If you wanna be the most lighteningiest character, how do you build?

[Schwann145]

So the obvious go-tos are Storm Sorcerer and Tempest Cleric, right?
Tempest Cleric tends to have the better subclass abilities, but Storm Sorcerer has the better spell list.

How would you build this character? Am I missing an obvious class choice? Would you pick one of the above over the other? Do you dip for one ability or another?

[follacchioso]

Unfortunately there not not many good Lightning spells, especially at lower levels.

You have only Shocking Grasp, Witch Bolt, Lightning Bolt, Call Lightning, Storm Sphere, Chain Lightning, and not much else. If you include Thunder damage, you get a few more, like Thunderwave and Shatter, but not much more than that. These are not bad spells, but they are also not great. Shocking Grasph is useful, but restricted to Melee; Lightning Bolt is very difficult to use, as very rarely your enemies will align like that; Chain Lightning only hits 4 enemies; and Storm Sphere would be my personal favourite.

Instead of spells, maybe you can focus on features that give you Lightning attacks. One option is the Artificer, Armorer subclass. If your DM allows Bigby's book, you can get Strike of the Giants (Storm) to get some extra damage, and maybe a Dragonborn race.

Another option is Scribes Wizard, and build your spellbook in a way that allows you to always use Lightining as damage type.

[Unoriginal]

So the obvious go-tos are Storm Sorcerer and Tempest Cleric, right?
Tempest Cleric tends to have the better subclass abilities, but Storm Sorcerer has the better spell list.

How would you build this character? Am I missing an obvious class choice? Would you pick one of the above over the other? Do you dip for one ability or another?

As a build-starter, I would go with a Fizban's Dragonborn for Lightning breath.

There are other classes that can be considered, but they don't really synergize. so I'd advise you to select Storm Sorcerer and select the Transmuted Spell metamagic so that you can make most of your spells be Lightning spells.

Once you have that covered, going Tempest Cleric can be worthwhile, but so is continuing as a Sorcerer.

I think Quickened spell would also be a good option for this character, even if the Storm Sorcerer can be bonus-action hungry, because it makes sense for Lightning to be quick and it's a strong metamagic in general.


Unfortunately there not not many good Lightning spells, especially at lower levels.

You have only Shocking Grasp, Witch Bolt, Lightning Bolt, Call Lightning, Storm Sphere, Chain Lightning, and not much else.

Don't forget Lightning Lure. It's pretty cool.

[RogueJK]

I agree that Sorcerer is the way to go if you want access to the most lightning spells, by far. Especially with the addition of Transmute Spell metamagic, no other option comes close. Blue/Bronze Draconic Sorcerer gets you additional damage on your Lightning spells, or Storm Sorcerer gets you a close-range lightning ability (not as powerful, but thematically cool).

Scribes Wizards would be second, getting you access to a number of lightning spells, plus a similar ability to turn many other spells' damage into lightning. But doesn't get any other lightning-related abilities.

A surprising option is Lore Bard. Only innate lighting spell is Glyph of Warding, but you can grab others via Magical Secrets, as well as a feat like Magic Initiate Sorcerer, or a racial cantrip. You'd eventually be able to end up with all the best lightning cantrips and spells, and be about the third "lightningest" class possible.

Armorer Artificer is another unexpected pick. You get access to some lightning spells, including Lightning Lure, Shocking Grasp, Lightning Bolt, and Glyph of Warding. And you can shoot 90' bolts of lightning twice per turn. Not the "lightningest", but would come in about fourth.

Tempest Cleric is powerful in general, but only really gets access to 2 lightning spells - Call Lightning and Glyph of Warding - plus 1 lightning damage ability. So it's not the "lightningest" by any stretch.

Not mentioned so far is Mountain Land Druid, who gets access to a few lightning spells, including Lightning Bolt and Call Lightning. But that's about it, so it comes in last.


For race, there are a few with lightning themes. MotM Air Genasi get racial access to Shocking Grasp with the spellcasting stat of your choice, so would be an option to add WIS-based or CHA-based Shocking Grasp onto something like Tempest Cleric or Lore Bard. Similarly, MotM Kobold gets racial access to a Sorcerer cantrip with the spell stat of your choice, so you could use that to grab WIS/CHA-based Shocking Grasp or Lightning Lure. Otherwise, Fizban's Blue or Bronze Dragonborn gets you a CON-based lightning breath weapon.


