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Does casting web interrupt the spell sanctuary on the caster? If yes, in which moment? Let us consider the case in which there is an enemy creature in the area covered by the web.

Maybe it can be useful underline a couple of things:

  1. When web is cast, no creatures are affected.
  2. A creature will be affected by the web if it is starting/going through its turn there and fails the saving throw.
  3. About sanctuary: if the warded creature makes an attack or casts a spell that affects an enemy creature, this spell ends.
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3 Answers 3

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It depends.

The condition for the sanctuary spell to end is:

If the warded creature makes an attack, casts a spell that affects an enemy, or deals damage to another creature, this spell ends.

Scenario 1: Casting web on an unoccupied area

Sanctuary would not end, as there are no creatures affected at the time of casting. Creatures affected by the spell's ongoing effects after it was cast would not break sanctuary, since that is not the condition to break sanctuary.

Scenario 2: Casting web on an occupied area

Sanctuary would break regardless of whether the creatures passed or failed their saving throw. Forcing a saving throw affects said creature, thus breaking sanctuary.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ we know that the forced save is not done at the time of casting, so, following your reasoning, also in scenario 2 Sanctuary is not broken \$\endgroup\$
    – orcorco
    Apr 14, 2018 at 17:39
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    \$\begingroup\$ It's just "a spell that affects an enemy creature", not "a spell that affects an enemy creature in the moment of casting". \$\endgroup\$
    – enkryptor
    Apr 15, 2018 at 9:03
  • \$\begingroup\$ @enkryptor by that reasoning, Sanctuary would also end if a creature chooses to enter the Webbed area. \$\endgroup\$
    – Jorn
    Dec 30, 2019 at 14:02
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    \$\begingroup\$ The 2018 PHB errata updated the spell description to include the criterion "deals damage to another creature" as something that ends the spell, though it doesn't affect the answer to this question. You may want to update the quote in your answer accordingly. \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Jan 5, 2020 at 23:58
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As soon as Web forces a Save, Sanctuary ends.

The rules say

If the warded creature [...] casts a spell that affects an enemy creature, [...] this spell ends.

Nothing specifies that the spell must affect creatures at the moment it is cast. So, you cast Web on an area with an enemy Orc in there. The Orc wasn't affected yet (it's not its turn), so Sanctuary is up. Then a few turns go by during which your allies or other enemies move and act, and Sanctuary is up. Then it's the Orc's turn, at the beginning of which he must make a save against the Web spell, and Sanctuary ends at that point.

The idea of Sanctuary (it's even been errata'd to better convey it) is to ensure that you are a sort-of peacekeeper. Enemies have trouble attacking you, but you also cannot be harmful to them.

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Web doesn’t affect sanctuary

The description of the sanctuary spell says:

If the warded creature makes an attack, casts a spell that affects an enemy, or deals damage to another creature, this spell ends.

Casting a web spell does not affect anyone. Creatures are affected subsequently by the webs it creates, but that is not the warded creature casting a spell.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ The 2018 PHB errata updated the spell description to include the criterion "deals damage to another creature" as something that ends the spell, though it doesn't affect the answer to this question. You may want to update the quote in your answer accordingly. \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Jan 5, 2020 at 23:58

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