Level
2nd
Casting Time
1 Action
Range/Area
60 ft
(5 ft *)
Components
V, S
Duration
Instantaneous
School
Transmutation
Attack/Save
CON Save
Damage/Effect
Blinded
Choose an area of nonmagical flame that you can see and that fits within a 5-foot cube within range. You can extinguish the fire in that area, and you create either fireworks or smoke when you do so.
Fireworks. The target explodes with a dazzling display of colors. Each creature within 10 feet of the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become blinded until the end of your next turn.
Smoke. Thick black smoke spreads out from the target in a 20-foot radius, moving around corners. The area of the smoke is heavily obscured. The smoke persists for 1 minute or until a strong wind disperses it.
Does the smoke create non Magicka darkness?
No, it heavily obscures the area. Darkvision doesn't apply to it.
The crew is about to enter the room. Everyone knows that the guards are waiting and this upcoming battle is going to be bloody. The Artifactor reaches into his bag of many things and pulled out what looks like an alarm clock attached to a torch with a long cord.
" I got this." he says as he lights the torch end and tosses it in the room. He then activates the clockwork. Seconds later a blinding flash is seen from the room and screams from the guards about their eyes and sight.
- basically a level 11 Artifactor places this spell into a device and lights it on fire. Now you have a flash grenade (or smoke grenade)
This is the perfect Fourth of July spell! I gave a spell scroll of this spell to my party today, Happy Fourth of the Die!
is it just me or does this just sound like fog cloud with extra steps and without the concentration? i feel like this would kind of be a waste of a second level slot? at least for wizard
Fog Cloud can't create flashing lights, and also needs concentration. Though I do question the strength of wind required to move Pyrotechnics. Fog cloud specifies it. They are also two different schools of magic, which is interesting
If this were a level 1 spell it might be worthwhile.. but as a level 2 spell its not quiet worth the spell slot
This spell can be useful if you routinely use mage hand to carry a lit torch for you.
Perfect spell to rob a store! (assuming you are wearing shades, and only knick one or two items)
Step 1: downtime prep - obtain lamp. (Optional) customise lamp so that you minimise light emission if you are trying to be sneaky
Step 2: tie the lamp to your belt
Step 3: light the lamp prior to going into the dungeon/lair etc.
Step 4: cast Pyrotechnics for concentration free heavy visual obstruction using only 1 combat round
*bummer that you'll need to use a 2nd level spell slot but can be handy if you want to use your concentration on something better.
The wording states that choosing whether to extinguish the flames or not is optional, but that choosing not to produces no effects for casting the spell at all, since the fireworks or smoke are created "...when you [extinguish the fire]..."
Weird, and pointlessly worded.
I think the point if its odd phrasing is to distinguish the flame in this instance from a consumed material component of a spell, in addition to it only having a vocal and somatic component. If it just says that you consume a fire to make fireworks, then that would be confusing as to why it isn't just a consumed material like everything else. However, in this case, it is clear that the spell itself actively extinguishes the flames, which allows for further effects, rather than needing a flame as a material component to make the spell work at all. This matters when you have spellcasting focuses that replace material components or interact with counterspell.
Material Components must be held in one or more hands to be used, and can't be used from a distance away from them. If the spell had a material component, for example a fire, it would require you to be holding it in order to then, apply the spell's effect to another fire within range.
What's weird about the spell, is that with the way it is worded, you can expend a spellslot to do nothing at all, because the effect of the spell is optional (extinguishing a flame or not), and the following effect (smoke or fireworks) in contingent on that first option being chosen to extinguish. You can choose not to extinguish, and waste a spell slot for no reason, which is weird, and just shows that the spell is worded badly because it does that.
A very setup focuses spell. This allows two non-concentration options for you to blind who you need to blind. Candles and torches can be a disposable source of non-magic flame simply place or throw (Note: Improvised throwing weapons have a range of 20 (60)ft). If you're a Sorcerer, Throwing a torch and quicken spelling this makes for a good Smoke bomb, or Flashbang if you feel like introducing some Counter Strike into your game.
Guys, are we really going to ignore that this spell, while janky in wording is a huge boon to sorcerers?
Not only does it produce the same effect as a 1st lvl Color Spray spell, but actively fixes the problem with Color Spray's effectiveness at hogher levels.
By making the spell a Con save or be blinded it gets rid of the rolled Hit point maximum that severely handicaps its use in later gameplay.
Not only that, but it provides a concentration free version of a 1st lvl Fog Cloud spell, and while it canmot be upcast from this point, in all my years playing Dnd, i have never needed to use the 120ft radius cover that a 5th lvl upcast fog cloud provides. All while not hampering a spellcasters choices to non-concentration for the rest of the encounter.
As well as not requiring concentration this smoke is immune to dispel magic by enemies as well possibly making them waste a spell slot, keeping your concentration open, and has secondary uses.
Is it the best spell in the game, no. But this 2 for 1 spell sale with solid control effects is a no-brainer for any Sorcerer who wants to save spells known, and bards that want to FINALLY be able to cast a spell that doesnt have concentration.
So, does that mean you could use that spell on a torch someone else (like an enemy) is holding in their hand?
Yes. That is exactly what you can do. And in a chase sequence, I reccomend that you do exactly this.
heavily obscure truesight without concentration in one turn, block blindsight with 7th level spell forcecage box before starting to cast magnificent mansion or something appropriate for the circumstance, perhaps have a quick conversation, exchange items, etc; an 18th level wizard can master this spell to potentially cast it without spending a spell slot like a mastered 1st level spell magic missile while concentrating on 7th level spell draconic transformation to have blindsight for magic missile and 3rd level spell counterspell
I really don't see much appeal here. Yes its a two for one spell, but at a higher level than both, no to mention is two spells with overlapping utility anyways.
Yes, fireworks is a con save vs. color sprays HP coverage. But most low CR monsters with high HP tend to also have at least a +2 in Con anyways. I'd rank this above Color Spray, but I also would never take Color Spray. Using an action to maybe give what will likely be no more than 5 people disadvantage for a single turn just doesn't seem worth it. And since you snuff the fire, you can't cast it again next turn.
While Smoke is doesn't require concentration like Fog Cloud, at second level its half the size and a fraction of the duration. In actual combat all you're getting is advantage negation and shutting down things that require sight, for EVERYONE involved, so you're likely using it to hide or flee. A sorcerer could combine it with something like slow, but that ends up a being a pretty costly exit strategy.
That's not even considering the worst part of requiring a non-magical flame. If its a torch you're carrying, you'll likely have to drop it. If you don't, not only do you risk blinding yourself with fireworks, but you can't even cast it if you also have a weapon out. This also presumes you just have a torch lit at all times, which while not costly MONETARILY, each torch is a 1lb and lasts an hour. So a lantern is essentially mandatory if you're carrying the fire yourself. Mage hand requires an action to move, which means you're probably not moving it in combat, and you weren't contributing much before combat (your focus is on moving the hand, not on exploring the dungeon). Unseen Servant only moves 15 ft. Which I doubt the rest of the party appreciates moving at half speed to accommodate your floating lantern.
As a side note, I know the ruling is that you can't dispel effects from instantaneous spells, but I think that's silly. This ruling assumes that spell effects are independent of spells, but that would also imply that dispelling water breathing on one creature would dispel it on all creatures that were targeted by the original casting, which conflicts with a DIFFERENT ruling. Mean while the ACTUAL spell has the bizarre wording of it ending the spell, while the upcast ends the effect.