Cantrip Damage at Levels 5, 11 and 17
Damage cantrips get stronger on their own at character levels 5, 11 and 17. Fire Bolt rolls 1d10 at level 1, 2d10 at 5, 3d10 at 11 and 4d10 at 17, with no spell slot spent. The jump follows your total character level, not your class level, so a Fighter who takes one level of Wizard at character level 5 casts Fire Bolt for 2d10. Here is every damage cantrip in SRD 5.2.1, quoted, with the damage it does a turn.
The rule
Each damaging cantrip ends with a Cantrip Upgrade line. Fire Bolt's:
Cantrip Upgrade. The damage increases by 1d10 when you reach levels 5 (2d10), 11 (3d10), and 17 (4d10).
The multiclassing rules say which "levels" count:
Cantrips. If a cantrip of yours increases in power at higher levels, the increase is based on your total character level, not your level in a particular class, unless the spell says otherwise.
No cantrip in the SRD says otherwise. A Paladin's Sacred Flame from Blessed Warrior, a Ranger's Starry Wisp from Druidic Warrior, and a Magic Initiate cantrip all grow at 5, 11 and 17 too.
Every damage cantrip in the SRD
| Cantrip | Classes | How it lands | Level 1 | Level 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poison Spray | Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard | Ranged attack, 30 ft | 1d12 | 4d12 |
| Fire Bolt | Sorcerer, Wizard | Ranged attack, 120 ft | 1d10 | 4d10 |
| Chill Touch | Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard | Melee attack | 1d10 | 4d10 |
| Eldritch Blast | Warlock | Ranged attack, 120 ft | 1 beam, 1d10 | 4 beams, 1d10 each |
| Ray of Frost | Sorcerer, Wizard | Ranged attack, 60 ft | 1d8 | 4d8 |
| Shocking Grasp | Sorcerer, Wizard | Melee attack | 1d8 | 4d8 |
| Sorcerous Burst | Sorcerer | Ranged attack, 120 ft | 1d8, 8s explode | 4d8, 8s explode |
| Produce Flame | Druid | Ranged attack, 60 ft, Magic action | 1d8 | 4d8 |
| Starry Wisp | Bard, Druid | Ranged attack, 60 ft | 1d8 | 4d8 |
| Sacred Flame | Cleric | Dex save, 60 ft | 1d8 | 4d8 |
| Acid Splash | Sorcerer, Wizard | Dex save, 5 ft Sphere | 1d6 | 4d6 |
| Vicious Mockery | Bard | Wis save, 60 ft | 1d6 | 4d6 |
| True Strike | Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard | Weapon attack | weapon | weapon + 3d6 |
| Shillelagh | Druid | Weapon attack | d8 die | 2d6 die |
The bigger die isn't the whole story. Each one carries a rider: Ray of Frost takes 10 feet of Speed, Shocking Grasp stops Opportunity Attacks, Chill Touch blocks healing, Starry Wisp beats the Invisible condition, Vicious Mockery hands out Disadvantage, and Acid Splash can catch two creatures standing together.
What a turn of each is worth
To compare them fairly, one caster with Int, Wis or Cha 16 who raises it at level 4 and level 8 (+3, +4, +5), shoots at the same target every time: AC 15, save bonus +2. That is attack +5, +7, +9, +11 (hits 55%, 65%, 75%, 85%) and save DC 13, 15, 17, 19 (fails 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%) at levels 1, 5, 11, 17. Natural 20s double the dice. Figures are average damage per cast, misses included.
| Level | Fire Bolt | Poison Spray | Ray of Frost | Sacred Flame | Vicious Mockery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 1.8 |
| 5 | 7.7 | 9.1 | 6.3 | 5.4 | 4.2 |
| 11 | 13.2 | 15.6 | 10.8 | 9.5 | 7.4 |
| 17 | 19.8 | 23.4 | 16.2 | 14.4 | 11.2 |
Level 5 is the big one: every cantrip more than doubles, because the die doubles and the caster hits more often. Poison Spray tops the chart on dice but reaches only 30 feet. Fire Bolt does 85% of that from 120.
