If you want to get a feel for what Cloudkill in 5e is, then you will need to use a bit of your imagination. Imagine you enter the lair of the final boss of the campaign, in this case, an elder lich who has been pulling the strings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He sits on his throne, and you hear him whisper the words Cloudkill while making some hand gestures. But, of course, some of you will already know what happens next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fog spreading and effect<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When the spell is cast, a 20 feet large sphere of poisonous fog that shines yellow and green is created. Then, the spell starts to form wherever the caster has pointed, for as long as it is within 120 feet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This fog does not remain 20 feet in radius but starts to spread. The fog keeps spreading until the spell’s duration has ended or when a strong wind – nature or magic – disperses the fog, which also stops the spell. The fog does not only create a poison gas, but it also obscures the range of sight for all those unlucky enough to be caught in it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saving throw and damage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When a creature is within the radius of the smog, it needs to make a constitution saving throw. If it fails the save, the creature will take 20 or 5d8 poison damage. If it manages to be successful with the throw, then it only takes half this damage. Cloudkill will also damage a creature when it tries to hold its breath or does some kind of bag over its head. So getting damaged is as good as unavoidable.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Movement and avoidance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The spell starts to work immediately so that Cloudkill will do damage the turn it is cast when there is a creature within the radius. The fog does not stay stationary, but it moves 10 feet away from you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a bit heavier than normal air, so it does not go up. On the contrary, it starts to sink into the holes in the ground. This means you could avoid getting hit by the spell when you fly above the cloud.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scaling Damage with Spell Slot Level<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cloudkill 5e scales with the level of the spell slot you put it in. When you put the spell into the 6th spell slot, you can add 1d8 damage; if you put it in the 7th, you can add 2d8 damage; in the 8th spell slot, it will cause 3d8 more damage, and so on. That means at the 10th level, if you put it in that spell slot, it will be twice as strong and hit for 40 damage a turn on average when a creature fails a throwing save.
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Aspect<\/th>	Description<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Spell Appearance<\/td>	A 20-foot sphere of poisonous fog that shines yellow and green is created when the spell is cast. The fog forms where the caster has pointed within a range of 120 feet.<\/td><\/tr>
Fog Spread<\/td>	The fog spreads continuously until the spell’s duration ends or it is dispersed by a strong wind. It obscures vision within its radius.<\/td><\/tr>
Saving Throw<\/td>	Creatures within the fog’s radius must make a Constitution saving throw. Failure results in 20 or 5d8 poison damage, while success halves the damage.<\/td><\/tr>
Holding Breath<\/td>	Even attempting to hold one’s breath or cover the face does not prevent damage from Cloudkill.<\/td><\/tr>
Movement<\/td>	The fog moves 10 feet away from the caster, sinking into ground holes instead of rising. Flying above the fog can avoid being affected by the spell.<\/td><\/tr>
Scaling Damage<\/td>	Cloudkill’s damage scales with the spell slot level. Increasing the slot level adds additional d8 damage (e.g., 6th slot adds 1d8, 7th slot adds 2d8, etc.).<\/td><\/tr>
Enhanced Strength<\/td>	Placing Cloudkill in a 10th-level spell slot doubles its strength, averaging 40 damage per turn against creatures that fail their saving throw.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n What are the requirements to cast this spell?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Level<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n Cloudkill is a level 5 skill. So you won’t have it when you start your adventure, but you will likely have it at the midgame of your campaign if you play as one of the classes that can use it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That does not mean you won’t be able to use it in the end game. It has the advantage of scaling with your level if you put it into a higher spell slot. Every spell slot above the 5th one will add a 1d8 damage to it. In other words, the spell is twice as strong if you put it into the 10th spell slot.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Casting time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n The casting time of the spell is one action. Therefore, you will not be able to use any extra attack if that also takes a normal action. However, you will still have access to your bonus- and movement action after casting this spell. Remember, you only have one normal action per turn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Components<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n Spells in Dungeons and Dragons generally have multiple components. Cloudkill is no different. In this case, there are two, a verbal component and a Somatic component. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Verbal: This means the words need to be spoken; you have to say the name of the spell to cast it. In other words (no pun intended), you must be able to speak. Your mouth can not be restricted by a spell or something like a cloth that hinders your ability to make an audible and understandable noise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Somatic:<\/strong> This means when you want to cast this spell, you will have to use hand movements. Your hands will need to be free. So you can not be bound or magically restricted when you want to cast the spell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Duration<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n Gust of Wind in 5e can dispel Cloudkill. It can also be dispelled by a regular wind or by breaking the spell when you kill the caster. The spell, when not broken or dispelled, has a duration of 10 minutes. However, nothing stops the caster from recasting this spell again. It is not concentration-based, so it remains the full 10 minutes of its casting time, even if another sorcery has been cast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n School<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n The school that this spell is part of is the school of Conjuration. It is the school that is known for, well, conjuring things. These can be animals or allies like with the spell Planar Ally<\/a>, but it is also possible to conjure this fog of deadly gas. It is quite a fun magic school if you know how to make the best use of it, so make sure you read up on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Attack Save and Damage<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n When you are engulfed in the fog of deathly poison, you will need to make a saving throw. Cloudkill 5e will deal damage on the first turn it is cast, so make sure you remember this as a DM and as a player. When you do a successful CON saving throw, the damage is halved. So it will hit you for 20 instead of 40 on average. The damage done by this spell is poison, and it has the poison effect. So do not underestimate the pure damage output this conjuration spell can do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n