Fireball
Fireball erupts at a point within range and burns creatures in a 20-foot-radius area. In D&D 2024 and 2014 it deals 8d6 Fire damage, or half on a successful Dexterity save. Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e instead deal 1d6 fire damage per caster level (maximum 10d6), with a Reflex save for half. This spell is also known as Ruinflame in some magical traditions.
Fireball at a Glance
| 2024 and 2014 | 3rd-level Evocation; Action; 150 feet; 20-foot-radius Sphere; 8d6 Fire; Dexterity save for half; +1d6 per spell slot above 3rd. |
|---|---|
| Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e | 3rd-level Sorcerer/Wizard; standard action; long range (400 ft. + 40 ft./level); 20-foot-radius spread; 1d6 fire/level (maximum 10d6); Reflex half; spell resistance applies. |
| Key limits | Instantaneous, no Concentration. The area can catch allies. Only the edition’s own rules determine how corners, objects, barriers and combustibles are affected. |
Rules
Fireball by Edition
Fireball — 5.5e / 2024
| Level | 3rd-level Evocation |
|---|---|
| Classes | Sorcerer, Wizard |
| Casting Time | 1 Action |
| Range | 150 feet |
| Components | V, S, M (a ball of bat guano and sulfur) |
| Duration | Instantaneous |
| Area | 20-foot-radius Sphere |
| Save | Dexterity; half damage on a success |
A streak of fire flashes to a point you choose within range and erupts in a 20-foot-radius Sphere. Each creature in the area makes a Dexterity saving throw, taking 8d6 Fire damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one. Flammable objects in the area that are not worn or carried start burning.
Higher-level slot: add 1d6 Fire damage for each spell slot level above 3rd.
Fireball — 5e / 2014
| Level | 3rd-level Evocation |
|---|---|
| Classes | Sorcerer, Wizard |
| Casting Time | 1 action |
| Range | 150 feet |
| Components | V, S, M (a tiny ball of bat guano and sulfur) |
| Duration | Instantaneous |
| Area | 20-foot-radius sphere |
| Save | Dexterity; half damage on a success |
A bright streak reaches a point within range and explodes. Creatures in the 20-foot-radius sphere take 8d6 fire damage on a failed Dexterity save or half as much on a success. In this edition the spell text explicitly says the fire spreads around corners and ignites flammable objects that are not worn or carried.
At Higher Levels: add 1d6 fire damage for each slot level above 3rd.
Fireball — Pathfinder 1e
| School | Evocation [fire] |
|---|---|
| Level | Sorcerer/Wizard 3 |
| Casting Time | 1 standard action |
| Components | V, S, M |
| Range | Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level) |
| Area | 20-ft.-radius spread |
| Duration | Instantaneous |
| Saving Throw | Reflex half |
| Spell Resistance | Yes |
The explosion deals 1d6 fire damage per caster level, to a maximum of 10d6. Unattended objects also take the damage. A glowing bead travels to the chosen point; if it strikes a solid barrier first, it detonates early. Sending it through a very narrow opening can require a ranged touch attack.
The blast can ignite combustibles and damage objects. Low-melting-point metals can be affected, and a barrier destroyed by the blast can allow the remaining spread to continue beyond it if the area permits.
Material component: a tiny ball of bat guano and sulfur.
Fireball — D&D 3.5e
| School | Evocation [Fire] |
|---|---|
| Level | Sorcerer/Wizard 3 |
| Casting Time | 1 standard action |
| Components | V, S, M |
| Range | Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level) |
| Area | 20-ft.-radius spread |
| Duration | Instantaneous |
| Saving Throw | Reflex half |
| Spell Resistance | Yes |
Fireball deals 1d6 fire damage per caster level, up to 10d6. Unattended objects take the damage as well. The spell’s bead can detonate early against a barrier, and threading it through a narrow opening can require a ranged touch attack.
Combustibles can ignite, objects can be damaged, and low-melting-point metals can melt. If the blast destroys an intervening barrier, the spread can continue beyond it where space allows.
Material component: a tiny ball of bat guano and sulfur.
What Changed?
