[RPG] Can radiant damage destroy objects

damagedamage-typesdnd-5eobjects

The common rule is all objects are immune to poison and psychic damage:

Objects are immune to poison and psychic damage, but otherwise they can be affected by physical and magical attacks much like creatures.
(Player's Handbook, page 185)

Are there any specific rules (or maybe confirmations from developers), saying that radiant damage affects living beings only? All the respective spells deals radiant damage to creatures explicitly, even when the caster needs to make an attack roll:

Guiding bolt
A flash of light streaks toward a creature of your choice
within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 4d6 radiant damage

or even a weapon attack:

Blinding Smite
The next time you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack during this spell's duration, your weapon flares with bright light, and the attack deals an extra 3d8 radiant damage to the target.

I've found only two spells that affects "weapon attacks" in common (no creatures mentioned as valid targets):

Divine Favor
Your prayer empowers you with divine radiance. Until the spell ends, your weapon attacks deal an extra 1d4 radiant damage on a hit.

Crusader's Mantle
While in the aura, each nonhostile creature in the aura (including you) deals an extra 1d4 radiant damage when it hits with a weapon attack.

Is it an inaccuracy in the spells description?

Or can radiant damage actually destroy objects as well?

Best Answer

Radiant damage affects objects, because objects don't have specific resistance to them

The "Damage Types" header on PHB 196 states,

Damage types have no rules of their own, but other rules, such as damage resistance, rely on the types.

I couldn't find any rules that specifically say that objects are immune to radiant damage. It would seem that if that were a general rule, it would have been lumped in with objects' immunity to poison and psychic damage. In the absence of such a rule, radiant damage can destroy objects.

This conclusion is consistent with necrotic damage

One could consider Radiant damage's opposite, necrotic damage, which states (PHB 196)

Necrotic damage, dealt by certain undead and a spell such as chill touch, withers matter and even the soul.

All the references to necrotic damage that I could find in the PHB are solely in reference to creatures, but the description clearly states that it affects matter in general as well.

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