Death Bolt

For the sake of making this realistic:
-Don't make this a cantrip. Probably should be equal to a 7th level spell or higher.
-Don't use d20s for damage dice.
-You should probably limit this to just Wizards and Death domain Clerics. I would say Monster Slayers would also be valid, just because that sounds like a Rule of Cool in terms of ruling this spell, especially if the Monster Slayer is fighting monsters whom are vulnerable to necrotic damage.
-The casting time would be an action
-This should take verbal, somatic, and material components. The materials could be decomposed material of some kind, it doesn't matter too much.
-Should probably be worded so that "A deadly bolt of necrotic energy surges towards a creature/target of your choice within range"
-Damage/Effect should be listed preferably as a wisdom saving throw rather than an instant hit like Magic Missile.
-Damage should be reduced from 2000d20 to 20d8, half on a successful save. Equally you could be more unfair and say something similar to Toll the Dead, and have it do 20d12 if the target is missing any hitpoints.
-At an upcast, you could have the damage increase by 1d8 or 1d12 (whichever dice you roll for damage).

(An example of something similar in power would be Chain Lightning, 6th level does 10d8 lightning (half on a successful save) and chains to others within 30 feet. The benefit this would give over chain lightning is the ability to get rid of a single damaged character with d12s to try to quickly take them out of the fight.)
-Damage comparisons would be that Chain lightning does, on average, 45 damage on a failed save and would spread to up to 3 targets within 30 feet and do similar damage.
-With the edits I put in, Death Bolt would do 130 damage to a single damaged target on a failed save, or 90 damage to a single undamaged target on a failed save. It is an insane amount of damage, but it is more balanced than the alternative. If you have a decent healer and are taking on someone with this spell as a 13th-15th level character, you probably won't instantly die and have the potential to be healed before being attacked a second time. It also doesn't have the same deadly properties as Disintegrate, which would cause instant death if dropped to 0 hitpoints.

If left the way it is, it can be useful as a spell for a bad DM to give to a BBEG who hates a specific character in particular and ruins the game for pretty much every player who goes against him.

Quote from Ragesenseiz >>

For the sake of making this realistic:
-Don't make this a cantrip. Probably should be equal to a 7th level spell or higher.
-Don't use d20s for damage dice.
-You should probably limit this to just Wizards and Death domain Clerics. I would say Monster Slayers would also be valid, just because that sounds like a Rule of Cool in terms of ruling this spell, especially if the Monster Slayer is fighting monsters whom are vulnerable to necrotic damage.
-The casting time would be an action
-This should take verbal, somatic, and material components. The materials could be decomposed material of some kind, it doesn't matter too much.
-Should probably be worded so that "A deadly bolt of necrotic energy surges towards a creature/target of your choice within range"
-Damage/Effect should be listed preferably as a wisdom saving throw rather than an instant hit like Magic Missile.
-Damage should be reduced from 2000d20 to 20d8, half on a successful save. Equally you could be more unfair and say something similar to Toll the Dead, and have it do 20d12 if the target is missing any hitpoints.
-At an upcast, you could have the damage increase by 1d8 or 1d12 (whichever dice you roll for damage).

(An example of something similar in power would be Chain Lightning, 6th level does 10d8 lightning (half on a successful save) and chains to others within 30 feet. The benefit this would give over chain lightning is the ability to get rid of a single damaged character with d12s to try to quickly take them out of the fight.)
-Damage comparisons would be that Chain lightning does, on average, 45 damage on a failed save and would spread to up to 3 targets within 30 feet and do similar damage.
-With the edits I put in, Death Bolt would do 130 damage to a single damaged target on a failed save, or 90 damage to a single undamaged target on a failed save. It is an insane amount of damage, but it is more balanced than the alternative. If you have a decent healer and are taking on someone with this spell as a 13th-15th level character, you probably won't instantly die and have the potential to be healed before being attacked a second time. It also doesn't have the same deadly properties as Disintegrate, which would cause instant death if dropped to 0 hitpoints.

If left the way it is, it can be useful as a spell for a bad DM to give to a BBEG who hates a specific character in particular and ruins the game for pretty much every player who goes against him.

 

 

Beyond 20

 

 

 

 

 

 I think it is fine as it is.

nice

I think it needs to make more damage.

Keep it the exact same but add a point where if the target makes a save throw the caster takes the damage instead.

This spell is so weak my level 1 paladin could do more damage than it.

i like this one, never change

my favorite spell, needs more damage though

too weak buff spell

You should also make it so when you use this your entire body disinegrates and you die (in real life)

swag gaming

Any % speed run crashing DnDBeyond with this many dice.

agreed

🤓

perfectly balanced. i'll make sure to use this in my campaign. I'm sure the dm will allow it.

If anyone is actually using this, just want to let you know that it’s actually a really weak cantrip. 

Quote from Ragesenseiz >>

For the sake of making this realistic:
-Don't make this a cantrip. Probably should be equal to a 7th level spell or higher.
-Don't use d20s for damage dice.
-You should probably limit this to just Wizards and Death domain Clerics. I would say Monster Slayers would also be valid, just because that sounds like a Rule of Cool in terms of ruling this spell, especially if the Monster Slayer is fighting monsters whom are vulnerable to necrotic damage.
-The casting time would be an action
-This should take verbal, somatic, and material components. The materials could be decomposed material of some kind, it doesn't matter too much.
-Should probably be worded so that "A deadly bolt of necrotic energy surges towards a creature/target of your choice within range"
-Damage/Effect should be listed preferably as a wisdom saving throw rather than an instant hit like Magic Missile.
-Damage should be reduced from 2000d20 to 20d8, half on a successful save. Equally you could be more unfair and say something similar to Toll the Dead, and have it do 20d12 if the target is missing any hitpoints.
-At an upcast, you could have the damage increase by 1d8 or 1d12 (whichever dice you roll for damage).

(An example of something similar in power would be Chain Lightning, 6th level does 10d8 lightning (half on a successful save) and chains to others within 30 feet. The benefit this would give over chain lightning is the ability to get rid of a single damaged character with d12s to try to quickly take them out of the fight.)
-Damage comparisons would be that Chain lightning does, on average, 45 damage on a failed save and would spread to up to 3 targets within 30 feet and do similar damage.
-With the edits I put in, Death Bolt would do 130 damage to a single damaged target on a failed save, or 90 damage to a single undamaged target on a failed save. It is an insane amount of damage, but it is more balanced than the alternative. If you have a decent healer and are taking on someone with this spell as a 13th-15th level character, you probably won't instantly die and have the potential to be healed before being attacked a second time. It also doesn't have the same deadly properties as Disintegrate, which would cause instant death if dropped to 0 hitpoints.

If left the way it is, it can be useful as a spell for a bad DM to give to a BBEG who hates a specific character in particular and ruins the game for pretty much every player who goes against him.

 

 

Beyond 20

 

 

 

 

 

 Let a spell be goofy shut with yo rules lawyer ahhhh. (ps its perfect needs no changes anyway.)

Seems just a TOUCH Under powered I would bump those numbers up to d100s.
Rookie numbers tbh smh

this would not be as funny if it was a 9th level spell, its kinda funny that a silly little wizard with 6 hitpoints to his name can insta kill a lich. I love this spell

I think it's too underpowered, even for a Cantrip, at least double the damage and give it an effect that's something like: "If this spell kills a creature, the Player controlling that creature dies."