If you’re a spell caster in Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition (or 5e for short), then chances are that you’re going to want at least one damaging spell in your arsenal.
We don’t care if you’re playing a cleric, a bard, or even a wild-shaping druid who loves staying as a cat for 90% of playtime. At some point, your teammates are gonna be down, the big bad is gunning for you, and you’re going to need to defend yourself against them.
Okay, perhaps that’s a little dramatic, but you get the point. Even if you’re playing a support role, having something nasty up your sleeve will almost always pay off. But that just leaves you with one question: What damaging Spell do you choose?
Well, depending on your class, you’ll have quite a few options (or one, realistically, if you’re playing a warlock). But for us, there’s one spell that we just can’t get enough of Ice Knife.
Just the name alone can send chills down a player’s or Game Master (GM)’s spine. And not just because of the cold nature of this spell!
In this guide, we’re going to show you not just what Ice Knife is, or why we think Ice Knife is cool or the best (which it is), but also how you can use it to its maximum potential in your games, whether you’re a GM with a wizard NPC or enemy, or you’re a player looking to get the most damaging bang for your buck!
What Is Ice Knife In 5e?
Before we go off on another tirade about why Ice Knife is so great, it’s probably worth just explaining what the spell is, what you need to use it, and other things that newcomers should know.
Ice Knife was a spell that was introduced back in the sourcebook Xanathar’s Guide (see also: The Complete Guide To Shatter Spell In Dungeons & Dragons 5E)to Everything. This is its stat block and description:
Ice Knife
- 1st level conjuration
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: S, M (a drop of water or piece of ice)
- Duration: Instantaneous
‘You create a shard of ice and fling it at one creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 piercing damage. Hit or miss, the shard then explodes.
The target and each creature within 5 feet of the point where the ice exploded must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 cold damage.
At Higher Levels, when you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the cold damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.’
Ice Knife Explained
So, what exactly does all of that information mean, exactly? Let’s break the spell down to its base components. And no, we don’t mean the shard of ice and a piece of water!
Casting
The spell is a 1st level conjuration spell, meaning that to use it, you’re going to need to have a 1st level spell slot free, at least. However, this does mean that Ice Knife is one of the easiest spells to cast in the game, as it is usable as soon as you gain access to spell slots.
So, if you’re a caster, like a 1st level Wizard, Sorcerer, Druid, Cleric or Warlock, or Artificer this means that you can cast it from level 1, so long as it is a spell in your spell list (more on that later).
For half-casters, like Paladins and Rangers, this option becomes available to you when you can start using spell-casting abilities at level 2.
And for subclasses that can learn spells, such as Eldritch Knight for Fighter, and Arcane Tricksters for Rogues, they can get access to this spell at level 3.
Components
As we already mentioned, the components needed to make this spell are somatic (a movement or motion, the flick of a wand, the move of a hand, etc.), and some material components, like the water and ice that the spell description mentions.
Fortunately, if you are a caster, this won’t be a big issue. Your spell component pouch or arcane focusing tool that you get when starting with these classes will cover your component needs.
Damage & Area Of Effect
One of the first things that pretty much anyone will notice about ice shards is just how gnarly it is to get hit by.
The d10 (10-sided dice) of piercing damage already makes this quite a nasty spell for a low-level spell caster to have and can one-shot some lower-level mob enemies, such as goblins or kobolds.
However, when combined with the 2d6 (or 6-sided/traditional dice), you have a spell that can theoretically have a single attack do up to 22 damage, with no extra modifiers, at level 1.
That’s enough to take out some early-game bosses. Combine all of these factors, and it’s not hard why some casters will almost always run a build that includes ice knives, at least in early games and campaigns.
Range
In terms of range, Ice Knife is not all that far-reaching, with only 60 feet of range on it. However, this does give you enough room to avoid the nasty damage that this spell can do at an early level.
What Classes Learn Ice Knife?
While this sounds like an amazing spell to have for any class, that doesn’t mean that anyone with a spell slot and casting powers can use this spell. At least not naturally. Ice Knife can be learned naturally by Sorcerers, Wizards, and Druids, but none of the other spell-casting classes.
So, unless you’re taking a specific feat to learn the spell or your GM is prepared to mess with the rules a little, you’re Warlock, Ranger, Paladin, or Cleric, this spell will not normally be on your list.
Interestingly enough, however, because both the Eldritch Knight for Fighters and Arcane Trickster for Rogues can learn spells from the Wizard’s spell list, both of these non-traditional casting classes can use this spell.
So, your tanky fighter can just stand right next to the blast zone of this spell and smugly smile at the party cleric as they absorb most of the damage that would take out the more fragile caster. Definitely not speaking from experience, nope.
What We Love About Ice Knife?
So, in case the tone of this guide hasn’t made it already clear, we’re big fans of Ice Knife. For a couple of major reasons, too.
Easy To Use
As we already mentioned in pretty good detail, this is a spell that is accessible to any class that can cast spells and has it on their list. This means that most classes that can cast magic can always have a spell that can attack at the ready.
High Damage, Low Cost
Again, it can’t be overstated just how much damage this spell can do at an early level.
