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As an Unseen Servant is "shapeless", its size is not defined. The Alarm spell, however, relies on a creature's size (Tiny or larger) to be activated. Therefore, I'm not sure if an Unseen Servant, when commanded to walk through a location containing an Alarm, would trigger said Alarm or not. I would think it does, but I might be wrong (maybe the Unseen Servant's size value is "null"), hence the question.

Also, one of the two ways to receive an Alarm notification is mental. I'm wondering whether that notification can be customized, so that if the Unseen Servant crosses through Alarm #1, you can get a different "ping" than for Alarm #2. Again, I would think so, but it's better to verify (maybe it's always the same sound regardless).

Finally, I'm almost certain that if you go back and forth through an Alarm zone, you will repetitively get the "ping", but I just want to be 100% sure.

Eddymage
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Gael L
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2 Answers2

18

No, it still isn't a creature.

Unfortunately, the requirements for Alarm are clear in the spell description (as you stated) with the trigger requiring a Tiny or Larger creature. Because unseen servant is not a creature, it does not satisfy the requirements to trigger the Alarm (just like an illusion wouldn't trigger the alarm, either.)

As for customization of Alarm - that is up to discussing that with your DM and covers both the alert and the inclusion of Unseen Servant as a potential trigger.

NotArch
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16

No.

Alarm (PHB p.211, emphasis mine):

Until the spell ends, an alarm alerts you whenever a Tiny or larger creature touches or enters the warded area.

Unseen Servant (PHB p.284, emphasis mine):

This spell creates an invisible, mindless, shapeless, Medium force that performs simple tasks at your command until the spell ends.

Alarm reacts to creatures; Unseen servant doesn't create a creature, so it can't trigger Alarm. Note that this has nothing to do with size.

Marq
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  • Oh. Dammit. Right. Creature. Forgot about that. But...... If an Unseen Servant is holding an insect, then maybe... – Gael L Jul 05 '17 at 16:34
  • @Mindwin Including unconscious ones ? – Gael L Jul 07 '17 at 02:59
  • @Mindwin I seem to be getting on your nerves, which is not my intention. In hindsight, the real question I should have asked is "how can you know when an Unseen Servant finishes a task if you don't see/hear him?" Then people would have suggested probably better solutions than the one I'm attempting to validate above. I am deeply sorry for all the time you lost in dealing with me. But I wish you a good day. – Gael L Jul 07 '17 at 14:06
  • @GaelL Probably not. Had you got on my nerves, I'd have walked away. I checked your profile, you are new to the stack as a whole, so I'd want to give you some pointers: the stack is bad for back-and-forth conversations like what you are trying to have. This is not a forum. You formulate a question, then get answers. Read more from one of our moderators https://rpg.meta.stackexchange.com/a/7271/11402 – Mindwin Remember Monica Jul 07 '17 at 15:14
  • This answer is now out of date, due to an errata – AncientSwordRage Dec 27 '21 at 17:08
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    @AncientSwordRage I’ve updated the quoted spell text to match the errata’d version. – Marq Dec 27 '21 at 20:34