Frost Fingers 5E | 1st Level Evocation Spell Breakdown

Rime of the Frostmaiden is here, and those 5E players looking for a new module are pumped. I, for one, always love to scour these releases for new player options. While not as hefty as other sourcebooks, Rime of the Frostmaiden has delivered the goods to a degree. Among the monsters and magical items, there are three brand new spells to choose from. Learn about one of them with our Frost Fingers 5E Guide.

Frost Fingers 5E

• 1st-level evocation
• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Self (15-foot cone)
• Components: V, S
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Class: Wizard

Hey look! It’s sort of like a miniature Cone of Cold!

Freezing cold blasts from your fingertips in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 2d8 cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

The cold freezes nonmagical liquids in the area that aren’t being worn or carried.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1st.

Altogether, this isn’t bad for a first-level spell. While I likened this spell to Cone of Cold because of the whole frozen death thing, the reality is this spell is essentially the cold damage equivalent of Burning hands. While the cone size and duration is the same, there is another difference between the two spells other than damage type. Burning Hands does 3d6 damage, but casting at higher levels only ads 1d6 per spell slot. this means that while Burning Hands has higher damage potential at level 1, the two spells tie at level two. Above level two, Frozen Fingers steadily outperforms burning hands.

There are reasons to consider Frozen Fingers over something like Burning Hands, but these options are situational. Both spells deal damage that are frequently resisted by monsters, but in many campaigns you might have a good idea whether fire or cold damage are likely to be a problem.

There is also a small utility bonus with Frozen Fingers, which is also situational. Using this spell to freeze nonmagical water is an interesting and creative option, even if it probably won’t come up that often.

Is Frozen Fingers Worth Taking?

Unless you are a wizard with ample room in your spellbook, probably not. Of course, there are some exceptions that apply. If you expect to find yourself in a campaign with plenty of creatures that are immune to fire but either not resistant or even weak to cold damage, this might be work picking up. Interestingly enough, the spell is virtually useless in Rime of the Frostmaiden, the book that introduced the spell in the first place. If you want something interesting from that book, try Create Magen.

Wrapping Up our Frozen Fingers 5E Guide

This Rime of the Frostmaiden Spell isn’t going to alter the course of any campaign. However, it is a welcome addition to a wizard’s arsenal. Let us know if we left anything out, and be sure to check out the rest of our coverage of the newest addition to the world of Forgotten Realms.