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In this new version of the game “Toll the Dead 5e”, the GM takes the role of a necromancer, manipulating the dead to serve their own nefarious purposes. With a deep and rich new setting, a fresh look, and more options than ever before, Toll the Dead 5e is the most flexible and dynamic version of the game yet!
“We are pleased to offer a completely new version of Toll the Dead, a game that has proven itself to be a mainstay in our house for many years. It’s not often you get to change a game this beloved and get to do it with such a great game.”
-Scott Haring, designer of The Rise of Tiamat
“Toll the Dead 5e takes a different approach to the rules and options, which makes it a game that really fits the group of players that I run it with.”
-Mike “The Baron” Kowalski, author of The Baron’s Book of Monsters
“Toll the Dead 5e is a huge step forward in the game. It’s the first edition of the game that really feels like it belongs in a modern setting.”
Toll the Dead 5th edition is full of fear and popular attacking spells with the sound of a dolorous bell that fills the air around in the moments of action. Keeping in view the cantrip spells, attack the target within range and move to the higher levels where the spell’s damage increases by one die. Conversely, if the target is out of range, the effects of the spell disappear.
In the D&D 5e Toll the dead, the range 60 feet components V, S duration is instantaneous. It includes some casters like Warlock, Wizard, Cleric, Eldritch Knight, and Arcane Trickster.
D&D Toll The Dead 5e Spell
There are interesting adventures included in the 5th edition to amuse the users. You attack the creature you see within range. If you point to the creature correctly, the sound of a dolorous bell fills the air around it. The target should succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d8 necrotic damage. Unfortunately, if the target is missing any hit points, then it instead takes 1d12 necrotic damage.
The spell’s damage increases by one dying at higher levels. More specifically, it happens when you reach the 5th level (2d8 or 2d12), the 11th level (3d8 or 3d12), and the 17th level (4d8 or 4d12).
Toll The Dead 5e: Spells
- Level: Necromancy Cantrip
- Cantrip Casting Time: 1 Action
- Target Range: 60 feet
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Attack or Save: WIS
- Races: Elf (High)
- Damage Type: Necrotic
- Components: Verbal & Somatic
- Classes: Wizard, Warlock, Cleric
- Subclasses: Death Cleric, Arcana Cleric, Divine Soul Sorcerer, Arcane Trickster Rogue
- Subclasses (Legacy): Favored Soul V3 (UA) Sorcerer, Favored Soul V2 (UA) Sorcerer
- Higher Levels: 5th level (2d8 or 2d12), 11th level (3d8 or 3d12), and 17th level (4d8 or 4d12)
Reference: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
Is toll the dead good?
Yes, toll the dead 5e is good with an extraordinary attack roll. You just need to find and point the creature you can see within range. On the contrary, that creature utilizes a wisdom saving throw for minor damage. However, Toll the Dead is slightly different from severe damage cantrips. Even this necromancy cantrip is suitable good for clerics with radiance damage and dex save.
How is the toll the dead balanced?
Toll the dead 5e has a cantrip casting time 1 action with the range of nearly 20 meters. At the same time, every spell offers components V, S Duration: instantaneous. But the spell’s damage is different because the creature you can see sometimes moves from the scene. That’s why you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d8 necrotic damage. If the target is missing, then hit points get lower. Therefore, make sure it instead takes 1d12 necrotic damage when you point at one creature.
What does toll the dead 5e do?
Basically, Toll the dead is a necromancy cantrip that drained fierce creatures’ lives — especially those who had received severe attacks. This results only when you point at one creature and succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d8 necrotic damage. Even the more serious damage can reach 5th level 2dB, 11th level 3dB, or 17th level 4dB. Another thing is that a bell fills the air around during the spells.
FACTORS OF TOLL THE DEAD
Line Of Sight:
The DM should have an environment set up where line of sight is often tricky, especially at the 60 feet range. Also, it’s only 60 feet, not 120 of some other absolute damage cantrips. Because Toll the dead 5e offers a range of only 60 feet.
Necrotic Damage:
Not all around a weakness, yet some pretty regular monsters and foes have resistance or safety. Notwithstanding how the “kick them when they’re down” part of extra damage to harmed targets makes us feel like it’s not an incredible changed spell, but alignment conflicts get drawn out rapidly. Therefore, neglect to recall that are referred to it.
Verbal & Somatic Components:
There are two main components in the spell of Toll the dead 5e. More significantly, this implies that you must have the option to talk- for example, not be choked or silenced. And move your hands like not be tied or in any case-controlled. Connect this to the view condition, and some stratagem goes out the window. I saw a post where someone said their players used a fist-sized hole in a door to spam attack enemies from the safety of 90% cover.
Rule of Cool:
It’s sort of shrewd, yet you can’t generally go with “rule of cool.” Imagine attempting to point at something while at the same time trying to see it through a 2-3″ opening in a door. In addition to the fact that this would not be impossible, it also wouldn’t be challenging for keen creatures to move a foot or two aside or the other where you lose the view.
Wisdom Saving Throws:
Usually, people forget about which save proficiencies are the most well-known for monsters, and it generally relies upon the circumstance. Yet, I am almost certain wisdom is more superficial for most enemies to save against than, say, insight. I am sure somebody has more state-of-the-art information. The entirety of this isn’t to say the spell sucks since it doesn’t. It is wonderful in both flavor and usage.
However, I also contrast Toll the Dead 5e with different spells for Cleric, Wizard, and Warlock. Comparing cantrips like Toll the Dead, Sacred Flame, Firebolt, or Eldritch Blast through a chart is helpful.
