[RPG] Can a level 17 Aasimar Light Domain Cleric cause every saving throw for their damaging spells to be made with disadvantage

aasimarclericdnd-5edomainsspells

Reading through the features of the light domain Cleric I've discovered:

Corona of Light which states (Emphasis added):

Starting at 17th level, you can use your action to activate an aura of sunlight that lasts for 1 minute or until you dismiss it using another action. You emit bright light in a 60-foot radius and dim light 30 feet beyond that. Your enemies in the bright light have disadvantage on saving throws against any spell that deals fire or radiant damage.

Now the Aasimar race has subrace racial features that allow them to add radiant damage to any spell that deals damage, which causes that spell to now do radiant damage as well as their normal damage.

These features are: Radiant Soul and Radiant Consumption

Which both state (Emphasis added):

"You can deal extra radiant damage to one target when you deal damage to it with an attack or a spell"

So if you combine these two features you can cause any damage dealing spell saving throw to be made at disadvantage. As far as I know this all perfectly works RAW. What I want to know is if there is any rule (excluding adventure league rules) I am forgetting that would prevent me from using this combination in games?

Best Answer

The timing of these features prevents your plan from working

The Aasimar features occur at the same time as damage

The Protector Aasimar's Radiant Soul feature and the Scourge Aasimar's Radiant Consumption feature both state (emphasis mine):

[...] you can deal extra radiant damage to one target when you deal damage to it with an attack or a spell. [...]


Corona of Light applies before damage

[...] Your enemies in the bright light have disadvantage on saving throws against any spell that deals fire or radiant damage.

This gives a target disadvantage on their saving throw which clearly must occur before they actually make their save. Thus whether a spell deals fire or radiant damage must be known before the creature makes their save. (This is possible, for example, if the spell's description states that it deals radiant or fire damage)


We know that Corona of Light occurs before the saving throw, and therefore it must also be before the damage; meanwhile, the Aasimar features occur at the same time as damage. This means that Corona of Light must occur before the Aasimar features and it is for this reason that Corona of Light cannot benefit any spell modified by the Aasimar features (unless the spell already ordinarily dealt radiant or fire damage).