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Last time, I made a template for the Wizard spell Thunderwave. This time, with some extra work, we’ll go through the process of making a template for Burning Hands.

Setting Up

You’ll need paint swatches from the hardware store (see this post for more on that). Get three each of black yellow, orange, and red. You’ll also need at least 1 sheet of white cardstock. Make sure you have your glue and your cutting utensil(s) handy. Ok, on to the next part.

Cutting

As before, you’re going to cut a swatch of each color into squares. This time, the square will be 5″x5″. Cut a flame shape that radiates out from the center of the red square. Do the same with the yellow and the orange, getting progressively smaller each time.

The Hands

This is the only way I can think of to do this without making a huge mess or ruining what might be left of your sanity. Print or draw a pair of black hand prints that are no bigger than 2/3 the size of the yellow flame shape on white cardstock. Cut the hands out, making yet another flame shape of the white cardstock around them. This will save you the hassle of having to cut out tiny bits of black card/paper.

Assembly

Glue the pieces in a stack (starting at the bottom, and going up): black square, red flames, orange flames, yellow flames, and hand prints. Try to keep everything centered as you build up. In the end, you should have something that resembles this:

Summary

This one’s not nearly as intricate as Thunderwave, and the impact of the final piece is striking. Any other fire template can be made in a similar manner, you just don’t need the hand shapes. You should have white in the center.

Here’s a gallery of what  I made, so you can print them if you want. Also included is my Dwarf Wizard mini posing with my template, as I made it:

If you want to Enlarge the spell, just take 4 - 1/2″x5″ strips, and place them around the template, making the square bigger.

Next, I’m working on a wall template that can be used for a Wall of Fire spell.

Comments are welcome, and always watch your threatened squares.

(Update 11/13: Added links to beginning of post)
(Update 11/14: Updated size for base spell and Enlarge.)