A storm cloud appears in the shape of a cylinder that is 10 feet tall with a 60-foot radius, centered on a point you can see within range directly above you. The spell fails if you can’t see a point in the air where the storm cloud could appear (for example, if you are in a room that can’t accommodate the cloud).
When you cast the spell, choose a point you can see under the cloud. A bolt of lightning flashes down from the cloud to that point. Each creature within 5 feet of that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d10 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. On each of your turns until the spell ends, you can use your action to call down lightning in this way again, targeting the same point or a different one.
If you are outdoors in stormy conditions when you cast this spell, the spell gives you control over the existing storm instead of creating a new one. Under such conditions, the spell’s damage increases by 1d10.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th or higher level, the damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 3rd.
It's 400d10, if there's an existing storm. This a great spell, as long as you protect the caster from getting damaged.
True, but pretty much all casters can learn hold person. Unless you're the sole caster or for some reason you'rethe only one with Hold Person/Mosnter, you can prevent enemies from fleeing the AoE.
Casting word is:
Bellowcus Boltium
No no. It makes a cloud with a 60 foot RADIUS an area of 120 ft takes a minimum 2 rounds to get out of. Makes it a great spell
Does the cloud stay in place once it's conjured? It doesn't stay centered directly above the caster when they move, does it?
I used this spell for the first time tonight. Playing a moon druid i cast it and burrowed into the soft sand of the beach my party was camping on. undead started coming up from the water on each side of us in waves. I was burrowed underground and striking every enemy i could with lightning. Tremmor sense 60 as a cave badger. Having total cover against enemies and dropping lightning bolts on them was fun.
yes i agree
No, the range is pretty terrible and easy for enemies to escape from (at least if you interpret it as only striking directly underneath the cloud, which a good number of people seem to do. Personally I allow the cloud to shoot lighting 120 ft diagonally out from the disc). Enemies only need 60 feet to get out of it MAX. And that is if the druid is right on top of the enemy when he casts the spell (why?). If you could cast the cloud over the enemies instead of only directly above you, maybe that wouldn't be so bad. But druids are usually in the back line, so half of the storm is going to be wasted since it's behind you and the enemies are in front of you.
|------------------------Cloud-------------------------|
|------waste----------You--------enemy--------|
In almost all cases upcasting moonbeam will be better than using call lighting.
Call Lighting is only really useful IMO if you are defending a position or during a storm. Unfortunately, but it is what it is. Stick with moonbeam folks.
P.S. Well, I guess it would be useful against huge creatures since they are immune to moonbeam (doesn't cover >50% of their area). Point remains, in most cases just stick with moonbeam. Use Druid Craft at the start of the day. If it's stormy, maybe prep call lightning instead.
’tl;dr - my favorite low-level Druid spell in 5e, be a God. Make your enemies kneel and beg for mercy after witnessing the sheer mass of your fury.‘
This is exactly how I used my call lightning the first time! People were sacrificing someone to a god of storms and seas. I made a stormvloed appear right above them and had lighting strike just beside the ones doing the sacrifice. The bard in our party (with the actor feat) pretended to be possessed and spoke in the storm gods voice (which we had heard) against the killing. Everyone, including the priest all kneeled and we saved a life!
Would activating the call lightning down break stealth?
Thinking of a scenario like I cast the spell turn 1, then I stealth turn 2, and then turn 3 I activate the ability to call down another lightning strike.
I know casting a spell normally would break stealth, but not sure about the activation bc you can still activate it even in wildshape
If a tempest cleric / storm sorceror had this, would it make sense to cast this as a BA with quickened spell, strike with the first lightning, and then action to call another lightning. With destructive wrath, that seems to be a whole lotta damage in one turn as an aoe.
So I'm a 5e noob with an AD&D THAC0-type background, but doesn't Range/Area = 120 ft(60 ft cylinder*) indicate that this spell has a range of 120 ft, i.e., it can be cast centering on a point up to that far away? Wouldn't a centered-on-the-caster spell have Range/Area = Self(60 ft cylinder*) ?
Many people remark on how it is centered on the caster, but isn't that just plainly not correct? What am I missing?
The spell specifically says "centered on a point you can see within range directly above you. "
The spell description is conflicting, it lists the range as 120 feet, which would imply that the centre of the cloud can be anywhere within 120' of the caster, but also that it must be a point directly above the caster. If that case why is the range not "Self (60 ft Cylinder)"?
Edit: Or is the Range 120 ft supposed to mean that the clouds can be up to 120 ft above you (eg so you can hide them in natural clouds)?
I think, with the right strategy it would be a great spell, I only question if you can still move, block and attack while concentrating on it or rather you need to take the hits from your opponent if they strike you.
According to the PHB rules for cylinder areas of effect, the base of the cylinder must be placed at an altitude of 10 feet, because the cylinder must be placed on the ground or in the air a set distance based on the height of the cylinder. Furthermore, the spell itself forces you to target an origin point directly above you. This means that there is only one place where the origin point can go. Why, then, is the range of the spell 120 feet?
Player's Handbook says this is a concentration spell--but not here. Could you please fix that? Thanks!
Next to the duration there is a small C, that's how you distinguish concentration and concentration spells on DND Beyond.
Would "stormy conditions" count for a blizzard?
God i wish there was a warlock that could learn this spell, it'd be SO GOOD. Hell, I'll take an invocation that spends a spell slot and can only be used once a long rest.