Lack of cold spells

[Ommamar]

So I always knew the cold based spells where lacking but I didn't realize how bad it was until I took 4 wizards through a room full of fire elemental. I was very annoyed with sleet storm as not only does it not damage them (they are made of fire walking through frozen ground!) but it effected no one as they all made the con rolls. I eventually got them all close enough to a line to make lightning effective but other then that the only other options where ray of frost that did very poor damage. Or chill touch which was my go to for the most part of the fight. They really need at least one higher level Area of Effect spell that is cold based, I am glad I didn't take that option on a sorcerer as they would be very hamstrung by the lack of options.

[Snefru]

Very disappointing. My first character in any rpg that allows is a frost mage. Even if just a wizard where I only use cold spells. I was holding out for the cold sorcerer only to realize they only get for damaging 1 cold cantrip (ray of frost) and 2 cold spells (sleet storm and cone of cold). I miss having a spell to single target freeze.

Poision and Acid sorcerers have it worse on number of spells/cantrips. Probably lightning sorc too since doesn’t include thunder damage spells.

I don’t know the source material but I’d like a few more damaging spells across each damage type. Maybe at the higher levels in the source they get more spells but if trying to specialize it’s certainly limited in the current game.

[Ommamar]

Chill touch did very well against the fire elemental, usually landing for 9-12 damage and a few critical s of 26 points. It is also a cold based cantrip but that is all you get for damage spells, all the other is crowd control or effects the advantage/disadvantage system.

I agree it is definitely a more fire based line up for damage, I would have to look deeper in to the source material but I don't remember it having a limitation on spells. So that is on TA for choosing what spells to include which came out to be a very limiting amount focused on one type of spell damage being dominate.

[Snefru]

Originally posted by Ommamar:

Chill touch did very well against the fire elemental, usually landing for 9-12 damage and a few critical s of 26 points. It is also a cold based cantrip but that is all you get for damage spells, all the other is crowd control or effects the advantage/disadvantage system.

I agree it is definitely a more fire based line up for damage, I would have to look deeper in to the source material but I don't remember it having a limitation on spells. So that is on TA for choosing what spells to include which came out to be a very limiting amount focused on one type of spell damage being dominate.

I use chill touch but since it doesn’t do cold damage I’m mixed on it. Sorc charisma bonus shouldn’t get applied to it. It’s chill effect is situationally fantastic and all my casters take it and use it.

[ppaladin123]

This is partly an issue with 5e itself. There are a ton of fire spells and far fewer shock and cold spells (and almost no poison/acid spells). Was bad enough that in a recent book sorcerers got an ability that lets them spend sorcery points to change the element of their spells.

[Cartesian Duelist]

Originally posted by Ommamar:

Chill touch did very well against the fire elemental, usually landing for 9-12 damage and a few critical s of 26 points. It is also a cold based cantrip but that is all you get for damage spells, all the other is crowd control or effects the advantage/disadvantage system.

Chill touch doesn't do cold damage, it does necrotic. If you want high level cold AoE, you want Cone of Cold.

[Ommamar]

Originally posted by Cartesian Duelist:

Originally posted by Ommamar:

Chill touch did very well against the fire elemental, usually landing for 9-12 damage and a few critical s of 26 points. It is also a cold based cantrip but that is all you get for damage spells, all the other is crowd control or effects the advantage/disadvantage system.

Chill touch doesn't do cold damage, it does necrotic. If you want high level cold AoE, you want Cone of Cold.

Well I guess fire elementals are susceptible to nercrotic damage as it consistently did good damage against them and unless I had disadvantage it hit them every time. It was still a hard fight they where just walking through any crowd control I laid down so it was a challenge to kite them. In the end I had to stagger the party then while one was getting pummeled the others where hitting with chill touch except my magically "disadvantaged" wizard who had corrosive arrows and scrolls of magic missiles. He only used those as a finisher when I needed him to land the last bit of damage.

[Cartesian Duelist]

Originally posted by Ommamar:

Well I guess fire elementals are susceptible to nercrotic damage as it consistently did good damage against them

They aren't weak to necrotic, but they also aren't resistant to it. Chill Touch regularly does good damage for me as well so it's probably just a lucky spell.