I was wondering what the highest single round damage build you could make, but following these criteria:
Only sourced from Xanathar's Guide, Tasha's Cauldron, Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, or Dungeon Master's Guide
No magic items, poison or basically anything that isn't starting equipment or a weapon on page 149 of the Player's Handbook.
Sorry about all those rules, but I want to build something that I have the books for, and that will work in any campaign. (e.g in one where poison or magic items aren't available)
Edit: An example being, a lot of power builds I've seen are fallen or scourge Aasimar, but I don't have a sourcebook with the rules for that, so I can't make it. Also, you can ignore the rule about only being able to cast cantrips if you cast a bonus action spell. I don't follow it when I DM anyway.
Well, it's quite simple. All you need is a level 20 VH wizard with the Metamagic Adept (quickened spell) feat from Tasha's. First, you cast a quickened prismatic wall in a sphere above your opponent. Then you cast reverse gravity centered around your opponent. Then drop concentration on reverse gravity. That's a total of 200d6 (average 700) damage, plus 10d6 damage (average 35) from the fall, plus the possibility of being blinded, restrained, petrified, and teleported to another plane. And that's all in a single turn, in a 30 foot AoE. Since a 30-foot-radius AoE should catch approximately 6 creatures, that's an average of 4410 damage. Top that.
If you do follow the BA spell rule, then you can take two levels of fighter for Action Surge and achieve the same result.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Well, it's quite simple. All you need is a level 20 VH wizard with the Metamagic Adept (quickened spell) feat from Tasha's. First, you cast a quickened prismatic wall in a sphere above your opponent. Then you cast reverse gravity centered around your opponent. Then drop concentration on reverse gravity. That's a total of 200d6 (average 700) damage, plus 10d6 damage (average 35) from the fall, plus the possibility of being blinded, restrained, petrified, and teleported to another plane. And that's all in a single turn.
if you cast a bonus action spell you can only cast cantrips for the turn.
Well, it's quite simple. All you need is a level 20 VH wizard with the Metamagic Adept (quickened spell) feat from Tasha's. First, you cast a quickened prismatic wall in a sphere above your opponent. Then you cast reverse gravity centered around your opponent. Then drop concentration on reverse gravity. That's a total of 200d6 (average 700) damage, plus 10d6 damage (average 35) from the fall, plus the possibility of being blinded, restrained, petrified, and teleported to another plane. And that's all in a single turn.
if you cast a bonus action spell you can only cast cantrips for the turn.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
@Thauraeln_The_Bold what is a VH wizard? What is the BA spell rule? Also, I don't follow your math. A spherical prismatic wall would contain each layer once, so it would only be 100d6 damage.
@Thauraeln_The_Bold what is a VH wizard? What is the BA spell rule?
VH is Variant Human, and the BA (bonus action) spell rule is that you can only cast a cantrip if you cast a bonus action spell on your turn. Sorry for the acronyms.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
@Thauraeln_The_Bold what is a VH wizard? What is the BA spell rule? Also, I don't follow your math. A spherical prismatic wall would contain each layer once, so it would only be 100d6 damage.
Yes, but since it's a sphere they pass through the wall twice.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
@Thauraeln_The_Bold what is a VH wizard? What is the BA spell rule? Also, I don't follow your math. A spherical prismatic wall would contain each layer once, so it would only be 100d6 damage.
Yes, but since it's a sphere they pass through the wall twice.
Each pass through only does 50d6. Edit: The dilemna here is whether or not spherical prismatic walls are concentric circles or layered. Now that I think about it, concentric circles makes the most sense.
@Thauraeln_The_Bold what is a VH wizard? What is the BA spell rule? Also, I don't follow your math. A spherical prismatic wall would contain each layer once, so it would only be 100d6 damage.
Yes, but since it's a sphere they pass through the wall twice.
