As you hit the target, it takes an extra 1d6 Fire damage from the attack. At the start of each of its turns until the spell ends, the target takes 1d6 Fire damage and then makes a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the spell continues. On a successful save, the spell ends.
Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. All the damage increases by 1d6 for each spell slot level above 1.
Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action (which you take immediately after hitting a target with a Melee weapon or an Unarmed Strike)
Range: Self
Components: V
Duration: 1 minute
School: Level 1 Evocation
Player’s Handbook 2024, pg. 314
Who can cast Searing Smite? Paladins have Searing Smite on their class spell list. In Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, Rangers were also given access to Searing Smite. Forge Clerics get Searing Smite for free and always have it prepared.
Spell Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Combat Rating | 6/10 |
| Exploration Rating | 2/10 |
| Social Rating | 1/10 |
| Raw Power | 5/10 |
| Versatility | 2/10 |
| Efficiency | 8/10 |
| Upcast Scaling | 7/10 |
Searing Smite 5e
Searing Smite adds a fiery blast to a successful melee strike and sets the target aflame to boot. Searing Smite can be a really solid spell in DnD 5e.
How Does Searing Smite Work in 5e?
Searing Smite deals an additional 1d6 fire damage on a melee or unarmed attack. It costs a bonus action to cast, and you cast it only after your attack lands (like all smite spells in the 2024 PHB).
Additionally, it deals 1d6 fire damage at the start of the affected enemy’s turn. After taking that damage, the enemy makes a Constitution saving throw. If it succeeds, the ongoing fire damage ends. If it fails, it continues taking fire damage at the start of its turns. This ongoing effect lasts indefinitely (until the target passes their Con save).
You can upcast Searing Smite for +1d6 initial fire damage and +1d6 ongoing fire damage.
How did Searing Smite change in the 2024 PHB?
Searing Smite was slightly buffed in the 2024 Player’s Handbook:
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The casting time is still a Bonus Action, but you now use it after you hit with an attack, not before. This is a significant reliability improvement, as you no longer risk wasting the spell slot on a missed attack, followed by your concentration being broken before you land an attack.
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Another buff is that the target takes the fire damage at the start of their turn before making a Con save. This guarantees that you always deal at least 2d6 fire damage with Searing Smite. In the old version, the Con save determined whether the target took damage at all; if it passed, it took no damage and the effect ended.
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Additionally, the damage scaling now applies to both the initial and ongoing damage. The 2014 version only increased the initial damage when upcasting.
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Lastly, the 2014 version allowed a creature to spend an action putting out the flames (on themselves or an ally). However, in the 2024 version, the ongoing damage only ends on a successful Constitution save. That could be viewed as a (minor) nerf; if an enemy wasted a turn putting out the flames, that was actually considered a win.
Spell Rating: Searing Smite
Overall: 🔥 B-Tier (So-so Paladin Damage)
Contextual Performance (1-10)
- Combat: 6/10. This rating is mostly based on opportunity cost. You’re almost always better off dealing more damage upfront, and that’s exactly what Divine Smite does (2d8 radiant damage in one turn rather than 1d6 fire damage upfront and 1d6 fire damage at the start of the enemy’s turn). Sure, if Searing Smite lasts for multiple rounds, its damage starts to outstrip Divine Smite, but Paladins don’t usually have great spell save DCs, and most fights are over in just a few rounds anyway.
On the plus side, the 2024 version is significantly more reliable since you cast it after you hit, eliminating the old risk of whiffing your attack, losing concentration, and wasting the spell. But as a 1st-level spell, you’re better off casting Divine Smite 9 times out of 10 instead.
The caveat is upcasting, but I’ll come to that later.
- Exploration: 2/10. Technically you could use it to light something on fire, but you have to hit it with a melee attack first. That’s a bizarre prerequisite for starting a campfire. Cantrips exist. Don’t waste a spell slot on this outside of combat, unless you’re the only one in your party who can burn your way through a flammable obstacle.