Therefore, if I were going to build as strong of a lightning-themed character possible, it'd probably look something like this:

Blue Chromatic Dragonborn Tempest Cleric 2/Draconic Sorcerer X
Leveling Sorcerer 1 -> Cleric 1 -> Sorcerer 5 -> Cleric 2 - Sorcerer X
STR 9
DEX 14
CON 13+1
INT 8
WIS 13
CHA 15+2
ASIs: 18 CHA with a half-feat like Telekinetic at 4, Elemental Adept (Lightning) at 8, 20 CHA at 12

You've got medium armor and shield for a 19 AC, plus slightly higher than usual HP, and CON save proficiency for Concentration. You have access to nearly all of the lightning spells, plus can Transmute others into lightning damage, and add +CHAMOD to lightning damage rolls. You have a lightning breath weapon for times when you don't want to spend a spell slot. And you can Maximize the damage of one lightning spell per short rest. Plus you have lightning resistance, as well as lightning immunity for 1 minute per day. And you ignore enemy lightning resistance, plus treat any 1 on a lightning spell damage dice as a 2.

[solidork]

Your options for spells that deal lightning damage are limited, but you can flavor other spells to evoke that element. Misty Step turns you into a crackling streak of lightning that takes you where you want to go. Shield of Faith summons a shield of crackling energy. Counterspell causes their spell to visibly short out like you've hit it with an EMP.

I'm playing a fire/summer fey themed bard despite not having any fire damaging spells until I multiclassed into Sorcerer at 6. Dissonant Whispers convinces them they have to run or they'll be burned. Blindness clouds their eyes with smoke. Bless makes my allies weapons trail smoke from their weapon tips. That kind of stuff.

[Psyren]

I'd say you can't beat a Portable Hole for lightening because it weighs next to nothing regardless of its contents. Both the Handy Haversack and the Bag of Holding have minimum weights greater than that.

(...sorry, couldn't resist)


I agree that Sorcerer is the way to go if you want access to the most lightning spells, by far. Especially with the addition of Transmute Spell metamagic, no other option comes close. Blue/Bronze Draconic Sorcerer gets you additional damage on your Lightning spells, or Storm Sorcerer gets you a close-range lightning ability (not as powerful, but thematically cool).

I wanted to amplify this as Storm Sorcery is honestly a bit of a trap if your goal is a lightning damage build; none of its features actually give you more lightning damage (except a small amount to creatures very close to you, which is not where you want to be if you're primarily casting rather than gishing.) I would use it more on a thunder build that relies on things like Booming Blade so that you can constantly reposition.

Blue/Bronze Draconic with Transmute Spell is the way to go for raw electric output.

[Mastikator]

Artificer armorer with infiltrator armor, then multiclass into bladesinger. Attack action with lightning launcher, followed by lightning lure.

Spells to have: shocking grasp, lightning lure, chromatic orb (lightning), lightning bolt, stormsphere, chain lightning.

You could also just be a draconic (blue)/storm sorcerer with the transmute spell metamagic, and turn your scorching rays, fireballs, immolations into lightning damage.

[Unoriginal]

It's true that damage-wise the Draconic Sorcerer is better.

And the extra AC + HP makes multiclassibg into Cleroc less attractive.

Blue Fizban Dragonborn Blue Draconic Sorcerer with high CHA, DEX and CON would be pretty ideal, with Transmuted Spell for changing your other spells (or to handle enemies who are resistant/immune/boosted by lightning damage).

[RogueJK]

It's true that damage-wise the Draconic Sorcerer is better.

And the extra AC + HP makes multiclassibg into Cleroc less attractive.

It's more for the 1x/SR maximized spell damage, not as much the armor proficiency.

