Inflict Wounds and the Touch Problem
Inflict Wounds (D&D 5e, 1st-level necromancy) deals 2d10 necrotic damage on a hit. That is a respectable number for a first-level slot, better than most things you can throw at this tier. The catch is written in the stat block: range is Touch. Not 5 feet, not 30. You have to be in melee, hand on the enemy, before you cast it.
That range turns a strong damage spell into a positioning puzzle. Casters who prefer distance tend to forget it exists, then remember it in the one round they are already adjacent to something. It is also a spell attack, not a saving throw, so the relevant number is the target’s Armor Class, not its Constitution. The draft’s instinct about Con saves applies to other necrotic spells, not this one. Inflict Wounds rewards hitting things with low AC and high health totals, where 2d10 lands clean and matters.
The best moment is the surprise round or a grapple. An enemy that cannot react, or cannot move, lets you close the distance the spell demands and cash in the full roll.
At the table: A rogue grapples the lightly armored enemy caster, then your cleric steps in next round and lands Inflict Wounds against its exposed AC.
Related
- Spells Are Verbs, Not Damage Rolls
- Spells Are Not Just Damage Buttons
- Spells Solve Problems, Not Squares
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