Banishment

Level 4 Abjuration spell available to Clerics, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards. One failed Charisma save and the target simply stops existing for two turns: it cannot act, cannot be hit, and comes back exactly as it left. It is a time-out button for the one enemy you do not want in the fight right now.

Spell description: Temporarily Banish your target to another plane of existence.

Spell properties

• Range: 18m (60ft)
• Duration: 2 turns
• Concentration spell
• Save: CHA save
• Conditions applied: Banished. The creature cannot move, act, react, or be targeted for 2 turns.
• Cost: Action + Spell Slot
• Recharge: Per action

Spell upcasting

Affects an additional target for each spell slot level above the 4th.

How to obtain Banishment

• Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard at Class level 7
• Bard via Magical Secrets at Class level 10

Source item: Scroll of Banishment

When to cast Banishment

Cast it on the creature you cannot afford to deal with yet. A big melee bruiser, a caster who is about to Concentrate on something nasty, the boss while you clear the adds. Two turns of it being gone is two turns of your party fighting a smaller battle.

Charisma saves are the weak spot on most monsters. Beasts, undead, ogres, and constructs tend to have terrible Charisma, so Banishment sticks far more often than a Wisdom or Constitution save spell would on the same target.

The target comes back with every Hit Point it left with, so do not treat this as damage. It is Concentration too, and if you lose it the creature pops back early. Use the two turns to reposition, heal, or kill everything else, then be ready for its return.

Upcast it and it takes an extra target per slot level. Banishing two or three of the dangerous enemies at once can turn a losing fight into a clean-up job.