Can we talk about how fireball spells got nerfed in 5th edition?

I remember running a 3.5 campaign back in 2012 where our wizard dropped a fireball and it was a real game-changer. Now in 5th edition, the damage cap feels way too low for a level 3 spell. My group tried a one-shot last month and our sorcerer's fireball barely scratched a group of orcs. Has anyone else noticed how spells got weaker compared to the old days?

2 comments

2 Comments

danielh814d ago

Cut the doom and gloom, man. 8d6 is still 48 damage average, and that's before your sorcerer adds their Charisma bonus if they're a draconic bloodline. A group of orcs has like 15 HP each, so unless your DM rolled max health or threw a dozen at you, that's still a solid chunk. Yeah, old fireball was ridiculous, but 5e is a different game with different math. The monsters got weaker too, you know. My group's been playing 5e for years and fireball still ends fights all the time. Maybe the problem is your sorcerer rolled bad, or the DM made a tough encounter on purpose. It's not the end of the world. You still get to blow stuff up, just not the whole map.

robin_campbell365d ago

Wait, you actually expected fireball to still be good? That's adorable. Old fireball was nuclear. New fireball is a firecracker. I remember when a level 5 wizard could wipe a room of orcs. Now your sorcerer is lucky if he half-damages them. The damage cap at 8d6 is a joke for a third level spell. Like Wizards of the Coast looked at the old 10d6 and said "nope, too fun." They had to nerf it because 5e is allergic to letting casters feel powerful. Meanwhile fighters get to attack three times per turn and nobody blinks. Just tell your sorcerer to upcast it. Or swap to lightning bolt. Or embrace the sadness.