Hey all. My party and DM are all playing our first game of DnD. I'm playing a cleric that does a lot of radiant damage. However, Me and my DM really don't know how to describe what radiant damage actually is or what effects it has though. I think we ended up somewhere between heat and radiation. How would you describe radiant damage?
It depends on its source, but radiant damage typically is damage dealt from a direct burst of light. Certain spells that deal radiant damage can blind targets or can cause daylight (only if the spell description says so, though). Though radiant damage can be seen as holy, there are examples of radiant damage being dealt as a type of radiation damage, like from concentrated UV rays or light with a shorter wavelength than that.
The spell, sickening radiance is an example of the "unholy" or "radioactive" version of radiant damage.
The PHB defines radiant damage as:
Radiant. Radiant damage, dealt by a cleric's flame strike spell or an angel's smiting weapon, sears the flesh like fire and overloads the spirit with power.
It fails to mention the radiation part of it, but this is the gist of it.
Does this help?
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Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
radiant damage really depends on the context, clerics and paladins spells both use radiant damage as a form of holy, light power, while in certain modern world campaigns can use it to describe nukes (radiation), or sometimes just really bright light, say, when an undead such as a ghoul is exposed to bright sunlight.
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Head Sorcerer and creator of the worshippers of Levi Rocks
Radiant is another word for "Holy" or Saint or "Light" damage (opposed to Dark/Shadow/Necrotic damage)
In terms of appearance its "Holy fire" (Blue/WHite flames, when using it as an attack) or "Ligth Radiance" (when used for healing/buffing)
You can apply the classic tropes about "Light" "Pure" "Holy" "Divine" magic, with the sound of bells and Chimes, with Sparkles and Angel's Giggles etc etc...
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"Normality is but an Illusion, Whats normal to the Spider, is only madness for the Fly"
I had a weird thought based on LotR: Only those receiving the Radiant damage can see it.
Just a thought that hit my brain and stuck there for once instead of bouncing off.
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
I like to describe it as an argent light (silver like qualities) for purposes of narration. Harsh yet overwhelmingly brilliant.
On the LOTR note the part where galadriel talks about what she could do with the ring and light shines around her brilliant but somehow oppressive in a way is similar to what comes to my mind.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
This is all descriptions of radiant energy, folks. I believe the OP is asking for how radiant damage, i.e. the aftereffects of being hit with radiant energy, works and how it's different from regular-ass burning damage.
To answer: I don't think it does. The aftereffects of radiant damage would look very similar to the aftereffects of fire damage, save maybe that radiant damage also washes out color, bleaching the target similarly to how something left in the sun too long grows pale over time. Elsewise 'radiant' damage is simply a different means of imparting a destructive high-energy state, similar to fire. There's a reason 'holy light' often takes the form of cleansing flames, after all.
Radiant damage and energy is radiation weather it is holy or not. If it is holy it merely contains the will of the deity that called it there and therefore harms unread more.
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"Don't worry about it, it is just our base's new hat"
Before 4e, radiant and necrotic damage were just positive and negative energy. The 3e positive energy plane would restore hit points to all living creatures at a rate dependent on the intensity of the region. This could cause your hit points to exceed their maximum. However, if your hit points ever reach double their maximum, you essentially explode. Although radiant damage no longer heals living creatures (ditto for necrotic and undead), I interpret radiant damage as very bright light that overloads the body with vitality. One could interpret this as radiation in the traditional sense, which can induce cancerous growth in human cells. The difference between radiant and fire damage is the heat. AFAIK, exposure to high-frequency radiation like x-rays can cause burns and cellular degradation, but doesn't result in combustion, but please correct me if you know otherwise.
Hey all. My party and DM are all playing our first game of DnD. I'm playing a cleric that does a lot of radiant damage. However, Me and my DM really don't know how to describe what radiant damage actually is or what effects it has though. I think we ended up somewhere between heat and radiation. How would you describe radiant damage?
