Meteor Swarm

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• Level: 9
• School: Evocation
• Class: Sorcerer, Wizard
• Casting Time: Action
• Range: 1 mile
• Components: V, S
• Duration: Instantaneous

Blazing orbs of fire plummet to the ground at four different points you can see within range. Each creature in a 40-foot-radius Sphere centered on each of those points makes a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 20d6 Fire damage and 20d6 Bludgeoning damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature in the area of more than one fiery Sphere is affected only once.

A nonmagical object that isn't being worn or carried also takes the damage if it's in the spell's area, and the object starts burning if it's flammable.

Tactical Usage

Meteor Swarm represents the ultimate expression of destructive magical power, capable of devastating entire armies, fortifications, or large groups of enemies with overwhelming force from extreme range. Use it to eliminate multiple dangerous enemy concentrations simultaneously, as the four impact points can cover vast areas of battlefield terrain. The spell excels at breaking enemy formations, destroying siege equipment, and clearing fortified positions that would otherwise require extensive tactical maneuvering to overcome. Apply it against enemy strongholds, camps, or gatherings where maximum destruction is needed to achieve strategic objectives. The 1-mile range allows casting from complete safety, preventing enemy retaliation while delivering catastrophic damage to distant targets. Use it to destroy environmental obstacles, clear paths through dense terrain, or eliminate large structures that impede party progress. The spell serves as the ultimate intimidation tool, demonstrating magical power capable of reshaping landscapes and eliminating entire military units.

Spell Combinations

Meteor Swarm synergizes devastatingly with divination magic that reveals enemy positions and concentrations, allowing precise targeting for maximum tactical impact. Combine it with battlefield control spells cast beforehand to cluster enemies into optimal impact zones, dramatically increasing the destruction potential. The spell works excellently with protective magic that shields allies from the massive blast effects, preventing friendly fire during coordinated assaults. Use it alongside teleportation or dimension door effects to position for optimal targeting angles while maintaining escape routes from potential retaliation. Pair it with spell slot recovery abilities or magical items to maintain access to ultimate destruction throughout extended campaigns. The spell complements other 9th-level magic by providing the raw destructive power needed to eliminate threats that survive other ultimate magical effects. Combine with weather control magic to enhance targeting conditions or create additional environmental chaos that amplifies the spell's battlefield impact.

Material Component Details

Meteor Swarm requires only verbal and somatic components, making it the most accessible ultimate destruction spell without material cost restrictions or complex component requirements. The lack of material components ensures availability even in extreme circumstances where equipment has been compromised or when casting under severe environmental constraints. The somatic component involves grand gestures that channel cosmic forces and celestial energies, requiring dramatic arm movements that call down destruction from the heavens above. Some practitioners prefer to use focuses made from meteorite fragments or celestial materials, believing they enhance the connection to cosmic forces and increase the spell's destructive potential. The straightforward component requirements ensure reliability even when facing enemies that target spellcasting materials or attempt to disrupt complex magical procedures. The verbal component involves incantations that seem to shake the very fabric of reality, potentially alerting enemies to the impending devastation but offering no means of escape from the cosmic forces being summoned.

Creator Notes

Meteor Swarm represents the pinnacle of destructive magical power and requires extremely careful encounter and campaign design to maintain meaningful challenges and narrative stakes. The spell's ability to deliver 40d6 damage across multiple areas can completely eliminate entire encounters, armies, or even small settlements with a single casting. When designing high-level scenarios, consider the spell's potential to bypass complex tactical situations and whether enemies should have magical defenses, early warning systems, or dispersal tactics. The spell creates dramatic climactic moments where cosmic intervention can reshape entire battlefields and determine the fate of kingdoms or planar conflicts. Be prepared for players to reserve this spell for the most critical moments, and design encounters that provide multiple crisis points where its use becomes meaningful rather than trivial. The spell's range and power make it suitable for conflicts involving demigods, apocalyptic threats, or reality-altering dangers that justify such overwhelming magical force.

Environmental Interactions

The massive meteor impacts create permanent alterations to the landscape, leaving impact craters, igniting widespread fires, and potentially triggering avalanches, earthquakes, or other geological disasters. The spell functions normally regardless of weather conditions, though atmospheric effects might create spectacular visual displays as the meteors streak through storms or clear skies. Areas of strong magical influence might interact with the cosmic energies, potentially creating enhanced destruction or unpredictable magical effects in zones of wild magic. The spell works across planar boundaries if targets are visible, allowing devastating attacks on creatures in adjacent planes or pocket dimensions. Underground casting might cause massive structural damage to cavern systems, potentially collapsing entire dungeon complexes or cave networks. The fire damage component ignites flammable materials across vast areas, potentially creating environmental hazards that persist long after the initial magical effects end.