But armor proficiency isn't too shabby. You end up with an AC that's 2-4 points higher than otherwise:

Mage Armor/Draconic Resilience with 14 or maybe 16 DEX: 13 + 2 or 3 = 15 or 16 AC
Medium Armor with Shield with 14 DEX: 14 or 15 + 2 + 2 = 18 or 19 AC, plus eventual magic armor/shield bonuses
(Or while it's less optimal than medium armor, you could even save a little overall bit on stats by sticking to Chain Mail heavy armor that only requires a 13 STR versus a 14 DEX, and which gives you an 18 AC with a shield.)


It also has a few other benefits, like access to some additional buff/utility spells like Guidance, Healing Word, Bless, Fog Cloud, Ritual Detect Magic, etc.


And while you'll be 1 spell level behind in spells know, you'd still have those upper level slots for upcasting your Maximized Lightning Bolts/Lightningballs/etc.

It's a bit weaker at Levels 3-5 in exchange for being stronger (at specifically Lightning Blasting) at Levels 7+.

[Mastikator]

It's true that damage-wise the Draconic Sorcerer is better.

And the extra AC + HP makes multiclassibg into Cleroc less attractive.

Blue Fizban Dragonborn Blue Draconic Sorcerer with high CHA, DEX and CON would be pretty ideal, with Transmuted Spell for changing your other spells (or to handle enemies who are resistant/immune/boosted by lightning damage).

This makes me wonder though, is elemental adept worth it if you're dealing lightning damage all the time? Turning 1s into 2s is slightly a joke but lightning resistance isn't only a bit uncommon, while lightning immunity is rare.

[Psyren]

This makes me wonder though, is elemental adept worth it if you're dealing lightning damage all the time? Turning 1s into 2s is slightly a joke but lightning resistance isn't only a bit uncommon, while lightning immunity is rare.

The 2014 version sucks, but if you can get the UA version approved (i.e. same benefits but it's a half-feat) that could be a lot more worthwhile.

[Waazraath]

So the obvious go-tos are Storm Sorcerer and Tempest Cleric, right?
Tempest Cleric tends to have the better subclass abilities, but Storm Sorcerer has the better spell list.

How would you build this character? Am I missing an obvious class choice? Would you pick one of the above over the other? Do you dip for one ability or another?

I did this once, from a 2019 thread*:

Stormcaller

Race: Half-Elf
Class: Tempest cleric 2 / storm sorcerer 18
Ability scores lvl 1 (incl. racial modifiers): str 14 +1, dex 10, con 13, int 10, wis 13 + 1, cha 14+2
ASI / feats: 6: +1 str + 1 con; 10: elemental adept (lightning); 14 +2 cha for 18: 18: +2 cha for 20
Summary: Walk around in full plate. Have a few direct damage spell options that are more damaging than what an evoker of equal level can throw. For the rest, pick the role that fits the situation best, whether it’s buffer, healer, or secondary melee fighter.

Cantrip must haves - Cleric: Guidance, Spare the dying; Sorcerer: Booming Blade

First tier (1-4)
The first two levels, Stormcaller plays as a standard, melee oriented Tempest Cleric. It’s primarily a support caster, who helps the party with spells like bless and healing word. With AC 18, the option to cast shield of faith for AC 20, he can wade into melee when needed. He should keep his shield ready, but make sure he doesn’t draw a weapon before walking into the fray, to keep a hand free for casting. Draw a weapon when needed.

In melee, he has a useful reaction (Wrath of the Storm, 2d8, save for half) when hit. At level 2, Channel Divinity gives maximum damage on a thunder or lighting damage roll; that could be used for Thunderwave, hitting a number of foes for 16 damage (save for half). Later, with stronger spells, this will get really powerful. Since it recharges on a short rest, you should be able to use it several times per day.

At level 3: enter Storm Sorcerer. A must is the cantrip Booming Blade. The spell Shield can be nice, if he often finds himself attacked before drawing a weapon. But its no must, since AC is good to begin with. Since there are 2nd level spell slots available, he can cast a few times / day a maximized thunderwave for 24 damage, save for half. Tempestuous Magic is nice: take a free 10 ft fly before or after casting a spell of 1st level or higher; this can give nice combo’s with Booming Blade, later, and is an easy way to disengage from melee combat if needed.

