Burning Hands — Four-Edition Spell Rules
Fire spreads from the caster in a 15-foot cone. In D&D 2024 and 2014 it deals 3d6 fire damage; in Pathfinder and D&D 3.5e it deals 1d4 per caster level, to a maximum of 5d4. The saving throw and scaling depend on which edition you’re using.
Burning Hands at a Glance
| Spell Level | 1st (all four editions) |
|---|---|
| School | Evocation; fire descriptor in Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e |
| Area | 15-foot cone from the caster |
| 2024 / 2014 | 3d6 Fire damage, Dexterity save for half; +1d6 per slot level above 1st |
| Pathfinder 1e / D&D 3.5e | 1d4 fire damage per caster level, maximum 5d4; Reflex save for half |
Rules by Edition
Burning Hands — D&D 5.5e / 2024
Level 1 Evocation · Sorcerer, Wizard; available to other classes through specific features or domain lists.
Casting Time: Action · Range: Self (15-foot Cone) · Components: V, S · Duration: Instantaneous.
A wave of flame fills a 15-foot Cone. Every creature in it makes a Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d6 Fire damage on a failed save or half as much on a success. Flammable objects in the Cone ignite if they aren’t worn or carried.
Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot: increase the damage by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.
Burning Hands — D&D 5e / 2014
1st-level Evocation · Sorcerer, Wizard; also the 2014 Light Domain spell list.
Casting Time: 1 action · Range: Self (15-foot cone) · Components: V, S · Duration: Instantaneous.
Each creature caught in the 15-foot cone makes a Dexterity save. The spell deals 3d6 fire damage, halved on a successful save. It lights flammable objects within the cone only when they’re not being worn or carried.
Higher-level slots: +1d6 fire damage per slot level above 1st. Its damage and scaling are mechanically unchanged from the 2024 version.
Burning Hands — Pathfinder 1e
1st-level Evocation [Fire] · Casting Time: 1 standard action · Components: V, S · Range / Area: 15-foot cone-shaped burst · Duration: Instantaneous · Saving Throw: Reflex half · Spell Resistance: Yes.
The cone deals 1d4 fire damage per caster level, maximum 5d4. Flammable materials touched by the flames can burn; extinguishing burning items takes a full-round action. The base version is available to arcane casters and through the Fire Domain.
Do not import fifth edition’s 3d6 damage or higher-slot scaling: Pathfinder’s damage depends on caster level and reaches its normal cap at caster level 5.
Burning Hands — D&D 3.5e
1st-level Evocation [Fire] · Sorcerer/Wizard 1; Fire domain 1 · Casting Time: 1 standard action · Components: V, S · Range / Area: 15-foot cone-shaped burst · Duration: Instantaneous · Saving Throw: Reflex half · Spell Resistance: Yes.
Creatures in the cone take 1d4 fire damage per caster level (maximum 5d4), or half on a successful Reflex save. Flammable materials burn if touched by the flame; putting out a burning item takes a full-round action.
What Changed Between Editions?
The two modern versions deal the same 3d6 damage and scale by spell-slot level. Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e instead use 1d4 per caster level, to a maximum of 5d4, and allow spell resistance. Don’t use one edition’s damage formula with another’s saving throw rules.
Using the Spell
This is a close-range area spell, not a ranged attack against a single target. Positioning determines who is caught in the cone, including allies. When it ignites an unattended object, apply the campaign’s ordinary environmental-fire rules; the spell doesn’t automatically ignite armour, clothes or gear someone is wearing or carrying under fifth-edition rules.
Clerics whose campaigns permit Sun Domain or Light Domain should check their chosen edition’s domain list for access rather than assuming this spell appears on every Cleric spell list.
Sources and Licensing
D&D 2024: current spell reference (2024 SRD 5.2.1 / CC BY 4.0). D&D 2014: Basic Rules / SRD 5.1. Pathfinder 1e: Archives of Nethys, Core Rulebook. D&D 3.5e: 3.5e SRD. Edition text is summarised in original wording; each publisher’s licensing conditions apply to its rules material.
The fifth-edition summaries include material from System Reference Documents 5.2.1 and 5.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available from the official SRD resource, under CC BY 4.0. The summaries are reformatted and paraphrased. Pathfinder and 3.5e mechanics are Open Game Content under the Open Game License v1.0a. Artwork and original setting prose are excluded from that designation.
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