Deathly Whip

Heatless, ghostly fire consumes the lock of hair used in the casting of this spell. The flames then extend into a whip of fire. As part of the action used to cast this spell, you can make a melee spell attack with the whip, which can reach up to 15 feet. The attack is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunities. On a hit or a miss, the deathly whip vanishes, unless you grapple the target. On a hit, the deathly whip deals 1d4 fire damage. If you're proficient in whips, add your spellcasting ability modifier to the damage.

In addition, if you aren't currently concentrating on a spell, you can have the target make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, they are grappled for one minute or until you end the spell. You must keep concentration on the spell while it lasts. At the beginning of each of their turns, you can make a grappled creature take an additional 1d4 fire damage. At the end of each of their turns, a grappled creature can make a Strength check against your spell save DC, ending the grapple and the spell on a success.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell with a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the deathy whip deals an addition 1d4 damage for each slot level you cast it at above first.