Tag: dnd

dnd 5e – Should this homebrew “Artillery Spell” advanced metamagic option be reworded or clarified?

I’m working on homebrewing a number of variant options for the Metamagic options available to Sorcerers, and I need some assistance proofreading the wording on one such option that I’m working on. I am not soliciting feedback on the Balance of this feature right now, and will be ignoring any such feedback.

The following is intended to be a new Metamagic that Sorcerers may learn. Within the context on this homebrew I’m working on, this is intended to be a kind of “Advanced” Metamagic, meaning (among other things) that its complexity is expected to be higher than normal Metamagics.

Despite that concession, however, I am worried that it may still be too wordy or cluttered to be easily understood, and I am looking for feedback to try to make it easier to read or more intuitive to understand. Also, obvious grammatical errors or ambiguities would be good to call out as well.

Artillery Spell

When you cast a spell that has a targeted Area of Effect that isn’t yourself, you may spend 5 Sorcery Points to change the spell’s range to be equal to your character’s visibility range. Then, before the spell comes into effect, the DM will roll four sets of 5d4, in order, and multiply each of these values by a value equal to the distance between you and your target, divided by 15. Then, for each distance:

  1. Push the spell’s location away from you by this much, parallel to the ground
  2. Pull the spell’s location towards you by this much, parallel to the ground
  3. Move the spell’s location to your left by this much
  4. Move the spell’s location to your right by this much

The intent of this math is to generate a (roughly) normally distributed area within which the spell will land. The entire area within which the spell may land is intended to be a box, centered on your chosen targeted location, with a size equal to twice the distance between yourself and that location. If my math is not producing that kind of distribution, or if the wording of the math doesn’t imply that kind of distribution, I’d like to know that as part of the feedback I’m soliciting.

A few additional clarifications (as they come in):

  • It should be possible for the caster to accidentally target themselves, though note that it requires pretty astronomically low odds for that to happen (~0.01%-0.20%, depending on the spell’s AOE and your distance)
  • This affects the spell’s range, not its AOE. So a Fireball spell could be launched miles away, but it still only has a radius of 20 feet.
  • The facing of this spell’s “right” and “left” is based on the direction from the caster to the target.

Here’s an example of how this would work, using the rules I’ve provided, as I intend for them to function:

  • The Sorcerer declares “I’m casting Circle of Death on that mountain over there, to try to hit the Assassin’s Village”
  • The DM rolls 5d4, 4 times: 1+3+2+2+4=12, 2+2+1+1+1=7, 4+4+1+3+1=13, 3+4+4+1+1=13.
  • Because the DM has system mastery, they know the village being targeted is 2 miles away, or about 10000 feet.
  • Each of these values is multiplied by this distance: 120000, 70000, 130000, 130000, then divided by 15: 8000, 4667, 8667, 8667
  • The spell is then adjusted by 8000 feet away from the Sorcerer, then 4667 feet towards them (a net total of 3333 feet away from them), then pushed 8667 feet to the left, then to the right (a net total of 0 feet to the left or right), meaning the spell probably targets a location outside the village.

In total, the spell targeted a location 10000 feet away from the Sorcerer originally, but was instead pushed by this metamagic to a location an additional 3333 feet away, at a total of 13333 feet away.

Yes, this is highly inaccurate, even for modest rolls; I am soliciting feedback on the wording and clunkiness of this feature, not the practicality or benefit of this feature.

dnd 5e – Do you add the proficiency bonus when throwing a pebble from the Magic Stone cantrip?

Would you add your proficiency bonus to a pebble from the magic stone cantrip? The spell description says nothing about it.

The magic stone spell description states (EEPC, p. 20; XGtE, p. 160):

You touch one to three pebbles and imbue them with magic. You or
someone else can make a ranged spell attack with one of the pebbles by
throwing it or hurling it with a sling. If thrown, it has a range of
60 feet. If someone else attacks with the pebble, that attacker adds
your spellcasting ability modifier, not the attacker’s, to the attack
roll. On a hit, the target takes bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 +
your spellcasting ability modifier. Hit or miss, the spell then ends
on the stone. If you cast this spell again, the spell ends early on
any pebbles still affected by it.

