Level
Cantrip
Casting Time
1 Action
Range/Area
30 ft.
Components
V, S
Duration
1 Minute
School
Conjuration
Attack/Save
None
Damage/Effect
Utility
A spectral, floating hand appears at a point you choose within range. The hand lasts for the duration or until you dismiss it as an action. The hand vanishes if it is ever more than 30 feet away from you or if you cast this spell again.
You can use your action to control the hand. You can use the hand to manipulate an object, open an unlocked door or container, stow or retrieve an item from an open container, or pour the contents out of a vial. You can move the hand up to 30 feet each time you use it.
The hand can't attack, activate magic items, or carry more than 10 pounds.
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Posted Oct 18, 2025No. For [pick your reason].
1 - The spell explicitly states it can’t be used to do an attack. Grabbing a creature is an attack action (see Grapple). So no “squeezing” brains, throats, organs, etc.
2 - The hand is spectral, which means it has no corporeal attributes on its own, unless you use an action to make it interact with an object. Creatures are not Objects. Brains inside of creatures are not objects. They are part of the creature.
3. Nothing in the spell description states that the hand becomes “solid” while doing any of its allowed movements or actions. You are inferring this because YOUR hands are solid and that’s the only frame of reference you have. The hand doesn’t work like a traditional physical hand, it works through “Magic”.
My personal favorite No explanation at the table is: “You can certainly manifest the hand inside a creature, but it’s harmless, since the hand cannot interact with creatures. And it just cost you your action to do so.”
Alternatively: “Yeah. You can use MH to instakill a creature. But if you can do it, so can your enemies. Gonna suck real bad when your party finds your corpse in the morning because an Arcane Trickster you didn’t know was outside your room at the inn created a MH inside your chest as you slept.”