What spell/ability effectively does the most damage for each class?

[MarkVIIIMarc]

I think we go about this wrong sometimes. My question is what spell or ability does the most damage total Hit Point wise over the course of your campaign for each class.

For my level 5 Bard so far its almost certainly Thunderwave. Thunderwave has been on my spell list forever it seems. It always does SOME damage. It sometimes does 4D8 damage to multiple creatures, its great.

For our Wizard it has to be Fireball. Especially if you count the damage from the last forest fire he caused.

[imanidiot]

I think we go about this wrong sometimes. My question is what spell or ability does the most damage total Hit Point wise over the course of your campaign for each class.

For my level 5 Bard so far its almost certainly Thunderwave. Thunderwave has been on my spell list forever it seems. It always does SOME damage. It sometimes does 4D8 damage to multiple creatures, its great.

For our Wizard it has to be Fireball. Especially if you count the damage from the last forest fire he caused.

Almost certainly whatever your main attack cantrip is for full casters. It just gets used so much more often.

[Chugger]

Healing Word does the most damage. I cast it and bring someone back from the brink of death (zero health) - the pop back on their feet - and they go on killing monsters! Then they rest and go on killing even more monsters - all because I healed them for 1d4 + x! Amazing!

[Laserlight]

My most devastating ability is "guiding the pack of murderhobos who follow me around."

[JNAProductions]

Technically, I think Quivering Palm does the most damage, since it's a Save or Die ability.

[Asmotherion]

Technically, a cleric casting Forbidance in front of a Necropolis/Dungeon populated with undead/fiends/fey/elementals and/or celestials will do an unbelivable amount of damage because:

"When a chosen creature enters the spell's area for the first time on a turn or stars it's turn there, the creature takes 5d10 radiant or necrotic damage"

The spell's area is 4000 square feet, not enough to get out of in enough dash actions. Whoever is in there, will be burnt alive. 5d10 per turn.



Now, back on topic, I agree with the most damage being dealt from the Attack Roll cantrip of each Class.

[Zehinoc]

If we're talking abilities, sneak attack would be up there.

[JakOfAllTirades]

For most Warlocks, Eldritch Blast would be the winner, although if you go Blade Pact your Pact Weapon is probably doing more than EB.

If combos count, add Hex to the above either way.

[Ogre Mage]

For moon druids I would guess the answer is wild shape. For land druids, conjure animals.

[Consensus]

although if you go Blade Pact your Pact Weapon is probably doing more than EB.
if only...

[Biggstick]

Without taking archetypes into account, the Spirit Guardians spell for Clerics does a pretty awesome amount of damage over the length of a campaign.

[Easy_Lee]

For moon druids I would guess the answer is wild shape. For land druids, conjure animals.

Might still be conjure animals for moon druids. You can cast the spell and wildshape in the same turn, creating an interesting way of hiding yourself. Conjure eight panthers and turn into a panther -> kage bushin no throw the DMG at me. Great for dealing with annoying packs of archer bandits that yield like no experience and yet some DMs are extremely fond of them for whatever reason.

[JakOfAllTirades]

For most Warlocks, Eldritch Blast would be the winner, although if you go Blade Pact your Pact Weapon is probably doing more than EB.

If combos count, add Hex to the above either way.


if only...

The relative damage of Pact Blades v. EB have been debated endlessly elsewhere, so I won't repeat them here. But if you've chosen the Blade Pact, it stands to reason that's what you'll use in combat most often, so yes, Blade Locks should get more damage out of their Pact Blades than EB.

[dejarnjc]

Might still be conjure animals for moon druids. You can cast the spell and wildshape in the same turn, creating an interesting way of hiding yourself. Conjure eight panthers and turn into a panther -> kage bushin no throw the DMG at me. Great for dealing with annoying packs of archer bandits that yield like no experience and yet some DMs are extremely fond of them for whatever reason.

That's definitely the case. Plus wildshape damage scales slower than cantrip damage when you account for to hit bonuses so you'll be underperforming if all you do is wildshape. The signature move of most moon druids should be exactly what you said, conjure animals and then bonus action wildshape with the conjures acting as a screen. And then next turn you charge. *roar*

[Consensus]

Blade Locks should get more damage out of their Pact Blades than EB.
They SHOULD, and they might use it more often, resulting that their Pact Blades deal more damage over time, but in any normal instance of combat EB with AB stomps the Pact Blade in damage.

[Easy_Lee]

They SHOULD, and they might use it more often, resulting that their Pact Blades deal more damage over time, but in any normal instance of combat EB with AB stomps the Pact Blade in damage.

From tier 3 onward. In tier 2, blade can do higher damage if built properly (polearm master with a level of fighter, or greatsword with GWM and always under cover of darkness).