26
votes
Does an opportunity attack allow a monk to use their unarmed bonus attack if they still have it and it’s still their turn?
Oportunity attacks are reactions, not normal actions, so this won't work
You can only use Martial Arts with the Attack action:
When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon ...
- 95.7k
12
votes
When is Animate Objects more effective than Fireball?
While it kind of still falls under the same situational category as resistances, there is also the situation where you're trying to reduce collateral damage. While fireballs do not directly damage ...
- 10.2k
12
votes
How can I word the rules for a custom Magic item that allows a caster to cast a spell (but still requires the spell slot and component)?
Frame Challenge: you don't need to. Maybe shouldn't.
For your specific circumstances, if your party sorcerer wants to have this spell, you as the DM are allowed to add it to his spell list. Modifying ...
- 23.5k
11
votes
Accepted
How can I word the rules for a custom Magic item that allows a caster to cast a spell (but still requires the spell slot and component)?
Instead of using the language of spells known or prepared, just directly say what you want it to allow: casting Revivify, nothing more, nothing less. It doesn't hook into your class's spellcasting ...
- 2,806
11
votes
Accepted
Clarification on semantics around melee attacks
The Sage Advice Compendium is covering the use of nomenclature here:
What does “melee weapon attack” mean: a melee attack
with a weapon or an attack with a melee weapon?
It means a melee attack with ...
- 95.7k
11
votes
When is Animate Objects more effective than Fireball?
Breaking casters' concentration.
Disclaimer. This answer will not consider any mathematical1 formulation or probabilistic simulation.
Without considering the pure, numerical expected damage and ...
- 24k
11
votes
Can I spend additional ki points to make additional attacks with my Flurry of Blows bonus action?
You can make one flurry with two strikes
Flurry of Blows is not limited by a number per turn, but by coupling it to taking the Attack action on your turn, and by your available bonus actions:
...
- 95.7k
10
votes
Accepted
When is Animate Objects more effective than Fireball?
Instantaneous vs Duration
The primary benefit of animate objects is that it lasts for more than one round. The result of this is the conservation of spell slots. Instead of having to cast fireball ...
- 72.6k
9
votes
When is Animate Objects more effective than Fireball?
Typing.
Fireball deals fire damage.
Animate Objects does not.
That alone put Animate Objects as a far better choice when it comes to damaging creatures that have some sort of resistance/immunity to ...
- 16k
8
votes
Can unarmed strikes be used with Dread Ambusher?
Dread Ambusher not intended to work with unarmed strikes
There is precedent from a very similar situation with Divine Smite, where we have this Sage Advice Compendium entry
Can a paladin use Divine ...
- 95.7k
7
votes
When is Animate Objects more effective than Fireball?
The other answers have covered a lot of other things, but a few additional options to consider.
Area Control
10 small objects under your control occupy 10 spaces of the battlefield. Creatures you don'...
- 33.4k
7
votes
Player charmed by Orb of Dragonkind: what can be done?
Just take the orb away
The rules for attunement (p. 138, PHB) say:
A creature's attunement to an item ends if the creature
no longer satisfies the prerequisites for attunement, if
the item has been ...
- 95.7k
7
votes
Would a Lich/Wizard casting Globe of Invulnerability, Prismatic Wall, and Shield (as needed) be "invincible"?
Probably not, a simple dimension door might do it
You can simply teleport there with dimension door through Globe of Invulnerability, which does not block it.
Wether Prismatic Wall would stop you is ...
- 95.7k
6
votes
Accepted
Optimizing Animate Objects spell against nonmagical damage immunities
Use silvered weapons as objects
Some of the creatures that have resistance to nonmagical slashing, bludgeoning and piercing can be normally wounded with weapons that are silvered. This does not work ...
- 95.7k
5
votes
Is there any official holiday-themed content for D&D 5e?
Although Faerun does not have Christmas, Winter's Splendor is a holiday-themed adventure. The opening scene is a Midwinter Gala, at Cassalanter Villa. It is available to download free from wizards.com....
- 6,286
4
votes
Clarification on semantics around melee attacks
This might not be 100% accurate if you consider all special features and edge cases, but I find it makes it easier to understand the core principles.
The game has two kinds of attacks: spell attacks ...
- 2,411
4
votes
How can I word the rules for a custom Magic item that allows a caster to cast a spell (but still requires the spell slot and component)?
Look at character class wording
The problem is that prepared casters and casters of known spells work differently, so making this work for any spellcaster in this way is going to either be wordy and ...
- 95.7k
3
votes
With only one free hand, can I still cast spells with somatic components?
The accepted answer provides the solution, but I'd like to add that an example about a cleric wearing a mace and a shield was used in Sage Advice to explain that it's possible to hold both items to ...
- 141
3
votes
When is Animate Objects more effective than Fireball?
Creatures benefit from bonuses
If you surround a target that is paralyzed (by your friendly Cleric's Hold Person maybe?), then all your Animated Objects attack with advantage and score automatic ...
- 80.2k
3
votes
Potions crafting - homebrew ideas
The Angry GM have made a concept around herbalism that could be reskinned for potion crafting. It lets the character gather ingredients from different biomes and create non-magical products. It is not ...
- 375
3
votes
Optimizing Animate Objects spell against nonmagical damage immunities
Give small animated objects magic weapons
If your animated objects have hands, you could provide them with magical weapons. There are even common magic items that could be crafted or purchased ...
- 72.6k
2
votes
Accepted
Flurry of Blows has to be done after the action. Why?
Contingent Effects
Our friendly Hobgoblin's answer includes lots of valid interactions that might apply to the specific special abilities granted one subclass or another.
SeriousBri's comment points ...
- 43k
2
votes
Flurry of Blows has to be done after the action. Why?
You got the main impact
There are some additional implications for allowing the attacks with Flurry to happen first, depending on your monk subclass. For example:
As you say a Way of the Open Hand ...
- 95.7k
2
votes
Falling on Multiple Creatures Simultaneously
DM decides
Clearly, they did not think enough about corner cases when they wrote that rule (that has other loopholes, too). As always, if the rules do not cover a specific situation, it is up to the ...
- 95.7k
2
votes
Is it possible to permanently remove a curse from a cursed magic item?
The single most easy way of permanently removing a curse on a magic item is to simply break the magic item.
If you want to keep its other magic properties though, this is a bad idea, because a broken ...
- 29
2
votes
What is the maximum number of PC-controlled undead?
132,221,250
9th level divine soul sorcerer/ 11th level walock, with access to animate dead from cleric list that isn't the eldritch invocation. Do the coffeelock trick, to get infinte spell slots, and ...
- 21
2
votes
Clarification on semantics around melee attacks
Inspired by this question, I made a Venn diagram of many different kinds of attacks in D&D 5e:
There are two main axes of differentiation, Melee vs Ranged attacks, and Weapon vs Spell attacks. ...
- 8,252
1
vote
Can Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound be made mobile by casting it on a mobile surface?
It's not clear by the written rules. But it's a reasonable thought.
So, as the spell is written it doesn't move at all, which begs the question, what happens if my world is on a moving planet? Will ...
- 420
1
vote
Must a monk's Flurry of Blows attacks occur after the initial (and extra) attack from the Attack action?
We can compare the official ruling from SAC for a very similar feature.
The Shield Master feat allows, among other options, to shove a creature as a Bonus action once the Attack action has been taken:
...
- 24k
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