Level 4 gives metamagic. Subtle works great of you’ve taken the Shield spell, since you can cast it now even when both your hands are full. Quickened will be good once you’ve got a few more sorcery points, since you can quicken Booming Blade. Nice combo with Hold Person (later: Hold Monster) to cast Hold as an action, and quicken a booming blade; an auto-crit, with at later levels the extra dice from BB, is not half bad as an extra.

Second tier (5-10)
Ah, level 5, the level that supposed to suck for the multiclassers. Not for this baby. You get second level spells, which is in any case Shatter, and third level spell slots. Yes, that is a maximized 32 damage ranged area effect sell you’re looking at; you don’t get Fireball at level 5, but something that is even more damaging (with a smaller area of effect, but a less often resisted damage type). You need to take a short rest between every use though.

This gets better at level 7, when you get your 3rd level sorcery spells. A maximized Lightning Bolt in a 4th level spell slot for 54 damage? Yes please! Thunder step combines damage with extra mobility. The feat Elemental adept (lightning) takes care of resistance, from level 10 onward.

At level 8, Stormcaller deals extra damage (half sorcerer level) with Heart of the Storm, to foes in 10 ft, when casting 1st level or higher spell that does lighting or thunder damage. Move up to some foes, quicken a booming blade, cast Thunderwave, do some extra damage with Heart of the Storm, take the free disengage (10 ft fly) from Tempestous magic. If opponent walks to you to hit, damage from Booming Blade kicks in. Yay.

Third tier (11-16)
The levels of the big bang. Chain lightning, level 6 spell, castable from level 13, in a lvl 7 slot, for max 5 targets that get 80 maximum damage (with channel divinity) for 400 damage. BOOM!
At level 12 Stormcaller gets a new metamagic. Just pick whatever is needed, matches well with your spells, and the needs of your party (an example of spells / metamegic combo’s is at the bottom of this post). At level 16, Storm’s Fury hinders and damages anybody hitting you in melee: damage equal to sorcerer level, and save or be pushed back 20 ft.

Fourth tier (17-20)
Starting with an 8th level spell, and the level after that the ASI that raises charisma to 20. And then: hell yeah. Wish, at level 19, for huge increase in versatility. Cast it as any spell needed. Use it in downtime to get a familiar and a Greater Steed. Alter reality! The last metamagic at this level is just gravy.
The ‘capstone’ at 20 is Wind Soul: immunity to lighting, thunder, and gain permanent fly speed. That when needed you even can share with others. There are worse (real) capstones.

Conclusion & variants

The stormcaller is a Very Useful Addition To Any Party. He’s an emergency healer, when somebody goes down he can get ‘em up. He’s a decent buffer, with Bless and Guidance early on, further depending on spells and metamagic chosen. The sorcerer doesn’t grant many spells known, so at later levels, it’s a bit of a choice whether to focus on utility, summoning, battle field control, or debuffing enemies.

This build has top defence and offense. It’s a full caster, running around in full plate plus shield. With spells like Shield, Greater Invisibility, Absorb elements, and (optionally) misty step or something to escape dangerous situations.

Its action economy is great. You have a several bonus actions (quicken spell, Healing Word) and reactions (Wrath of the Storm, Shield, Storm’s Fury, Absorb Elements) to choose from, many you get at the early levels. Twin (if you take it) is always great for the action economy as well.

Mobility is improved by the class features Tempestuous magic (we get it at lvl 3) and Wind Soul (permanent fly) as our capstone at 20. Of course, it can be improved by selecting the right spells. Spells like Misty Step, Fly, Far Step, Dimension Door and Teleport are always nice options. For this build, Thunder Step is almost a must, as it does both Thunder Damage and provides a teleport effect.

