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.
My tempest cleric always does a rain dance when he casts this
storm sorcerers should have this spell, it matches their aesthetic
I was just thinking that myself, I have a story sorcerer in my Campaign, so I’m going to home brew that they can have it.
Anyone within 5 feet of the point that the lightning bolt strikes takes damage.
I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure grappling doesn't mean you share a space with the target of your grapple. So you just call the lightning bolt down in the space behind your target and you don't get hit while they do.
incorrect
Considering the spell has a 60 ft radius, and you can call down lightning from within any spot of that 60 ft radius, I wouldn't call it useless. If they're close to the center, moving 20 ft isn't gonna save them.
This spell + web = just a load of damage.
Well if you read the spell you'll see that it says "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."
I’ve been playing a tempest cleric and am debating taking 2 levels in fighter to procure action surge. The way I’m reading the wording of both items, I see no reason why you couldn’t cast this spell, drop a bolt down, take action surge and drop a second in the same turn. Coupled with the channel divinity domain feature destructive wrath that’s a potential for 180 lightning or thunder damage on failed saves. Any thoughts?
If casting this to attack a tower or other emplacement and hitting it for 3d10 damage every turn for 10 minutes is useless....
300d10 damage siege attack to a fortification in 10 minutes. While all they see goat, the form of the Druid who wildshaped giving them the evil eye as bolt after bolt of lightning strikes batter their fortification when there was no cloud overhead...where did this come from??!?
To me, this spell in the hands of a Druid who can disguise themselves as anything innocuous in nature makes them terrifying!! Fireball is fine, but it is garbage compared to this! Granted, an immobile target is perfect for this. In every otherwise Fireball's damage and area is better. But this is a Druid's way of saying nature just doesn't want you here!!
I'm shocked that Storm Sorcery doesn't get this spell
Is there a way to buy this spell to put on my character sheet? Thanks!
Is it the strike zone that is 10 feet high or is it the cloud? Because Do you think 10 feet is high? Also if I do it during a thunderstorm it won't change the fact that it's 10 feet tall. This will seem unusual and surpassable for flying creatures.
Yharim, please take a quick look at the Druid class features/spells. This is one of the tamer features of the druid (pun intended).
I wish the Storm Sorcerery could get this spell.
Why? 3d10 is 16.5dmg on average, messing that any Martial taking the attack action at 5th level will deal more damage than this.
if it required a bonus action to activate, it’s be aight, but as is, it’s a waste of your clerics concentration. Spirit Guardians will deal pretty much the same damage as a larger AoE with no Actions beyond the initial casting required.
Eldritch blast spam on a warlock deals more damage than this 3rd level spell…
A cloud that's only 10' tall and 120' hovering right over your head sounds puny, comical, like those cartoons where someone is having a bad day, and at the same time is too big to fit in most indoor settings. And the cloud-controlling version is tremendously underpowered - clouds are typically kilometers wide, so if you are controlling a thundercloud you should be able to release lighting over a range of kilometers, and those lightning bolts should be much bigger and more destructive than the ones you release from your hand with lightning bolt. Seems like they're trying to cram lightning bolt and control weather together into one spell and they fit poorly.
I know this was posted a long time ago, but I just wanted to give an explanation for anyone who has the same question!
I think you've just gotten height and radius mixed up. The height is 10 feet, but the radius is 60'. That means that the total storm cloud is 120' wide. if you center it on your combat space, it would take the average creature three full turns to be able to escape the radius of the storm.
A great combo for this is with druids. Because the spell is concentration, you can cast the spell on one turn, wildshape into a creature that can burrow on your next turn, and continue to destroy your enemies with lightning while you're just chilling underground. This is even better if you've multiclassed into rogue so that you can hide or dash as your bonus action, and call down lightning as your action. This is a super powerful spell!
Hope this helps someone.
So can you cast this, and then the next round, Wild Shape into a badger and then burrow into the ground, and still keep throwing lightning bolts every round after that?
Yup! This is a common druid tactic, which is why this spell is specifically mentioned in the Wild Shape description as an example of something you can do while in animal form.