Plane Shift is a 7th-level conjuration spell for Clerics, Druids, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards. You and up to eight willing creatures who link hands travel to a different plane of existence, arriving in or near a destination you name. In the 2014 rules you can instead banish one creature: make a melee spell attack, and on a hit it makes a Charisma save or is sent to a random location on a plane you choose. The 2024 version drops the banishing option.
Plane Shift is the standard way to travel between planes. It needs a forked metal rod worth at least 250 gp, attuned to a particular plane. The rod isn't consumed, so you can keep using it.
You don't get pinpoint accuracy. You name a destination in general terms, such as a city on the Elemental Plane of Fire or a palace in the Nine Hells, and you appear in or near it. The DM decides exactly where. If you know the sigil sequence of a teleportation circle on the other plane, you can arrive at that circle instead.
The 2014 version doubles as a "save or vanish" attack. On a hit and a failed Charisma save, the target is sent to a random location on the plane you specify and must find its own way back. There is no concentration and no duration. If it works, the creature is gone for good unless it can travel between planes.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Level | 7 |
| School | Conjuration |
| Casting Time | 1 action |
| Range | Touch |
| Components | V, S, M |
| Material | A forked, metal rod worth at least 250 gp, attuned to a particular plane of existence. |
| Duration | Instantaneous |
| Concentration | No |
| Ritual | No |
| Save/Attack | Melee spell attack, then CHA save (banish option, 2014 only) |
| Classes | Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard |
| Metric | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Slot Efficiency | High for travel: nine creatures (you plus eight) for one slot. High risk, high reward for banishing. |
| Action Economy | One action, no concentration. A successful banish removes a creature from the fight permanently. |
| Opportunity Cost | Your only 7th-level slot until 19th level. Warlocks get one 7th-level spell per long rest through Mystic Arcanum. |
When worth the slot: Planar adventures, escaping a fight the party can't win, or banishing a boss with a weak Charisma save (2014).
When NOT worth the slot: Same-plane travel, or banishing a creature that will just come back.
Plane Shift has no "At Higher Levels" text. A 8th- or 9th-level slot changes nothing.
Why it works: A known sigil sequence lets you arrive at that circle instead of "in or near" a general destination. If the circle is too small for everyone, the extra travelers appear in the closest unoccupied spaces.
This avoids the mistake of: Landing outside the city gates when you needed to be inside the temple.
Why it works: The casting takes one action and needs only willing creatures linking hands. Plane Shift to a safe plane, rest, then Plane Shift back to the Material Plane.
This avoids the mistake of: Losing the whole party in a fight that went wrong.
Why it works: Big, dumb monsters tend to have very low Charisma. A purple worm has Charisma 4 (−3) and no save proficiency. Against DC 18 it can't succeed, because its best save roll is 17.
This avoids the mistake of: Trying to banish a fiend with a strong Charisma save and Magic Resistance.
Why it works: The banished creature lands somewhere random on the plane you specify and must find its own way back. A plane that is hostile to it can keep it busy for a long time.
This avoids the mistake of: Sending a fire giant to the Elemental Plane of Fire, where it is immune to fire.
Why it's bad: The rod has a cost (250 gp), so a component pouch or focus can't replace it. It must be attuned to a particular plane. How a caster attunes a rod to a new plane isn't covered in the spell text. That is a DM ruling, not rules text.
Do this instead: Ask your DM early how you get rods for the planes you want to reach.
Why it's bad: The travel mode takes you and up to eight willing creatures holding hands. You can't drag an enemy along with the group.
Do this instead: Use the 2014 banish mode on one unwilling creature.
Why it's bad: It's a melee spell attack first, then a Charisma save. Both have to go your way.
Do this instead: Multiply the odds before you commit your 7th-level slot (see Usage Tips).
Why it's bad: Magic Resistance gives advantage on saving throws against spells. It does nothing to your attack roll.
Do this instead: Expect the save to be harder, not the hit.
All examples use a 13th-level cleric with Wisdom 20: +10 to hit with spell attacks and spell save DC 18 (8 + 5 proficiency + 5 Wisdom). These are 2014 numbers, since only the 2014 version can banish.
The 2024 Player's Handbook keeps Plane Shift as a 7th-level conjuration spell for Clerics, Druids, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards. Travel works the same: you and up to eight willing creatures who link hands go to a different plane, arriving in or near a general destination as determined by the GM, or at a teleportation circle if you know its sigil sequence.
The big change: the SRD 5.2.1 text has no banishing paragraph. The 2024 Plane Shift has no melee spell attack and no Charisma save. It is a travel spell only. The material component reads "a forked, metal rod worth 250+ GP and attuned to a plane of existence."
The example destinations are also more general: "a specific city on the Elemental Plane of Fire or palace on the second level of the Nine Hells" instead of named locations.
It takes you and up to eight willing creatures holding hands to a different plane of existence. In the 2014 rules, it can also banish one creature to another plane if your melee spell attack hits and it fails a Charisma save.
No. The 2024 SRD text has no banishing option. It is a group travel spell only. For a banish effect, use Banishment.
You plus up to eight willing creatures, for nine total. They must link hands in a circle.
Not precisely. You name a destination in general terms and appear in or near it, with the exact spot up to the DM. Knowing the sigil sequence of a teleportation circle on that plane lets you arrive at the circle.
No. The forked metal rod worth at least 250 gp isn't consumed. You need it every time you cast the spell.
No. It transports you to a different plane of existence. Use Teleport for travel on the same plane.
Only if it can. In the 2014 rules it must find its own way back to your plane. A creature that can cast Plane Shift, or knows a portal, may return.
No. The duration is instantaneous in both editions.
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.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.
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