Warding Bond 5e: Shared Damage, Range, and Rings

Warding Bond is the protection spell I like when a support character is willing to share the danger instead of merely improving an ally’s defenses. It gives a durable package of bonuses without concentration, but every hit on the target can become a second problem for the caster.

Warding Bond 5e — Quick Spell Reference

How Warding Bond Works

The caster touches one willing creature. While the target remains within 60 feet of the caster, it gains a +1 bonus to AC and saving throws and has resistance to all damage.

Each time the target takes damage, the caster takes the same amount of damage. Resolve the target’s resistance and other modifiers first; the caster then takes damage equal to the amount the target actually took. The spell does not say this second damage cannot be reduced, so defenses that apply to the caster’s damage can function normally when their requirements are met. Damage resistance never stacks with another instance of the same resistance.

The bond is one-way: damage dealt to the caster is not shared with the target.

If the target takes no damage because of immunity or another effect, the caster takes none from that event. Temporary hit points absorb damage under the normal rules, so the caster copies the amount the target actually takes after its defenses resolve.

Shared Damage and Concentration

Warding Bond itself does not require concentration, but the damage it deals to the caster is still damage. If the caster is maintaining a different concentration spell, each separate instance can require its own concentration save.

The shared damage can also reduce the caster to 0 hit points, which ends Warding Bond. Healing the caster and tracking the number of incoming hits can matter more than the size of any single attack.

Duration and Ending Conditions

Warding Bond lasts for 1 hour and does not require concentration. It ends early if the caster drops to 0 hit points, if the caster and target become separated by more than 60 feet, or if the spell is cast again on either connected creature. It also ends if either platinum ring is removed.

Under the 2014 rules, the caster can also dismiss Warding Bond as an action. Crossing the 60-foot limit ends the spell rather than merely suppressing it; returning within range does not restore the same casting.

The material component is a pair of platinum rings worth at least 50 gp each, and the caster and target must wear them for the duration. The rings are not consumed.

Because the components have a listed cost, an ordinary spellcasting focus or component pouch cannot replace them. The caster needs both rings, and each connected creature must wear one for the entire duration.

Multiple Bonds

The spell ends if it is cast again on either creature already participating in the bond. In addition, the general Combining Magical Effects rule means a creature does not gain multiple copies of the same spell’s benefits.

Tactical Notes

Warding Bond can help a front-line ally survive attacks and saving throws, but the shared damage puts the caster at real risk. Because it does not require concentration, the caster can maintain another concentration spell at the same time. Healing, temporary hit points, distance, and the caster’s remaining hit points all matter when deciding whether to maintain the bond.

Warding Bond: 2014 vs. 2024 Rules

The core defenses, shared damage, rings, 60-foot limit, and one-hour duration are unchanged in the 2024 version. The material difference is that the 2014 spell expressly lets the caster dismiss it as an action, while that dismissal sentence is absent from the 2024 spell. The main explanation and quick-reference table above use the 2014 rules.

FAQ

Does Warding Bond require concentration?

No.

Does the caster take half of the original damage?

Not directly. The target usually takes half because of resistance, and the caster then takes damage equal to the amount the target actually took.

Are the rings consumed?

No. Both rings must be worn, but the spell does not consume them.

Can Warding Bond protect more than one creature at once?

Not through overlapping copies involving the same creature. Casting Warding Bond again on either connected creature ends the earlier bond.