I think you and your DM have a reasonable handle on what radiant damage is with your heat and radiation concept. As others have stated, pure bright energy, sunlight, moonlight(reflected sunlight, lol.) as per the Moonbeam spell, holy energy...you name it. As to it's effects, damage via searing energy and in many cases, secondary effects.
Thanks everybody for helping to clear this up! I am glad to see we were thinking in the right direction. You've given me a lot of information that I am going to use in my future games.
This is rough because if it is radiance not all radiation is visible heck not even all of radiant light is visible. but I rule it as visible light that doesn't shed light for purposes of making something "lit up" unless the spell sort of leads you to believe otherwise.
I had a weird thought based on LotR: Only those receiving the Radiant damage can see it.
Just a thought that hit my brain and stuck there for once instead of bouncing off.
I like this flavouring a lot, I might have to use that. I'm too used to World of Warcraft's golden glistening hue raining (oh dear) down on people.
My current idea for radiant damage is that it works like psychic damage. It might not be physically plain to see, but it strikes from within (in this instance, I dare say at the soul), and can cause an opponent to reel in agony from an unseen nerve being struck.
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Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
This is rough because if it is radiance not all radiation is visible heck not even all of radiant light is visible. but I rule it as visible light that doesn't shed light for purposes of making something "lit up" unless the spell sort of leads you to believe otherwise.
Most spells and effects that deal radiant damage are instantaneous, which means they truly couldn't illuminate the area in any meaningful sense. Fireball doesn't get described as illuminating either, despite being fire.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
For paladin/cleric holy stuff, I iamgine it being holy light stuff.
For a sun soul monk i imagine like a golden kamehameha.
For sickening radience etc, a green radiatioactive glow.
By default, unless the specific ability states otherwise, I envision a bright golden light accompanying it. Maybe only flashing for a moment like a camera flash if it's an instantaneous effect, but still bright. Things like sickening radience that specifically describe the look of course would override that general interpretation for me.
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Hey all. My party and DM are all playing our first game of DnD. I'm playing a cleric that does a lot of radiant damage. However, Me and my DM really don't know how to describe what radiant damage actually is or what effects it has though. I think we ended up somewhere between heat and radiation. How would you describe radiant damage?
It depends on its source, but radiant damage typically is damage dealt from a direct burst of light. Certain spells that deal radiant damage can blind targets or can cause daylight (only if the spell description says so, though). Though radiant damage can be seen as holy, there are examples of radiant damage being dealt as a type of radiation damage, like from concentrated UV rays or light with a shorter wavelength than that.
The spell, sickening radiance is an example of the "unholy" or "radioactive" version of radiant damage.
The PHB defines radiant damage as:
It fails to mention the radiation part of it, but this is the gist of it.
Does this help?
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
radiant damage really depends on the context, clerics and paladins spells both use radiant damage as a form of holy, light power, while in certain modern world campaigns can use it to describe nukes (radiation), or sometimes just really bright light, say, when an undead such as a ghoul is exposed to bright sunlight.
Head Sorcerer and creator of the worshippers of Levi Rocks
In my campaign I describe it as sunlight.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
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it can be, but as said earlier sickening radiance cannot be called sunlight. Light in general may be a more accurate term.
Head Sorcerer and creator of the worshippers of Levi Rocks
Radiant is another word for "Holy" or Saint or "Light" damage (opposed to Dark/Shadow/Necrotic damage)
In terms of appearance its "Holy fire" (Blue/WHite flames, when using it as an attack) or "Ligth Radiance" (when used for healing/buffing)
You can apply the classic tropes about "Light" "Pure" "Holy" "Divine" magic, with the sound of bells and Chimes, with Sparkles and Angel's Giggles etc etc...
