How Does the Lightning Bolt Spell Work in D&D 5th Edition? Player Guide & Tips

What is the Lightning Bolt spell in D&D 5e?

Lightning Bolt is a 3rd-level evocation spell. Next to Fireball, it’s one of the best 3rd-level spells for dealing damage to enemies in a single action. It allows spellcasters to harness the power of lightning and go on the offensive without getting close to enemies, creating a bolt that inflicts lightning damage on every creature it touches. Casting time: 1 action Range: Self (100-foot line) Target: Self (100-foot line) Components: V S M (A bit of fur and a rod of amber, crystal, or glass) Duration: Instantaneous

How does Lightning Bolt work?

Lightning Bolt creates a long stroke of lightning. The bolt forms a line 100 feet long and 5 feet wide, shooting out from your PC (player character) in any direction—your choice. Every creature standing in the bolt’s path must make a Dexterity (DEX) saving throw, taking 8d6 lightning damage if they fail the save or half as much if they succeed. Lightning bolt can deal a maximum of 48 points of lightning damage per creature (if every d6 roll is a 6), with an average damage output of 24 points of lightning damage.

The spell can set fire to flammable objects. When you cast Lightning Bolt, any flammable objects that aren’t being worn or carried will catch fire after being struck by the bolt. So, for example, a wooden bow wielded by an enemy wouldn’t catch fire, but a stack of books or papers on a table would. It’s up to the DM to decide what’s flammable and what isn’t. Generally, if laying a torch or open flame on an object would cause it to catch fire, it can be considered flammable.

You can cast Lightning Bolt at higher levels to deal more damage. If you cast Lightning Bolt using a 4th-level spell slot or higher, the spell’s damage will increase by 1d6 for each spell slot above the 3rd level. For example, a 4th-level Lightning Bolt will deal 9d6 damage and 5th level will deal 10d6, up to a maximum of 14d6 lightning damage when cast at the 9th level.

Lightning Bolt consumes material components each time it’s cast. As mentioned above, Lightning Bolt consumes a bit of fur and a rod made of amber, crystal, or glass each time it’s cast—so make sure your PC has those components available. However, since keeping track of every component is tough, your PC can simply carry a component pouch or spellcasting focus. Component pouches and spellcasting foci cover all components that don’t have a monetary cost attached. If a spell requires ingredients that cost money, you must have the specific component on hand. For example, you could use a component pouch to cast Lightning Bolt, but you’d need the actual components for a spell like Revivify (which requires diamonds worth 300 gold pieces).

When to Use Lightning Bolt

Use Lightning Bolt when you can catch multiple foes in a line. While Lightning Bolt’s area-of-effect is pretty narrow (since it’s a 5-foot-wide bolt), it can be super useful when a group of enemies line up just right. Look for opportunities to use this spell—especially when you want to avoid friendly fire, since allies won’t be affected unless they’re standing in the spell’s path.

Cast Lightning Bolt on paralyzed, petrified, or stunned enemies. All three conditions cause affected creatures to automatically fail Dexterity saving throws. So, when you cast Lightning Bolt on creatures affected by those conditions, they’ll take full damage from the spell no matter what. Spells like Hold Person, Flesh to Stone, Contagion, and Power Word Stun can apply the above conditions to foes. Martial classes can also stun foes using abilities like Stunning Strike (monks) or Rend Mind (Soulknife rogues).

As a DM, use Lightning Bolt after bottlenecking the PCs. Design a fight in a hallway, or place an enemy inside a chamber with a narrow entrance so the PCs have to funnel in one by one. Planning a strategic ambush lets you catch as many PCs as possible in your boss enemy’s powerful spell! Plus, a well-placed Lightning Bolt can teach players to spread out more during battles.

Pros & Cons of Lightning Bolt

Pros Lightning Bolt’s main pros are its damage output and range. 8d6 points of lightning damage is very good for a 3rd-level spell, and not many monsters in 5e have resistance or immunity to lightning damage, which means it’s an effective spell more often than not. Additionally, having a 100-foot-long area of effect is excellent compared with most spells of a similar level. Lightning Bolt’s main competitor is Fireball, another 3rd-level evocation spell that produces a fiery explosion in a 20-foot diameter sphere. Compared to Fireball, Lightning Bolt has an equivalent damage output—and more creatures have fire damage resistance than lightning, so Lightning Bolt also has the better damage type. Additionally, Fireball’s 20-foot range definitely isn’t as extensive as Lightning Bolt’s 100-foot range.

Cons Although Lightning Bolt has a long area of effect, it’s also extremely narrow. It’s more common to catch foes in a cluster than lined up one by one, so you may not use Lightning Bolt as often as other area-of-effect spells. Lightning Bolt can also damage allies (since it affects all creatures), so you must always be careful to avoid friendly fire. Comparatively, it’s usually much easier to target groups of enemies with Fireball since they only have to be standing close to one another (and not in a straight line).

Which classes can cast Lightning Bolt?

Sorcerers and wizards can cast the Lightning Bolt spell. It’s automatically included on 5e’s sorcerer and wizard spell lists, so if you’re playing either class, you can simply elect for your character to learn the spell when they’re a high enough level. However, certain subclasses can also cast Lighting Bolt, including: Circle of the Land (druid). Circle of the Land druids can use Lightning Bolt at level 5 if they choose the Mountain land option. Fathomless (warlock). Fathomless warlocks get the spell at level 5. Armorer (artificer). Armorers learn the spell at level 9. Eldritch Knight (fighter). Eldritch Knights can learn the spell at level 13. Arcane Trickster (rogue). Arcane Tricksters can cast the spell starting at level 14. Bards. All bards have access to the Magical Secrets class feature, which allows them to learn a limited number of spells from any class’s spell list (including Lightning Bolt).