With a variety of different damage types at its disposal (piercing and cold) and a high potential ceiling, it’s a spell that will help take care of pretty much any early-level challenge your party could be thrown against.
Plus, the description of the spell clearly states that the spell radius is not just the target, but the 5 feet around them two, meaning that the cold damage can take out surrounding opponents too!
And by the way, just let that sink in. It just states ‘your target’. It doesn’t specify the target size, or a width around the target before it becomes ineffective. Just the target, and the 5 feet around them.
This means that you can use this spell against a goblin, a cultist, a bear, a T. rex (yes, a T. rex, those guys are in DnD too), and even a giant dragon! The spell has no limit!
(I mean, we wouldn’t try our luck with just an Ice Knife with those last two, but the principle still stands!) All of this, and at (and we can’t stress this enough) just a 1st level spell slot!
Granted, the amount of damage that this spell does kind of peters out at a certain level, even after upping the spell level that you are casting it at. But these perks can’t be denied when you’re a level 1-through-5 party, with not too many spells to choose from just yet.
Guaranteed Damage
Remember that high amount of damage? That we have mentioned a few times with this spell. What if we told you that it’s also impossible to avoid? Okay, maybe not all that damage. But certainly some of it!
One of the things that most Dungeons and Dragons (see also: A Complete Guide To Giant Apes In Dungeons & Dragons 5e)players will be familiar with is just how squishy and easy to kill lower-level spell casters are. And not just that, but also just how precious spell slots are.
Even wizards, arguably THE most caster of casters, only have 2 or 3 spell slots for the first 2 levels. So, when you cast a spell, you want that damage it does to count, in a big way!
Well, fortunately, this is where Ice Knife’s secondary features come into play, and what makes it such an appetizing spell to have.
While the piercing damage can miss, the secondary cold damage is determined not by a spell attack roll, but by a Dexterity saving throw on the part of the target. On a fail, they will take all 2d6 of that damage. But even on a passing roll, they will still take at least half of that.
(Unless, you’re targeting a high-level monk, your target is immune to cold damage, or your Dm decides to break out the villain bullsh- I mean, custom features for an opponent. But that’s beside the point.)
This means that almost every attack with Ice Knife will do damage, making your early spell slots count that much more, and making you just a little more reliable for your teammates!
It’s Cool
Look, call us basic as much as you like. You can’t deny that this spell has a pretty We’re here to play cool characters that do cool things to cool bad guys in a cool way!
The image of a ring of ice-cold, crystalline daggers, all pointed in on a single target, as they plunge into the enemy, is just a really (pardon the pun) cool image.
Tips & Advice When Using Ice Knife
So, you have plenty of information about Ice Knife. How should you go about using it?
Crowd Control Options
The first thought that many people will have is the radius options. With up to 9 squares (or a 15-foot diameter) or damage coverage, this is great for attacking big groups of enemies that are all clustered together.
None-Combat Uses
This will entirely depend on how much Role-Play (or RP) your campaign includes, but it’s worth considering uses outside of combat.
The piercing damage can potentially be used for cutting a rope, while the cold damage applied to a heavily metal-armored target could be invaluable! (Again, check with your GM to see what they’re willing to allow.)
Watch Out For Allies
That 5-foot radius that we talked about isn’t just limited to your enemies, however. Any creature that is within 5 feet, whether friend or foe, will have to make that Dexterity save, and that includes your allies.
More than a few parties have lost comrades-in-arms to this attack, so make sure that you’re not doing this while your monk or fighter is wailing on your target!
Final Thoughts – Is It Worth It?
So, at the end of all of that, would we say that Ice Knife is a spell worth having in your inventory? Well, yes! At least, in the beginning.
This might be a little surprising, considering how much we’ve been ranting and raving about it so far. You would think that we would say to have this spell ready all the time. However, a few things stop this spell from being an amazing trick to have all of the time.
- The damage that the spell does, while decent up to a point, will slowly become less and less effective over time.
- And cold damage, while not as commonly resisted as fire or poison damage, can still be rendered less or not effective at all, against tundra enemies or big bads such as white dragons.
- Enemies are not guaranteed to bunch up conveniently around a single target. So your great crowd control ideas may never work quite as well as you’d hope.
- 60 feet is not the best when it comes to ranged spell attacks. Even many cantrips, which cost no spell slots, such as Fire Bolt and Eldritch Blast, will have many better-ranged options, while still doing higher damage at higher levels.
And cold damage, while not as commonly resisted as fire or poison damage, can still be rendered less or not effective at all, against tundra enemies or big bads such as white dragons.
Add to these points the fact that many other cold-damaging spells become available at a higher level, and you’ll see why, although we have a soft spot for this cold-killing spell, it’s not our first pick for damaging spells.
Still, up to around level 5, you won’t find a cold 1st-level spell that has your back quite like Ice Knife. Plus, and again, we can’t stress this enough, this is still a cool spell!
In spite of my reservations, there is nothing quite like D&D to bring out your inner creator and now I love the imaginative and even roleplaying elements of the game (I still can’t manage doing accents though!).
My favorite thing about D&D is that there isn’t just one way to play it.
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