- 2024 and 2014 keep the familiar 8d6 baseline: 150-foot range, 20-foot-radius area and +1d6 per slot level above 3rd.
- 2024 removes the old spell-text sentence that fire spreads around corners: use the current area-of-effect and cover rules instead of importing the 2014 wording.
- Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e scale by caster level: 1d6 fire damage per caster level, maximum 10d6.
- Legacy editions use much longer range and a travelling bead: barriers and narrow openings can cause early detonation or require a ranged touch attack.
Using Fireball
Fireball is a spell of immediate area denial through damage. Its battlefield value comes from turning enemy density into a liability: packed troops, clustered monsters, summoned creatures and defenders forced into a choke point all give one spell more targets.
It is equally important to know when not to cast it. Fireball is indiscriminate inside its area, can ignite exposed combustibles, and can destroy objects that the party may have wanted intact. The best use is not simply the largest visible group; it is the point where damage, positioning and acceptable collateral consequences all line up.
Fireball at the Table
Catch a group, not an ally
Place the 20-foot-radius burst so it catches several enemies without including companions, captives or the goods the party came to recover. In Pathfinder and 3.5e, the bead can strike an obstruction and burst early; a very narrow opening can require a ranged touch attack.
Use the opening round
A tightly gathered patrol or formation offers more targets before combatants scatter. Experienced opponents may spread out when they see an enemy mage, but that is a tactical response, not an automatic fear effect imposed by the spell.
Mind the surroundings
Flammable objects not worn or carried can ignite. A storehouse full of rope, oil and grain is a very different battlefield from a stone courtyard. Resolve structural damage, fire spread, visibility and panic using the relevant edition’s rules and the situation, not as extra effects granted by Fireball.
Spells That Change the Odds
- Hold Person: in fifth edition a Paralyzed humanoid automatically fails Dexterity saves, but the condition must still be in effect when Fireball strikes. Hold Person works only on its printed targets.
- Web: a creature that is actually Restrained has disadvantage on Dexterity saves under fifth-edition rules. The spell’s webs are flammable; Fireball may burn them away, so check the selected edition’s text and order of effects.
- Grease: a fall or slower movement can alter positioning, but being Prone does not by itself impose disadvantage on a Dexterity saving throw.
- Wall of Force: a barrier can obstruct an explosion’s path or line of effect. Don’t assume Fireball passes through the wall simply because it is transparent.
- Invisibility: may help a caster approach unseen, but in fifth edition ordinary Invisibility ends when the affected creature casts a spell. It does not hide the origin of a Fireball after casting.
GM Rulings and Consequences
Fireball deals damage in its printed area. It does not create lasting smoke, a fear condition or difficult terrain unless the edition’s rules or surrounding hazards produce those effects. Decide where walls, corners, exposed fuel and bystanders are before rolling the saving throws. The 2014 spell explicitly spreads around corners; the 2024 description does not use that same clause.
Give enemies believable tactics without negating the spell: a watch patrol may travel spaced apart, while soldiers crammed on a staircase may have no room to scatter. After the blast, show actual consequences—burning stores, shattered formation or a witness recognising the caster—where the spell and scene warrant them.
Fireball in the World
A mercenary captain expecting battle magic may break up a tight rank before entering bowshot. Inside a granary, inn or ship’s hold, the blast can ignite unattended supplies and make the rescue of civilians or prisoners far harder. At a stone gatehouse, the same spell is easier to contain. Its consequences follow the place and the rules, not a fixed panic effect.
After a fireball, survivors can identify the scorched area and question witnesses. Burning property may matter long after the combat ends, especially when a faction needs the building, records or provisions intact.
Rules Sources and Licensing
- D&D 2024 — Fireball (Basic Rules / SRD 5.2.1).
- D&D 2014 — Fireball (Basic Rules / SRD 5.1).
- Pathfinder 1e Core Rulebook — Fireball.
- D&D 3.5e SRD — Fireball.
The modern fifth-edition rules are paraphrased from Wizards of the Coast’s System Reference Documents, available under CC BY 4.0. The Pathfinder 1e and 3.5e references include Open Game Content under OGL v1.0a. Original setting prose and artwork are separate from game-rule licensing.
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