Chain Lightning
6th-level evocation · 10d8 Lightning damage, average 45
45 average Lightning damage · 10–80
Roll Chain Lightning
Press a roll button. The dice land here.
Spell details
- Level
- 6th-level
- School
- Evocation
- Casting time
- Action
- Range
- 150 feet
- Components
- V, S, M (three silver pins)
- Duration
- Instantaneous
- Classes
- Sorcerer, Wizard
- Save
- Dexterity (half on success)
Chain Lightning damage by level
| Cast at | Dice | Average | Range | On a save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th slot | 45 | 10–80 | 22.3 |
“On a save” is the average of half each roll, rounded down, as the rules do it.
The odds of 10d8
| Total | Chance |
|---|---|
| 28 or more | 99% |
| 45 or more | 53% |
| 63 or more | 1% |
| 73 or more | <1% |
Chain Lightning against other 6th-level damage spells
By average damage on one target, Chain Lightning ranks 3rd of 9 6th-level damage spells in the SRD. Area, saves and riders are not counted here; read each spell.
| Spell | Dice | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Disintegrate | 10d6 + 40 | 75 |
| Harm | 14d6 | 49 |
| Chain Lightning | 10d8 | 45 |
| Circle of Death | 8d8 | 36 |
| Freezing Sphere | 10d6 | 35 |
| Wall of Ice | 10d6 | 35 |
| Blade Barrier | 6d10 | 33 |
| Wall of Thorns | 7d8 | 31.5 |
| Sunbeam | 6d8 | 27 |
Rules text
You launch a lightning bolt toward a target you can see within range. Three bolts then leap from that target to as many as three other targets of your choice, each of which must be within 30 feet of the first target. A target can be a creature or an object and can be targeted by only one of the bolts.
Each target makes a Dexterity saving throw, taking Lightning damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.
At higher levels. One additional bolt leaps from the first target to another target for each spell slot level above 6.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The averages, odds and tables are ours.