Light Domain clerics don't have any spells which create actual sunlight?

[Monster Manuel]

So, it's a given that being in an area with sunlight really ruins a vampire's day. For a vampire-heavy game I thought a fun role would be a light cleric; cleric of the sun god bringing the light to the creatures of darkness, that kind of thing.

All well and good, but I'm looking through the PhB spells, and finding that, while tons of spells create light, only a very few create actual sunlight. Essentially, it's just the Sunburst and Sunbeam spells. Even Daylight creates light, but does not specifically say in the description "this light is sunlight" the way the other two do. Neither Sunbeam or Sunburst are cleric spells, and they don't show up in the Light domain spells, either.

Xanathar's gives us the Dawn spell for clerics, at level 5, but it looks like in the base PhB rules there's nothing.

Is actual "sunlight" really meant to be this rare an ability? Does anyone else think the Light cleric should have this? Or is it just me?

[Nettlekid]

The Light Cleric does get it as an ability, not as a spell but as a level 17 subclass capstone in which the aura you create around yourself which forces disadvantage on saves against Fire and Radiant spells counts as sunlight. Yes, Sunlight is supposed to be a very rare and niche effect to be magically produced. Light Clerics do it at 17, Devotion Paladins do it at 20, Sunburst is an 8th level spell. I'm actually surprised that Xanathar's introduced Dawn to make Sunlight as accessible as 9th level.

[Monster Manuel]

Ah, yeah, they get something in their L17 ability don't they? Was paying attention to the Fire and Radiant Damage thing, not the sunlight tag.

I guess it really is meant to be a rare and powerful thing, so if a creature is vulnerable to sunlight in some way, it's meant to be more meaningful.

Thanks for the feedback.

[djreynolds]

Radiance of dawn says sunlight as it's source,

[ImproperJustice]

I wonder why Daylight is so rare?

Have there been times as an adventuring party where you have said: Man I wish we had actual Daylight right now?

Outside of some strange Will Smith I am Legend kind of scenario is the ability to bring forth Daylight that much more amazing than say:

Walls of Flame and Ice, transforming things in T-Rexes, Teleportation, animating objects, or banishing things from existence?

[sophontteks]

Well, not to detract from the other amazing things that wizards can conjure up, but the sun is a pretty big deal. :smallcool:
Since light can be created easily, the aspect of the sun that we want to replicate must be something more then just light.

[Envyus]

I wonder why Daylight is so rare?

Have there been times as an adventuring party where you have said: Man I wish we had actual Daylight right now?

Outside of some strange Will Smith I am Legend kind of scenario is the ability to bring forth Daylight that much more amazing than say:

Walls of Flame and Ice, transforming things in T-Rexes, Teleportation, animating objects, or banishing things from existence?

Actual Sunlight is only actually useful against Vampires. Other Light spells are pretty common. But the actual Sunlight spells also have powerful side effects like powerful beams of light.

[jaappleton]

Dawn is a 5th Level Spell which is Sunlight, available to all Clerics from XGtE.

The next spell to create Sunlight is Sunbeam, which Wizards, Sorcs and Druids get. But not Clerics. Because.... **** me, that’s why. (I am so bitter about that it is not even funny, I absolutely despise how Clerics don’t get that spell but friggin’ Wizards do. Wizards don’t need EVERYTHING, damn it!)

[Monster Manuel]

Actual Sunlight is only actually useful against Vampires.

Yeah, initially I was just thinking of it in terms of fighting vampires. But there are dozens of monsters in the MM that have sunlight sensitivity; wraiths, shadows, kobolds, drow, myconids...long list. Most of them just get disadvantage to rolls in sunlight, but it does have an impact. It's thematically interesting; lots of mythological creatures suffer in sunlight. But there are only a very few ways to generate that, besides, you know... actually being outside in the sun. This keeps it a rare and specialized vulnerability, which I guess is the intent.


The next spell to create Sunlight is Sunbeam, which Wizards, Sorcs and Druids get. But not Clerics. Because.... **** me, that’s why.

I know, right? Give us Sunbeam as a Domain spell, at least...

[Beechgnome]

I wonder why Daylight is so rare?

Have there been times as an adventuring party where you have said: Man I wish we had actual Daylight right now?

Outside of some strange Will Smith I am Legend kind of scenario is the ability to bring forth Daylight that much more amazing than say:

Walls of Flame and Ice, transforming things in T-Rexes, Teleportation, animating objects, or banishing things from existence?

I was a sorcerer in a party fighting a Shadow Adult Red Dragon.

That was a time we all really, really, really wished we had daylight. (Shadow dragons are resistant to most damage and can hide as a bonus action when in dim light or darkness)

The fight was won, but my guy died and was turned into a shadow.

Not to say it's worth a 3rd level slot, but yes, I did indeed have that thought.

[Greywander]

I know, right? Give us Sunbeam as a Domain spell, at least...
I think Domain spells only go up to 5th level, and Sunbeam is a 6th level spell. Wizards probably get it just to help insure that someone in the party has a sunlight spell in the rare cases where you need one. Apparently, though, only the light emitted from you hand counts as sunlight, the beam itself does not.

And I'm actually surprised that Daylight doesn't count as sunlight. That would be like if the description of Tsunami didn't specifically say it was water, so it didn't do extra damage to fire elementals.

Personally, I feel like the cleric spell list should be massively trimmed down and Domain spells should be greatly expanded. Each cleric would have about the same number of spells as before, but your Divine Domain would make a greater different in which spells were available to you. Then again, that might feel like forced RP, so maybe it is better to let players choose their own spells.

[Chaosmancer]

(I am so bitter about that it is not even funny, I absolutely despise how Clerics don’t get that spell but friggin’ Wizards do. Wizards don’t need EVERYTHING, damn it!)

Lies unfortuantely, when wizards agreed to lend their cosmic might to Dungeons and Dragons, they specifically said they needed EVERYTHING as a down payment

More seriously, I find Daylight the worst offender in this whole mess. Multiple times we encounter a vampire or similar and pull this out, only later to remember that it is just a fancier light cantrip.

Which, barring some niche scenarios, is only good for dispelling a low cast darkness.

And look at the name "daylight" can someone explain how something called "daylight" could possibly be different than sunlight. They are interchangeable

[jaappleton]

Sunbeam should be on the basic vanilla Cleric spell list. It really should. Wizards shouldn’t have access to it because they have access to god damn near everything else (Their list dwarfs everyone else’s), they certainly should not get it while Clerics are left off the list.

I totally get and endorse Druids having it, which are Divine, the whole drawing power from the land thing. I get Sorcs getting it, as their limited spells known mean anything that’s a repeatable Concentration blast is something important to them.

But Wizards getting it and NOT Clerics just... Man that pisses me off.

[Erian]

Sunbeam should be on the basic vanilla Cleric spell list. It really should. Wizards shouldn’t have access to it because they have access to god damn near everything else (Their list dwarfs everyone else’s), they certainly should not get it while Clerics are left off the list.

I totally get and endorse Druids having it, which are Divine, the whole drawing power from the land thing. I get Sorcs getting it, as their limited spells known mean anything that’s a repeatable Concentration blast is something important to them.

But Wizards getting it and NOT Clerics just... Man that pisses me off.

Sorry for Necro'ing. Those Wizards (of the coast) that granted their cosmic money might to D&D heard the cries of unfairness and corrected that mistake in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, granting Clerics access to Sunbeam.