Would this be considered an improvised weapon that wouldn’t get the proficiency bonus added to the attack?

dnd 5e – Can I use deflect missile if I get an ally to shoot me?

Yep, that is allowed

Nothing in the rules for deflect missiles says otherwise:

Starting at 3rd Level, you can use your reaction to deflect or catch the missile when you are hit by a ranged weapon attack. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d 10 + your dexterity modifier + your monk level.
If you reduce the damage to 0, you can catch the missile if it is small enough for you to hold in one hand and you have at least one hand free. If you catch a missile in this way, you can spend 1 ki point to make a ranged attack (range 20 feet/60 feet) with the weapon or piece of ammunition you just caught, as part of the same reaction. You make this attack with proficiency, regardless of your weapon Proficiencies, and the missile counts as a monk weapon for the attack.

It can be used exactly as you described. Any incoming missile, as long as it is from a ranged weapon attack and hits you, can be deflected. Bonus points for creativity 🙂

It is kinda expensive though; burning an attack, a reaction and a Ki point to achieve and also with the risk of simply getting shot if the ranged ally rolls well and you roll badly.

Just remember it doesn’t work with ranged spell attacks, before you get the party Wizard to chuck Magic Stones at you.

dnd 5e – Can you use eldritch blast and grasp of the deep (the lurker in the deep patron) at the same turn?

in the UA rules is stated as:
At 1st level, you gain the ability to magically summon a spectral tentacle that strikes at your foes. As a bonus action, you create a 10-foot-long tentacle at a point you can see within 60 feet of you. The tentacle lasts for 1 minute or until you use this feature to create another tentacle.

When you create the tentacle, you can make a melee spell attack against a creature within 10 feet of it. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 cold or lightning damage (your choice when it takes the damage) and its speed is reduced by 10 feet until the start of your next turn. When you reach 10th level in this class, the damage dealt by the tentacle increases to 2d8.

As a bonus action on your turn, you can move the tentacle up to 30 feet and repeat the attack.
You can summon the tentacle a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

So you use a bonus action to conjure it, then you can do a melee spell attack, but this melee spell attack count as an action? If not you can eldritch blast and hit with the tentacles, right? And if it does, can you just eldritch blast and then use the second hit as a bonus action? I know that tashas already released an official version, but I liked this one way better, thanks for the help.

dnd 5e – Does the updated Integrated Protection feature of the Warforged mean that they count as “wearing” armor when using armor?

Yes the warforged counts as wearing armor when they don armor

As noted in the question, the wording now included this point

  • You can don only armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor (…). To doff armor (…). You can rest while donning or doffing armor in this way.

With the wording update to explicitly include the phrases don and doff armor, which are defined game terms for getting into and out of armor, the warforged now categorically counts as wearing armor for the purposes of features that make such a distinction.

Getting Into and Out of Armor

(…)
Don. This is the time it takes to put on the item. You benefit from it’s AC only if you take the full time to don it.

Doff. This is the time it takes to take off the item. If you have help removing armor, reduce this time by half.

In addition to the above, D&D 5e is an exceptions based game. A creature to be considered to not be wearing armor when they don armor is an exceptional interpretation, and as a result, the game requires an exception to be stated for this to be the case.

Such an exception could take the form:

the warforged is not considered to be wearing armor after donning it

or

you gain no benefit from wearing armor

The second of which was part of the reason the previous version of the warforged could be considered to not be wearing armor (and in particular that magical armor wouldn’t confer any benefit for them).

dnd 5e – Under what conditions can a ghost possessing a creature attune to a magic item?

A ghost is a ghost; it is not the body/host being possessed

The description for the ghost’s Possession action states, in part:

The ghost now controls the body but doesn’t deprive the target of awareness. The ghost can’t be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, except ones that turn undead, and it retains its alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and immunity to being charmed and frightened. It otherwise uses the possessed target’s statistics, but doesn’t gain access to the target’s knowledge, class features, or proficiencies.

