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Does a spellcaster know when concentration ends on one of their spells?

For example, when a wizard casts invisibility, that target is invisible until they attack or after one hour. So if the character attacks and the spell ends is the wizard aware that their spell that they are concentrating on ended earlier than expected?

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3 Answers 3

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I can find no RAW, or any rulings at all, that can help answer this question. That being said, the following is speculation based on the entry on PHB page 205 that details ‘The Weave’ of magic.

In conjunction with how Wizards learn their magic, and the knowledge of the Arcane arts and the understanding they must have of the Weave in order to cast such magic, we can assume that yes: A wizard would know when the magic he cast a few turns ago that affected the Weave in such a way as to turn an ally invisible has lost its effect and thus become inert. I think this particularly holds true for concentration spells where the Wizard is actively maintaining the alteration to the Weave in order to sustain an effect.

When the spell ends, either through the Wizard deciding to end it, the spell running its full duration, or something ending it prematurely, I have no reason to believe this would be lost on the Wizard in question.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Isn't the "Weave" only a thing in FR? This answer might be better served by at least some speculation on other worlds like Greyhawk and Eberron. Not everyone plays in FR. \$\endgroup\$
    – Slagmoth
    Commented Aug 26, 2019 at 2:08
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Slagmoth The PHB description of the weave describes all the worlds in the D&D multiverse. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Mar 18, 2021 at 8:38
  • \$\begingroup\$ @ThomasMarkov Not to nitpick but "The Weave" is a FR thing... as that is the name they give the magic that infuses that world. So I guess his reference should be lower case in that instance? \$\endgroup\$
    – Slagmoth
    Commented Mar 18, 2021 at 15:44
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Yes...

It would make absolutely sense for a caster to be aware when they lose concentration on a spell of their own.

"This guard hit me pretty hard, I can sense that Invisibility I gave to Tim in order to secretly enter the King's palace wore off! He must be in trouble now!"

However

The situation you describe is not the loss of concentration.

if the character attacks and the spell ends is the wizard aware ...

It's the very subject of the spell breaking it out of their own volition, something completely unrelated to the caster. Concentration is a different mechanism and, in this case, not the only one that can cause a spell to end sooner than its duration.

Ultimately, there are no rules specifying this so it's up to the DM to decide whether all casters in his world have a kind of "arcane sense" that allowed them to know exactly which of their spells are still operational and which aren't.

However, do keep in mind that accepting the above ruling can lead to some unexpected and possibly unwelcome situations. For instance, a mage casting a high duration spell, which ends on a trigger like Magic Mouth, in his sanctum/laboratory/tower/house so as to know exactly when someone entered it (triggering its ending).

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Even accepting your "however" - would a caster who believed they were concentrating on a spell that might or might not still be active, at least be aware, when they cast another spell requiring concentration, whether they had then definitively ended concentration on an active spell or merely given up attention on something that had already ended? \$\endgroup\$
    – Kirt
    Commented Aug 9, 2020 at 23:06
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Yes, you know when concentration ends

The other answers say there doesn't seem to be anything in the PHB explicitly about whether you sense anything when a spell ends. Therefore, does it say anything implicitly?

Implicit Proof Ad Absurdum: If you weren't aware of whether your spell ended, then you wouldn't know to recast Haste when the target died, or recast Tasha's Hideous Laughter when the target took damage. You wouldn't know, so you would continue your concentration on such spells, and would be less likely to cast them. This is absurd and game-changing. Therefore, you are aware of when a "spell ends." Therefore, you are aware if spells you are concentrating on end.

For the same reasons, you know when your concentration ends (i.e., if you didn't then you might want to keep casting Haste every round, just in case, which is absurd.)

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    \$\begingroup\$ It is not absurd yo require confirmation that your spell is affecting the target. A spell doesn't end when the target's are unaffected (Unless specified), I can concentrate on a spell without affecting anyone. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Aug 5, 2018 at 16:41

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