Each pass through only does 50d6
They pass through the bottom of the sphere once and the top of the sphere once on the way up. Then they pass through the top of the sphere once and the bottom of the sphere once on the way down.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
@Thauraeln_The_Bold what is a VH wizard? What is the BA spell rule? Also, I don't follow your math. A spherical prismatic wall would contain each layer once, so it would only be 100d6 damage.
Yes, but since it's a sphere they pass through the wall twice.
Each pass through only does 50d6
They pass through the bottom of the sphere once and the top of the sphere once on the way up. Then they pass through the top of the sphere once and the bottom of the sphere once on the way down.
Yes, I understand now. Thank you. Also, I just realized that you only need to be level 17 for this build to work. Maybe those three levels could squeeze in even more damage!
@Thauraeln_The_Bold what is a VH wizard? What is the BA spell rule? Also, I don't follow your math. A spherical prismatic wall would contain each layer once, so it would only be 100d6 damage.
Yes, but since it's a sphere they pass through the wall twice.
Each pass through only does 50d6
They pass through the bottom of the sphere once and the top of the sphere once on the way up. Then they pass through the top of the sphere once and the bottom of the sphere once on the way down.
Yes, I understand now. Thank you. Also, I just realized that you only need to be level 17 for this build to work. Maybe those three levels could squeeze in even more damage!
yeah, like take 3 level in fighter, so you can action surge incendiary cloud
@Thauraeln_The_Bold what is a VH wizard? What is the BA spell rule? Also, I don't follow your math. A spherical prismatic wall would contain each layer once, so it would only be 100d6 damage.
Yes, but since it's a sphere they pass through the wall twice.
Each pass through only does 50d6
They pass through the bottom of the sphere once and the top of the sphere once on the way up. Then they pass through the top of the sphere once and the bottom of the sphere once on the way down.
Yes, I understand now. Thank you. Also, I just realized that you only need to be level 17 for this build to work. Maybe those three levels could squeeze in even more damage!
Yes, though going to level 20 allows you some extra spell slots in case reverse gravity fails or you need a high level counterspell. I'm not sure if multiclassing would deal more damage, though you could go sorcerer for empowered spell.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
@Thauraeln_The_Bold what is a VH wizard? What is the BA spell rule? Also, I don't follow your math. A spherical prismatic wall would contain each layer once, so it would only be 100d6 damage.
Yes, but since it's a sphere they pass through the wall twice.
Each pass through only does 50d6
They pass through the bottom of the sphere once and the top of the sphere once on the way up. Then they pass through the top of the sphere once and the bottom of the sphere once on the way down.
Yes, I understand now. Thank you. Also, I just realized that you only need to be level 17 for this build to work. Maybe those three levels could squeeze in even more damage!
yeah, like take 3 level in fighter, so you can action surge incendiary cloud
You should take two levels, not three, because 3rd level fighter doesn't have anything for a wizard. Also, IMO sunburst is better than incendiary cloud. Upcast freezing sphere is pretty good too.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
8th level fireball is 1d6 more damage than sunburst
True, but radiant damage is more effective than fire damage, and Constitution is generally a better save then Dexterity. Circle of Death works too, even though it's generally mediocre.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
8th level fireball is 1d6 more damage than sunburst
True, but radiant damage is more effective than fire damage, and Constitution is generally a better save then Dexterity. Circle of Death works too, even though it's generally mediocre.
and blinding is good if they somehow survive (like facing a CR 57 monster)
If we take wild magic sorcerer with our last level, we have a (very low) chance of getting a wild magic surge and casting a fireball. This will deal an extra 8d6. I know it is centered on ourself, but if we take Abjuration as our wizard subclass, the damage is reduced by a lot.
8th level fireball is 1d6 more damage than sunburst
True, but radiant damage is more effective than fire damage, and Constitution is generally a better save then Dexterity. Circle of Death works too, even though it's generally mediocre.
and blinding is good if they somehow survive (like facing a CR 57 monster)
Yeah lol this averages 780 damage or more if we get lucky with our wild magic surge. tarrasque has 676 health. This may not kill, because of saving throws and legendary resistance , but that's besides the point.
