I describe it as a bright white light which is surprisingly cool to all those around it that are not the target.
Firebolt for instance gives off a heat that those nearby feel as it flies past, radiant damage may well burn the target, but it feels almost cold to this nearby who are not a target.
My character is a Lawful Evil Tiefling Pact of the Tome Warlock with The Fiend (an Archdevil) as his Patron. At 7th level I will have access to the spell Flame Strike, which does in part Radiant damage, but based on my character, pretty sure it’s not holy fire he would be calling down on his foes. My DM and I have agreed that Hellfire does radiant damage, differentiating it from normal fire which it typically is. It has often been ascribed the ability to bypass normal fire resistance, which it would as radiant damage. My character is also multiclassing into Divine(or rather Infernal) Soul Sorcerer, so Guiding Bolt will just get re-skinned as Hellfire Bolt.
I'm not a fan of thinking Radiant Damage as radiation, as it emotionally knocks me out of a fantasy setting and into a sci-fi setting.
I like to think there is a bit of God-Awe in Radiant Damage, as in you are being hit by the power of godly righteous indignation. This may feel a bit smug, perhaps a sense of put you in your proper place-you ain't all THAT! Maybe a bit of "you broke the rules of existence and you know it." It works for me because it helps explain to me why undead take further damage from this damage type at times, as their presence may be offensive to a god.
Approaching this from a scientific angle, since it seems a lot of spells that deal radiant damage are light related, but not necessarily all are holy in nature, I would say radiant would have something to do with the electromagnetic spectrum, which means radiant resistance could allow you to resist lasers in a sci fi setting, or even with contemporary technology, you would be resistant to any form of body check, since it could block IR imaging and Xrays, you would be less prone to cancers since it could block ionizing radiation, and you could interrupt radio frequencies.
Approaching this from a scientific angle, since it seems a lot of spells that deal radiant damage are light related, but not necessarily all are holy in nature, I would say radiant would have something to do with the electromagnetic spectrum, which means radiant resistance could allow you to resist lasers in a sci fi setting, or even with contemporary technology,
Broad spectrum ultra high temperature black body radiation - sunlight is black body radiation from a temp of @ 6500 C, an incandescent bulb is black body radiation at a temp of @2500C. Both give off light and heat but the sun Also gives of a fair amount of UV. Radiant is simply at an even higher level - say 20,000 C+ so most of its energy is in the UV to X-ray range but it gives off enough visible light to be blinding and enough IR to radio to feel hot and burning.
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Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
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I described radiant damage as radiation energy usually under the form of light or fire.
I describe it as a bright white light which is surprisingly cool to all those around it that are not the target.
Firebolt for instance gives off a heat that those nearby feel as it flies past, radiant damage may well burn the target, but it feels almost cold to this nearby who are not a target.
Practically everyone has this in their home. It's called a microwave oven. You can't see them, but they cook from the inside.
Radiation burns is what I go with.
Lightning Strike - A rebranded Fire Bolt for Wizards & Sorcerers.
Spirit Bomb - A holy fireball for Clerics, Paladins, & Divine Soul Sorcerers!
Sword Dancer - A Cleric subclass specifically for the Drow goddess Eilistraee.
Quicksilver & The Scarlet Witch - A pair of magical firearms for your Gunslinger or Artificer.
Man, I want to create a character built around causing as much damage by nuclear fallout as possible.
For a holy/religious source like a paladin. cleric, celestial warlock, holy light.
for monks, Hamon.
for other things, Radiation
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Self-proclaimed Non-Binary Diety of bad writing and Lizardfolk Monks
My character is a Lawful Evil Tiefling Pact of the Tome Warlock with The Fiend (an Archdevil) as his Patron. At 7th level I will have access to the spell Flame Strike, which does in part Radiant damage, but based on my character, pretty sure it’s not holy fire he would be calling down on his foes. My DM and I have agreed that Hellfire does radiant damage, differentiating it from normal fire which it typically is. It has often been ascribed the ability to bypass normal fire resistance, which it would as radiant damage. My character is also multiclassing into Divine(or rather Infernal) Soul Sorcerer, so Guiding Bolt will just get re-skinned as Hellfire Bolt.
I'm not a fan of thinking Radiant Damage as radiation, as it emotionally knocks me out of a fantasy setting and into a sci-fi setting.
I like to think there is a bit of God-Awe in Radiant Damage, as in you are being hit by the power of godly righteous indignation. This may feel a bit smug, perhaps a sense of put you in your proper place-you ain't all THAT! Maybe a bit of "you broke the rules of existence and you know it." It works for me because it helps explain to me why undead take further damage from this damage type at times, as their presence may be offensive to a god.
Approaching this from a scientific angle, since it seems a lot of spells that deal radiant damage are light related, but not necessarily all are holy in nature, I would say radiant would have something to do with the electromagnetic spectrum, which means radiant resistance could allow you to resist lasers in a sci fi setting, or even with contemporary technology, you would be resistant to any form of body check, since it could block IR imaging and Xrays, you would be less prone to cancers since it could block ionizing radiation, and you could interrupt radio frequencies.
Burn-y.... but in a way that doesn't sear or roast flesh so much as it attenuates/eradicates it, I'd say
So like when He-Man yells "I have the POWER" and he's surrounded by all that energy? The receiving end of that.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Well yeah. https://www.dndbeyond.com/equipment/laser-rifle
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"real life is a super high CR."
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Broad spectrum ultra high temperature black body radiation - sunlight is black body radiation from a temp of @ 6500 C, an incandescent bulb is black body radiation at a temp of @2500C. Both give off light and heat but the sun Also gives of a fair amount of UV. Radiant is simply at an even higher level - say 20,000 C+ so most of its energy is in the UV to X-ray range but it gives off enough visible light to be blinding and enough IR to radio to feel hot and burning.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.