"Normality is but an Illusion, Whats normal to the Spider, is only madness for the Fly"
Kain de Frostberg- Dark Knight - (Vengeance Pal3/ Hexblade 9), Port Mourn
Kain de Draakberg-Dark Knight lvl8-Avergreen(DitA)
I had a weird thought based on LotR: Only those receiving the Radiant damage can see it.
Just a thought that hit my brain and stuck there for once instead of bouncing off.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
I like to describe it as an argent light (silver like qualities) for purposes of narration. Harsh yet overwhelmingly brilliant.
On the LOTR note the part where galadriel talks about what she could do with the ring and light shines around her brilliant but somehow oppressive in a way is similar to what comes to my mind.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
This is all descriptions of radiant energy, folks. I believe the OP is asking for how radiant damage, i.e. the aftereffects of being hit with radiant energy, works and how it's different from regular-ass burning damage.
To answer: I don't think it does. The aftereffects of radiant damage would look very similar to the aftereffects of fire damage, save maybe that radiant damage also washes out color, bleaching the target similarly to how something left in the sun too long grows pale over time. Elsewise 'radiant' damage is simply a different means of imparting a destructive high-energy state, similar to fire. There's a reason 'holy light' often takes the form of cleansing flames, after all.
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Radiant damage and energy is radiation weather it is holy or not. If it is holy it merely contains the will of the deity that called it there and therefore harms unread more.
"Don't worry about it, it is just our base's new hat"
It's magic lasers. The Sun Blade is a magic lightsaber.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
There is literally no difference besides that its a sword hilt and not a lightsaber hilt.
There is no dawn after eternal night.
Homebrew: Magic items, Subclasses
Before 4e, radiant and necrotic damage were just positive and negative energy. The 3e positive energy plane would restore hit points to all living creatures at a rate dependent on the intensity of the region. This could cause your hit points to exceed their maximum. However, if your hit points ever reach double their maximum, you essentially explode. Although radiant damage no longer heals living creatures (ditto for necrotic and undead), I interpret radiant damage as very bright light that overloads the body with vitality. One could interpret this as radiation in the traditional sense, which can induce cancerous growth in human cells. The difference between radiant and fire damage is the heat. AFAIK, exposure to high-frequency radiation like x-rays can cause burns and cellular degradation, but doesn't result in combustion, but please correct me if you know otherwise.
I think you and your DM have a reasonable handle on what radiant damage is with your heat and radiation concept. As others have stated, pure bright energy, sunlight, moonlight(reflected sunlight, lol.) as per the Moonbeam spell, holy energy...you name it. As to it's effects, damage via searing energy and in many cases, secondary effects.
Such as: Guiding Bolt
Thanks everybody for helping to clear this up! I am glad to see we were thinking in the right direction. You've given me a lot of information that I am going to use in my future games.
This is rough because if it is radiance not all radiation is visible heck not even all of radiant light is visible. but I rule it as visible light that doesn't shed light for purposes of making something "lit up" unless the spell sort of leads you to believe otherwise.
I like this flavouring a lot, I might have to use that. I'm too used to World of Warcraft's golden glistening hue raining (oh dear) down on people.
My current idea for radiant damage is that it works like psychic damage. It might not be physically plain to see, but it strikes from within (in this instance, I dare say at the soul), and can cause an opponent to reel in agony from an unseen nerve being struck.
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
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Most spells and effects that deal radiant damage are instantaneous, which means they truly couldn't illuminate the area in any meaningful sense. Fireball doesn't get described as illuminating either, despite being fire.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
It depends on the specific spell/ability.
For paladin/cleric holy stuff, I iamgine it being holy light stuff.
For a sun soul monk i imagine like a golden kamehameha.
For sickening radience etc, a green radiatioactive glow.
By default, unless the specific ability states otherwise, I envision a bright golden light accompanying it. Maybe only flashing for a moment like a camera flash if it's an instantaneous effect, but still bright. Things like sickening radience that specifically describe the look of course would override that general interpretation for me.