D&D 5E Lightning Bolt should be better.

[TheSword]

I agree - I think all lightning spells should have the adv on attack or dis to saves for those in metal armor. No reactions would also be nice but would probably be too much.

For me my biggest issue with Lightning Bolt in particular is that it's a "Self" spell and therefore a sorcerer can't use distant spell. Like Fireball is already the better spell... why'd you have to make it so you can't use distant spell with it to at least maybe get some more functionality from it?

Grids make it more difficult to use. When you're not on a grid you can line up your caster between two ranks of enemies and anyone on either side of the line get hit.

To be fair I do say that if you go down the line between two squares it hits both sides. But that’s probably a house rule to try and improve line spells.

 

[Raduin711]

One thing I have noticed is that on the battlefield some players don't like using lines that aren't one of the 8 directions.

Part of this is "grid blindness." They think of straight lines as only the 8 directions, when in reality your PC does not live in "grid world" and can point his lightning bolt any damn direction he pleases. The question is, what squares does that lightning bolt affect. Sometimes that gets a little tenacious at the table.

 

[FrozenNorth]

In our last campaign, my shadow sorcerer twinned witch bolt to great effect. Let's just say the other members started calling him Palpatine lol

Palpatine had 20 CHA. Prove me wrong!

 

[TheSword]

Before or after his face got melted?

Depends if he was 3.5 taking 1d6 Cha drain.

... queue debate about Charisma and looks

 

[dave2008]

The idea that they "don't make a noise" as a result is beyond laughable and well into the ridiculous.

I get your point, but is it really necessary to be rude and mean spirited about it? Is it really necessary to ridicule someone's imagination and creativity?

 

[FrozenNorth]

Given how badly so many wizard spells have been nerfed over the years and editions, I find this hard to believe; unless the at-wills they've picked up during the same time are overpowered.

Since 2nd ed, they have nerfed wizard spells, but they have removed almost every restriction on spellcasting. The net effect is that yes, LFQW exists in 5e, though not as bad as in other editions.

 

[dave2008]

Personally I would like lightning bolt to be single target and higher damage (though I think fireball should start at 6d6)

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I get your point, but is it really necessary to be rude and mean spirited about it? Is it really necessary to ridicule someone's imagination and creativity?

I think that's a bit of mischaracterization, to put it mildly, given the conversation that it proceeded from. I'd suggest following the conversation back - if I'm doing that, it's also being done to me at least at one point. There's a big difference between "I always imagined it this way" and "it's obviously going to be quiet because of X duh" (which in this case was the rather out-there assertion that because it didn't do thunder damage, it wasn't loud).

 

[dave2008]

I think that's a bit of mischaracterization, to put it mildly, given the conversation that it proceeded from. I'd suggest following the conversation back - if I'm doing that, it's also being done to me at least at one point. There's a big difference between "I always imagined it this way" and "it's obviously going to be quiet because of X duh" (which in this case was the rather out-there assertion that because it didn't do thunder damage, it wasn't loud).

I did start from the beginning and I thought you were rude in 2 separate posts. I didn't see anything in the post you respond to that warranted it. I may have missed something though.

I should not have commented, but I honestly thought you would want to know you were coming off as being rude. I like to called out when I am being inappropriate or possibly offensive. That is why I posted my comment.

Whilst I agree with your numbers points, the idea that lightning is the visual and thunder is the sound is pretty fantastically silly in the context of the spell Lightning Bolt. There is absolutely no possible way, if we agree that Fireball makes a noise (probably an enormous boom or woosh or both), that an electrical discharge, however magical, of the size involved in Lightning Bolt isn't going to be pretty ear-splitting - at the least equally loud.

But yeah it's an above average spell.

Hardly. Easily 3/4 of the spells in the game don't mention an audio component, even if we're just talking evocation. The idea that they "don't make a noise" as a result is beyond laughable and well into the ridiculous. And the number which have mechanical implementation of that is even smaller - what Knock and Thunderwave?


Uh what? That's not my picture, please don't attribute it to me.

I'm picturing it as a line of electricity, as described. If it's got enough energy to do what it says, and to befit the words "lightning bolt" (at a minimum it means some kind of distinctly visible arc), it's going to make a lot of noise.

 

[tetrasodium]

Since 2nd ed, they have nerfed wizard spells, but they have removed almost every restriction on spellcasting. The net effect is that yes, LFQW exists in 5e, though not as bad as in other editions.

At this point you are claiming that LFQW is a thing in 5e because wizards and sorcerers aren't relegated to firing a crossbow most rounds and SR backed by dice has been replaced by "the gm says no actually it decides to save" legendary resistance.. tracking mundane components wasn't a significant thing even in 2e. Also dont forget that noncasters lost a lot of their own significant hurdles... like all of them.ni longer split move and attack phases no longer penalties on iterative attacks no longer really worry about flanking and facing no longer worry about things like ACP no longer even need to care what damage type a weapon is as long as it's a "magic" version of the largest damage die they can use on and on.

Simply being allowed to exist in some limbo that is at best llame heart adjacent does not cause lfqw. jJst because it looks like gains were made only for casters when you ignore a ton of stuff made for noncasters along with the design elements presented in 5e itself does not either...