Questions tagged [area-of-effect]
For questions which ask primarily about effects that affect a large zone or have multiple targets.
243
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Can Meld to Stone be used with Offensive Spells?
Suppose my character is locked in a jail cell with several of their worst enemies, none of whom have any spell-casting abilities. (Assume the character has retained their holy symbol for spell-casting....
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Can Slow be cast outside a room, but go through an open window? [closed]
My players dived into a building through an open window. Then a witch saw this, and cast slow, targeting 20 feet outside the building. Does the spell go through the window and affect the players, if ...
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Can you cast Hallow on yourself?
I can't find a definite answer as this seems to be some gray area in the ruling. What would be cool is to spend 24 hours casting hallow on yourself, covering a 60 ft space with an affect, darkness ...
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Do the incorporeal swordsmen created by the Legion of Sentinels spell appear in midair?
Player's Handbook II 116 has the spell legion of sentinels which has an area of 10 foot radius emanation. An excerpt of the spell text says:
A ghostly, incorporeal swordfighter appears in each square ...
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Can Invisibility Sphere Be Cast On a Rope or Chain In Order to cover More Targets or a Wider Area?
This Q&A in regards to emanations suggests that extending some of them from a creature's space rather than a grid intersection is a good way to handle those effects that emanate from a creature ...
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If a Twilight cleric uses the Steps of Night feature to fly up, do the areas of Twilight Sanctuary and the Spirit Guardians spell stay on the ground?
Say a Twilight Domain cleric has Channel Divinity: Twilight Sanctuary and the spirit guardians spell in effect. The cleric then uses the Steps of Night feature to fly up 15-30 feet.
Does the Twilight ...
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Is the point of origin for a persistant AoE spell relevant after casting?
When a spell is cast, it is understood that there must be an obstruction-free line of effect from the point of origin of an area of effect spell for it to affect a location (PHB 204):
A spell’s ...
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What happens when a Wall of Force spell is created in the area of a (previously cast) nonphysical spell such as Moonbeam or Stinking Cloud?
The description of the moonbeam spell states, in part:
A silvery beam of pale light shines down in a 5-foot radius, 40-foot-high cylinder centered on a point within range. Until the spell ends, dim ...
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Can the Alarm spell affect an unseen area behind a barrier?
The Alarm spell in DnD 5e specifies:
Choose a door, a window, or an area within range that is no larger
than a 20-foot cube. Until the spell ends, an alarm alerts you
whenever a tiny or larger ...
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General Rule For Areas of Effect and Large+ Creatures?
How much of a Large+ creature (any creature occupying more than a single 5' x 5' square) must be included in a spell's area of effect before it is, well, affected? If there is a simple statement of a ...
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Does Spiritual weapon set off the Alarm spell?
Related to Does interacting with things inside the area of an Alarm spell trigger it?, still assuming Alarm is cast using the area option, is the caster alerted if a Spiritual Weapon is moved into the ...
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Does interacting with things inside the area of an Alarm spell trigger it?
Somebody who has cast Alarm is sleeping inside the area (they didn't choose the window or door option) of the spell, which is "[...] no larger than a 20-foot cube.", and the spell also ...
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Is a space with a hazard or area of effect 'occupied'?
The party warlock has a wand of web.
He just leveled to 11th and is considering his choices for his 6th level arcanum.
Scatter (XGtE) allows him to teleport creatures to unoccupied spaces against ...
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Can the Gravity Fissure spell deal damage twice to a creature of larger than Medium size?
The description of the gravity fissure spell says (EGtW, p. 187):
You manifest a ravine of gravitational energy in a line originating from you that is 100 feet long and 5 feet wide. Each creature in ...
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Does Cloud of Daggers affect the caster?
New to 5e and this has been a painful rabbit hole coming for 3.5. I have a pc who wants to cast cloud of daggers centered on himself as a sort of shield to protect himself from melee attackers. I said ...
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Does the fact Spirit Guardians has range self, affect whether the area of effect goes around corners?
Spirit Guardians has a Range of Self (15-foot radius) (and adds in the description that the Spirits "flit around you to a distance of 15 feet for the duration")
Given this situation:
The ...
