Spray of Cards 5e: Damage, Blindness, and Best Tactics

I’ve always liked spells that do one memorable thing, and Spray of Cards delivers exactly what its name promises: a cone of spectral playing cards that cuts through a group and leaves failed targets briefly blinded. The spell asks you to fight close to the action, but careful positioning can turn its modest damage and one-round condition into a strong setup for the rest of the party.

Spray of Cards 5e — Quick Spell Reference

How Spray of Cards Works

When you cast Spray of Cards, each creature in a 15-foot cone must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. The result determines both the damage and the condition:

• Failed save: The creature takes 2d10 force damage and has the blinded condition until the end of its next turn.
• Successful save: The creature takes half of the rolled damage and is not blinded.

That is one saving throw for the complete effect. A failed target does not make a second save to avoid blindness, and it does not repeat the save at the end of its turn. The condition simply expires at the time stated by the spell.

Spray of Cards is instantaneous and does not require concentration. Once you cast it, taking damage cannot undo the force damage or end the blindness early. You are also free to concentrate on another spell before or after casting it.

How the 15-Foot Cone and Friendly Fire Work

The spell’s range is Self because the cone originates from you; that does not mean the spell affects only you. You choose the direction of the 15-foot cone, and every creature inside it makes the save. The spell does not let you choose which creatures are affected, so allies caught in the area can take damage and be blinded too.

Under the 2014 area-of-effect rules, a cone widens as it extends from its point of origin. Its width at any point equals its distance from that origin, making the far edge of this cone 15 feet wide. The caster can normally exclude the cone’s point of origin, so Spray of Cards does not require you to include yourself.

Total cover blocks an area of effect when no straight, unblocked line extends from the point of origin to the target’s space. Ordinary creatures do not automatically provide total cover, but a wall or similar obstruction can keep a creature outside the affected area.

The cone is short enough that placement matters more than raw size. Moving to a corner of the fight, aiming diagonally across a clustered group, or waiting for allies to leave the lane can catch multiple enemies without turning the spell on your own party.

What the Blinded Condition Does

A creature blinded by Spray of Cards cannot see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight. Its attack rolls have disadvantage, while attack rolls against it have advantage. Those attack modifiers are often worth more than the spell’s damage, especially when several allies can attack before the condition ends.

The timing is easy to misread: the blindness lasts until the end of the affected creature’s next turn, not the end of the caster’s next turn. If you blind an enemy immediately before its turn, it attacks with disadvantage and then recovers at that turn’s end. If you blind it immediately after its turn, your allies may have almost a full round to make attacks with advantage before it takes another turn.

Blindness does not stop movement, reactions, bonus actions, or spellcasting by itself. It can prevent or complicate options that require the creature to see a target, and opportunity attacks require sight under the 2014 rules. A blinded creature can still use abilities that do not depend on vision.

A creature immune to the blinded condition still takes the appropriate force damage. Conversely, a feature that changes Dexterity-save damage does not automatically prevent the condition. For example, 2014 Evasion can reduce the damage, but a creature that actually fails the save is still blinded unless another rule says otherwise.

Damage and Upcasting

At 2nd level, Spray of Cards deals an average of 11 force damage on a failed save. Force is a dependable damage type because relatively few creatures resist or ignore it, although the spell’s total is lower than some dedicated area damage options.

The damage increases by 1d10 for every slot level above 2nd:

Spell Slot	Damage	Average on a Failed Save
2nd	2d10	11
3rd	3d10	16.5
4th	4d10	22
5th	5d10	27.5
6th	6d10	33
7th	7d10	38.5
8th	8d10	44
9th	9d10	49.5

Upcasting changes only the damage. It does not extend the cone, increase the save DC, or lengthen the blindness. Because the condition is the spell’s most distinctive benefit, a higher-level slot is usually best spent here when you can hit several creatures rather than one isolated target.

Material Component: Do You Need a Magical Deck?

The material component is simply a deck of cards. It has no listed price and is not consumed, so an ordinary deck works and can be reused for later castings. You do not need a Deck of Many Things, a tarot deck, or a magic item.