Common Rulings & Clarifications

You can see the four impact points within the 1-mile range, requiring line of sight to the target areas but not necessarily to specific creatures within those areas. Each creature can only be affected once regardless of how many blast radius areas they occupy, preventing overlapping damage calculations. The spell affects all creatures within the blast radius areas regardless of size, allegiance, or magical protections unless they have specific immunity to the damage types. Nonmagical objects automatically take full damage and begin burning if flammable, potentially creating lasting environmental effects beyond the immediate magical impact. The spell's effects are instantaneous, preventing most forms of magical protection that require reaction time or preparation phases. Cover and concealment provide no protection against the spell's effects, as the cosmic impacts affect everything within the designated areas regardless of physical barriers. The massive scale of destruction typically triggers automatic structure collapses, equipment destruction, and terrain alterations that affect subsequent encounter dynamics.

Alternative Applications

Beyond direct combat destruction, Meteor Swarm serves numerous strategic and narrative purposes throughout campaign scenarios requiring ultimate magical intervention. Use it to eliminate apocalyptic threats, demonic invasions, or cosmic horrors that endanger entire planes of existence and require the most powerful magical responses available. The spell proves invaluable for large-scale military operations where conventional tactics would result in massive casualties or prolonged conflicts requiring swift resolution. Apply it to destroy cursed locations, corrupted temples, or areas of concentrated evil that resist normal purification attempts and require complete magical obliteration. The spell can serve as the ultimate deterrent in diplomatic situations, demonstrating the capacity for devastating retaliation that encourages peaceful resolutions to conflicts. Use it for environmental engineering on a massive scale, clearing mountain passes, creating new waterways, or reshaping terrain for strategic or survival purposes. The spell provides opportunities for legendary moments that define character legacies and campaign histories through demonstrations of ultimate magical mastery.

Related Spells

Meteor Swarm stands at the absolute pinnacle of destructive evocation magic, representing the ultimate expression of arcane power available through standard spellcasting methods. Compare it to other 9th-level destruction spells like Disintegrate or Power Word Kill, which focus on single targets rather than area devastation. The spell relates to other cosmic magic like Wish, Gate, or Time Stop in terms of campaign-altering potential and strategic importance for high-level character capabilities. Consider it alongside other ultimate magical effects for comprehensive high-level spellcasting strategies, as it provides raw destructive power that complements other forms of reality manipulation. The spell connects to other area-effect destruction magic like Fireball, Lightning Bolt, or Chain Lightning, representing the ultimate evolution of such battlefield control techniques. Earthquake and similar environmental magic provide comparable large-scale effects but with different damage types and area configuration options. The spell represents the culmination of arcane mastery, available only to the most powerful wizards and sorcerers who have achieved legendary status in magical learning and practice.

Scaling Analysis

Meteor Swarm does not scale with higher-level spell slots as it already represents the ultimate expression of destructive magical power available through normal spellcasting. The spell's power level is calibrated for the most dangerous encounters and threats that justify access to reality-altering magical forces. Its effectiveness scales with tactical situation and enemy distribution, becoming more valuable when facing large numbers of powerful enemies or multiple significant threats requiring elimination. At the level where this spell becomes available, characters face cosmic threats, planar invasions, or apocalyptic dangers that warrant access to devastating magical firepower. The spell's strategic value increases in campaigns involving large-scale conflicts, planar adventures, or encounters with beings that threaten entire civilizations or reality itself. Consider the spell's impact compared to other 9th-level options, as choosing to prepare Meteor Swarm represents a significant commitment to offensive rather than utility or defensive magical capabilities.

Narrative Flavor

When cast, Meteor Swarm begins with the caster raising both arms toward the heavens while speaking words of cosmic summoning that seem to resonate with the very fabric of space and time. The spell manifests as four brilliant points of light that appear high in the sky, growing rapidly larger and brighter as they streak downward with increasing speed and intensity. Each meteor appears as a blazing orb of elemental fire and cosmic force, trailing streams of stellar energy that illuminate the entire battlefield with otherworldly radiance that can be seen for miles. The meteors accelerate through their descent, creating thunderous sonic booms that shake the ground and announce the impending devastation to all within hearing range. Upon impact, each meteor creates a massive explosion of fire and force that sends shockwaves rippling outward, accompanied by towering pillars of flame and debris that rise high into the air. The simultaneous impacts create a symphony of destruction that combines the roar of cosmic fire, the crash of shattering earth, and the screams of wind as the atmosphere itself reacts to the magical devastation. The aftermath leaves smoldering craters that glow with residual magical energy, scattered burning debris that continues to spread flames throughout the area, and a landscape permanently altered by the demonstration of ultimate arcane power that witnesses will remember and fear for generations to come.