Don't Lose Focus! Your Guide to the Rules for Concentration in D&D

None of us fancy a lecture on the merits of concentration and focus. But concentration in fifth-edition Dungeons & Dragons is much easier to improve upon than concentration in your everyday life. This is good news, because concentration is one of those mechanics that you can’t get away from in fifth edition. It’s almost everywhere. Let's check our concentration and take a look at this important mechanic.

How concentration works

Concentration is, at its core, a simple mechanic: A character can only concentrate on one spell or ability at a time, and must maintain their concentration for the duration of the effect. Concentration is most commonly found in spells, particularly those with ongoing powerful effects. Spells that require concentration are denoted by a black diamond in the duration heading of their description and are often colloquially referred to as “concentration spells.” 

Bless spell

Regardless of the source—be it a racial trait, magic item, or spellcasting feature—a concentration spell requires concentration. If there is an exception to this rule, it is explicitly stated, such as with the potion of speed and spells cast via a Wild Magic sorcerer’s Wild Magic Surge.

Some character features, magic items, and even creatures also have special abilities that specify it requires concentration. The phrase “as if concentrating on a spell” indicates that all the concentration rules for a spell apply to this feature, so there are no loopholes allowing the stacking of, for example, hunter’s mark with the Favored Foe ranger feature found in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.

There are two additional sources of concentration, which tend to be easily forgotten:

  • First, any spell with a casting time longer than one action requires concentration for the duration of its casting time. So while mending, prayer of healing, animate dead, and similar spells are not concentration spells per se, they do require concentration during their actual casting process. This also applies to spells being cast as rituals, as the casting time of such spells is more than an action. If concentration is lost, the spell slot is not expended, but if you still want that spell to be cast, you’ll have to start over from the beginning. 
  • Second, using an action to ready a spell requires concentration until that spell is cast, even if the spell isn’t usually a concentration spell.

What is a 'concentration check?'

If you’re concentrating on a spell or ability and something happens to threaten your focus, the Dungeon Master can ask you to make a Constitution saving throw. If you are successful, you maintain your concentration. If you are unsuccessful, your concentration breaks and the effect ends.

While previous editions included “concentration checks,” this term is not found within the fifth-edition ruleset, though it is used colloquially by players. Instead of a “check,” questions on concentration are resolved via the aforementioned Constitution saving throw. This distinction is important because any bonuses or debuffs to an ability check do not apply. For example, choosing Constitution for the hex spell. On the other hand, any benefit or drawback for a saving throw applies.

What breaks concentration

Two confused mages run from pink rainfall

The most common way to have your concentration broken is via taking damage. When you take damage, you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw for each source of damage, or your concentration is broken. The DC of this saving throw is either half the damage taken or 10, whichever is higher. A quick tip to help you remember: The DC is 10 unless the damage taken is at least 22, because we round down.

A character encountering environmental phenomena may, at the discretion of the DM, be asked to make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw, breaking concentration on a failure. The example given in the basic rules is getting hit by a wave while aboard a storm-tossed ship. Other examples might be a big earthquake, or falling trees in the midst of a windstorm.

While the above situations allow a character the chance to maintain their focus, some situations break a character’s concentration immediately, without a save:

  • Casting a second concentration spell. Because you can only concentrate on one spell or ability at a time, a second source of concentration ends the first one.
  • Ending your concentration. A character may end their concentration voluntarily, without using an action or a reaction.
  • Going into a rage. Barbarians cannot concentrate while raging.
  • Becoming incapacitated. A character who becomes incapacitated loses concentration. 
  • Dying. I trust this needs no explanation, but you can’t concentrate on an effect if you’re dead.

In all instances where a character’s concentration is broken, regardless of the situation or the method in which it happens, the active effect drops immediately—no fuss or room for shenanigans. This means, for example, when you begin concentrating on a second spell, you do not resolve the first spell’s effects one last time.

Rules Tip: Remember that the following conditions apply the incapacitated condition, so they will also break concentration: paralyzed, petrified, stunned, and unconscious. Additionally, because sleeping renders a character unconscious, it also breaks concentration. 

What doesn't break concentration

This was quite the list of ways you can have your day wrecked a little, so what does not break concentration?

