D&D 5E Best and Worst Damage Types

[Zardnaar]

In general I thought radiant and force damage were the best to use with cold being one of the worst.

Fire deals the most damage but it's also one if the more common resistances.

Well I was partly right.

What are the most and least-resisted damage types?

Inspired by these related questions, as well as my previous question on the matter, I'm curious what the most and least resisted damage types are in DnD 5e? Ideally I am looking for a list similar ...

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Poison is the worst.


Now damage type isn't the only thing. What type of saves matter. In general con saves are bad (as in using effects best save in game to have).

What is the distribution of monster save proficiencies?

Worst to best saves to Target.

Con
Str
Dex
Wisdom
Charisma
Int

So what to Target?

If you're not sure target mental stats, con saves maybe avoid. Avoid Dex saves if you can if they have light armor, strength saves if they're in heavy. Size L and larger also avoid str and con saves.

Cross-referencing a lot of cold and poison saves are also con saved and are common types resisted. Avoid making a Dragon Sorcerer if these types. There's also a lack of spells although cold has a few mediocre options with Xanathars.

So looking at the next somewhat coming stuff.

Fire. Just so efficient and lots of options. And you get fireball so this is the "best" so far.

The only other boom spell at low levels comparable is lightning bolt. There's also a shortage of lightning based spells but it's more reliable than fire.

They also lack a ranged lightning cantrip. With SCAG though you have access to two melee lightning cantrips and with chromatic orb and dragons breath you have enough spells level 1-3 to play a lightning sorcerer that could not suck.

Acid, necrotic and Thunder are the next best options but lack spells espicially in the level 3 slots with no fireball equivalent. Necrotic immunities and resistance are mostly undead and necrotic effects are often good single targets.

Psychic, radiant and force round out the list with force and radiant being the best types.

Worst to best

Poison
Cold
Fire
Lightning
Acid
Necrotic
Thunder
Psychic
Radiant
Force

Note this is in general. Fire is better than it's placement here due to its spell list. Classes like Sorcerers and Death clerics are rewarded with various effects. Fire and Lightning Sorcerers are viable recommend lightning/divine soul for a melee build or fire for range.

 

[aco175]

This is good. Not sure how much my players pick spells based on this though. Fire seems to be more chosen with a back up of something just in case.

Is there anything with spells that save for half being better than save for 0 and how that affects the type of spell chosen and how these rank?

 

[Zardnaar]

This is good. Not sure how much my players pick spells based on this though. Fire seems to be more chosen with a back up of something just in case.

Is there anything with spells that save for half being better than save for 0 and how that affects the type of spell chosen and how these rank?

Fire has the best AoE but resilence/immunity is common.

It also does the most damage. Burning hands is equal to dragons breathe lvl 2 but DB has other energy options.

 

[Arvok]

The one thing about fire damage is that you don't even need to be a spell caster to use it. A few flasks of oil and a torch and you can set things ablaze. That's important for a low magic setting.

The downside to fire damage is that it can get out of hand in certain places (urban areas and on ship come to mind) pretty easily. Accidental fires killed an awful lot of people in medieval (and even early modern) Europe.

If your DM is cruel (or realistic), you might find you're suddenly dealing with a conflagration you can't handle.

 

[RSIxidor]

They also lack a ranged lightning cantrip. With SCAG though you have access to two melee lightning cantrips and with chromatic orb and dragons breath you have enough spells level 1-3 to play a lightning sorcerer that could not suck.

Only one lightning cantrip in SCAG, Lightning Lure. Booming Blade is thunder. SCAG also gives a force-dealing cantrip, Sword Burst. EDIT: Wait, unless you were referring to Shocking Grasp as the other and I misunderstood what you meant. Also, if so, reminds me that we also have a second Thunder cantrip, Thunder Clap, but it's a CON save.

 

[Zardnaar]

Only one lightning cantrip in SCAG, Lightning Lure. Booming Blade is thunder. SCAG also gives a force-dealing cantrip, Sword Burst. EDIT: Wait, unless you were referring to Shocking Grasp as the other and I misunderstood what you meant. Also, if so, reminds me that we also have a second Thunder cantrip, Thunder Clap, but it's a CON save.

