Level
5th
Casting Time
1 Action
Range/Area
60 ft
(10 ft *)
Components
V, S, M *
Duration
Instantaneous
School
Evocation
Attack/Save
DEX Save
Damage/Effect
Fire (...)
A vertical column of divine fire roars down from the heavens in a location you specify. Each creature in a 10-foot-radius, 40-foot-high cylinder centered on a point within range must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 4d6 fire damage and 4d6 radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the fire damage or the radiant damage (your choice) increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 5th.
* - (pinch of sulfur)
4d6 fire AND 4d6 Radiant so 8D6 total?
Yup, it’s for those pesky “I resist fire” types. 😏
why is this level 5 for a worse version of fireball, a level 3 spell?
Fireball and Lightning Bolt were designed as part of their legacy to be overpowered for their level.
Sorcerers cast from a limited number of spells known. Wizards have to pay for every additional spell they known but have the best utility spells in the game. Clerics know every spell on their list automatically and can prepare a different selection each rest, have better base armor class, hit points, and can heal. So there offensive spells cannot be as good otherwise they outshine wizards and sorcerers.
Also, don't look at just the damage. Two different damage types make this harder to resist, and its targeting is much friendlier. A 30ft radius sphere is likely to get everyone you know singed, whereas this cylinder can be slightly pickier about whom you choose to evaporate.
Fireball basically can't hurt extraplanar beings, especially not fiends. But Flame Strike very much can. By 9th level, you're probably fighting some fiends, whereas at 5th level, chances are good just about everything you meet burns.
Does it matter if you go Fiend Warlock with the Elemental Adept feat?
I personally House rule this spell up by 1d6 each of flame and radiant, while allowing evil casters to change radiant out for necrotic. 5th Edition is riddled with bad design IMO
I like that, that's reasonable upscaling with Fireball damage as a base. Every time I come across this spell I also feel like the damage doesn't do it justice for how cool it looks and sounds.
everyone pointing out the fact that the damage is lower because its for clerics is missing the fact that light domain clerics get fireball
Assuming your subclass doesn't grant an alternative, this spell's only real niche is that it's AoE for Clerics, and it's somewhat unimpressive with its 10 foot radius and 60 foot range. The fact that it deals radiant damage is sorta moot since that's only half of its damage, the other being the widely resisted fire.
Other spells do more radiant damage in the Cleric's spellbook, with guiding bolt dealing 14 (4d6) radiant right off the bat and 28 (8d6) at the same level as flame strike and even a cantrip dealing 13 (3d8) as sacred flames at 11th level (comparable to 14 (4d6) radiant damage). Inflict wounds deals 38 (7d10) necrotic damage at 5th level, and while more resisted than radiant it's still not terrible. Stacking on top of that, even if it is resisted it's still going to deal comparable damage to the unresisted radiant damage caused by flame strike.
Even its AoE niche is somewhat contested, since spirit guardians can deal 13 (3d8) radiant damage at 3rd level, or 22 (5d8) at 5th level, to multiple creatures, the main caveat being that it's reliant on targets being close which may be less of an issue for a cleric with better armor than its fellow spellcasters. To a lesser extent, they can use the 7th level spell fire storm later on which does more damage overall and has the much more attractive range of 150 feet and covering a malleable area of 100 cubic feet.That said it does lack radiant damage and it is not a 5th level slot analog.
Unless you are uneasy about getting close to the fray, don't have a better alternative from your subclass, and expecting to be fighting multiple enemies that don't resist radiant damage or fire damage, I think you're better off saving your 5th level spell slot for something else. I don't know, it just doesn't seem worth it.
suprised noone has mentiond this yet but one of the great things of this spell in the flamestrike vs fireball ... fireball requires you to be able to see your target And have a direct line of sight
this? this i can just cast saying that house thats 40ft behind me? i want it about 10ft in there where i know that person is. (you can describe your target location like with dimension door, unlike with fireball)
simpel combat example, (maybe niche but whatever) enemy casts wall of force you fireball it explodes on the wall even if you target behind it .. you flamestrike behind it and fk his concentration
why do subclasses that get fireball also get this? i understand this does more to enemies that resist or are immune to fire damage, but even still lmao
I'd say more that light domain clerics just have less reason to take it. Isn't access to fireball one of the key advantages of light domain in the first place?
Cleric: (casts "Flame Strike)
Devil: "Fire?! I'm an Infernal! My entire WORLD is fire!"
Cleric: "Wait for it..."
Devil: "...is that...what's that light?"
Cleric: "Walk towards it and have a closer look."
Demons and Devils are usually resistant to lightning and fire damage, so having a damage type they cant resist is nice in a damaging spell. Clerics also don't get any good AOE damage spells (outside their domain spells) until 5th level spells like flame strike.
Any spell that deals d6’s and can only be upcast with 6th-level and up slots should scale by 2d6, as it stands there’s basically no reason to upcast it at all.
Is there an ETA on fixing the damage roll on DnDb?
Could I cast this on a wall to have it go 60ft sideways?