Lightning damaging spells do not behave differently in water The various lightning spells you mention, shocking grasp, call lightning and chain lightning, none of them mention interacting with water in any way, so they don’t.
How does fireball work underwater?
Assume a perfectly spherical pool with a 20 foot radius and hole at the top for you to cast the fireball into the pool with. There is a goblin in the center of the pool with 1 HP. This means the fireball will be igniting in the exact center of the pool, underwater.
Do fire spells work underwater?
No. Magic does what it says. A lightning bolt or fireball do exactly what it says despite your thoughts of water changing them, because its magical fire & lightning, not mundane. Rules state though a creature FULLY submerged in water has fire resistance.
Does lightning do more damage in water 5E?
Setting the precedent of physics and magic interaction is risky, but personally I’d do it. Lightning just does not penetrate deep into water. It disperses along the surface. Magic lightning probably has a bit more thrust though, so automatic success on the save is a good call.
Do spells work underwater?
Spellcasting is totally disallowed underwater unless the caster can speak underwater. Allow spellcasting underwater without penalties, as there is no rule actually forbidding it. Have the caster perform a check. On a failure, the spell slot is not wasted, but the action is lost.
What happens to lightning spells in underwater combat?
The section in the PHB about underwater combat (pg. 198) also doesn’t mention anything about lightning spells behaving differently in water.
What happens to lightning spells in D & D?
What happens to lightning spells underwater? As the old adage goes “water and electricity don’t mix” because in real life water has impurities in it that make it super conductible. So what would happen in D&D if, for instance, a sorceress cast shocking grasp on a creature underwater?
How long does it take for a lightning bolt to hit water?
In previous versions, including both 1e and 2e, a lightning bolt underwater discharges as a fireball-like effect, in a 20 foot radius sphere, centered basically where the lightning bolt touches the water. (I say basically, because the rule varies across editions, both in effect and in descriptive detail.)
What happens to spells when submerged in water?
All creatures have resistance to fire damage when submerged underwater. This means that spells like Fireball or Fire Bolt will only be doing half damage at best. The general reasoning behind this is that the spell itself is magical fire which allows it to still be cast.
