warding is a trap you build with magic. It has no duration limit, so a glyph inscribed today still waits a year later. You decide the trigger, who is exempt, and what happens.

There are two modes. Explosive runes are the simple one: a 20-foot-radius burst of the damage type you chose, 5d8 at 3rd level and 1d8 more per slot level. A spell glyph holds another spell of 3rd level or lower (or up to the slot level you used) and releases it at the creature that triggered it.

The cost is time and money. Each glyph takes an hour and 200 gp of diamond dust. Once placed, it can't move. If the object holding it moves more than 10 feet, the glyph breaks without going off. That makes it a tool for defending places, not for carrying around.

Stat Block

When NOT to Use This

• •You need it in the next hour. The casting time is 1 hour.
• •You plan to carry the warded object. Moving it more than 10 feet from where you cast the spell breaks the glyph.
• •You can't spare 200 gp per glyph.
• •Your allies will be standing next to it. Explosive runes hit every creature in a 20-foot radius, friend or foe.

Spell Slot Efficiency

When worth the slot: Defending a camp, a lair, a vault, or a door you expect enemies to use.

When NOT worth the slot: Mid-dungeon, when you won't be back to the spot and have no time to spare.

Upcasting

Pro Tips

Tip #1: Store a spell for more damage or control.

Why it works: A stored Fireball deals 8d6 (average 28) in a 20-foot radius centered on the intruder, against 5d8 (average 22.5) for explosive runes. A stored Hold Person paralyzes the humanoid that triggered the glyph.

This avoids the mistake of: Defaulting to explosive runes when a stored spell does more.

Tip #2: Stored concentration spells need no concentration.

Why it works: "If the spell requires concentration, it lasts until the end of its full duration." A stored Hold Person can last its full minute while you concentrate on something else. The target still repeats its save at the end of each of its turns.

This avoids the mistake of: Thinking a glyph uses up your concentration.

Tip #3: Set a password.

Why it works: You can set conditions for creatures that don't trigger the glyph, such as those who speak a password. Your party walks past; intruders don't.

This avoids the mistake of: Warding your own camp and catching your own party in the blast.

Tip #4: Put it inside a closed object.

Why it works: A glyph inside a book, scroll, or chest is concealed and can trigger on opening or reading. Thieves have to open the object to steal what's inside.

This avoids the mistake of: Placing an obvious glyph on the floor in front of the door.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Forgetting the stored spell is cast too

Why it's bad: You store a spell "by casting it as part of creating the glyph." That casting uses its own slot and its own components, on top of the glyph's slot and 200 gp.

Do this instead: Budget two slots for a spell glyph: one for Glyph of Warding and one for the stored spell.

Moving the warded object

Why it's bad: If the object moves more than 10 feet from where you cast the spell, the glyph breaks and the spell ends without triggering.

Do this instead: Ward things that stay put: doors, floors, chests bolted down, tomb lids.

Storing a self-only spell

Why it's bad: The stored spell "must target a single creature or an area." A spell that only affects you, such as Shield, doesn't fit.

Do this instead: Store spells that target a creature, such as Hold Person or Bestow Curse, or that affect an area, such as Fireball.

Skipping the trigger details

Why it's bad: The trigger decides who sets it off. A vague trigger like "anyone who comes within 10 feet" includes you and your friends.

Do this instead: Write the trigger and the exemptions down when you cast it.

Usage Tips

Worked example: explosive runes vs hobgoblins. A 5th-level cleric with 16 Wisdom has spell save DC 14. A 2014 hobgoblin has 11 hit points and a +1 Dexterity save, so it fails on 12 or lower (60%).

• •

  Explosive runes (5d8): A failed save kills it 99% of the time (5d8 rolls 11 or more). On a success it takes half, and that kills it when 5d8 rolls 22 or more, about 58%. Overall: 0.60 × 0.99 + 0.40 × 0.58 ≈ 82%.

• •

  Stored Fireball (8d6): A failed save kills it unless 8d6 rolls under 11, which almost never happens. A success kills when 8d6 rolls 22 or more, about 91%. Overall about 96%. It costs a second 3rd-level slot and Fireball's own components.

• •

  Against an ogre: The 2014 ogre has 59 hit points and a −1 Dexterity save. It fails on 14 or lower (70%) and survives either way. Store a control spell for bigger creatures instead.

• •

  Finding a glyph (2014): An Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC. A rogue with +7 Investigation against DC 14 needs a 7 or higher: 70%.

• •

  Explosive runes damage types: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder, chosen when you inscribe it. Pick one the expected intruders don't resist.

• •

  Size: On a surface, the glyph covers an area no larger than 10 feet in diameter.

• •

  Related guides: Alarm for a cheaper warning, Arcane Lock, Dispel Magic, Detect Magic, and the spell guide index.