Yes I meant lightning lure and shocking grasp.

I've worked out a rough dragon sorcerer build (fire) but it would work with lightning as well. Not a great idea with the default array.

 

[RogueJK]

The only other boom spell at low levels comparable is lightning bolt. There's also a shortage of lightning based spells but it's more reliable than fire.

Call Lightning is a great 3rd level blasting spell (when usable). You can only cast it outdoors or in large indoor areas, but while it doesn't go as much damage as Fireball in one round, it does more damage on average per spell slot.

For one 3rd (or 4th/5th/etc. if upcast) spell slot, you get up to 10 minutes of lightning bolts, once per round. Each bolt does 3d10 damage (with an additional d10 per upcast level). So in 2 rounds, you've outdamaged a Fireball on average (33 vs. 28), and everything past that is all gravy.

It's a great spell and an extremely efficient use of a spell slot, which is only really balanced by the limits imposed on where it can be used and the fact that most classes don't get it. It's only available to Druids and Tempest Clerics (and Bards through Magical Secret). So yes, Blaster Caster Wizards/Sorcerers are limited to Lightning Bolt for 3rd level Lightning AoE spells.

Acid, necrotic and Thunder are the next best options but lack spells espicially in the level 3 slots with no fireball equivalent.

Shatter is Thunder Damage, and can stand in for Fireball as a viable AoE spell in some cases.

Most notably, a Tempest Cleric casting a Maximized Shatter in a 3rd level slot does more damage than the average 3rd level Fireball from a Sorcerer/Wizard (32 vs. 28).

Otherwise, it's basically "Diet Fireball" for Bards and Warlocks who want a 2nd/3rd level AoE spell option, since they get Shatter but not Fireball on their spell list.

 

[Zardnaar]

Call Lightning is a great 3rd level blasting spell (when usable). You can only cast it outdoors or in large indoor areas, but while it doesn't go as much damage as Fireball in one round, it does more damage on average per spell slot.

For one 3rd (or 4th/5th/etc. if upcast) spell slot, you get up to 10 minutes of lightning bolts, once per round. Each bolt does 3d10 damage (with an additional d10 per upcast level). So in 3 rounds, you've outdamaged a Fireball, and everything past that is all gravy.

It's a great spell and an extremely efficient use of a spell slot, which is only really balanced by the limits imposed on where it can be used and the fact that most classes don't get it. It's only available to Druids and Tempest Clerics (and Bards through Magical Secret). So yes, Blaster Caster Wizards/Sorcerers are limited to Lightning Bolt for 3rd level Lightning AoE spells.



Shatter is Thunder Damage, and can stand in for Fireball as a viable AoE spell in some cases.

Most notably, a Tempest Cleric casting a Maximized Shatter in a 3rd level slot does more damage than the average 3rd level Fireball (32 vs. 28).

It's also basically "Diet Fireball" for Bards and Warlocks who want an AoE option, since they get Shatter but not Fireball on their spell list.

Never said those spells don't exist there's a relative lack of them. Even on the Tempest cleric they gave a grand total of 1 which is shatter. 1.5 if you count destructive wave.

And shatters a con save worst save to Target and call lightning doesn't work under ground.

So they have drawbacks. Only real drawback of fire is immunities and resistance and friendly fire as they tend to be bigger area than the other types.

Thunderwave is interesting deals the same damage roughly as an upcast (lvl2) burning hands. Has a built in drawback and may as well gave another one with con saves.

 

[RogueJK]

Another option for a Sorcerer is the new UA Variant Class Feature Metamagic option "Elemental Spell". This allows you to spend Spell Points to substitute an element in a spell for another element. So you can have that Thunderball, or Chain Coldning, or the like.

That really opens up the options if you're going for a Draconic/Elemental Adept build focusing on one element.

 

[Zardnaar]

Another option for a Sorcerer is the new UA Variant Class Feature Metamagic option "Elemental Substitution". This allows you to spend Spell Points to swap any element in a spell for another element. So you can have that Thunderball, or Chain Coldning, or the like.

I allow a 3pp feat that does the same thing.

Frostball coming up (and a Dex save).

I think it only applies to fire, cold, lightning, acid, poison though.