Arcane Lock

Level 2 Abjuration spell available to Wizards. Seals a door or container with a magical lock that cannot be picked and cannot be opened with Knock. Mostly it is Knock in a mirror and just as situational, but it has one combat trick that is properly good.

Spell description: Close a door or container with a magical lock. It can no longer be lockpicked or opened with Knock.

Spell properties

• Range: Melee: 1.5m (5ft)
• Duration: 10 turns
• Conditions applied: Arcane Lock
• Cost: Action + Spell Slot
• Recharge: Per action
• Grants: Dismiss Arcane Lock (free)

Spell upcasting

Casting Arcane Lock at higher levels provides no additional benefits.

How to obtain Arcane Lock

• Wizard at Class level 3
• College of Lore (Bard) at Class level 6 via Magical Secrets
• Eldritch Knight (Fighter) at Class level 7
• Arcane Trickster (Rogue) at Class level 8
• Bard at Class level 10 via Magical Secrets

Source item: Scroll of Arcane Lock

When to cast Arcane Lock

Lock the door the reinforcements are about to come through. Enemies cannot pick it and cannot Knock it, so the fight becomes you against whoever was already in the room. A couple of the game’s ambushes go from disaster to routine on the back of that one cast.

Outside combat it is a roleplaying tool. Seal a door behind you while you rob the place, or lock up something you would rather a companion did not open. Ten turns is not long, so it is holding nothing permanently.

It locks the door for everyone, including you. Dismiss Arcane Lock is free, but it still costs you a turn when you have sealed yourself in with the thing you were running from.