Sacred Flame
Cantrip evocation · 1d8 Radiant damage, average 4.5
4.5 average Radiant damage · 1–8
Roll Sacred Flame
Press a roll button. The dice land here.
Spell details
- Level
- Cantrip
- School
- Evocation
- Casting time
- Action
- Range
- 60 feet
- Components
- V, S
- Duration
- Instantaneous
- Classes
- Cleric
- Save
- Dexterity
Sacred Flame is the cantrip that finds the goblin behind the wall
At the table. Sacred Flame is the Cleric's damage cantrip: an action, 60 feet, a Dexterity save or 1d8 Radiant damage, rising to 4d8 at character level 17. There's no attack roll, so it never misses on a 1 and never crits on a 20. Its trick is cover: the target gets no benefit from Half Cover or Three-Quarters Cover on the save.
What changed from 2014. Almost nothing. SRD 5.1 said "no benefit from cover"; SRD 5.2.1 names Half and Three-Quarters Cover. Total Cover still blocks it, because you still need to see the target.
How it compares. We ran a level 1 cleric (save DC 13) against a 1d10 attack cantrip at +5:
| Target | Sacred Flame | 1d10 attack cantrip |
|---|---|---|
| Dex +0, AC 15, in the open | 2.70 | 3.03 |
| Dex +2, AC 15, in the open | 2.25 | 3.03 |
| Same target, Half Cover (AC 17) | 2.25 | 2.48 |
| Same target, Three-Quarters Cover (AC 20) | 2.25 | 1.65 |
Out in the open, the attack roll wins. Once the archer ducks behind an arrow slit, Sacred Flame pulls ahead and stays there.
The choice that matters is who you aim it at. Radiant fire falls on nimble targets the least: a Dex +4 skirmisher fails DC 13 only 40 percent of the time. Heavy-armoured brutes and slow Undead with poor Dexterity are where it shines, and plenty of Undead carry no Radiant resistance.
The common mistake is casting it at the rogue on the rooftop because it "can't be dodged". It can. The save is the dodge. What it ignores is the wall, not the reflexes.
The human angle. Players love the flame that comes down from above on the enemy who hid. Lerner and Miller's review of just-world research found people want to believe others get what they deserve, and they read events to fit that belief. A cantrip that reaches past the barricade to the crossbowman who's been sniping at the wizard all fight feels less like a spell and more like justice. No cover from on high, and no refunds either.
Source: Lerner, M. J., & Miller, D. T. (1978). Just world research and the attribution process: Looking back and ahead. Psychological Bulletin, 85(5), 1030–1051. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.85.5.1030
Sacred Flame damage by level
| Character level | Dice | Average | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1–4 | 4.5 | 1–8 | |
| Level 5–10 | 9 | 2–16 | |
| Level 11–16 | 13.5 | 3–24 | |
| Level 17+ | 18 | 4–32 |
The odds of 1d8
| Total | Chance |
|---|---|
| 3 or more | 75% |
| 5 or more | 50% |
| 6 or more | 38% |
| 7 or more | 25% |
Rules text
Flame-like radiance descends on a creature that you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take Radiant damage. The target gains no benefit from Half Cover or Three-Quarters Cover for this save.
Cantrip Upgrade. The damage increases by when you reach levels 5 (), 11 (), and 17 ().
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.