Elemental Expansions

Lightning Spells

The elements are a fundamental part of spellcasting in much of fantasy. Yet, 5e tends to lack in options for casters trying to focus on elements other than fire. Whether you wish to create an elemental specialist, or simply wish for new options for destroying your foes, I hope you find the following useful.

Lightning magic already has some heavy-hitting spells, like the eponymous lightning bolt. However, yet again, some spell levels have no lightning spells at all. These new additions do not seek to usurp spells that are already beloved, but only to provide more options to the discerning mage.

Spell list by level

Level	Spells
Cantrip	Grounding Bolt
1	Conducting Shock
2	Lightning-Flash Strike
3	Crackling Smite
4	Spark Wraiths
5	Fulgurise
6	Lightning Reflex
7	Blightning
8	Ionic Curse
9	Ride the Lightning

Art by Raymond Swanland

Spell Descriptions

Grounding Bolt

Evocation cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 90 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Artificer, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

You send a jolt towards a creature you can see within range, which punishes those who dare fly through your skies. The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d8 lightning damage. If the target is flying or floating in the air, it instead takes 1d12 lightning damage.

At higher levels. The spell’s damage increases by one die when you reach 5th level (2d8 or 2d12), 11th level (3d8 or 3d12), and 17th level (4d8 or 4d12).

Conducting Shock

1st-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Artificer, Sorcerer, Wizard

A creature you can see within range becomes the origin of a current which spreads to those nearby. The target and each creature adjacent to it must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature takes 2d8 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the lightning damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1st.

Lightning-Flash Strike

2nd-level conjuration

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: S, M (a melee weapon worth at least 1 sp)
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Artificer, Cleric, Ranger, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

You disappear and reappear at the end of a 5 foot wide straight line that ends at an unoccupied point you can see within range. Make a melee attack with the weapon used in the spell’s casting against one creature in the line, ignoring your weapon's range. Each creature of your choice in the line must then make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 2d6 lightning damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the lightning damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 2nd.

Art by Christopher Moeller

Crackling Smite

3rd-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: Self
Components: V
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Classes: Paladin

The next time you hit a creature with a weapon attack before this spell ends, your weapon seethes with electric arcs, and the attack deals an extra 3d8 lightning damage.

Additionally, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or drop any items or creatures it is holding and fall prone.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the lightning damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 3rd.

Spark Wraiths

4th-level conjuration

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 5 feet
Components: V, S,
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

You summon three short-lived lightning elementals at unoccupied space within range. Although they are really creatures, and class features that affect summoning can treat them as such, in combat they are treated as small levitating objects with AC 16 and 15 hit points. The wraiths also shed dim light out to a radius of 10 feet.

When you cast the spell, you designate a direction for each wraith to travel in. Additionally, you can choose any number of creatures you can see to be ignored by the wraiths. At the end of each of your turns, the spark wraiths travel 30 feet in their chosen direction. If a wraith is ever within 10 feet of a creature that is small or larger, it emits a loud shriek and enters the nearest square of the creature's space, tethering itself to it.

A tethered wraith moves with the targeted creature, but can still be attacked and take damage. At the start of each of its turns, a tethered creature must make a Constitution saving throw or take 5d8 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature can only be tethered by one spark wraith; other spark wraiths ignore tethered creatures. The tether is broken if the spark wraith dissipates.

If the spark wraith collides with an obstacle that is 5 feet or wider before finding a creature or if it loses all its hit points, it dissipates harmlessly. When the spell ends, all the wraiths dissipate in such a way.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, you may create an additional wraith for each slot level above 4th.

Fulgurise

5th-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (A small fulgurite)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Classes: Artificer, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

You attempt to scorch a creature you can see within range with a powerful bolt. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw. It takes 8d10 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. If the target survives this damage, the spell ends.

If the target is killed by this spell, its remains are turned into a scorched effigy wreathed in electric energy. Until the spell ends, you can use a bonus action on each of your turns to cause electricity to arc from the effigy to each creature within 20 feet of it. Each creature in range must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 4d10 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

Additionally, for the duration, you can cast spells that deal lightning damage as though you were in the effigy's space, but you must use your own senses.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the lightning damage of both the initial effect and the bonus action effect increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 5th.

Art by Dominik Mayer

Lightning Reflex

6th-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (An hour-glass filled with quicksilver, worth at least 300 gp)
Duration: 1 hour
Classes: Bard, Cleric, Druid

You bestow your allies with supernatural reflexes, making them ready to react to the slightest hint of danger. Choose up to five willing creatures in range. If one of the creatures would make a Dexterity saving throw or an initiative roll, its reflexes kick in and grant it advantage on the roll. If this causes the creature to succeed on a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, they instead take no damage. Whenever the effects of the spell are triggered for a creature, the creature then has its speed doubled until the end of its next turn.

A creature can only safely benefit from this spell once every 24 hours. For every successive casting beyond the first, the affected creatures suffers a level of exhaustion.

Art by Lie Setiawan

Blightning

7th-level necromancy

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self (30-foot cone)
Components: V, S, M (the skull of a creature killed by lightning)
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

You blast foes with vicious red lightning, charged with negative energy. Each creature in a 30-foot cone must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 6d6 lightning damage and 6d6 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. A living creature that fails the save is suffused with necrotic energy. Whenever such a creature would regain hit points or gain temporary hit points, it instead gains half as many. A Remove Curse, Greater Restoration, or Wish spell can end this effect.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 8th level or higher, the lightning damage and the necrotic damage each increase by 1d6 for each slot level above 7th.

Ionic Curse

8th-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 300 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Classes: Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

You alter the composition of any number of creatures you can see in a 100-foot radius sphere, rendering them prone to catastrophic electric discharges. Each target must make a Constitution saving throw or be affected. The affected creatures are surrounded by a faint blue glow, their hair stands up and any loose clothing is blown about. Whenever an affected creature is hit by an attack or hits another creature with a melee attack, it takes 1d6 lightning damage.

Ride the Lightning

9th-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (an object that has been struck by natural lightning)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Classes: Sorcerer, Wizard

You channel calamitous voltage through your body, allowing you to briefly become lightning itself. For the spell's duration, you are immune to lightning damage.

As a bonus action on each of your turns, you transform into lightning and instantly travel in a straight line up to 300 feet in any direction, rematerializing at the end of the line. Each creature in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 8d8 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. Objects in the line take the damage as well. If an object would block the path of the line as you travel along it, if it takes enough damage from this spell to destroy a 5-foot square path through it, you can continue traveling. Otherwise, you materialize in front of the obstruction.

If you rematerialize while in mid-air, you may levitate in that space until the end of your next turn or until you transform into lightning again, as arcs of electricity hold you aloft.