Level
Cantrip
Casting Time
1 Action
Range/Area
30 ft.
Components
V, S
Duration
Instantaneous
School
Evocation
Attack/Save
Ranged
Damage/Effect
You create a pool of lightning bolts equal to 2d4. Choose a creature within range, assign at least one die from the pool to it, and make a ranged spell attack.
On a hit, the target takes lightning damage equal to the rolled dice. On a miss, it takes no damage.
You may then repeat this process with the remaining dice, arcing the lightning to another creature within 10 feet of the previous target each time, assigning at least one die per target and making a separate ranged spell attack for each arc. Each creature can be targeted only once per casting.
Cantrip Upgrade: The number of dice in your pool increases by 2d4 when you reach 5th level (4d4), 11th level (6d4), and 17th level (8d4).
Previous Versions
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1/3/2026 6:11:03 PM
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Posted Jan 5, 2026Fireball starts as Firebolt, Ice Storm starts as Ray of Frost, and Chain Lightning begins as… nothing. There is no dedicated damage-focused lightning cantrip. Shocking Grasp exists, but it trades range for preventing Opportunity Attacks.
Fire Bolt is clearly the go-to max-DPR cantrip (and range at 120 ft). Ray of Frost trades damage and range (60 ft) for slowing the target. A strong lightning cantrip should be ranged, mechanically unique, and fill a niche players haven’t had. Arc Zap sits between these two in damage, offering a tactical multi-target option without additional status effects, and at the bottom in terms of range (30 ft).
At 17th level, Arc Zap has a full 8d4 dice pool, allowing the lightning to potentially chain across up to eight targets. Starting at 30-foot range, the spell could theoretically reach up to 110 feet. At a 5% crit chance per attack, the probability of scoring at least one critical hit in a single casting is approximately 34%, which encourages multitargeting to get the most out of the cantrip. Because of the dice pool mechanic, if all you have is this cantrip, it will still be effective in single-target combat.