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Can you use the Assassin's Assassinate with grenades or thrown area of effect weapons? [duplicate]
Can you use the Assassin's Assassinate with grenades or thrown area of effect weapons?
Assassinate: Starting at 3rd level, you are at your deadliest when you get the drop on your enemies. You have ...
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Can an Air Elemental's Whirlwind ability hit multiple large targets?
The Air Elemental's Whirlwind ability reads:
Each creature in the elemental's space must...
Both the Air Elemental and the Minotaurs are large creatures. The Air Elemental's ability Air Form allows ...
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Blessed Strike triggered by Word of Radiance
I've seen a few questions regarding Blessed Strikes with various features like second attack or eldritch blast, all of which said Blessed Strikes only affected a single creature because they were ...
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If a spell is centered on a point, does suppressing the spell at that point suppress the whole spell?
Some area spells are centered on a point, such as fog cloud:
You create a 20-foot-radius sphere of fog centered on a point within range.
Another example is the darkness spell:
Magical darkness ...
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Can a line start from an adjacent square?
The below picture is from page 456 of CBR. Even after reading the sections Areas and Line, I am still unsure where the caster can place a line.
Position A is obviously fine for the caster, but what ...
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Is a creature that is not on the ground affected by the Sleet Storm spell's risk of falling prone?
The spell sleet storm on page 276 in the Player's Handbook says, in part:
The ground in the area is covered with slick ice, making it difficult terrain. When a creature enters the spell's area for ...
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How does Undead warlock 'Grave Touched' interact with aoe [duplicate]
I am confused about how the undead warlock's Grave Touched ability interacts with spells like Fireball. The text for Grave Touched reads as follows
In addition, once during each of your turns, when ...
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On a self-targeted spell like Spirit Guardians, can the caster change the intersection corner on a grid?
We're using a grid-based combat system for combat. The party cleric is learning the joys of Spirit Guardians, which has a range of Self (15-foot radius):
You call forth spirits to protect you. They ...
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Does anything in the Area or Removable rules indicate that held/worn objects are not subject to Area attacks?
I have this vague memory that in 2E M&M, it was specifically indicated that, in an Area Attack, Devices and Equipment were not affected, but rather had to be targeted specifically. I can't find ...
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Can Large characters squeeze through a 5ft corridor between Walls of Fire?
The rules for Squeezing on page 192 of the PHB state:
Squeezing into Smaller Spaces
A creature can squeeze through a space that is large enough for a
creature one size smaller than it. Thus, a Large ...
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How can I leave an ally out of a Fireball?
I think I saw an option (probably a feat) that you can use to not affect an ally with an area spell. Now I cannot find it, even though I checked all Wizard and Sorcerer metamagic feats.
Is there such ...
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When casting the Control Water spell underwater, does the Part Water option create a cube of air?
The control water spell has the option to separate water and form a trench on a cubic area of up to 100 feet per side:
Until the spell ends, you control any freestanding water inside an area you ...
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Is the diameter of a spell with range of Self (15 ft Sphere) always 30 ft.? [duplicate]
Or asked another way, does the area of effect of a sphere spell (such as Spirit Guardians) extend from a point inside the caster's space, or from the edges of it? Does Spirit Guardians cover a larger ...
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Can a character be hurt by standing outside of a tight Wall of Fire?
The description for Wall of Fire states:
You can make the wall up to 60 feet long, 20 feet high, and 1 foot thick, or a ringed wall up to 20 feet in diameter, 20 feet high, and 1 foot thick.
[...]
...
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Does the Wall of Fire spell damage creatures above it?
The Wall of Fire spell describes its "damage zone" as:
One side of the wall, selected by you when you cast this spell, deals
5d8 fire damage to each creature that ends its turn within 10 ...
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Can the Wall of Fire be placed on a vertical solid surface?
The target for the Wall of Fire spell is described as "a solid surface within range", does this imply that the spell could be cast on a wall or other vertical surface (or upside down on a ...
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Are the targeting-based restrictions for Twinned Spell metamagic and the Shield Master feat treated differently?
After an erratum, Twinned Spell metamagic says:
To be eligible, a spell must be incapable of targeting more than one creature at the spell’s current level. For example, magic missile and scorching ...
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Does the caster of the Incendiary Cloud spell choose the direction it moves only when it's cast, or choose it every turn?
