Questions tagged [spells]
For questions about specific manifestations of magic that we generically call "spells." Use the [magic] tag for more generic questions about magic, and [spellcasting] for questions specifically about the process of spellcasting.
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Does Dispel Magic end the spell for everyone affected or just the target?
An opposing Cleric casts Bless on 3 of its allies who then immediately move around the battlefield to start attacking. Concerned that the buff will create an issue, I cast Dispel Magic on the nearest ...
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Can True Polymorph be used repeatedly to never age?
Let's say we have a level 20 human wizard named Dumbledore. Dumbledore is wicked old. Dumbledore would like to not die of old age, as he has a few enemies left to take care of. Can Dumbledore cast ...
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What happens if you become frightened of yourself?
You might be wondering how this could happen apart from a contrived scenario of casting a spell like cause fear on yourself (which is allowed). Turns out, it can happen by interacting with the local ...
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What Conditions prevent a caster from using Somatic spells?
The text from Somatic reads that the caster must have a hand free to gesture with when they cast a spell with a somatic component.
None of the conditions such as restrained or grappled seem to ...
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Is it possible to use a spell scroll with a spell that requires a reaction to cast?
The DMG contains spell scrolls (on page 200), with the following rule:
If the spell is on your class's spell list, you can use an action to read the scroll and cast its spell without having to ...
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How big is a 5000 gp diamond? [duplicate]
I play a teleportation and extra dimensional sorcerer in my group and I'm getting close to obtaining the spell Gate which requires "a diamond worth at least 5,000 gp". How big would a ...
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Would the 1st level Burning Hands spell burn down a wooden house/inn?
One of my players seems to think that this spell will cause all sorts of carnage whereas I'm more inclined to say it may cause a bit of a fire and a bit of damage but not necessarily be all-consuming.
...
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Are normal spell components consumed by the spell?
I was reading through the basic rules and noticed that the only time spell components were explicitly stated as being consumed was when they had a gp value attached to them. For example:
Arcane ...
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Is Healing Word's effect visible?
When a character goes down to 0 HP and then is healed from a distance by Word of Healing, is there obvious magical energy that alerts all that the character is healed and not unconscious?
I had a ...
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Does Phoenix Spark overcome Disintegrate?
The Phoenix sorcerer (from Unearthed Arcana: Sorcerer) gains the Phoenix Spark feature at 6th level, part of which states:
If you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to draw on ...
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Can a level 1 Ranger cast spells from Ranger spell scrolls?
From what I know, you can use a Spell Scroll if the spell is on your class's list.
Rangers gain the Spellcasting feature at second level (getting spell slots to cast 1st-level spells at that point), ...
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If you're concentrating on one spell, and you cast another concentration spell, when exactly does the first spell end?
This came up last night in our D&D session.
Situation: A wizard cast Evard's Black Tentacles; another creature fails its Dexterity save and is restrained by the tentacles. This spell requires ...
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How hard is to dispel spell that was made permanent by casting it every day for a year with different spell slots?
Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum, Teleportation Circle, and possibly other spells have text like:
You can create a permanent teleportation circle by casting this spell in the same location every day ...
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How does Armor of Agathys interact with getting temporary hit points?
The spell Armor of Agathys states:
You gain 5 temporary hit points for the duration. If a creature hits you with a melee attack while you have these hit points, the creature takes 5 cold damage.
...
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Must a Ranger's spellcasting focus be druidic, or can it be arcane (or even holy)?
This question was inspired by the question about what constitutes a bardic spellcasting focus. It has been somewhat overcome by Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (p. 57) which explicitly describes a ...
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My players are using Create Memories to rob everyone blind
I am a novice Game Master directing my first game.
My players have recently discovered the mage in the group can cast "Create Memories". The spell reads:
Permits creation of new memories in the ...
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Do your spells end when you die?
I linked to this answer in a 5e question, attempting to bring support for the idea that, if you cast an open-ended spell, like Magic Mouth, it could remain after you die. Someone pointed out that, as ...
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Can a sorcerer learn a 5th-level spell early by creating spell slots using the Font of Magic feature?
Per the Font of Magic feature, sorcerer can use Flexible Casting to create 5th-level spell slots at level 7, even though they are not typically available until level 9.
You can transform ...
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Are there critical hits for spells?
According to PHB p. 194 you always score a critical hit on any attack roll.
Does this rule also apply to magical attacks, e.g. the inflict wounds spell?
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What the heck is "freestanding water"?
The spell control water says:
Until the spell ends, you control any freestanding water inside an area you choose that is a cube up to 100 feet on a side.
I understand what "standing water" is:
...
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Will petrification prevent lich from being reborn near phylactery (possibly forever)?
If I am not mistaken, liches now aren't immune to being petrified.
Granted, they have Legendary resistance and high CON save, but spamming petrification by Prismatic Spray/Wall: Indigo, Flesh to ...
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How long do a spellcaster's prepared spells stay prepared?
I realised today that an assumption I was making, that spellcasters who prepare a spell list must do so every day, might not be true in fifth edition. The rules are very clear about how long it takes ...
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Is Leomund's Tiny Hut stationary relative to the ground or to the surface it's cast on?
Tiny Hut states that it:
remains stationary for the duration
If it is stationary relative to the surface it was cast on (as long as the surface is at least 20' in diameter), does that mean it's ...
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Can animated undead wear armor and use weapons?
A wizard has just killed a group of heavily armored fighters with great weapons. He uses Animate Dead on the bodies. The spell reads as:
This spell creates an undead servant. Choose a pile of bones ...
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How dangerous can I make my tankard?