I didn’t fill in all spell choices per level, since the build can fulfil its intended roles (direct damage Area of Effect blaster; secondary melee/tank; emergency healer) even without picking all available spells and metamagicks. But to avoid Schrödingers Sorcerer, here an example of spell picks of different levels that allow Stormcaller to fulfill a number of roles:

Offense: Shatter (2), Lightning Bolt (3), Chain Lightning (6), Telekinesis (5), Dominate Monster (8), hold person (2),
Defense: Shield (1), Absorb Elements (1); Improved invisibility (4 – also has utility and offensive purposes)
Mobility: Thunder Step (3)
Utility: Wish (9), Major Image (3), charm person (1), Plane Shift (also offense - 7), Skill Empowerment (5)
Metamagicks: Subtle, Quickened (5), empower (12), twin (19)

Some combo’s:
- Hold + quickened BB
- Subtle + shield (with hands full)
- Telekinesis + quickened spell
- Subtle + charm / illusion in social situations
- Twin + hold / dominate / plane shift
- Quicken BB + any spell of level 1 or higher + heart of the storm + tempestuous magic

Don’t forget: the build also knows all Cleric level 1 spells. Together with these spells known and these metamagic, Stormcaller not only is great blaster / decent secondary tank, it also has great mobility, is great in social situations where subtle charms/illusions/dominiates can be utilized, has great skill (and can buff skills of party members) with guidance / skill empowerment.



*https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591621-Waazraath-5e-build-compendium

Of course, since then plenty of options have emerged that might be an improvement.

A fun alternative might be a martial build. Barbarian path of the storm herald fits the theme, but is unfortunately rather weak. Same for Draconic disciple monk - making all your unarmed damage lightning is, quite, eh, lighteninglike, but again it's not that great a subclass. Being a chromatic dragonborn (blue) with the Gift of the chromatic dragon feat gives a lightening breath weapon, lighting resistance, and a lighting power up for your weapon for 1 minute 1/day - this helps any character.

[Unoriginal]

This makes me wonder though, is elemental adept worth it if you're dealing lightning damage all the time? Turning 1s into 2s is slightly a joke but lightning resistance isn't only a bit uncommon, while lightning immunity is rare.

I would say it is not worth it if you have Transmuted Spell.

[Witty Username]

There was a tempest cleric bloodhunter build I saw at one point. Lightning damage attacks plus PAM and sentinel along with tempest cleric for forced movement on those attacks.

That be homebrew though, since well bloodhunter.

[Arkhios]

I'd say you can't beat a Portable Hole for lightening because it weighs next to nothing regardless of its contents. Both the Handy Haversack and the Bag of Holding have minimum weights greater than that.

(...sorry, couldn't resist)

I'm glad, that I'm not alone with such a (poor) sense of humor! :smallcool:

Aaanyway...
Blue or Bronze (preferably FTD) Dragonborn Tempest Domain Cleric + Order of Scribes Wizard

I just checked, and as a Scribe you can potentially replace the damage type of all* your damaging wizard spells to Lightning, which is quite a lot of them.

*except 5th level spells, because, for some reason, wizard doesn't have even just one 5th level spell that does Lightning (nor Thunder) damage. You can, of course, just cast lower than 5th level spells using 5th level slots, so it's not that big of an issue. The only way to remedy this, that I can think of, is to take the Gruul Anarch background, which adds Destructive Wave into your class spell list or lists, which in turn would mean that a Wizard could add it to their spellbook, and then allow their 5th level wizard spells benefit from the Scribes feature at least for Thunder damage.

Regarding the level split, though... I'd like to say Cleric 2/Wizard 18, but then again, taking Cleric to 6th level would bring a really good always-active crowd control effect into play, and another channel divinity use, and you would still get your Order of Scribes capstone ability, and up to 7th level wizard spells knowable, as well as 9th level spell slots.

Do note, that Thunder is not Lightning, and I approached this from the perspective that I assume OP was aiming for: All things Lightning (and the Gruul Anarch solution is only amiable if you want both, not just Lightning)

[TaiLiu]

It depends on what you mean by "lightningest character."

If you're going for storm vibes, definitely go for Sorcerer (Storm). Grab spells that do lightning, cold, and thunder damage. Spells like fog cloud and gust of wind are fitting.

If you're going for lightning firebender vibes, I think Sorcerer (Draconic) is a better idea. Grab both lightning and fire damage spells.

[Kane0]

Air Genasi

Tempest Cleric 6
Storm Sorcerer 6
Storm Barbarian (Sea) 3
Armorer Artificer (lightning launcher) 3
Evoker Wizard 2

Optimal? No way. All in on LIGHTENING? Positively!

[Schwann145]

It depends on what you mean by "lightningest character."

