Message is a transmutation cantrip for bards, sorcerers, and wizards (and druids in 2024). You point at a creature within 120 feet and whisper a message that only it hears. It can whisper a reply that only you hear. The spell lasts 1 round. It can pass through solid objects if you know the target is behind them, but magical silence and certain thicknesses of stone, metal, wood, or lead block it.
Message is a cantrip that gives you a private, two-way whisper with one creature up to 120 feet away. Bards, sorcerers, and wizards can take it from 1st level.
It solves a common table problem: how does the party talk while sneaking, scouting, or standing in a noble's hall? The target hears your words, and nobody else does. The target can answer the same way.
It is short, though. The duration is 1 round, so it is one exchange, not a conversation. It also does not translate, so the target has to understand the language you speak.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Level | 0 |
| School | Transmutation |
| Casting Time | 1 action |
| Range | 120 feet |
| Components | V, S, M |
| Material | A short piece of copper wire. |
| Duration | 1 round |
| Concentration | No |
| Ritual | No |
| Save/Attack | None |
| Classes | Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard |
| Metric | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Slot Efficiency | Free. It is a cantrip. |
| Action Economy | Costs an action. Outside combat that rarely matters. In combat, it competes with your attack cantrip. |
| Opportunity Cost | One cantrip known. Worth it for parties that scout, sneak, or negotiate a lot. |
When worth the slot: Stealth missions, split parties, heists, and tense social scenes.
When NOT worth the slot: Groups that always stay together, or already have telepathy.
Why it works: The target can reply only during the 1-round duration. Ask a yes-or-no or short question so the answer fits.
This avoids the mistake of: Getting "What?" back and having to cast again.
Why it works: Message targets a creature, not an ally. You can whisper a threat or an offer to a single guard so nobody else hears.
This avoids the mistake of: Thinking it is only for party chat.
Why it works: You can cast through solid objects only if you are familiar with the target and know it is beyond the barrier. A rogue you just watched step behind a door qualifies.
This avoids the mistake of: Trying to message "anyone in the next room."
Why it's bad: In 2014 it has a verbal component and you point at the target. Whether nearby creatures notice you whispering and pointing is up to the DM.
Do this instead: Cast from a spot where your movement will not be seen, or use the 2024 version, which drops the verbal component.
Why it's bad: The spell sends your words, not their meaning. A target that does not know your language hears gibberish.
Do this instead: Use Comprehend Languages or Tongues, or speak a language you share.
Why it's bad: In 2014, 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood blocks it. Magical silence also blocks it.
Do this instead: Check the wall before relying on it during a heist.
The 2024 Message changed in three ways. First, the components are now somatic and material only, a copper wire. There is no verbal component, though the effect still has you whisper the message.
Second, the blocking materials are simpler: magical silence, 1 foot of stone, metal, or wood, or a thin sheet of lead. That makes metal less of a barrier than in 2014 and wood more of one.
Third, the 2024 text drops the line about traveling around corners and through openings. You can still cast it through solid objects if you are familiar with the target and know it is beyond the barrier. Druids also gain the spell in 2024.
You point at a creature within 120 feet and whisper. Only that creature hears you, and it can whisper a reply that only you hear. The spell lasts 1 round, so it covers one exchange.
Yes, if you are familiar with the target and know it is beyond the barrier. In 2014, 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood blocks it. In 2024, 1 foot of stone, metal, or wood, or a thin sheet of lead blocks it.
Not fully in 2014. It has a verbal component, and you whisper and point. In 2024, it has no verbal component, but you still point. Whether others notice is up to your DM.
Yes. The target can reply in a whisper that only you can hear. It must do so during the 1-round duration.
The spell does not say you must see the target. To cast it through a solid object, you must be familiar with the target and know it is beyond the barrier.
No. The target hears your actual words. If it does not understand your language, the message will not make sense to it.
120 feet. For longer distances, Sending, a 3rd-level spell, sends 25 words to a creature you are familiar with at any distance, and even to other planes with a 5 percent chance of failure.
It lost its verbal component, druids gained it, and the blocking rule became 1 foot of stone, metal, or wood, or a thin sheet of lead. The line about traveling around corners was removed.
Citations: SRD 5.1 (Message); SRD 5.2.1 (Message)
Includes SRD 5.1 and SRD 5.2.1 content per CC BY 4.0.
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