Choose a manufactured metal object, such as a metal weapon or a suit of heavy or medium metal armor, that you can see within range. You cause the object to glow red-hot. Any creature in physical contact with the object takes 2d8 fire damage when you cast the spell. Until the spell ends, you can use a bonus action on each of your subsequent turns to cause this damage again.
If a creature is holding or wearing the object and takes the damage from it, the creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or drop the object if it can. If it doesn’t drop the object, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks until the start of your next turn.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 2nd.
* - (a piece of iron and a flame)
Fighting a simulacrum as a Forge cleric. Casts this at lvl 4. 5d8 fire
" Until the spell ends, you can use a bonus action on each of your subsequent turns to cause this damage again." <--- Assuming you can still meet the casting conditions of seeing the object, the object being in range and the caster having a flame. Douse the flame, cover the object or get out of range and the subsequent damage cannot be inflicted.
Might not be that easy. 1 they could be using a spell focus so no flame or iron needed. 2 they already have to run a con save to drop it. If they drop it spell concern over till they try to pick it up. If they cant drop it like plate armor, well good luck trying to hide something that big while taking disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. As for running out of range. Without meta gaming how would the target know there is a range and what it is? Honestly hiding it would be kinda meta gaming as well unless its against something that has the same spell.
Okay, so the enemy casts the spell, I take damage and drop my sword. My turn - I pick the sword back up and go in swinging?
I don't take damage again until the caster gets a bonus action to do so. I don't have disadvantage because I *did* drop it for failing the con save. Then I can just drop it again until my next turn? Is it that easy to get around the disad or subsequent damage?
That might depend on the DM. personally id rule the sword is still hot, just because you dropped it doesn't mean the spell ends. you would still take the damage since it wasn't on your turn. and you would still likely be at disadvantage for picking up a burning hot item, might even have to roll a con check to pick it back up.
this is magic we are talking about but think about it in real world sense.
if your house key started glowing red hot burning you, you would drop that sucker. if you then tried to pick it back up and unlock your door with it...1. its going to hurt. 2. you are going to need some iron will to keep hold of it through the pain. 3. even if you manage to push past the pain to hold it, its still continuously hurting you, you are going to have a hard time focusing enough and holding your hand steady to get it in the lock and turn it.
It does say that the caster chooses when damage is felt meaning it probably cools slightly or some other means, also the disadvantage or drop only applies when damage is delt
I wish it were phrased a little better. In a recent campaign they DM ruled that since the enemy passed his con he did not take damage. This was when using the bonus action.
Your DM read the spell wrong (or is homebrewing it), the damage is dealt up front regardless of the CON save, the save is there to see if the creature drops the target object or not.
Can you use this on a iron golem
A spear shaft isn't a creature, so no worries, the spell won't damage it.
Iron Golem is a creature, not a object, so not directly. And it is immune to fire, so it won't be hurt by holding a object affected by Heat Metal either.
Nuff said.
rules as written, there is no size limitation. but at some arbitrary point an object stops being an object and becomes a structure. also. a tower is technically a colle tion of pieces of metal. if I was your dm I'd say you could cast it on one girder or piece of metal holding up the structure, but not the entire structure.
Cook & book!
What about Warforged? Just asking, no reason in particular...
Why does a transmutation subclass wizard not have access to this spell?
"Choose a manufactured metal object, such as a metal weapon or a suit of heavy or medium metal armor, that you can see within range."
It's a creature... A construct sure, but still a creature.
@Korvus Hill The difference being that Heat Metal is cast on an object. So if One cast on the sword, and the other cast in the armor, than those effects would stack because they are cast on different objects.
I was wondering what some of you would think about casting this spell on ammunition? Could it be cast on a bullet to cause normal + fire damage? Would you be able to maintain the spell if the bullet is wedged in the enemy?
Of course to CAST the spell, it says you need a line of sight, and I assume the RAI is that once it's out of sight, the spell ends... but could it be intended that the LoS is only intended for the initial casting?
It would be kind of cool to imagine a bullet wedged in some creature, slowly burning it from the inside, unless it can get that bullet out. >:}
I have a cool homebrew monster with fire immunity, that would use heat metal on itself and try and grapple one of the PC's, I think that's a cool idea