  • Regular activity. Normal adventuring activity, such as walking and foraging, has no bearing on concentration.
  • Breaking line of sight. When a concentration spell requires you to see the target during casting, that requirement is only for when the spell is cast. Ducking behind cover, moving into another room, or even being subject to forcecage does not end your concentration.
  • Other conditions. Conditions that do not cause a character to be incapacitated have no effect on concentration. You can be frightened and still keep your focus—way to go, you!
  • Being targeted by a concentration spell. When a concentration spell, such as polymorph, is cast on you by someone else, it does not end your own concentration.
  • Wild Shape. A druid can use Wild Shape without breaking concentration.

Rules Tip: In the case of Wild Shape, polymorph, or similar shapeshifting effects, the target must use the Constitution modifier of their new form. However, a druid who has proficiency in Constitution saving throws keeps their proficiency when in Wild Shape.

Improving your concentration saves

Two mages casting a spell together

Spells and abilities that require concentration are generally powerful effects, so let’s look at a few ways you can improve your character’s ability to maintain their concentration.

Maintaining concentration relies on your Constitution modifier, so you can benefit from increasing your Constitution score via ASIs. If your group uses feats, some so-called “half-feats” give a single ASI bonus along with a feature—Chef, Durable, and Skill Expert are notable examples. Some magic items will also increase your Constitution score, like the amulet of health or a belt of dwarvenkind.

Additionally, characters with proficiency in Constitution saving throws will more reliably succeed on these saving throws as they level. Even the lowest proficiency bonus is +2, so the impact of proficiency is hard to overstate. The only classes to begin with this proficiency are the artificer, barbarian, fighter, and sorcerer, so others will have to look for it elsewhere. The Resilient feat gives an ability score increase plus proficiency in that ability’s saving throws, so choosing Constitution knocks out two birds with one stone. School of Transmutation wizards can use their transmuter’s stone to gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws.

War Caster specifically gives advantage on Constitution saving throws made to maintain concentration, as does the warlock invocation Eldritch Mind, which can be picked up with the Eldritch Adept feat. A Circle of Stars druid using their dragon starry form can’t roll lower than a 10 on the die when rolling to maintain concentration. And if you have an artificer in the party, their Mind Sharpener infusion turns a failed Constitution saving throw made to maintain concentration into a success.

Lastly, any feature that buffs saving throws in some way will be handy, including: Inspiration, Bardic Inspiration, Lucky, and even the bless spell.

Making concentration interesting in your game

Concentration is prolific within fifth-edition D&D, so there are a myriad of ways to use it for your entertainment. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

  • DMs can plan entire encounters where the only goal is to break an enemy's concentration. Perhaps a cultist cast summon fiend, bringing a murderous demon into an otherwise quiet town. Or an angry elementalist unleashes control weather. The characters could also be sent to disrupt a ritual being cast. In scenarios like this, casters might use minions, traps, or dangerous terrain to protect themselves.
  • DMs can also incorporate simple cover tactics to protect concentrating spellcasters. An enemy might cast conjure animals and disappear down a hallway. A powerful enemy might even use forcecage.
  • Incorporating environmental phenomena into encounters is a quick way to utilize concentration, raising the stakes in the process. Incapacitating attacks, such as those of the catoblepas or chuul, can muck with a character’s concentration. Charm spells can be used creatively, like using suggestion to make an enemy drop their concentration.

Concentration FAQ

Gnome scholar smoking and carrying booksHow many spells can I concentrate on at once?

You can only concentrate on one spell at a time. You may cast a non-concentration spell, such as fireball, while you are concentrating.

What happens when I am concentrating on one spell and begin to cast a second concentration spell?

The first spell drops as soon as you begin casting the second spell. The first spell has no effect the moment the second spell has begun. 

What is a concentration save?

To maintain concentration, you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw. To make this saving throw, roll a d20 and add your Constitution modifier, as well as any relevant bonuses. Your DM will let you know if you succeed or fail in maintaining concentration.

How long can you concentrate?

Until the spell or ability has reached the end of its duration, or until your concentration is broken in some way.

Do racial trait spells require concentration?

If the spell normally requires concentration, it also requires concentration when cast via a racial trait.

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Alyssa (@alyssavisscher) frequently rambles on Twitter about D&D. She especially enjoys analyzing its overall structure from a newbie perspective, bringing larger concepts to small, bite-sized pieces. She’s a parent of four, neurodivergent, disabled, and is impressively terrible at small talk.

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