You give a verbal command to a creature that you can see within range, ordering it to carry out some service or refrain from an action or a course of activity as you decide. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or have the Charmed condition for the duration. The target automatically succeeds if it can’t understand your command.
While Charmed, the creature takes 5d10 Psychic damage if it acts in a manner directly counter to your command. It takes this damage no more than once each day.
You can issue any command you choose, short of an activity that would result in certain death. Should you issue a suicidal command, the spell ends.
A Remove Curse,Greater Restoration, or Wish spell ends this spell.
Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. If you use a level 7 or 8 spell slot, the duration is 365 days. If you use a level 9 spell slot, the spell lasts until it is ended by one of the spells mentioned above.
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Posted Dec 15, 2025One thing that isn't explicitly written, but I am hoping is an implied usage of the spell, is that telling anyone else you are under the effect of a Geas or directly trying to hint them towards the fact that you are, should also trigger the psychic damage (ex: being told to secretly poison the king's chalice doesn't mean they can't *also* prohibit you from letting anyone know you're being charmed into doing so).
The spell becomes a lot less fun if someone can just say "hoo boy I've been enchanted to do this bad thing tonight via the Geas spell- golly geez I hope no one stops me or has the remove curse spell handy".
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Posted Dec 22, 2025I don't think that's automatic, but it's certainly something you could do as part of the command itself. "Poison the king's chalice without letting anyone know you've been compelled to do so" seems like a perfectly valid command to use.
That said, the fact that the damage is limited to once per day does put something of a limit on how effective it can be as a deterrent.
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Posted Dec 22, 2025I figure it's something you put on commoners, or low level characters. NPCs without death saving throws, so if it's enough to bring someone to 0HP they're gone.
Side note, it makes a fun spell for a PC backstory secret. That your PC is under the effect of a Geas from some other NPC, something which they would LOVE to tell the party about.... however, if they in any way they are perceived as trying to tell someone or draw attention to it, they're immediately psychically killed.