Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 ft
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 8 hours
You conjure a phantom watchdog in an unoccupied space that you can see within range, where it remains for the duration, until you dismiss it as an action, or until you move more than 100 feet away from it.
The hound is invisible to all creatures except you and can't be harmed. When a Small or larger creature comes within 30 feet of it without first speaking the password that you specify when you cast this spell, the hound starts barking loudly. The hound sees invisible creatures and can see into the Ethereal Plane. It ignores illusions.
At the start of each of your turns, the hound attempts to bite one creature within 5 feet of it that is hostile to you. The hound's attack bonus is equal to your spellcasting ability modifier + your proficiency bonus. On a hit, it deals 4d8 piercing damage.
Material Component:
a tiny silver whistle, a piece of bone, and a thread
Verbal Component:
Sie Canis Fidelis
Verbal Component (Alternative):
Those who trespass will be found, this place I protect with my faithful hound.
Classes: Wizard, Rogue, Artificer
Tags: Damage, Warding
Source: Player's Handbook [5th Edition] (page 261)
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Other Planes and Effects
Below is information about this spell as it relates to other planes and area of effects (i.e. underwater). Some of the information is pulled official D&D sources (such as books and the twitter feeds of D&D officials), but other information is derived from forums and online discussions. As always, it is up to the DM to decide how they wish to handle spell effects.
Underwater - Verbal Component
Official rules have been verified by Jeremy Crawford - "No rule prohibits verbal components from working underwater. Keep in mind that if you're talking, you're not holding your breath." Hence, while submerged underwater and holding its breath, a creature can cast a spell that requires a verbal component. After casting the spell, if the creature can't breathe underwater, it immediately runs out of breath. The creature can survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 round).
