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I'm curious about what would happen, in combat, if a sorcerer twin spells a haste on the fighters of the party and an enemy then casts a 4th level dispel magic.

Would dispelling the Magical Effect of Haste, end its effect on one or both of the targets?

This would be slightly different from a spell like Bless which does affect several creatures at once, where Haste affects only one creature, but the ability of the Sorcerer through SP allows them to target two.

I have seen a DM ruling that the Dispel Magic would end the effects on both targets but my gut tells me this feels off in terms of the interpretation of the Dispel Magic.

What is the consensus on this?

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    \$\begingroup\$ Hi Jason, welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour to find out how things work here, and visit the help center for more guidance. Thanks for telling us which game and edition you're playing (new users sometimes fail to mention this); however, the [dnd-5e] tag is enough, so I've removed it from the title. I've also removed the [dungeons-and-dragons] tag, as that's only needed for questions about the whole series of D&D, not just one edition (5e in this case). I've also added the [metamagic] tag, as this question is about the Twinned Spell metamagic (we're quite edit-happy here). Hope you get answers soon! \$\endgroup\$
    – NathanS
    Feb 20, 2020 at 10:15

2 Answers 2

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Dispel magic ends the effect on only one target

1. This is a confusing area. RAW would appear to suggest that dispel magic should end the effect on both targets:

The rules for twinned spells state:

When you cast a spell that targets only one creature and doesn’t have a range of self, you can spend a number of sorcery points equal to the spell’s level to target a second creature in range with the same spell (1 sorcery point if the spell is a cantrip).

They are targeting a second creature 'with the same spell'. The caster does not cast the spell twice - it is still only one spell.

Bearing that in mind, the rules text for dispel magic states:

Choose one creature, object, or magical effect within range. Any spell of 3rd level or lower on the target ends. For each spell of 4th level or higher on the target, make an ability check using your spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + the spell's level. On a successful check, the spell ends.

So, if the caster of dispel magic targets either of the characters effected by the spell (in this instance haste), then the spell will end. It won't just end the effect of the spell on that character - the whole spell itself will end.

2. However, Sage Advice has rendered the above argument incorrect:

On page 14 of the linked Sage Advice Compendium it says:

Q: If dispel magic targets the magical effect from bless cast by a cleric, does it remove the effect on all the targets?
A: Dispel magic ends a spell on one target. It doesn’t end the same spell on other targets.

This line of reasoning can clearly be extrapolated to your situation. The somewhat surprising official answer is that dispel magic should only end the effect on one of the targets - and not both.

You, of course, are always free to rule as you wish at your own table.

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    \$\begingroup\$ TBH, I believe we should lean more heavily on RAW. As seen with JC's tweets, the official-ness of rulings can change. Great answer! \$\endgroup\$
    – lucasvw
    Feb 20, 2020 at 12:27
  • \$\begingroup\$ I would think it would be dependent on the target of the dispel magic. I would read RAW as: If the target is a person or object, only that person or object would be affected. To remove it from everyone, the target would have to be the spell itself \$\endgroup\$
    – SeanC
    Feb 20, 2020 at 21:18
  • \$\begingroup\$ @SeanC It's fine to rule that way, but that interpretation seems to pretty clearly disagree with the Sage Advice text I quoted above. \$\endgroup\$
    – Tiggerous
    Feb 21, 2020 at 10:02
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Only one target will be affected by Dispel Magic in this case

Dispel Magic states:

Choose any creature, object, or magical effect within range. Any spell of 3rd Level or lower on the target ends. For each spell of 4th level or higher on the target, make an ability check using your Spellcasting Ability . The DC equals 10 + the spell's level. On a successful check, the spell ends.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th Level or higher, you automatically end the Effects of a spell on the target if the spell's level is equal to or less than the level of the spell slot you used.

Range 120 feet School Abjuration Target One creature, object, or magical effect within range

Since Haste affects creatures and is not an area of a magical effect, you can't dispel both of them at once (unless you Twin it and in that case it would be eligible with dispel magic).

This Answer on the question: Does Dispel Magic end the spell for everyone affected or just the target? might help you.

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    \$\begingroup\$ See that's what I thought where Dispel Magic affects only one creature. Then when I saw that DM ruled that the Twinned Haste is dispelled on both creatures, I was like...doesn't feel right. The argument being what Dale had said initially with the Spell itself ending. But thanks for that, Maxime. \$\endgroup\$
    – Jason Sia
    Feb 20, 2020 at 11:19
  • \$\begingroup\$ If the DM rules it that way even with proof that it does not work that way in the rules, will still be ruled that way though, what does your DM says about dispel magic cast on a creature that has haste and his ally (that received it too via twin spell) that is out of the range of the spell? Will it cancel it too? that's pretty powerful if he says yes. what's his opinion on bless? \$\endgroup\$
    – Maxpire
    Feb 20, 2020 at 11:25
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    \$\begingroup\$ Its not my DM, its one of the D&D shows I watch regularly and that situation came up. Hence I threw this question out onto the Internet. Apparently, this particular DM ruled the effect would happen on a Blessed spell which I would have technically been inclined to agree because you're using a 3rd level spell to get rid of a 1st level. in terms of trade-offs, the "Dispeller" is getting the worse end by using a higher level spell slot. But to use it on Haste spell where the PC used both SP and spell slot, I was like..that feels wrong. But as a fellow DM, I respect it's his table. \$\endgroup\$
    – Jason Sia
    Feb 20, 2020 at 12:45

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