Diffuse Distress

You tug at and stimulate the energy of the distress surrounding you. The taut fabrics of fear that constrict the mind are contorted into a psychological smite.

If you cast Diffuse distress as a bonus action, any creatures of your choice that are within range and currently frightened take 1d8 psychic damage.

If you cast Diffuse distress as an action, choose a creature within range that is not frightened of you to make a Charisma saving throw against your spell casting DC. On a fail, you inflict mutual fear between the two of you. You become frightened of the target creature until the end of your next turn and the target creature becomes frightened of you until the end of its next turn. The creature takes the psychic damage from Diffuse distress the instant that they become frightened of you. Any other creatures of your choice that are within range and currently frightened take half the spell's damage. On a success, neither you nor the target becomes frightened of one another, and the target creature cannot be frightened by you for the next two rounds. Instead, the target creature and any other creatures of your choice that are within range and frightened take half the spell's damage.

Make separate damage rolls for each targeted creature.

This spell has no effect on creatures that are immune to the frightened condition.

This spell's damage increases by 1d8 and the radius of the sphere increases by 10 feet when you reach 5th level (2d8, 40 feet), 11th level (3d8, 50 feet), and 17th level (4d8, 60 feet).