Burning Hands: For the Hands-On Arsonist
Spell Level: 1
School: Evocation
Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action
Range: Self
Duration: Instantaneous
Components: V, S
As you hold your hands with thumbs touching and fingers spread, a thin sheet of flames shoots forth from your outstretched fingertips. Each creature in a 15-foot cone must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The fire ignites any flammable objects in the area that aren’t being worn or carried.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.
Review by Sam West, Twitter:@CrierKobold
“Burn, yes BURN you festering fiends! Haha, AHAhaha, AHAHAHAHA!” - Grindlepop Toodlebops, Gnome wizard and convicted arsonist turned adventurer
Burning Hands is the 1st level Fireball. This is the damage to area standard every other spell at this level has to look towards to compete with. You’re getting a minimum of half of 3d6 damage to however many creatures you can fit in the cone for a 1st level slot; that’s big game at 1st level.
3d6 averages to about 10 damage meaning Burning Hands fairly reliably outright kills creatures with 5 hit points or fewer, regardless of their save results. Did a group of poison snakes drop on your head? Kill them all. Is a group of twig blights poking you where they shouldn’t be? Start a bonfire with their corpses. Giant rats in the basement causing the local innkeeper some strife? ROASTED RAT IS ON THE MENU TONIGHT!
This is a DMs introduction to area of effect damage; if you’re planning a fight around every player getting to attack one thing a round, you’re going to be in for a wild turn of events when the wizard instantly kills all of your bandits with a single well placed cone of fire. If you want to deal damage as a sorcerer, wizard, light domain cleric, wildfire druid, or fiend or genie warlock, Burning Hands is THE first level spell for you. Give it a whirl if you haven’t yet. Fair warning, though: whoever lives through the flamethrower hands is going to most certainly do whatever they can to return the favor.
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