Lightning Bolt
3rd-level evocation · 8d6 Lightning damage, average 28
28 average Lightning damage · 8–48
Roll Lightning Bolt
Press a roll button. The dice land here.
Spell details
- Level
- 3rd-level
- School
- Evocation
- Casting time
- Action
- Range
- Self
- Components
- V, S, M (a bit of fur and a crystal rod)
- Duration
- Instantaneous
- Classes
- Sorcerer, Wizard
- Save
- Dexterity (half on success)
Lightning Bolt damage by level
| Cast at | Dice | Average | Range | On a save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd slot | 28 | 8–48 | 13.8 | |
| 4th slot | 31.5 | 9–54 | 15.5 | |
| 5th slot | 35 | 10–60 | 17.2 | |
| 6th slot | 38.5 | 11–66 | 19 | |
| 7th slot | 42 | 12–72 | 20.8 | |
| 8th slot | 45.5 | 13–78 | 22.5 | |
| 9th slot | 49 | 14–84 | 24.2 |
“On a save” is the average of half each roll, rounded down, as the rules do it.
The odds of 8d6
| Total | Chance |
|---|---|
| 18 or more | 99% |
| 28 or more | 54% |
| 38 or more | 2% |
| 44 or more | <1% |
Lightning Bolt against other 3rd-level damage spells
By average damage on one target, Lightning Bolt ranks 2nd of 9 3rd-level damage spells in the SRD. Area, saves and riders are not counted here; read each spell.
| Spell | Dice | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Fireball | 8d6 | 28 |
| Lightning Bolt | 8d6 | 28 |
| Meld into Stone | 6d6 | 21 |
| Wind Wall | 4d8 | 18 |
| Call Lightning | 3d10 | 16.5 |
| Conjure Animals | 3d10 | 16.5 |
| Spirit Guardians | 3d8 | 13.5 |
| Vampiric Touch | 3d6 | 10.5 |
| Bestow Curse | 1d8 | 4.5 |
Rules text
A stroke of lightning forming a 100-foot-long, 5-foot-wide Line blasts out from you in a direction you choose. Each creature in the Line makes a Dexterity saving throw, taking Lightning damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.
At higher levels. The damage increases by for each spell slot level above 3.
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.