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The Spell Glyph section of Glyph of Warding states:

The spell must target a single creature or an area.

Some spells have the potential to affect "up to X" creatures. The Slow spell, for example, states:

You alter time around up to six creatures of your choice in a 40-foot cube within range. Each target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be affected by this spell for the duration.

Can you make a Spell Glyph of Slow (or any other "up to X targets" spell), if the intent is to only target the creature who triggers the glyph?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Then there's Chain Lightning, which is worded so that it always has one "target" (the glyph version would need to target a creature, not an object), but can still directly affect other creatures (or objects). \$\endgroup\$ – aschepler Feb 20 at 0:35
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Yes. You can make a glpyh of slow that targets the single creature that triggers the glpyh.

When used in a spell glyph, the spell must target only a single creature even if it has the potential to do more. Using slow and specify a single target allows it to fit within the confines of the spell glyph.

Target description language of spells usually allows for selecting one target

Some other examples of spells that permit for many targets, but also allow just one are:

  • beacon of hope "Choose any number of creatures within range"
  • bane "Up to three creatures of your choice that you can see within range "
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    \$\begingroup\$ It might be worth pointing out how this is different from the Twinned Spell metamagic restriction, which specifies that the spell must be incapable of targeting more than 1 creature; Spell Glyph only specifies that it has to target only one creature. It's the difference between "impossible to target another" (capability) and "does not target another" (outcome). \$\endgroup\$ – V2Blast♦ Feb 19 at 20:44

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