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)
@TheNullStranger -- RAW states that you do not need range or LOS to maintain a spell unless the spell specifies otherwise (which this one does not). Might be a little fuzzier on the subject of using your bonus action.
Reposting my response from a similar question elsewhere: "The challenge with a bullet is that (a) you need to see the bullet to cast the spell and (b) if you could see it in the barrel, the heat when casting the spell would set off your gunpowder. So you'd first have to cast the spell without touching the bullet, then load your firearm and shoot it. Crossbow bolt or arrow seems a much safer choice, although it might be easier to pull out, too."
I'm waiting for a player to either shoot themselves in the face or cast it while holding the bullet in their hand. Aside from those challenges, a perfectly viable option, IMO. Just remember: if you miss your target, the spell is pretty much wasted.
Does it work on Chardalyn armor/ weapons, like we see in Rime of the Frost Maiden? I've seen it described both as a metal and as a crystal...
Yes because the damage happens on the casters turn as a bonus action
This seems like a exiting spell to put on daggers and swords and such. I’m so getting this when I level up
You have an ammo pouch, it has a metal plate on the bottom of it. Throw it at enemy, heat metal. Fireworks.
Ok, but warforged are technically manufactured, right? What would happen if you cast this on the metal bits of a warforged? Would they take damage? If the warforged grappled someone, would the grappled target then take the 2d8 fire damage?
It says if you TAKE DAMAGE from the item now super hot you get disadvantage if you don’t drop it so if you have immunity then you will not have the effects of dropping it or disadvantage, so if anyone wants to use this to give someone a fiery hug while playing a warforge you want immunity so you don’t have disadvantage
It seems like you're right, but I would think that at the point you have a 9th level spell slot, any tough encounter a DM would make you would include someone with dispel magic, or someone with armour that is made of some kind of exotic material other than metal. On top of that you're burning a 9th level spell slot, which is a bummer
Going back to the heated bullet or ammo thought -
if a creature was hit with a metal crossbow bolt or arrow - could that be the target of Heat Metal?
the target could presumably use an action to remove it - so it’s not permanent
although RAW - an arrow is neither being worn nor held, so perhaps it just wouldn’t work. ( it is definitely in contact though!)
it would be nice if the wording was "object you can see OR TOUCH". Casting it on your own armour would be a handy (although painful) way to do damage to a creature that had swallowed you. Most Swallow attacks render you "blinded and restrained", so you can't actually see your amour to cast it on. Resistance to Fire useful here!
Your DM might have a different opinion, but i would say that since a ring made of metal is a "manufactured metal object", i would say yes. You could cast it on one of the rings. If they were made of a good heat-conductive metal, such as gold or silver, the heat could transfer to the other rings or even weld them together should the target fail to remove their ring for several turns.
Earrings, piercings and golden teeth could also be targeted, granted that they can be seen by the caster at the time of spellcasting. Nasty.
RAW says that would be against the rules, as heat metal is an auto-hit, just like magic missile. Is the cleric a 17th-level Forge Cleric. If so, they would have immunity, not resistance to fire damage.
What are you thinking!? Heat Metal has no saving throw or attack roll. You clearly haven't read the description carefully enough. It is explained here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/964-an-ode-to-heat-metal-the-greatest-d-d-spell-of-all
CMON PEOPLE! STOP! YOU THINK THAT HEAT METAL REQUIRES A SAVE. IT DOES NOT! SOME SPELLS REQUIRE CAREFUL READING! THAT'S WHAT MAKES THIS SPELL SO OP! NO SAVING THROW!
This is a war crime I think.
from a technical stand point couldn't this remove the quench and temper from a weapon or armour? cause if so that sounds pretty useful if the dm actually makes that matter
So, the strengths of this spell, if I'm not mistaken, are that there is no saving throw to avoid damage, meaning that whatever you roll is fully taken unless there is resistances or immunity, and at the least they have disadvantage on attacks, with the most as soon as you get it being to take 16 damage and drop your weapon, and on top of that its damage levels up a full die every spell slot. Seems really powerful, especially for second level. And also, at higher levels the damage is ridiculous. Like, you're telling me that at like 18th level, I can do 8d8 guaranteed damage on any person wearing anything metal once per day, AND if they don't succeed on their Con. saving throw they drop their weapon, AND even if they succeed they get disadvantage? Oh, AND it's available to bards? And at the cost of what, concentration? AND it lasts for TEN ROUNDS, assuming nothing happens to break my concentration?
An idea I saw on another article: Heat Metal + Catapult aka High Explosive Anti Tank rounds
So, that "Choose a manufactured metal object" statement means this spell can't be used to torch an Achaierai's metal legs! I thought of this spell as soon as I learned of their legs being metal due to a large amount of iron in their diet. This is disappointing.
Regarding casting this spell on armors, as stated in various descriptions, most armors have clothing inside (such as fur, leather etc). The spell specifically says that it does damage to a creature in physical contact. So correct me if I’m wrong here but whatever material is inside a metallic armor doesn’t take damage, and since the creature is not in direct contact with the heated area doesn’t take damage as well.