Skip to main content

Cone Of Cold

← Back to Spell List

Cone of Cold
  • Level: 5
  • School: Evocation
  • Class: Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard
  • Casting Time: Action
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V, S, M (a small crystal or glass cone)
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You unleash a blast of cold air. Each creature in a 60-foot cone originating from you makes a Constitution saving throw, taking 8d8 Cold damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature killed by this spell becomes a frozen statue until it thaws.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. The damage increases by 1d8 for each spell slot level above 5.

Tactical Usage​

Area Damage: Cone of Cold delivers massive cold damage in a wide cone, perfect for hitting multiple enemies. This 5th-level evocation spell excels at crowd control through high damage and dramatic battlefield impact.

Optimal Timing: Most effective against grouped enemies or when you can position for maximum targets in the cone. The large area makes positioning crucial.

Resource Management: Uses a 5th-level spell slot - available from character level 9+. The simple material component makes this accessible for repeated use.

Target Selection: Position to maximize enemy inclusion while avoiding allies. The 60-foot cone requires careful positioning for optimal coverage.

Spell Combinations​

Synergistic Spells:

  • Positioning Spells: Use misty step or teleportation to get optimal cone placement
  • Crowd Control: Combine with effects that group enemies together
  • Follow-up Damage: Use after softening targets with other area spells

Class Feature Interactions:

  • Elemental Affinity (Draconic Sorcerer): No direct cold damage bonus unless specific dragon ancestry
  • Sculpt Spells (Evocation Wizard): Cannot exclude allies from the area of effect
  • Metamagic: Heightened spell for crucial saves, careful spell cannot help (evocation)

Multi-Caster Coordination: Multiple cone spells can create overlapping damage zones for comprehensive area coverage.

Material Component Details​

Component Acquisition: Small crystal or glass cone - available from component suppliers, jewelers, or crafted from clear materials.

Component Handling: Reusable focus that's easy to carry. Consider backup components in case of loss or breakage.

Roleplay Opportunities: Different crystal types might create unique visual effects or connect to character background in magical crafting.

Economic Considerations: Low initial cost with no ongoing expenses makes this economically efficient for regular use.

Creator Notes​

Encounter Balancing: High damage area effect can dramatically swing encounters. Consider enemy positioning and hit point totals when designing encounters.

NPC Usage: Powerful spellcasters can use this to threaten clustered parties or control chokepoints in tactical situations.

Environmental Considerations: Cold damage might have additional effects in certain environments (freezing water, affecting fire-based creatures).

Campaign Integration: Excellent for dramatic moments, siege warfare, or any encounter where area damage creates tactical advantages.

Environmental Interactions​

Terrain Effects: Narrow corridors maximize targets in cone. Open areas allow better positioning but enemies can spread out.

Weather Influence: Cold environments might enhance thematic impact. Hot environments create dramatic temperature contrasts.

Structural Interactions: The cone extends from you, so walls and barriers can limit effective targeting options.

Elemental Interactions: Particularly effective against fire-based creatures. Water in the area might freeze, creating difficult terrain.

Common Rulings & Clarifications​

Timing Questions: Instantaneous effect with immediate damage resolution. Frozen statue effect is permanent until thawing occurs.

Target Limitations: Affects all creatures in cone area - cannot exclude allies from cold damage.

Duration Interactions: Damage is instant, but creatures killed become frozen statues until they thaw naturally or magically.

Mechanical Interactions: Constitution saving throw targets physical resilience. Half damage on successful saves still provides significant impact.

Alternative Applications​

Non-Combat Uses: Environmental manipulation (freezing water), emergency cooling, or clearing vegetation through frost damage.

Social Encounters: Threatening large groups, though lethal cold damage typically escalates rather than resolves conflicts.

Exploration Applications: Create ice bridges by freezing water, preserve materials through flash-freezing, or clear paths through vegetation.

Utility Functions: Large-scale refrigeration, ice production for preservation, or environmental temperature control.

Same School: Other evocation spells like fireball (3rd level fire damage), lightning bolt (3rd level line damage), meteor swarm (9th level multiple areas).

Similar Effects: burning hands (1st level cone fire), lightning bolt (3rd level line lightning), fireball (3rd level sphere fire).

Progression Options: burning hands (1st level cone), fireball (3rd level sphere), meteor swarm (9th level ultimate area damage).

Complementary Magic: misty step (positioning), counterspell (protection), shield (personal defense).

Scaling Analysis​

Level Progression: Excellent damage scaling with upcast makes this valuable throughout high-level play.

Upcast Benefits: Additional 1d8 damage per level makes 6th-9th level casting very potent (9d8→10d8→11d8→12d8).

Campaign Phases: Peak effectiveness in mid-to-high level play where the damage remains threatening to most enemies.

Comparative Value: Solid damage option that competes with other 5th-level spells but provides unique cone targeting.

Narrative Flavor​

Casting Description: Crystalline focus channels arctic winds as a blast of supernaturally cold air erupts in a devastating cone of freezing energy.

Effect Manifestation: Enemies caught in the blast are instantly covered in frost and ice as the temperature plummets dramatically around them.

Personal Style: Wizards might create precise geometric cold patterns, while sorcerers unleash wild, chaotic blasts, and druids channel winter's fury.

World Integration: Represents advanced elemental magic that manipulates temperature and ice, often associated with arctic regions, winter magic, or elemental mastery.