Can a spell with a target of Self be stored in Glyph of Warding?

Question

When using Glyph of Warding to store a spell, it gives the following restriction on what spells can be stored:

You can store a prepared spell of 3rd level or lower in the glyph by casting it as part of creating the glyph. The spell must target a single creature or an area.

On page 204 of the PHB, it says the following about spell targeting:

A spell's description tells you whether the spell targets creatures, objects, or a point of origin for an area of effect (described below).

Looking at those passages together, it seems like a spell with a target of self (for example, Fire Shield) would be a valid spell to store in Glyph of Warding as it targets only a single creature. As long as the Glyph of Warding was cast at 4th level or higher, I don't see any reason why that wouldn't work.

Am I interpreting the rules correctly?

Answer 1

Yes you can cast spells that target self into the glyph

Spells that target self meet all the criteria for allowed spells

Glyph of Warding describes all the limitations for which spells can be stored in it:

You can store a prepared spell of 3rd level or lower in the glyph by casting it as part of creating the glyph. The spell must target a single creature or an area.

There are no other limitations.

Since spells that target "self" only target a single creature explicitly they meet the single-target criteria.

Targeting - specific beats general

One might wonder how a "self" spell would be targeted upon the glyph being triggered, but the spell covers that as well:

If the spell has a target, it targets the creature that triggered the glyph.

Does a spell that targets self have a target? Yes. So, according to the spell that self spell will now target the creature that triggered the glyph.

Specific beats general. So this supersedes the restriction that self spells only be able to target the caster.

In order for this spell to function as designed, it necessarily supercedes the normal targeting rules for spells with its description.

It's worth noting that this spell also necessarily supercedes several other major general rules (Spellcasting effects, concentration) with its specific effects in order for it to function.

Thus, there is absolutely no reason why this isn't fully allowed.

The spell's wording has changed

It is worth noting that an older version of the spell said:

When you cast this spell, you inscribe a glyph that harms other creatures.

but it has been the subject of errata and now says:

When you cast this spell, you inscribe a glyph that later unleashes a magical effect. (D&DBeyond)

This appears to be a confusion point.

Answer 2

Yes you can

On D&D Beyond they have changed the opening sentence to

When you cast this spell, you inscribe a glyph that later unleashes a magical effect.

I believe D&D beyond includes all errata, so this should be the correct wording.

It then goes on to say :

Spell Glyph. You can store a prepared spell of 3rd level or lower in the glyph by casting it as part of creating the glyph. The spell must target a single creature or an area. The spell being stored has no immediate effect when cast in this way. When the glyph is triggered, the stored spell is cast. If the spell has a target, it targets the creature that triggered the glyph. If the spell affects an area, the area is centered on that creature. If the spell summons hostile creatures or creates harmful objects or traps, they appear as close as possible to the intruder and attack it. If the spell requires concentration, it lasts until the end of its full duration.

So, yes you can trigger your own glyph and let it concentrate on the spell for you, not that Fire Shield requires concentration. You can even have an area of effect buff spell stored in it.

especially useful in a portable hole.

Answer 3

I know an answer has already been accepted, but there was a tweet from Jeremy Crawford back in Nov 2017 that I think contradicts the answer. Here is the link.

Here is the so that this answer is not simply a link:

Q: Can you cast a spell with a range of Self into a Glyph of Warding, and have it target the person triggering it?

A: A spell with a target of “Self” can be cast only on the spellcaster, unless a special rule says otherwise.

So Jeremy did not conclusively say yes or no to the answer, though I believe the implication is that no, you cannot cast a spell witih a range of Self into a Glyph of Warding.

Answer 4

Probably not.

The first paragraph of the description of Glyph of Warding says that:

When you cast this spell, you inscribe a glyph that affects other creatures ...

I would say that this precludes spells that affect "self".