Eldritch Blast and Agonizing Blast
Eldritch Blast doesn't grow its die. It adds beams:
Cantrip Upgrade. The spell creates two beams at level 5, three beams at level 11, and four beams at level 17. You can direct the beams at the same target or at different ones. Make a separate attack roll for each beam.
On its own that works out the same as Fire Bolt: 3.3, 7.7, 13.2, 19.8. The difference is the Warlock invocation:
Agonizing Blast. Prerequisite: Level 2+ Warlock, a Warlock Cantrip That Deals Damage. Choose one of your known Warlock cantrips that deals damage. You can add your Charisma modifier to that spell's damage rolls.
Every beam rolls damage, so every beam that hits gets the Charisma modifier:
| Level | Eldritch Blast | With Agonizing Blast |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 7.7 | 12.9 |
| 11 | 13.2 | 24.5 |
| 17 | 19.8 | 36.8 |
At level 17 that is almost double Fire Bolt, every turn, from a cantrip. Separate beams also spread the risk: four attack rolls rarely all miss.
Sorcerous Burst's exploding 8s
If you roll an 8 on a d8 for this spell, you can roll another d8, and add it to the damage. When you cast this spell, the maximum number of these d8s you can add to the spell's damage equals your spellcasting ability modifier.
A plain d8 averages 4.5. With 8s rolling again, capped at your modifier, a hit averages 5.1 at level 1 and 20.6 at level 17 (plain 4d8: 18). Per cast against AC 15: 3.1, 7.2, 12.3, 18.5. It sits between Ray of Frost and Fire Bolt, and you pick the damage type, so Fire Resistance never stops it.
Weapon cantrips
True Strike makes one attack with your weapon using your spellcasting ability, and adds Radiant damage as you level:
Cantrip Upgrade. Whether you deal Radiant damage or the weapon's normal damage type, the attack deals extra Radiant damage when you reach levels 5 (1d6), 11 (2d6), and 17 (3d6).
Shillelagh changes the die of a Club or Quarterstaff instead:
Cantrip Upgrade. The damage die changes when you reach levels 5 (d10), 11 (d12), and 17 (2d6).
Both add your modifier to damage, which the spell cantrips don't. Same caster, same AC 15:
| Level | True Strike, Longsword (1d8) | Shillelagh | Fire Bolt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.3 |
| 5 | 8.2 | 6.5 | 7.7 |
| 11 | 13.0 | 9.0 | 13.2 |
| 17 | 17.8 | 10.6 | 19.8 |
True Strike keeps pace with Fire Bolt but needs you in reach. Shillelagh falls behind after level 5, but it is a Bonus Action that lasts a minute, so the Druid's action stays free for the attack.
Class features that add to cantrips
- Cleric, level 7, Blessed Strikes (Potent Spellcasting): "Add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any Cleric cantrip." Sacred Flame at level 11 goes 9.5 to 13.0; at 17, 14.4 to 18.4. Level 14 adds Temporary Hit Points equal to twice your Wisdom modifier when a Cleric cantrip deals damage.
- Druid, level 7, Elemental Fury (Potent Spellcasting): the same Wisdom bonus for any Druid cantrip. At level 15 a Druid cantrip with a range of 10 feet or more reaches 300 feet further.
- Evoker Wizard, level 3, Potent Cantrip: a missed attack or a passed save still deals half the cantrip's damage. Fire Bolt goes 3.3 to 4.5 at level 1, 7.7 to 9.6 at level 5.
Where this leaves you
- Level 5 is the cantrip caster's best level-up. Every damage cantrip doubles.
- Count character levels, not class levels, when you multiclass.
- A Warlock's Eldritch Blast with Agonizing Blast is the strongest cantrip in the SRD by a long way.
- Pick by rider and range, not just die size. Poison Spray hits hardest from closest.
The Book of Dice covers the d10 behind Fire Bolt and Eldritch Blast in Part I, The Object.
This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 ("SRD 5.2.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
