Cone of Cold

Cone of Cold blasts a 60-foot cone with freezing air. It deals 8d8 cold damage in D&D 2024 and 2014, or 1d6 per caster level, up to 15d6, in Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e. The fifth-edition spell uses a Constitution save; the older versions use Reflex.

Cone of Cold at a Glance

D&D 2024 and 2014	5th-level Evocation; one Action; 60-foot Cone; Constitution save; 8d8 Cold damage on failed save, half on success
Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e	5th-level Sorcerer/Wizard Evocation [cold]; standard action; 60-foot Cone; Reflex save for half; 1d6 Cold damage per caster level (maximum 15d6)
Concentration	None in any of these editions: the blast is instantaneous

Spell Rules by Edition

D&D 5.5e / 2024D&D 5e / 2014Pathfinder 1eD&D 3.5e

Cone of Cold — D&D 2024

5th-level Evocation. Casting time: Action. Range: Self (60-foot Cone). Components: V, S, M (small crystal or glass cone). Duration: Instantaneous. Base classes: Druid, Sorcerer and Wizard; a Cleric must gain it through an explicit subclass or another spell-granting feature.

Every creature caught in the Cone makes a Constitution saving throw. It suffers 8d8 Cold damage if it fails or half that on success. A creature killed by this magic freezes into an icy statue until it thaws. Each spell slot above 5th adds 1d8 damage, rather than increasing caster-level dice. The Cone begins at the caster and follows the 2024 area and cover rules.

Cone of Cold — D&D 2014

5th-level Evocation. Casting time: 1 Action. Range: Self (60-foot Cone). Components: V, S, M (small crystal or glass cone). Duration: Instantaneous. Sorcerer and Wizard class lists; other classes only when a source grants it.

A Constitution saving throw resists the blast. The target takes 8d8 cold damage on a failed save or half as much on success. A creature killed by the spell is frozen until it thaws; the effect does not automatically impose paralysis on a survivor. Casting with a slot above 5th increases the damage by 1d8 per extra slot level. Use 2014 Cone area and line-of-effect rules.

Cone of Cold — Pathfinder 1e

Published Pathfinder 1e Evocation [cold]. Sorcerer/Wizard 5; standard action; range 60 feet; area Cone-shaped burst; V, S, M (small crystal or glass cone); instantaneous; Reflex save for half; spell resistance applies.

The Cone deals 1d6 cold damage per caster level to creatures within it, to a maximum of 15d6. It does not use the fifth-edition 8d8 amount or its upcasting rule. Caster level affects damage even when the spell was prepared in a fixed-level slot. Consult the Pathfinder Core Rulebook.

Cone of Cold — D&D 3.5e

Cone of cold creates an area of extreme cold, originating at your hand and extending outward in a cone.

This material is Open Game Content, and is licensed for public use under the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a.

Evocation [Cold]
Level Sorcerer/Wizard 5, Water 6
Components V, S, M/DF
Casting Time 1 standard action
Range 60 ft.
Area Cone-shaped burst
Duration Instantaneous
Saving Throw Reflex half
Spell Resistance Yes

It drains heat, dealing 1d6 points of cold damage per caster level (maximum 15d6).

Arcane Material Component A very small crystal or glass cone.

D&D 3.5e SRD. Open Game Content under the Open Game License v1.0a.

What Changed?

The modern spell is a fifth-level blast dealing a flat 8d8 before upcasting, with Constitution saves and a frozen-statue effect on a killed target. Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e calculate 1d6 per caster level to a fixed 15d6 maximum, use Reflex saves and resolve spell resistance where applicable. No edition uses Concentration.

Running the Spell

Mark a 60-foot Cone from the caster before deciding which creatures are hit. A stone buttress or closed gate can matter more than saving-throw bonuses, since the effect does not pass through total cover. The spell is a sudden blast, not a lingering floor of ice unless a GM adds a separate environmental consequence.

Related domains: Air Domain · Weather Domain.

Sources and Licensing

D&D 2024 · D&D 2014 · Pathfinder 1e · D&D 3.5e.

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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