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Hi everyone,
I was wondering what the highest single round damage build you could make, but following these criteria:
Only sourced from Xanathar's Guide, Tasha's Cauldron, Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, or Dungeon Master's Guide
No magic items, poison or basically anything that isn't starting equipment or a weapon on page 149 of the Player's Handbook.
Sorry about all those rules, but I want to build something that I have the books for, and that will work in any campaign. (e.g in one where poison or magic items aren't available)
Edit: An example being, a lot of power builds I've seen are fallen or scourge Aasimar, but I don't have a sourcebook with the rules for that, so I can't make it. Also, you can ignore the rule about only being able to cast cantrips if you cast a bonus action spell. I don't follow it when I DM anyway.
Well, it's quite simple. All you need is a level 20 VH wizard with the Metamagic Adept (quickened spell) feat from Tasha's. First, you cast a quickened prismatic wall in a sphere above your opponent. Then you cast reverse gravity centered around your opponent. Then drop concentration on reverse gravity. That's a total of 200d6 (average 700) damage, plus 10d6 damage (average 35) from the fall, plus the possibility of being blinded, restrained, petrified, and teleported to another plane. And that's all in a single turn, in a 30 foot AoE. Since a 30-foot-radius AoE should catch approximately 6 creatures, that's an average of 4410 damage. Top that.
If you do follow the BA spell rule, then you can take two levels of fighter for Action Surge and achieve the same result.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
if you cast a bonus action spell you can only cast cantrips for the turn.
I am an average mathematics enjoyer.
>Extended Signature<
Read the last sentence of the OP.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
@Thauraeln_The_Bold what is a VH wizard? What is the BA spell rule? Also, I don't follow your math. A spherical prismatic wall would contain each layer once, so it would only be 100d6 damage.
VH is Variant Human, and the BA (bonus action) spell rule is that you can only cast a cantrip if you cast a bonus action spell on your turn. Sorry for the acronyms.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
That's alright. Thanks!
Yes, but since it's a sphere they pass through the wall twice.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Each pass through only does 50d6. Edit: The dilemna here is whether or not spherical prismatic walls are concentric circles or layered. Now that I think about it, concentric circles makes the most sense.
They pass through the bottom of the sphere once and the top of the sphere once on the way up. Then they pass through the top of the sphere once and the bottom of the sphere once on the way down.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Yes, I understand now. Thank you. Also, I just realized that you only need to be level 17 for this build to work. Maybe those three levels could squeeze in even more damage!
yeah, like take 3 level in fighter, so you can action surge incendiary cloud
I am an average mathematics enjoyer.
>Extended Signature<
Yes, though going to level 20 allows you some extra spell slots in case reverse gravity fails or you need a high level counterspell. I'm not sure if multiclassing would deal more damage, though you could go sorcerer for empowered spell.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Adding 2 levels of fighter, means we could Action Surge and cast another spell. The best I've found so far is 8th level fireball, at 13d6.
You should take two levels, not three, because 3rd level fighter doesn't have anything for a wizard. Also, IMO sunburst is better than incendiary cloud. Upcast freezing sphere is pretty good too.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
8th level fireball is 1d6 more damage than sunburst
True, but radiant damage is more effective than fire damage, and Constitution is generally a better save then Dexterity. Circle of Death works too, even though it's generally mediocre.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
and blinding is good if they somehow survive (like facing a CR 57 monster)
I am an average mathematics enjoyer.
>Extended Signature<
If we take wild magic sorcerer with our last level, we have a (very low) chance of getting a wild magic surge and casting a fireball. This will deal an extra 8d6. I know it is centered on ourself, but if we take Abjuration as our wizard subclass, the damage is reduced by a lot.
Yeah lol this averages 780 damage or more if we get lucky with our wild magic surge. tarrasque has 676 health. This may not kill, because of saving throws and legendary resistance , but that's besides the point.