{"id":3762,"date":"2024-02-15T21:41:43","date_gmt":"2024-02-16T04:41:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/?p=3762"},"modified":"2025-06-13T14:58:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T21:58:12","slug":"dd-5e-rules-spells-moonbeam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/2024\/02\/dd-5e-rules-spells-moonbeam.html","title":{"rendered":"D&D 5e\/5.5e Rules – Spells: Moonbeam!<\/i>"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"KnowPart of an ongoing series of 5e (2014)<\/strong> Rules notes.<\/a>\u00a0 See the end of the post for notes on 5.5e (2024)<\/strong> rules.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

In my most recent campaign, the Druid’s\u00a0Moonbeam<\/em> was colloquially known (well, at least by me) as the Orbital Death Laser of Doom.<\/p>\n

It’s really not an exaggeration.<\/p>\n

\"orbital<\/a><\/p>\n

Let’s talk about Moonbeam<\/em><\/h1>\n

This is another one that has had some revising done on it since the original 5e release — so if you’re looking up material about it, make sure it’s referring to the “same” spell.<\/p>\n

Here’s the official description<\/a> for this Level 2 spell.<\/p>\n

A silvery beam of pale light shines down in a\u00a05<\/b>-foot-radius,\u00a040-foot-high Cylinder\u00a0centered on\u00a0a point<\/b>\u00a0within range [120 feet]. Until the spell ends, dim light fills the cylinder.<\/p>\n

When a creature enters<\/strong> the spell\u2019s area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn<\/strong> there, it is engulfed in ghostly flames that cause searing pain, and it must make a Constitution Saving Throw. It takes 2d10 radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.<\/p>\n

A Shapechanger makes its Saving Throw with Disadvantage. If it fails, it also instantly reverts to its original form and can\u2019t assume a different form until it leaves the spell\u2019s light.<\/p>\n

On each of your turns after you cast this spell, you can use an action to move the beam up to 60 feet in any direction.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Moonbeam<\/em>, like Lightning<\/em> …<\/h1>\n

This one has some similarities to\u00a0Call Lightning<\/i><\/a>, but some significant differences.<\/p>\n

\"Moonbeam<\/a>
Moonbeam (5′ radius) AoE token for grid combat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like CL<\/em>, the effect is a 5-foot radius<\/strong> centered on a grid intersection (i.e., 4 squares). The cylinder involved is 40 feet high, but there’s no verbiage (as in CL)<\/em> to indicate that if you are not in a 40-foot tall room, you can’t cast it; the height seems primarily oriented toward cases of dealing with flying creatures.<\/p>\n

While CL<\/em> allows the target radius to be moved anywhere under the cloud on the caster’s turn, Moonbeam<\/em>‘s cylinder can be moved by the caster (as an Action) in any direction 60 feet, as long as it remains within the 120 foot range from the caster on that turn. So while someone can run out from under CL<\/em>‘s cloud (which is immobile), the Moonbeam<\/em> caster could run after someone who was trying to get outside of that 120 range and move the beam on top of them again.<\/p>\n

Moonbeam<\/em> and damage<\/h1>\n

This is a little more difficult to glean from the spell description, and had to be more fully explained in an official Sage Advice Compendium<\/a>.\u00a0Damage is done to victims within the radius\u00a0<\/a>on <\/a>their <\/a><\/i>turn,<\/a>\u00a0not on the spell-caster’s turn<\/a>, i.e.:<\/p>\n