Rules Notes

• •Inscribe on a surface (up to 10 feet in diameter) or within a closable object.
• •An inscribed object must stay within 10 feet of where you cast the spell or the glyph breaks.
• •Finding it: Intelligence (Investigation) against your spell save DC (2014).
• •Triggers the 2014 text lists: for a surface, touching or standing on it, removing an object covering it, approaching within a set distance, or manipulating the object it's on; for a closed object, opening it, approaching it, or seeing or reading the glyph. You can refine the trigger by physical characteristics such as height or weight, creature kind (the SRD's examples are aberrations or drow), or alignment, and set exemptions such as a password.
• •Explosive runes: 20-foot-radius sphere centered on the glyph that spreads around corners, Dexterity save, 5d8 damage of the chosen type, half on a success.
• •Spell glyph: a prepared spell of 3rd level or lower (or up to the glyph's slot level). If it has a target, it targets the creature that triggered the glyph. If it has an area, the area is centered on that creature. Summoned hostile creatures or harmful objects appear as close as possible to the intruder and attack it.
• •"Prepared" spells for bards: 2014 bards know spells rather than prepare them, and the text says "a prepared spell." Whether a 2014 bard's known spells count is a DM ruling, not rules text. 2024 bards prepare spells, so the question doesn't arise.
• •Helpful spells: The 2014 text says the glyph "harms other creatures." Whether you can store a healing spell for allies is a DM ruling, not rules text. The 2024 wording is neutral.
• •Ending it: it ends when triggered or dispelled. Dispel Magic ends a glyph cast at 3rd level automatically; a higher-level glyph requires a spellcasting ability check against DC 10 + the glyph's level.

Synergies

• •Alarm: A 1st-level ritual that warns you when the glyph area is entered.
• •Arcane Lock on the same door: Intruders who spend time on the lock stay in the trigger zone.
• •Stored Banishment (4th-level glyph): If the triggering creature fails its Charisma save, it stays banished for the spell's full 1 minute with no concentration to break. Under Banishment's own rules, a creature native to another plane that stays banished for the full duration doesn't return.

Anti-Patterns

• •Warding a backpack, a shield, or anything else you plan to carry.
• •Explosive runes in a hallway your party walks through often, without a password.

Tactical Modules

• •Camp defense: Explosive runes at the approach, with a password for the party.
• •Vault door: A spell glyph with Hold Person or Bestow Curse that triggers when the door opens.
• •Booby-trapped book: A glyph inside a closed book that triggers when someone reads it.

Countermeasures

• •Threat: You suspect a glyph. Response: Search with Investigation (2014) or Perception (2024). Fallback: Detect Magic shows magic within 30 feet and its school, which here is abjuration.
• •Threat: You found a glyph. Response: Cast Dispel Magic on it. Fallback: Trigger it from far away with a thrown object or summoned creature, if the trigger allows.
• •Threat: A glyph inside a container. Response: If moving the container isn't its trigger, carry it more than 10 feet before opening it, which breaks the glyph. Fallback: Leave it closed.

Glyph of Warding in the 2024 Rules

The 2024 SRD keeps Glyph of Warding as a level 3 abjuration spell for Bards, Clerics, and Wizards, with a 1-hour casting time and a duration of until dispelled or triggered. Explosive runes (now "Explosive Rune") still deal 5d8 in a 20-foot-radius sphere, and spell glyphs still store a spell of level 3 or lower, or up to the slot level you use. Upcasting works the same way.

What changed:

• •Material: Only powdered diamond worth 200+ gp, consumed. The incense is gone.
• •Finding the glyph: A Wisdom (Perception) check against your spell save DC, instead of Intelligence (Investigation).
• •Trigger refinement: The 2024 text lists creature types (example: Aberrations) and password-style exemptions. It no longer lists physical characteristics or alignment.
• •Size and movement: The 10-foot-diameter limit and the 10-foot movement rule now apply to "the surface or object."
• •Wording: The glyph "later unleashes a magical effect" instead of "harms other creatures." The explosion's area no longer says it spreads around corners.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Glyph of Warding work in 5e?

You spend 1 hour and 200 gp of powdered diamond to inscribe a nearly invisible glyph on a surface or inside a closable object. You set its trigger. When triggered, it explodes for 5d8 damage in a 20-foot radius or casts a spell you stored in it. It lasts until dispelled or triggered.

How much does Glyph of Warding cost?

Powdered diamond worth at least 200 gp per glyph, which the spell consumes. The 2014 version also needs incense. A stored spell needs its own components as well.

What spells can you store in Glyph of Warding?

A prepared spell of 3rd level or lower, or up to the slot level you use for the glyph. It must target a single creature or affect an area. You cast it as part of creating the glyph, and it takes effect when the glyph triggers.

Does a stored spell need concentration?

No. If the stored spell normally requires concentration, it lasts its full duration without it.

Can you move a Glyph of Warding?

No. If the warded object moves more than 10 feet from where you cast the spell, the glyph breaks and the spell ends without triggering.

How many glyphs can you have at once?

The spell sets no limit. Each glyph costs its own hour, slot, and 200 gp of diamond.

How do you find a Glyph of Warding?

In 2014, with an Intelligence (Investigation) check against the caster's spell save DC. In 2024, with a Wisdom (Perception) check against the same DC.

How much damage does Glyph of Warding do?

Explosive runes deal 5d8 (average 22.5) acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage at 3rd level, plus 1d8 per slot level above 3rd. Each creature in the 20-foot radius makes a Dexterity save for half.

Citations: SRD 5.1 (2014 rules), SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules)

Includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, licensed under CC BY 4.0.