Calm

School	Illusion
Level	Apprentice
Magicka Cost	146
Casting	Fire and Forget
Delivery	Aimed
Effect	Creatures and people up to level 9 won't fight for 30 seconds.
Duration	30 seconds
Perk	Apprentice Illusion (1)
Spell Tome	Spell Tome: Calm
Game/DLC	Skyrim

Calm is an Apprentice Illusion spell that ends a fight without a blow. A creature or person up to level 9 stops fighting for 30 seconds. Pacify and Harmony are the stronger versions that calm a whole group.

Calm suits the early game, once Illusion reaches the Apprentice rank. Most court wizards sell the tome, and so does Drevis Neloren at the College of Winterhold. The in-game description of Illusion names Calm among the spells the skill makes easier to cast.

Spell Tome

Calm is learned by reading Spell Tome: Calm. Calcelmo, Drevis Neloren, Falion, Farengar Secret-Fire, Madena, Sybille Stentor, Wuunferth the Unliving and Wylandriah sell the tome.

How It Plays

Calm is an aimed spell that hits a single target. The target lowers its weapon and stops attacking for half a minute. Any attack on the calmed target breaks the spell, and the target turns hostile again.

The spell has many quiet uses. It can end a fight that started by accident, such as after a stray spell hits a guard or a Frenzy spell goes wrong. It can also hold an enemy in place while the caster heals or recovers stamina. In a fight against two foes, Calm on one of them lets the caster deal with the other alone.

Calm also helps a stealthy character. A calmed enemy stands still and pays no attention to the caster. That makes it easier to set up a sneak attack. A mage can also use it to talk to someone who would otherwise refuse to speak.

Limits and Perks

The level limit is the main weakness of the spell. Level 9 is low, so Calm soon stops working on ordinary bandits as the game goes on. Illusion perks push that limit higher. Animage adds 8 levels against animals, and Kindred Mage adds 10 levels against people. Hypnotic Gaze adds 8 more levels to every Calm spell, and all of these perks stack.

Dragons can never be calmed, whatever the perks. The Apprentice Illusion perk halves the cost of the spell. Quiet Casting silences it, which keeps a sneaking caster hidden.

Compared with Pacify and Harmony

Pacify is the Expert version, and it calms creatures and people up to level 20 for a full minute. Harmony is the Master version that calms everyone nearby up to level 25. Calm is much cheaper than both, so it stays useful for low level targets.

Fear and Fury are the other early Illusion spells for controlling enemies. Fear sends the target running instead of stopping it. Fury makes the target attack anyone nearby. Calm is the gentlest of the three.

Staves and Lore

Several staves cast a Calm effect from their own charge. The Staff of Calm carries a slightly weaker version of the spell. Unique staves with a calming effect include the Grand Staff of Charming, the Staff of Tandil and Halldir's Staff. A staff lets a warrior or a thief calm an enemy without any skill in Illusion.

Calm also appears in Morrowind and Oblivion. Townsfolk who are hit by a friendly Illusion spell may grumble, "Hey, I didn't ask you to magic me."

Compared with Fear

Calm and Fear both stop an enemy from attacking, but they work in different ways. Calm ends the fight for the target, and the target only turns hostile again when it is attacked. Fear sends the target running, and it keeps running even while it is hit.

That difference decides which spell to use. Calm is the better choice for avoiding a fight altogether, since a calmed enemy walks away from the conflict. Leaving combat also matters for travel, because fast travel is blocked while enemies are fighting the caster.

Builds

Calm is a key spell for an illusionist assassin. With Animage, Kindred Mage and Quiet Casting, a dual cast Calm makes the target lower its weapon and turn its back. The caster can then walk behind it, crouch and land a sneak attack that usually kills at once. Other calmed enemies who watch the kill do not join the fight.

Gameplay Tips

The Hypnotic Gaze perk lets the spell work on targets 8 levels higher.
Dual casting raises the highest level the spell can affect.
Undead, Daedra and automatons only respond to the spell after the Master of the Mind perk.

Spell Categories

All Illusion Spells

Novice

Novice spells are the first a mage learns and cost the least magicka.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Clairvoyance	25 per second	Concentration	Shows the path to the current goal.
Courage	39	Fire and Forget	Target won't flee for 60 seconds and gets some extra health and stamina.
Fury	67	Fire and Forget	Creatures and people up to level 6 will attack anything nearby for 30 seconds.

Apprentice

Apprentice spells need a little practice in the school.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Calm	146	Fire and Forget	Creatures and people up to level 9 won't fight for 30 seconds.
Fear	153	Fire and Forget	Creatures and people up to level 9 flee from combat for 30 seconds.
Muffle	144	Fire and Forget	You move more quietly for 180 seconds.

Adept

Adept spells are the middle rank and hit noticeably harder.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Frenzy	209	Fire and Forget	Creatures and people up to level 14 will attack anyone nearby for 60 seconds.
Rally	113	Fire and Forget	Targets won't flee for 60 seconds and get extra health and stamina.
Frenzy Rune	278	Fire and Forget	Targets up to level 20 that fail to resist are frenzied for 30 seconds.
Orum's Aquatic Escape	165	Fire and Forget	Caster is invisible for 15 seconds. Activating an object or attacking will break the spell. Can breathe water for 15 seconds. Improved night vision for 15 seconds.

Expert

Expert spells are powerful and expensive to cast.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Invisibility	334	Fire and Forget	Caster is invisible for 30 seconds. Activating an object or attacking will break the spell.
Pacify	290	Fire and Forget	Creatures and people up to level 20 won't fight for 60 seconds.
Rout	316	Fire and Forget	Creatures and people up to level 20 flee from combat for 30 seconds.
Fenrik's Welcome	116	Fire and Forget	Caster becomes invisible and can open locks with level Expert and below for 5 seconds. Activating an object or attacking will break the spell.

Master

Master spells are the strongest in the school and need the most skill.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Call to Arms	655	Fire and Forget	Targets have improved combat skills, health and stamina for 10 minutes.
Harmony	1052	Fire and Forget	Creatures and people up to level 25 nearby won't fight for 60 seconds.
Hysteria	866	Fire and Forget	Creatures and people up to level 25 flee from combat for 60 seconds.
Mayhem	990	Fire and Forget	Creatures and people up to level 25 will attack anyone nearby for 60 seconds.