I bore of the savagery of combating my many adversaries, so I should like to outsource this chore to my tankard. By casting tiny servant on a single object (ie. my tankard) and presumably other spells,...
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Can you use Wish to allow yourself to cast Wish without risks?
In D&D, wish is an extremely powerfull spell, but it also comes with its risks:
The stress of casting this spell to produce any effect other than duplicating another spell weakens you. After ...
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How can the petrification from the Flesh to Stone spell be removed?
In 5e's version of the flesh to stone spell, if the spell is maintained for the full minute duration, the effect (petrification) lasts until "removed".
How can this petrification be removed?
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Can you ready a Fire Bolt spell to be used as a torch?
The description of the Ready action states, in part:
When you ready a spell, you cast it as normal but hold its energy
Does this mean you could cast a fire bolt spell, hold its energy indefinitely (...
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How does Mage Armor interact with Unarmored Defense?
If a character with the Unarmoured Defence class feature casts Mage Armour, what is their AC? Do they choose which 'base' AC they take, or do they stack somehow? Is there rules text that explains ...
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Is the ethical necromancer still viable in 5e?
Back in AD&D and the d20 editions (3e, 3.5e), the ethical necromancer could obtain corpses to be animated through several means, the most basic one would be using a couple of spells to shape ...
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What happens if you Twin Spell a spell that requires concentration?
Can your character maintain concentration on two spells?
If concentration is broken, do both spells fall, or are separate checks made on each?
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Does the Moonbeam spell work indoors?
My druid is prepping for next week's game and he's asked me if the Moonbeam spell will work inside the dungeon. I first interpreted the spells description...(PHB pg 261)
A silvery beam of pale ...
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Does a petrified creature stay conscious (and sane)?
The next dungeon my party visits will contain some strange statues. Most of them are just Stone Golems, which will attack them. But near the end of the dungeon, the party will discover that one of the ...
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Who is targeted when Scrying's target is ambiguous?
The 5th level spell Scrying allows you to attempt to magically spy on a creature. The caster doesn't even need to have met the creature to attempt this.
What happens when the target the caster has ...
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How exactly does the Dispel Magic spell work with multiple effects?
The description of the Dispel Magic spell states (emphasis mine):
Choose one creature, object, or magical effect within range. Any spell of 3rd level or lower on the target ends. For each spell of ...
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Are spells that do piercing, bludgeoning, or slashing damage considered magical damage?
Are spells that do only bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage considered magical or nonmagical damage? Most especially when considering them for purposes of resistance/immunity against "...
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Does tremorsense see through the Pass without Trace spell?
The description of the pass without trace spell says:
A veil of shadows and silence radiates from you, masking you and your companions from detection. For the duration, each creature you choose ...
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Can a Necromancer reuse the corpses left behind from slain undead?
I’ve recently been doing some builds for Necromancers for a one-shot we’ll be doing. I have been struggling to find anything that mentions how to keep up with all of the corpses you will need for the ...
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Does Absorb Elements give you resistance to damage from the triggering attack?
Absorb Elements says:
Absorb Elements
1st-level abjuration
Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you take
acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage
Range: Self
Components: S
...
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Does casting Light, or a similar spell, have any effect when the caster is swallowed by a monster?
So you've been swallowed by a Giant Toad. Oops. Your fellows are sure to kill it soon enough, but you want to do something in the meantime.
"Well," you say, "perhaps I'll attack the toad from the ...
31
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5
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Can objects with a spell effect pass through Leomund's Tiny Hut?
So here's the situation: I'm chilling inside a tiny hut I cast earlier, and some of the other party members are right outside. No one is in danger, and then someone does something to cause an attack ...
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What happened to the Permanency spell? [closed]
As the title asks, I'm curious about why the permanency spell isn't in 5e. It's not in the PHB, DMG, or any forum page on the interwebs. It's been incorporated into various spells like true polymorph ...
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Does Water Breathing + a full waterskin = infinite “air”?
I was wondering if a person could use water breathing to avoid breathing a toxic atmosphere.
The spell itself states:
This spell grants up to ten willing creatures you can see within range the ...
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Does the Power Word Kill spell instantly kill PCs?
Orcus's "Voice" lair action is casting the spell Power Word Kill. If he were to use it on a PC, would they drop to death saving throws or instantly die?
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Can coins count as raw materials for Fabricate?
This question asks how a party can move 10,000 pounds of gold coins quickly, to remove them from a treasure vault before the Waterdeep authorities arrive and demand their share.
Currently three ...
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Can you react to your own spell?
During my last game, a player tried to have his character make a miraculous escape, only to wind up splattered instead. I'll provide some details, but the gist of my question is whether my ruling on ...
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When the Shocking Grasp cantrip hits, can it trigger the Tempest cleric's Wrath of the Storm reaction?
The Tempest Domain cleric's Wrath of the Storm feature description says (PHB, p. 62):
When a creature within 5 feet of you that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to ...
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Is there any way to see through the Darkness spell without removing it?
Simply put, the Shadow Monk gains the ability to cast the Darkness spell, but I'm struggling to see a use for it except as concealment during an escape.
Way of the Shadow monk receives Darkness (among ...
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Can a spell be readied to trigger when its intended target comes into view?
Can I ready witch bolt, for instance, with the condition of attacking "the first goblin to come out of the cave" if I cannot see the goblin at the time of my (Ready) action? To be perfectly clear: at ...
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Does the True Polymorph spell form a creature with equipment?
When a spellcaster transforms an object or creature into a creature using the True Polymorph spell, does that creature form with equipment?
Example: if a spellcaster used True Polymorph to ...