The Sorcerer & Wizard spell incendiary cloud moves away from the caster at the start of each turn:
The cloud moves 10 feet directly away from you in a direction that you choose at the start of ...
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What's the best way to resolve a paradox created when a mage shapeshifted into a larger creature enters an antimagic field, but its true form doesn't?
This is based on a situation that's happening in my current campaign, though the example below is simplified to remove unnecessary context.
The shapechange spell (Player's Handbook, page 274) only ...
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Can someone use the Telekinesis power with an Area modifier to attempt an Area Grapple?
If I have the Telekinesis power with an Area modifier (also Selective and Damaging, why not?), can I attempt grappling multiple opponents in the area with it like an enraged Sith Lord?
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Is there a minimum size for the Glyph of Warding spell?
How big does a Glyph of Warding need to be?
The description of the Glyph of Warding spell says:
When you cast this spell, you inscribe a glyph that later unleashes a magical effect. You inscribe it ...
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How do Patterns and Cover Interact?
I am having trouble finding a confirmation one way or another in relation to how cover does or doesn't affect Pattern attacks, and if it does, when and how. I suspect that it's actually spelled out ...
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Does an enemy have to make the save against the Spirit Guardians spell if the caster moves within 15 feet of the enemy? [duplicate]
Does the Spirit Guardians spell trigger its saving throw if you, as the caster, close the 15-ft. gap?
Or only when the enemy uses its movement to come into the spell's radius? Spirit Guardians says:
...
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When using the Template variant rule from Xanathar's Guide to Everything, do 5 foot wide Lines actually affect a 10 foot wide row of grid squares? [duplicate]
Xanathar's Guide to Everything has a few variant options for playing on a Grid.
XGtE, Page 86:
... Choose an intersection of squares as the point of origin of an area of effect ...
... If any part of ...
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Do features that let you see things within your "line of sight" let you see invisible creatures and objects?
The 2020 Sage Advice Compendium has the following question & answer:
The frightened condition says “while the source of its fear is within line of sight.” Does that mean you have dis-advantage on ...
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Can an area of effect spell be cast through total cover?
Wall of Ice was cast across a field. My player wanted to cast Storm Sphere on the other side, even though there was no clear path to the target.
I told her that as there was no clear path, so she ...
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How exactly do you calculate changing a Line into a Cone?
How exactly do you calculate changing a Line into a Cone?
I am asking for the purposes of the Shape Breath Metabreath feat. As the feat says:
If you have a line-shaped breath weapon, you can opt to ...
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Can the Erupting Earth spell be cast somewhere that isn't on "ground"?
The description of the spell Erupting Earth says:
Choose a point you can see on the ground within range.
Does the use of the word "ground" limit this spell to floors that would be ...
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Size alteration while under a spell effect that is a radius centred on you
If I am under the effect of a spell effect that extends in a radius centred on me and then my size is altered to the next larger size category or next smaller size category, is the spell effect radius ...
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How does Hunger of Hadar behave in confined space?
Hunger of Hadar has a curious wording:
A 20-foot-radius sphere of blackness and bitter cold appears, centered on a point with range and lasting for the duration.
Compare this to Fireball:
A bright ...
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What is the sound's origin of an audible Alarm targeting a cubic area?
The Alarm spells reads as (emphasis mine)
You set an alarm against unwanted intrusion. Choose a door, a window, or an area within range that is no larger than a 20-foot cube. Until the spell ends, an ...
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Does a Bugbear PC take damage when holding an enemy on the other side of a Wall of Fire with Grapple?
Bugbears have long arms, allowing them to grapple enemies 10 ft. away.
The Bugbear's square is not in the effect range of the Wall of Fire.
However, about 5 ft. worth of one of the Bugbear's hands is ...
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How does "Sympathetic Magic" mecurial work with area of affect spells
I have a wizard who rolled 22 "Sympathetic Magic" on the Mecurial Magic table for an area of affect spell. Is there any ruling documented how that works?
For those without the book:
22 ...
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Does Arms of Hadar hit the caster?
The text is unclear to me.
Tendrils of dark energy erupt from you and batter all creatures within 10 feet of you.
I assume I'm a creature within 10 feet of me, so am I also a target of this spell?
...
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