I was initially thinking more "storm" than "bender" but either one, really.
What I really hadn't decided on is between the pure caster or the "Thor" type. Still haven't decided either. :smallredface:

[Arkhios]

Air Genasi

Tempest Cleric 6
Storm Sorcerer 6
Storm Barbarian (Sea) 3
Armorer Artificer (lightning launcher) 3
Evoker Wizard 2

Optimal? No way. All in on LIGHTENING? Positively!

Tsk. I'm pretty sure Evoker is only because of Sculpt Spells. I'm also pretty sure that for someone to be fanatic about LIGHTENING, they don't care about collateral damage! :P

Therefore, I'd still recommend Order of Scribe, even if (or because?) it would make it at least a bit more optimal.

[Elenian]

Bugbear Rogue (Assassin) 3 // Cleric (Tempest) 2 // Barbarian (Giant) 6 // Other Stuff 9
Feats: Piercer, Strike of the Giants, Other Stuff

Sneak up on baddie. Rage, imbuing your rapier (look, I know, but it needs to be a finesse weapon, okay?) with lightning. Throw it at a surprised foe (using strength). Activate Surprise Attack. Use Assassinate for auto crit, Destructive Wrath to maximize the lightning damage, which is all of it because of Elemental Cleaver. Profit.

Is this good? No. Not in the least.
Does it do a lot of lightning-based damage? Yes. Once.

[stoutstien]

Not optional but an armorer artificer/AT rogue could dish out consistent high lightening themed damage and is also an artificer/rogue with all the fun that comes with that. Nice you can morph into a decent pseudo tank as well.

Hard part would be deciding on the split.

[TaiLiu]

I was initially thinking more "storm" than "bender" but either one, really.
What I really hadn't decided on is between the pure caster or the "Thor" type. Still haven't decided either. :smallredface:
Oo! If you wanna do a Thor-type character, maybe an Fighter (Eldritch Knight) would be good. You would lose a lot of high-level lightning spells...

[Psyren]

Not optional but an armorer artificer/AT rogue could dish out consistent high lightening themed damage and is also an artificer/rogue with all the fun that comes with that. Nice you can morph into a decent pseudo tank as well.

Hard part would be deciding on the split.

I would either do Armorer 4 for more SA + Sharpshooter, or Armorer 5 for two attacks, then AT X. The Lightning Launcher is a simple ranged weapon so you can use Dex to attack and damage with it, keeping your Int at a manageable 14 or lower. Steady Aim can offset the penalty from Sharpshooter. I'd also find a way to work in Archery style, e.g. a Fighter Dip.

[stoutstien]

I would either do Armorer 4 for more SA + Sharpshooter, or Armorer 5 for two attacks, then AT X. The Lightning Launcher is a simple ranged weapon so you can use Dex to attack and damage with it, keeping your Int at a manageable 14 or lower. Steady Aim can offset the penalty from Sharpshooter. I'd also find a way to work in Archery style, e.g. a Fighter Dip.

Hmm I don't know if I could miss artificer 6 for infusions even at the cost of wis saves but it's my favorite level bump besides SSI.

[Psyren]

Hmm I don't know if I could miss artificer 6 for infusions even at the cost of wis saves but it's my favorite level bump besides SSI.

I could see myself revisiting Artificer 6 for tool proficiency and the third infusion, but I would personally put that at a lower priority than rogue goodies or Archery Style. There are pros and cons to each for sure.

[sithlordnergal]

I currently have a Scribe Wizard 17 / Tempest Cleric 2, and let me tell you...the lightning damage is crazy good. They are AL, and I did have to have a bit of luck to line this up...but thanks to an event boon that let me turn a single spell attack into a crit, and a Grave Cleric, my wizard managed to electrocute someone for 432 points of Lightning Damage thanks to a 9th level Witch Bolt. And you'll always be able to use Lightning or Thunder damage as a Scribe Wizard, because there are Thunder and Lightning Wizard Spells of every single level.

[RogueJK]

And you'll always be able to use Lightning or Thunder damage as a Scribe Wizard, because there are Thunder and Lightning Wizard Spells of every single level.

Except 5th.

[sithlordnergal]

Except 5th.

Good point, I think its the only level without Lightning of Thunder.