Lightning Bolt is a 3rd-level evocation spell for sorcerers and wizards. It blasts a line 100 feet long and 5 feet wide out from you. Each creature in the line makes a Dexterity saving throw, taking 8d6 lightning damage on a failure (28 on average) or half on a success. Each slot level above 3rd adds 1d6.
Lightning Bolt is a 3rd-level evocation spell that deals the same 8d6 damage as Fireball, shaped as a long, narrow line. Sorcerers and wizards can cast it from 5th level, when they get 3rd-level slots.
The line starts at you and runs 100 feet in the direction you choose. That shape is the whole decision. It is great in corridors, on bridges, and against enemies who charge in single file. It is poor against a loose crowd in an open room, where Fireball's 20-foot-radius sphere catches more targets.
The line also gives you control. You can aim past an ally in melee by picking a straight path that misses them, which a sphere cannot do.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Level | 3 |
| School | Evocation |
| Casting Time | 1 action |
| Range | Self (100-foot line) |
| Components | V, S, M |
| Material | A bit of fur and a rod of amber, crystal, or glass. |
| Duration | Instantaneous |
| Concentration | No |
| Ritual | No |
| Save/Attack | DEX |
| Classes | Sorcerer, Wizard |
| Metric | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Slot Efficiency | Strong when it hits three or more creatures. About 22 expected damage per target in the example below. |
| Action Economy | One action, no concentration, damage on every creature in the line. |
| Opportunity Cost | Competes with Fireball, Counterspell, Hypnotic Pattern, and Haste for 3rd-level slots. |
When worth the slot: Three or more enemies in a row, especially in corridors, doorways, or on a charge.
When NOT worth the slot: One or two targets, or enemies that resist lightning.
Why it works: You choose the direction from where you stand. A few steps to the side often turns a two-target bolt into a four-target bolt.
This avoids the mistake of: Casting from your starting square and catching only the front enemy.
Why it works: Enemies in narrow spaces must stand in a line. The bolt's 100-foot length reaches the whole column.
This avoids the mistake of: Saving it for the open boss room where Fireball would be better.
Why it works: A 5-foot-wide line can pass right next to an ally without touching their square. A 20-foot-radius sphere usually cannot.
This avoids the mistake of: Holding your damage spell because the fighter is in the way.
Why it's bad: Every creature in the line makes a save. The bolt does not stop or bounce.
Do this instead: Count every creature on the full 100-foot path, including allies.
Why it's bad: A creature behind total cover is outside the area. Half cover gives +2 to the Dexterity save, and three-quarters cover gives +5.
Do this instead: Aim lines that avoid pillars and walls between you and the targets.
Why it's bad: It does not. A line's point of origin is not included in its area unless you choose otherwise.
Do this instead: Stand where you need to. The line starts from you and goes outward.
The 2024 Lightning Bolt still deals 8d6 lightning damage in a 100-foot-long, 5-foot-wide line, with a Dexterity save for half and 1d6 more per slot level above 3rd. The class list is still Sorcerer and Wizard.
The small changes: the material component is now a bit of fur and a crystal rod, and the line about igniting flammable objects is gone. The Range entry reads Self, and the line length is in the description.
Druids in the 2024 Circle of the Land who choose temperate land have Lightning Bolt prepared from 5th level. The 2024 Evoker keeps Sculpt Spells, now at 6th level, and adds Empowered Evocation, which adds your Intelligence modifier to one damage roll.
It deals 8d6 lightning damage on a failed Dexterity save, which averages 28. A successful save halves it, about 14 on average. Each slot level above 3rd adds 1d6.
They deal the same 8d6 damage. Fireball covers a 20-foot-radius sphere up to 150 feet away. Lightning Bolt is a 100-foot line from you. Fireball usually hits more creatures in the open, and Lightning Bolt is better in corridors and when allies are nearby.
Yes, if they are in the line. It affects every creature in its area. An evocation wizard can use Sculpt Spells to protect up to four creatures at 3rd level.
The line is 5 feet wide and 100 feet long. It starts at you and goes in a direction you choose.
No. The spell has no rule for bouncing or reflecting. It affects creatures in the line and stops at the end of the 100 feet or at total cover.
Not from the druid spell list. In the 2024 rules, a Circle of the Land druid who picks temperate land has it prepared from 5th level.
Under the 2014 rules, yes. It ignites flammable objects in the line that are not worn or carried. The 2024 version drops that sentence.
Yes. Both the 2014 and 2024 rules say to roll damage once for all creatures hit by the same effect at the same time. Each creature then takes the full roll or half, depending on its save.
Citations: SRD 5.1 (Lightning Bolt, Areas of Effect, Damage Rolls, Sculpt Spells); SRD 5.2.1 (Lightning Bolt, Line, Circle of the Land, Evoker)
Includes SRD 5.1 and SRD 5.2.1 content per CC BY 4.0.
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