USEFUL CANTRIPS:
There are lots of exciting cantrips of Toll the dead, but some of them are mentioned here briefly.
Mending:
For any person who uses magic, the Spell Mending can be indispensable since it can restore the only break or tear in the caster touches’ object. That break/tear must be one foot or below in magnitude. However, anything that fills this range will be reformed without any proof of it being devastated.
Acid Splash:
All the advantages of Acid Splash provide not much damage and not more about its usefulness or applicability. A caster throws a bubble of acid at one or two living entities with a distance of five feet between each other, and failing Dexterity saving throw brings them about to take 1d6 acid damage.
Upon reaching specific levels, the Spell’s damage enhances. However, the significance of Acid Splash lies in how many issues can be resolved by splashing acid on something.
Shocking Grasp
Stunning Grasp is a possibly life-saving spell for your ordinary soft spell slinger. If you end up in the fight range of a foe (consistently a perilous spot for a wizard), you can contact them to convey a burst of lightning destruction. In any case, more significantly, the zap keeps the target from taking responses, including assaults of chance.
Eldritch Blast
This cantrip is restricted to warlocks; anyhow, it is fundamental to any ‘lock fabricate that we needed to incorporate it. Warlocks have minimal spell spaces; thus, their cantrips are particularly significant. Moreover, its level-up enhancements don’t simply increase destruction but increase the count of beams you can shoot, making it substantially more versatile. Eldritch Blast is worth a cantrip slot.
Making a great spell
Alright, we’ve got necrotic damage, which is basically the absence of life. This can mean a number of things. You can target them with diseases and horrors, cause rashes and boils on their skin, or leave them diseased.
You could weaken them, draining color and energy from your foes and drawing it into yourself.
You could even use the sound of the bells to drive your enemy mad, causing the necrotic energy to ripple through them with every single ring of the bell.
There are a ton of ways to make the spell interesting, especially if you are a slightly darker spellcaster who loves to see what the limits of the necrotic damage can be. The DM can also have some humor and interest when it comes to the spell falling as well.
If phantom bells are heard, a dragon might laugh the bells off, while a goblin might bury his head into the sand and hide from the sound.
Using it to roleplay
If you compare it to other spells such as Sacred Flame or Firebolt, Toll the Dead just isn’t going to stand out.
The damage isn’t the best when compared to the other cantrips, the range isn’t the best, and the ‘all or nothing nature of the cantrip can be a bit annoying whenever you miss with the spell.
While D&D can certainly be a game of numbers and damage spells, it can also be a game where you are roleplaying and picking your spells for your character as well. This can be an extremely rewarding experience.
If you’re playing a darker type of character who wants to deal necrotic damage rather than radiant damage, this is the perfect spell for you!
Spellcasting can be a powerful tool, but it can be just as easy to destroy someone’s character. If you don’t know the right spells and use them in the wrong circumstances, they can be dangerous.
When To Use Toll The Dead
The best time to use Toll the Dead is whenever your enemies are wounded. While it’s true that the extra damage is a lot, it’s not as important as the fact that the number of hit points isn’t specified. And as long as they’ve lost at least one hitpoint, you’re good to use the extra d12 damage dice.
This spell can be a good mopping up’ spell to take down enemies that your allies have already wounded, or it can be the spell that you keep on casting at a much bigger target. Higher-level spells do more damage per spell and can deal more damage over time as well. The extra damage dice are very helpful at higher levels against larger targets
About The Bell
Alright, here’s something most DM’s don’t think about: How loud is the spell? Toll the Dead comes with a “dolorous bell.” A dolorous bell is a very sorrowful sounding bell, and the DM can decide if the sound of the bell is only heard by the target or by everyone else.
Does the target need to hear you? The Bell of the Dead is a spell with an effect of necrotic damage to targets. The spell description doesn’t say that the target needs to be able to hear you. This indicates that this is a situation where the caster chooses not to mention the bell, and instead simply focuses on the results.
Now, can enemies hear the bell, or can only the target hear it? That’s honestly up to the DM because the spell doesn’t tell us anything about the bell itself.
“You decide. That’s that.” “No one knows the answer to that question, because it depends on the situation.
In general, it’s up to the DM to determine what the bell does and how it works. However, if the DM is too new to the world of bells, they might not know what it does.
What Monsters Can’t This Spell Work On?
One of the ways to figure out how a spell works are to look at what it can’t do and see if it affects those features. As necrotic damage and undead are both damage types that affect undead creatures, if you cast your spell on the undead, you’ll know it won’t affect them.
Most undead is not vulnerable to necrotic damage, and zombies are immune to it. On the other hand, skeletons just take the damage and have their forces keeping them alive eaten away. Most evil forces are resistant to necrotic damage, and some are immune. The Toll the Dead spell might not be the best thing to cast if you are fighting the undead.
Many other animals would likely die if they were not protected from the elements.
Should Necrotic Damage Heal The Undead?
A big change from earlier editions of Dungeons & Dragons is how necrotic damage no longer deals extra damage to living creatures, or even does damage at all to the undead. But that’s okay because necrotic damage can still deal damage to the undead. That is if you’re brave enough to get in close with your weapon and be really careful!
Moving things from one edition of D&D to the next is always an interesting task. It can also require a bit of talking with your players and some balancing, but nothing needs to be difficult or impossible to do.
If you’re a necromancer (or undead) player looking to get a little extra power from a powerful spell, check out this new Necromancer Guide! This guide will help you level up faster, build your own Necromancy staff, and help you get your hands on some awesome Necromancer armor.
If your party is okay with the enemy doing some healing of their own, then it can make the big final battle even more fun.