The normal 2014 component rules also allow a component pouch or an appropriate spellcasting focus to replace a material component that has no stated cost and is not consumed. If you use the actual deck, the hand holding it can also perform the somatic component.

All three components matter in situations where spellcasting is restricted. Silence prevents the verbal component, bound hands may prevent the somatic component, and losing access to both the deck and a valid focus prevents the material component.

Best Ways to Use Spray of Cards

Spray of Cards is at its best when the party can capitalize on the failed targets before their next turns end. A few practical uses stand out:

• Open a coordinated attack. Blind several enemies before allies make attack rolls, giving those attacks advantage against the failed targets.
• Disrupt melee enemies. A blinded attacker has disadvantage, which can protect nearby allies during the target’s next turn.
• Shut down sight-dependent reactions. A blinded creature cannot make a normal opportunity attack against a creature it cannot see.
• Clear clustered weaker enemies. Half damage on a successful save means the spell still contributes even when targets resist the condition.
• Exploit poor Dexterity saves. Slow, heavily armored opponents are often better candidates than agile creatures, though a stat block’s actual save bonus is what matters.

The largest drawback is the 15-foot range. Bards, sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards are not always comfortable moving close enough to line up the cone. Plan an escape route, use cover after casting, or coordinate with a tougher ally who can keep enemies from surrounding you.

Sorcerers can use Careful Spell to let chosen allies automatically succeed on their saves. Those allies avoid blindness but still take half damage, so the option reduces friendly fire rather than eliminating it. An Evocation wizard’s Sculpt Spells feature does not apply because Spray of Cards is a conjuration spell.

Is Spray of Cards a Good Spell?

Spray of Cards is a good close-range control-and-damage option, not the best pure damage spell in every encounter. Its successful save still deals half damage, its failed save adds a useful condition, and neither effect requires concentration. That package is particularly attractive when two or more enemies are standing where the cone can reach them safely.

The spell is less appealing against one target, enemies with strong Dexterity saves, creatures immune to blindness, or scattered opponents. It also competes with ranged spells that are easier to place and control spells with longer durations.

Compared with Color Spray, Spray of Cards deals real damage, uses a Dexterity save instead of an affected-hit-point pool, and can blind targets through the end of their own next turns. Color Spray costs a lower-level slot and can potentially blind without a save, but it deals no damage and becomes unreliable as enemy hit point totals rise.

Published Spell vs. Unearthed Arcana Version

Spray of Cards first appeared in the 2022 Wonders of the Multiverse Unearthed Arcana playtest. That draft made the caster choose between separate blinding and damaging modes, used a Wisdom save for the blinding mode, and scaled its damage more slowly.

The official spell published in 2023’s The Book of Many Things replaced those alternatives with one Dexterity save: a failed creature takes force damage and becomes blinded, while a successful creature takes half damage only. It also increases damage by 1d10 for every slot above 2nd. Use the published version unless your group has deliberately chosen the older playtest rules.

Spray of Cards has not received a separate revised version in the 2024 Player’s Handbook. It is expanded 2014-era content from The Book of Many Things, so there is no materially different 2024 spell description to compare on this page.

Spray of Cards FAQ

Does Spray of Cards blind a creature that succeeds on its save?

No. A successful save takes half of the rolled force damage only. The blindness is part of the failed-save result.

Does the blindness end at the start or end of the target’s turn?

It ends at the end of the affected creature’s next turn. The creature normally experiences the condition throughout that turn.

Can Spray of Cards affect invisible creatures?

Yes, if they are inside the cone and not protected by total cover. The spell affects each creature in the area and does not require the caster to see or choose individual targets. You still need to aim the cone effectively without knowing exactly where an invisible creature stands.

Is the deck of cards consumed?

No. The spell does not say that the deck is consumed, and it has no listed gold-piece cost. The same deck can be used again.

Can you cast Spray of Cards without carrying cards?

Usually, yes. A component pouch or a valid spellcasting focus can replace the ordinary deck under the normal material-component rules. You still need access to the focus or pouch and must provide the verbal and somatic components.

Does Spray of Cards hurt allies?

Yes. It affects every creature in the cone, not only enemies. Position the area carefully or expect allies inside it to make the saving throw too.