Collateral Spell Effects Everyone knows that a fireball does 1d6 damage per level of the caster, but have you ever stopped to consider what else a ball of flame 40 feet across might do? First of all, a fireball will start a lot of fires, especially in medieval settings with thatch-roofed houses, garments redolent with animal oils and tanning chemicals, and lots of wooden construction. Secondly, the residual fires left by a fireball will produce smoke—probably a lot of it, as many fires smoke very heavily just when they’re getting started. Next, a fireball may foul the air of a confined space by consuming a great amount of the available oxygen. But, for most players and DMs, the same fireball did 17 points of damage, and that was it!

In this section, we’ll take a quick look at unusual effects that may accompany the use of many powerful spells. In military terms, these incidental effects are referred to as collateral damage—a PC wizard probably isn’t trying to start a three-alarm fire when he torches a city guard with his burning hands spell, but it might happen anyway. Depending on the DM’s mischievousness, all kinds of mayhem may break loose when wizards start throwing heavy-damage spells around.

The most important characteristic of a spell for purposes of collateral effects is its general type and purpose. There isn’t a whole lot of fallout from a charm person or magic missile spell, but many other spells create environmental effects that may be long-lasting or even permanent.

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