I have question about the mechanics of the spell lightning arrow. It states the following:
"The next time you make a ranged weapon attack during the spell’s duration, the weapon’s ammunition, or the weapon itself if it’s a thrown weapon, transforms into a bolt of lightning. Make the attack roll as normal. The target takes 4d8 lightning damage on a hit, or half as much damage on a miss, instead of the weapon’s normal damage."
Does this mean you get one lightning attack a round or do both of your attacks gain this ability?
Also, do you lose this effect after the first round or do you keep it for the full duration (Concentration 1 minute)?
I'm planning my next character and would like clarification, because this seems like an insanely strong 3rd level spell.
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Do you dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?
The effect happens only once. Specifically, the next time you attack.
If you’re using a longbow, you replace the 1d8 damage piercing with 4d8 lightning damage. So your dexterity modifier is still added to the 4d8. So to anything else, like sharpshooter or a magic weapon bonus.
The effect happens only once. Specifically, the next time you attack.
If you’re using a longbow, you replace the 1d8 damage piercing with 4d8 lightning damage. So your dexterity modifier is still added to the 4d8. So to anything else, like sharpshooter or a magic weapon bonus.
So a level 9 baseline ranger (all subclasses add additional damage at level 3) with a +5 dexterity modifier and a +1 magic longbow would cast lightning arrow with a bonus action, then take the attack action with their first attack (on a hit) would deal 4d8+5+1 along with any splash damage (2d8) to creatures within 10’ of the initial creature (that area gets larger if the initial creature is larger). The second attack would be a normal longbow attack dealing (on a hit) 1d8+5+1.
I have question about the mechanics of the spell lightning arrow. It states the following:
"The next time you make a ranged weapon attack during the spell’s duration, the weapon’s ammunition, or the weapon itself if it’s a thrown weapon, transforms into a bolt of lightning. Make the attack roll as normal. The target takes 4d8 lightning damage on a hit, or half as much damage on a miss, instead of the weapon’s normal damage."
Does this mean you get one lightning attack a round or do both of your attacks gain this ability?
Also, do you lose this effect after the first round or do you keep it for the full duration (Concentration 1 minute)?
I'm planning my next character and would like clarification, because this seems like an insanely strong 3rd level spell.
Lightning Arrow requires some house-ruling from your DM to fix. Frank answered your questions correctly, but I'm going to repeat his answers here in my own words and then go into more detail on what you may have missed.
You get 1 "lightning attack" per casting of the spell, which will happen the first time you make a ranged weapon attack while the spell is up - you do not have the ability to save the effect for later (note that other spells, like Zephyr Strike, allow this).
The effect waits for the spell to end (at which point it's gone immediately) or for you to make a ranged weapon attack. If you avoid making ranged weapon attacks, the effect will remain available - e.g. you could cast the spell, stab someone with a sword, and then on the next round throw a knife at someone, and the spell would apply to the thrown knife.
First thing you may not have realized: after the effect is used, you can keep concentrating on the spell, just as with Zephyr's Strike. This is almost certainly useless, but should it come up, you're entitled to do it.
Frank's explanation of how the spell does damage makes assumptions about your DM which may be false. It is routine and typical for 5E rules to contradict themselves and/or each other and/or to fail to give you information you need and/or to give you information you don't need, so it's not weird that Lightning Arrow is broken, but broken it is. The problem is that Lightning Arrow explicitly states it replaces your weapon's "normal damage" with its lightning damage, and a weapon's normal damage isn't a thing in 5E - it has no rules definition and nothing in the game explains it. Here are some example ways to fix the spell:
Frank's example (4d8+5+1) assumes that "weapon's normal damage" means the damage listed in the weapons table in the PHB. This is basically a double house-rule: inventing the term "weapon's damage" to give an actual name to the pseudorule on the page with the weapons table, and then deleting the word "normal".
A popular house-rule is that "weapon's normal damage" means "attack's damage" - like above, this is two house rules, but both of them involve editing the spell (deleting normal and replacing weapon with attack) rather than editing the weapons page. Under this solution, you deal 4d8 on a hit, because the 4d8 also replaces any modifiers.
Your DM may instead choose some other solution whereby your damage is 4d8+X where X is some things but not others. For example, there's a DM named Jeremy Crawford whose house-rules are popular to copy. Under his house rule (here's a link), any damage not specific to this weapon is included but damage specific to this weapon is not, meaning at his table, you get 4d8+5 - the +5 from your Dexterity applies because it's on all ranged weapons you attack with, but the +1 would not, because that's specific to this specific weapon.
Just to double-down on this and make sure you understand, none of the above three answers (4d8+5+1, 4d8, or 4d8+1) have any basis in the rules because the rules never define the game term you need. The only person who can tell you how this will behave at your table is your DM.
A damage roll starts with the weapon's damage die or dice. Modifiers are after that. A weapon's damage is only part of a damage roll. The spell refers to the weapon's damage and not the damage roll.
A damage roll starts with the weapon's damage die or dice. Modifiers are after that. A weapon's damage is only part of a damage roll. The spell refers to the weapon's damage and not the damage roll.
OP: I agree with Frank, for the record. Just don't be surprised if your DM rules that an oathbow doesn't add 3d6 piercing to Lightning Arrow.
I have question about the mechanics of the spell lightning arrow. It states the following:
"The next time you make a ranged weapon attack during the spell’s duration, the weapon’s ammunition, or the weapon itself if it’s a thrown weapon, transforms into a bolt of lightning. Make the attack roll as normal. The target takes 4d8 lightning damage on a hit, or half as much damage on a miss, instead of the weapon’s normal damage."
Does this mean you get one lightning attack a round or do both of your attacks gain this ability?
Also, do you lose this effect after the first round or do you keep it for the full duration (Concentration 1 minute)?
I'm planning my next character and would like clarification, because this seems like an insanely strong 3rd level spell.
Do you dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?
The effect happens only once. Specifically, the next time you attack.
If you’re using a longbow, you replace the 1d8 damage piercing with 4d8 lightning damage. So your dexterity modifier is still added to the 4d8. So to anything else, like sharpshooter or a magic weapon bonus.
So a level 9 baseline ranger (all subclasses add additional damage at level 3) with a +5 dexterity modifier and a +1 magic longbow would cast lightning arrow with a bonus action, then take the attack action with their first attack (on a hit) would deal 4d8+5+1 along with any splash damage (2d8) to creatures within 10’ of the initial creature (that area gets larger if the initial creature is larger). The second attack would be a normal longbow attack dealing (on a hit) 1d8+5+1.
Lightning Arrow requires some house-ruling from your DM to fix. Frank answered your questions correctly, but I'm going to repeat his answers here in my own words and then go into more detail on what you may have missed.
To support my interpretation of the rules and to continue this conversation, I present the following...
1. "The Weapons table shows the most common weapons used in the fantasy gaming worlds, their price and weight, the damage they deal when they hit, and any special properties they possess."
2. "Each weapon, spell, and harmful monster ability specifies the damage it deals. You roll the damage die or dice, add any modifiers, and apply the damage to your target."
3. "You add your Dexterity modifier to your attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with a ranged weapon, such as a sling or a longbow."
4. "You have a bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon."
5. "The target takes 4d8 lightning damage on a hit, or half as much damage on a miss, instead of the weapon’s normal damage."
A damage roll starts with the weapon's damage die or dice. Modifiers are after that. A weapon's damage is only part of a damage roll. The spell refers to the weapon's damage and not the damage roll.
OP: I agree with Frank, for the record. Just don't be surprised if your DM rules that an oathbow doesn't add 3d6 piercing to Lightning Arrow.