- Social: 1/10. You can’t smite your way through a negotiation. Unless you’re intimidating someone by setting them on fire (which is more “assault” than “social interaction”), this spell has zero application in dialogue or roleplay.
Core Metrics (1-10)
- Raw Power: 5/10. For a 1st-level spell, the damage potential is pretty good. Minimum 2d6 fire damage is guaranteed (7 average), and if the target fails even one Con save, you’re already at 3d6 (10.5 average), outpacing a lot of 1st-level damage spells. If they fail two or three saves? You’re looking at 4-5d6 damage from a single 1st-level slot. The problem is reliability — high-Con enemies (which includes most threatening monsters) will pass that save quickly, and fire resistance cuts the value in half. The damage ceiling is high, but the floor is inconsistent.
- Versatility: 2/10. It does one thing: add fire damage to a melee attack and light the target on fire. No utility, no crowd control, no tactical options. You can’t even choose not to deal the ongoing damage — it just happens. The fact that it works on both weapon attacks and unarmed strikes is a tiny flexibility win, but not enough to save its versatility score.
- Efficiency: 8/10. As a 1st-level Bonus Action spell, it’s cheap and action-economical.
- Upcast Scaling: 7/10. Excellent scaling is a plus for Searing Smite. Every spell level above 1st adds +1d6 to both the initial hit and the ongoing damage per turn. At 2nd level, that’s 2d6 on hit and 2d6 per turn. At 3rd level, 3d6 and 3d6. The scaling is linear, consistent, and, most importantly, better than Divine Smite’s +1d8 damage per upcast level. 2nd-level Searing Smite (4d6 = 14 average damage), compared to 2nd-level Divine Smite (3d8 = 13.5 average damage), means that Searing Smite has a small edge damage-wise.
Playstyle and Synergy
- Playstyle: Built for aggressive melee combatants who want to maximize damage-per-slot-spent. It’s a Paladin staple for low levels when you don’t have many spell slots and need to stretch your resources. Works best when targeting high-value, low-Con enemies (like spellcasters or rogues) who will fail their saves and burn for multiple rounds.
- Party Synergy: Low. This spell doesn’t enable your allies or set up combos. It’s pure selfish damage, which is fine, but don’t expect it to synergize with your party’s tactics. The one exception: if your party has some way to impose disadvantage on Con saves, the ongoing damage becomes significantly more reliable.
Searing Smite Player Tip
Save it for enemies with bad Constitution saves. Searing Smite lives or dies based on whether the target fails its Con saves. Against a high-Con enemy like a Barbarian or a dragon, you’ll probably one get one tick of ongoing damage before they pass and the spell ends. Against a low-Con target like a Wizard, Rogue, or most undead? They might burn for 3-4 rounds. Pay attention to enemy stat blocks (or ask your DM for a vague sense of their Con save) and use Searing Smite strategically.
What Are the Rules for Searing Smite in 5e?
The rules for Searing Smite in DnD 5e are as follows:
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You can only cast Searing Smite after a melee or unarmed attack lands. Not before, and not on a ranged attack.
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Searing Smite can affect attacks of opportunity. Opportunity attacks are melee weapon attacks, so the spell’s damage/effect can be applied on an attack of opportunity. Here’s Sage Advice confirmation.
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Searing Smite can ignite objects. You can make melee attacks against objects as well as creatures. If you do, Searing Smite’s damage and flame-igniting effect will both apply to the object.
2014 Searing Smite 5e
The next time you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack during the spell’s duration, your weapon flares with white-hot intensity, and the attack deals an extra 1d6 fire damage to the target and causes the target to ignite in flames.
At the start of each of its turns until the spell ends, the target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 1d6 fire damage. On a successful save, the spell ends. If the target or a creature within 5 feet of it uses an action to put out the flames, or if some other effect douses the flames (such as the target being submerged in water), the spell ends.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the initial extra damage dealt by the attack increases by 1d6 for each slot.
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: Self
Components: V
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
School: 1st-level evocation
Player’s Handbook 2014, pg. 274