Infinite Damage - Lightning Edition (5e Optimized Character Build)
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Infinite Damage[edit]
Infinite damage in D&D 5e is something that's very hard to get. It's almost impossible to create in a campaign, due to the massive amount of resources and planning that it requires. That being said, it was fun to make, so all bets are off.
The Build[edit]
First and foremost, we'll need six levels in tempest cleric (XGE), and we'll want to play a hobgoblin for the save face ability. As a cleric, get a handful of features and spells, take lightning bolt (3rd level, 8d6, marginally worse fireball, you know the one.) For all other optional things, dealer's choice, we're really only here for one ability. The level 6 ability, thunderbolt strike, allows us to push a creature up to 10ft away when we deal thunder or lightning damage to them. Also worth noting the channel divinity, we can deal max damage with thunder or lightning twice per long rest. Could help speed things up when it comes to killing things.
For this next bit, we're doing to need some help. We need to get our hands on two spell scrolls of prismatic wall. Yep, the 9th level spell prismatic wall. And a spell scroll of simulacrum. If you're lucky you'll have a friendly wizard around and a few million GP spare. Then we'll need two levels in bard for two things, the inspiration and the jack of all trades ability. Also two levels in fighter, while we're at it. Action surge will come in really handy. Finally, dump the rest of your levels in divination wizard. Or grab hexblade's curse from warlock or something to optimise the damage, I don't really care, you only really need three levels. Portent is our key ability here.
As for ASIs, feats, etc, you'll want 20 intelligence, if you can snag a tome of clear thought, go for it, and the lucky feat, to speed things up. Beyond that, dealer's choice again.
Now to put the build into practice.
Infinite Damage in Practice[edit]
So you've got a character sheet that will make any DM do a double-take, and have no clue why. Well, here's the good bit. How to actually deal infinite damage.
Step one: Cast simulacrum. Pretty easy. But wait, you can't. After all, if you don't have a spell slot of that level, you can't use the spell scroll, can you? Well, you can, but you have to make a check with your spellcasting ability, which, since this is a wizard spell, is intelligence. DC 17 for a 7th level spell, you have +5 from your ability mod (hopefully) and +3 from jack of all trades, and if you really need it, your Save Face ability from Hobgoblin, granting you another +5, for a total of +13. But you can still fail, nat 1, etc, so why leave it up to chance? Wait until you roll a 4 or higher on your portent (also, you can use your lucky dice on your portents), and use one of those if you fail. You're guaranteed a simulacrum.
Step two: Now you have a simulacrum buddy. Nice! You two can go compare janky character sheets or something. Or, even better, you can go choose some poor large or smaller creature to utterly obliterate who isn't a monk or rogue because evasion really messes this build up. Make sure you and your simulacrum both have portents of 6 or higher, and go find your new friend who you just want to talk to, you promise.
Step three: Once you've found your friend, you and your simulacrum stand on opposite sides and talk very calmly to your friend, and explain why calling your mother a series of unrepeatable words was very hurtful to you and why you would like for them to apologise.
Step four: I'm kidding skip step three. Your simulacrum moves back 10ft and readies their action to use the spell scroll when you cast lightning bolt. You action surge, and ready your first action to cast prismatic wall when your simulacrum casts prismatic wall.
Step five: Use your second action to cast lightning bolt, making sure not to hit your simulacrum. Or do, I don't care. Use the thunderbolt strike ability to knock your target back 10ft, (you always deal damage because they take half damage on a success) right into the prismatic wall your simulacrum has cast. Prismatic wall is almost never used, simply because people like meteor swarm better, so I'll forgive you for not knowing what it does. It's a wall spell with seven layers, each one is a different colour of the rainbow. They can be bypassed in different ways, but your target won't have time for that. The important bit is that each layer is treated separately, and people move through them one at a time when rolling for damage. The other important bit is that there's no "first time on a turn" word clause, unlike with other spells such as wall of fire, hence why we're not using that and using lore wizard to change the damage type. Back to killing things. What happens now they've been catapulted into the wall of force by your lightning bolt? Well, first, they enter the red layer. They roll a dex save and if they fail they take 10d6 fire damage. Then they get to the orange layer. Same again, but 10d6 acid damage. Yellow, same again for 10d6 lightning damage. Green, s- hold on. Lightning damage? Well, I guess your simulacrum can use their thunderbolt strike ability to push them 10ft away from themselves (that means they go through the red and orange layers and have to roll saves again).
Step six: If your target survives that, they're met with your prismatic wall. Everything that happened up there happens again, the end result is 50d6 damage and them being launched back into the other wall in an endless cycle of bouncing. Eventually your target will die, choose not to use thunderbolt strike, watch the corpse get transported to the astral plane by the purple layer, easy clean-up.
And that's it! Infinite damage, potentially, if there were a creature that could take that much. Thanks for reading.
