I'm trying to understand why Chain Lightning and Dethrone have the same damage range but one is a single target spell while the other chains to three more targets, or why Art of War has a 100% hit chance and is on short rest one cast while Dethrone is one cast per long rest and like 2 higher damage only while having no 100% hit chance.
Where is the logic where multitarget spells are doing the same or more damage as single target spells? Sure, you can claim Dethrone is listed as lv5, but that's because it can only be learned through a scroll, for some reason unavailable to necromancers and spore druids at lv6. But even taking a spell like Blight upcasted to lv6, it basically goes to the 80 max damage range, is single target, and is subject to a save for half damage.
It can be argued that "Dethrone is listed as lv5"? Dethrone flat out is a level 5 spell. Chain lightning is level 6.
Dethrone deals 10d6+20 (30-80, average 55) necrotic damage, CON save for half, single target, 30m range.
Chain Lightning deals 10d8 (10-80, average 44) lightning damage, DEX for half, chains to 3 others within 18m of original target, 18m range.
Necrotic is ostensibly a rarer resistance than lightning. CON vs DEX is not an advantage either way; depends on targets (both CON and DEX are common saves). Before regain, free cast, etc. you only get the one level 6 slot, whereas you get 2 level 5 slots. That seems to make sense, yeah; the 6th level spell has better multi-target performance, while Dethrone has better single target and range.
Sun Beam, same lv6 spell, narrow line aoe with friendly fire, and it does like 40 damage max a cast, really pitiful for a spell, especially considering that the idea that the recast factor will compensate is just a farce because a single cast of chain lightning or two is enough to fry at least half the room of mobs and reduce a boss to half health, whereas that sun beam will need to be cast six times to do the same damage, and it won't even hit the same amount of mobs.
Sun Beam deals 6d8 (6-48, average 27) radiant damage, CON save for half, 18 meter line. It also blinds those caught within.
Twice that, as it allows to be recast once, and your per-slot damage is comparable to Dethrone, while having an area of effect, and it lets you blind people for two rounds. Sure, the damage is comparable to a level 3 Fireball, but two rounds of blinding AoE is nothing to scoff at, especially since it is unconditional (making the save just halves the damage).
Same goes for the lv6 Otiluke Orb ice spell, no way it can compete with chain lightning. Chain Lightning, Magic Missiles, and Art of War are just on a league of their own while the other spells are really underbudget for their spell slot cost. Necromancy and druid spells got done really dirty in the damage department, although Disintegrate is equally terrible, with a higher damage potential than chain lightning single target, but shorter range, it has to pass a DEX saving throw or it does zero damage, and even if it hits, it does less damage than Magic Missiles with clown gloves or Art of War.
Otiluke's Freezing Sphere is cool to give to a support caster before a fight (casting it gives you the Sphere item, that you can toss). Damage is not impressive, but the ginormous area of effect makes for a nice opener. 5E expects fire and cold damage to be roughly "on par" in potential and resistance popularity, but this game features a relatively small number of enemies that have cold resistance.
The clown gloves are broken; no sense in commenting about an item that doesn't work as intended.
