Dawn: Takes Beasts Out of Your Way
Spell Level: 5
School: Evocation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Components: V, S, M (a sunburst pendant worth at least 100 gp)
The light of dawn shines down on a location you specify within range. Until the spell ends, a 30-foot-radius, 40-foot-high cylinder of bright light glimmers there. This light is sunlight. When the cylinder appears, each creature in it must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 4d10 radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature must also make this saving throw whenever it ends its turn in the cylinder. If you’re within 60 feet of the cylinder, you can move it up to 60 feet as a bonus action on your turn.
Review by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold
Moonbeam is a fairly established damage spell druids lean on the lower tiers. Dawn takes the beam of light damaging over time and ramps up the area to be MASSIVE. It isn’t complicated or challenging, but it can be a great tool to have, especially as a cleric.
4d10 radiant damage to creatures ending their turn in the area is decent enough damage. You really want at least two rounds of this affecting creatures for it to justify its cast, otherwise you’d much rather have instantaneous damage. If you are with a group that’s good at lockdown or are against creatures that will willing just burn every turn while trying to kill you, this can deal 8 to 12d10 easy to a handful of creatures given its got a 60 ft. diameter. Some creatures caught in a corner can’t even dash out of it without taking an instance of damage depending on the environment.
Being able to move it around 60 feet at a time also means you can chase creatures around with it and slowly corner things on some really large maps. It gives you something to do with your bonus action, and while at its best you probably won’t want to be moving it anyway, its a nice to have feature that can force creatures to reposition or get fried, and likely to places they don’t want to be.
I don’t think most encounters can get a ton out of Dawn, especially in classes like wizard that have better area of effect damage options. It kind of baffles me that this doesn’t include the blinded condition anywhere on it, and it being sunlight is mostly moot. The 4d10 radiant damage in a 60 ft. diameter area can cover most of a battlemap, and can be a persistent damage source you’ll pull out from time to time.
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