You're standing in the middle of a crowded tavern brawl or a cramped dungeon corridor. Goblins are everywhere. Literally everywhere. You want to contribute, but your big spells are precious, and your mace feels a bit useless when you're surrounded by three different enemies. This is exactly where hand of radiance 5e comes into play, though honestly, most players skip right over it in favor of Sacred Flame.
It’s a weird spell. It doesn't come from the Player’s Handbook. Instead, it showed up in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, originally appearing in the Unearthed Arcana: Starter Spells playtest. It’s a Cleric cantrip that feels more like a Paladin’s "get off me" button than a traditional priestly prayer. If you’ve ever played a front-line Cleric—think Life, Forge, or Tempest domains—you know the struggle of trying to hit multiple targets without burning a 3rd-level slot on Spirit Guardians.
How Hand of Radiance Actually Works
Let’s get the mechanics out of the way because people often misread them. You raise your hand, and burning radiance erupts from you. Any creature of your choice within 5 feet has to make a Constitution saving throw. If they fail? They take $1d6$ radiant damage.
Simple.
But here is the catch: it targets any number of creatures you can see within range. Most cantrips are "single target or bust." This one is an AoE (Area of Effect). It scales like other cantrips, jumping to $2d6$ at 5th level, $3d6$ at 11th, and $4d6$ at 17th.
It’s not massive damage. Honestly, $1d6$ is kind of pathetic compared to a d12 Toll the Dead. But $1d6$ multiplied by four enemies? Now we're talking about efficiency.
Why the Constitution Save is a Problem
Most monsters in the Monster Manual are beefy. Ogres, giants, undead—they all have high Constitution scores. This is the biggest gripe most players have with hand of radiance 5e. If you're fighting a group of zombies, they are probably going to pass that save more often than not.
Compare that to Sacred Flame, which targets Dexterity. Most "tanky" enemies have terrible Dexterity but great Constitution. This creates a weird paradox where the spell designed to help you when you're surrounded is resisted by the very creatures most likely to surround you.
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However, against "skirmisher" types—goblins, kobolds, cultists, or certain fey—it’s a total game-changer. These enemies usually have low HP and mediocre Con saves. One cast can potentially clear a swarm of low-CR (Challenge Rating) nuisances without you ever swinging a weapon.
The "Cleric vs. Paladin" Identity Crisis
There is a reason you don’t see this spell on every character sheet. It requires you to be close. Like, dangerously close.
If you are a Light Domain Cleric wearing nothing but cloth and a dream, you do not want to be within 5 feet of enough enemies to make hand of radiance 5e worth it. You’d rather stay 60 feet back and hurl fire.
This spell is for the "Battle Clerics."
I’m talking about the Dwarven Forge Cleric with a 21 Armor Class who treats the front line like a Sunday stroll. When you are built to take hits, being surrounded isn't a mistake; it's a strategy. In that specific niche, this cantrip shines. It allows you to whittle down the "chaff" while your party’s Rogue or Fighter focuses on the boss.
Comparing the "Big Three" Cleric Cantrips
- Toll the Dead: The king of damage. $1d12$ if the target is already hurt. It’s almost always the "correct" choice for raw DPS.
- Sacred Flame: The classic. It ignores cover, which is huge, and radiant damage is rarely resisted.
- Hand of Radiance: The niche pick. It’s for crowd control and multi-target pressure.
If you take Hand of Radiance, you are basically saying, "I plan on getting stuck in the mud."
Synergies and Weird Build Ideas
You can actually make this spell feel a lot better with the right setup. For instance, if you're playing a protector-style character, you might take the Sentinel feat. Now, enemies can’t easily walk away from you. They stay in that 5-foot bubble, forced to deal with your radiance every single turn.
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Also, don't forget about the "any number of creatures" wording. This is incredibly precise. You can use it in a crowded marketplace or a chaotic bar fight without hitting a single innocent bystander or teammate. Most AoE spells like Thunderwave or Shatter are messy. They break windows. They kill the barkeep. Hand of radiance 5e is a surgical strike in a 5-foot radius.
The Potent Spellcasting Factor
At 8th level, many Cleric domains (like Knowledge or Light) get the Potent Spellcasting feature. This lets you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage of your Cleric cantrips.
Suddenly, that $2d6$ becomes $2d6 + 5$.
If you hit three enemies, you're dealing an average of about 36 damage total across the board for the price of... nothing. It’s a free action (well, an action, but no spell slot). That is better than many 1st-level spells. If you’re a Grave Domain Cleric, you might prefer Toll the Dead, but for a high-Wisdom caster who finds themselves in the fray, the math starts to look pretty good.
Is it Better than Word of Radiance?
Wait.
Here is where it gets confusing for some players. In the final version of Xanathar's Guide to Everything, the spell was officially titled Word of Radiance.
"Hand of Radiance" was the playtest name used in the Unearthed Arcana. They are effectively the same spell, but if you are looking at your official D&D Beyond sheet or the physical book, you’ll find it under "W."
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Why does the "Hand" name persist? Mostly because the UA version was out in the wild for a long time, and many old-school 5e forums still refer to it by its original name. If your DM is a stickler for the rules, they might use the updated Word of Radiance text, which is slightly more polished but maintains that 5-foot burst of holy energy.
When You Should Actually Pick This Spell
Don't take this as your only offensive cantrip. You'll regret it. You need something with range.
But, if you are playing a variant human or a high-level character with room for a third or fourth cantrip, hand of radiance 5e is a fantastic "insurance policy."
It’s for the moments when the DM says, "Six rats swarm your feet."
It’s for the moments when you’re grappled and can’t move away.
It’s for the moments when you want to look cool and just radiate holy power without blowing a high-level hole in the ceiling.
Tactics for the Modern Cleric
If you want to use this effectively, you have to master your positioning.
- The "V" Formation: Stand between two allies who are holding a line. When the enemies crash into them, you are perfectly placed to hit the entire front row of the enemy's advance.
- The Dodge Stall: If you are low on HP but need to hold a doorway, use your Action to Dodge most turns. But, if you see an opening where three enemies have low health, swap to Hand of Radiance to finish them all off at once.
- The Radiant Synergy: If someone in your party has Crusher or Telepathic or other forced-movement feats, they can shove enemies into your "Radiance Zone."
It’s a team-player spell.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Session
If you’re building or leveling up a Cleric, here is how to decide if this fits:
- Check your AC: If it’s below 18, skip this. You shouldn’t be close enough to use it consistently.
- Look at your Domain: Forge, Life, Order, and Twilight Clerics get the most mileage out of this because they live in the "5-foot zone."
- Evaluate your DM's encounter style: Does your DM throw "mob" encounters with 10+ weak enemies at you? If yes, this spell is an A-tier pick. If your DM only does "Boss vs. Party" fights, this spell is F-tier.
- Swap it out (if allowed): If you’re using the optional Cantrip Versatility rule from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, try this spell for one level. If you find yourself never using it because you're too scared to get close, swap it back to Guidance or Resistance at your next ASI (Ability Score Increase).
Ultimately, the spell isn't about being the "best" damage dealer. It's about having the right tool for a specific, crowded, and dangerous situation. It's the difference between swinging a hammer at one fly and using a bug zapper. It's niche, it's flashy, and when it works, it makes you feel like a literal god on the battlefield.