Also, the Attunement rules state, in part:

Some magic items require a creature to form a bond with them before their magical properties can be used. This bond is called attunement, and certain items have a prerequisite for it. If the prerequisite is a class, a creature must be a member of that class to attune to the item. (If the class is a spellcasting class, a monster qualifies if it has spell slots and uses that class’s spell list.) If the prerequisite is to be a spellcaster, a creature qualifies if it can cast at least one spell using its traits or features, not using a magic item or the like.

So first off, if the item has any prerequisites, it is a no-go. Ghosts do not count as spell casters, nor are they any class. And since the ghost cannot use the host’s class features, it is still class-less. So all those magic items are automatically disqualified.

For the rest, the ghost cannot be targeted by spells or effects. As a DM, I would qualify attuning as an effect, as without attunement the item will act as non-magical. Therefore, it stands to reason that an effect has occurred during attunement.

Attunement also requires physical contact. The ghost has control of the body, but it is not the body. If it was the body, then possession would overwrite the hosts Strength score also.

Now, with all that being said:

It’s up to the DM

If it’s important to the story, then make up a rule.

There is also this phrase from the Adventure League FAQ

The Adventurers League FAQ v9.0 includes the following guidance on magic item attunement:

Attune to a Magic Item by Familiars

Any item attuned to a creature under your control (familiars, beast companions, etc.) counts against both your character’s limit of three attuned items and the character’s permanent Magic Item Limit.

This doesn’t suggest that such creatures can attune to magic items. Whether or not a mindless undead creature, for example, can attune to and utilize a magic item is still subject to DM discretion.

dnd 5e – Can the automatic damage from the Witch Bolt spell be repeatedly activated using an Order of Scribes wizard’s Manifest Mind feature?

It’s likely that the Spectral Mind is considered to be your location for the entire duration of the spell.

First, let’s look at the full relevant text of the Manifest Mind ability:

Whenever you cast a wizard spell on your turn, you can cast it as if you were in the spectral mind’s space, instead of your own, using its senses. You can do so a number of times per day equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

As a bonus action, you can cause the spectral mind to hover up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space that you or it can see. It can pass through creatures but not objects.

The Manifest Mind feature says that you can treat the Minds space as your own whenever you cast a spell. I don’t see a clause stating that the spell snaps back to your true location after it’s been cast, nor do you have the option of doing so even if you wanted to. It appears that, once cast, the spell is locked in to treating the mind as the source for the duration.

This means that the Mind must stay within 30 feet of the target, and should the target ever have full cover from the mind, the spell is broken, even if the target is within 30 feet of you, and not behind full cover.

dnd 5e – Can Witch Bolt be repeatedly activated through a Wizard Scribe’s Manifest Mind ability?

The Scribe subclass of the Wizard has the “Manifest Mind” feature, creating a manifested spectral mind that can be moved by the Wizard as a bonus action. Additionally, the Wizard can cast spells through the spectral mind :

Whenever you cast a wizard spell on your turn, you can cast it as if you were in the spectral mind’s space, instead of your own, using its senses.

This allows the Scribe to cast spell remotely through the spectral mind .

The spell Witch Bolt can be cast through spectral mind , but it is not clear to me if it’s damage can be repeated if the spectral mind is within 30 feet, but the Wizard himself is more than 30 feet away.

The problematic part of Witch Bolt is the following:

The spell also ends if the target is ever outside the spell’s range or if it has total cover from you.

Is the target is outside the range, if the spectral mind is within 30 feet of the target, but the Wizard isn’t?

dnd 5e – Can you cast a spell learned from the Magic Initiate feat using spell slots?

No, you can’t use spell slots, unless you choose the class associated with your Spellcasting feature.

Without loss of generality, suppose you are a Wizard who takes the Magic Initiate feat (PHB, p. 168), and pick the cleric class for the feat. The relevant part of the description of the feat says:

Choose a class: bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard. You learn two cantrips of your choice from that class’s spell list.

In addition, choose one 1st-level spell to learn from that same list. Using this feat, you can cast the spell once at its lowest level, and you must finish a long rest before you can cast it in this way again.

So the 1st-level spell you choose for the feat is a cleric spell (as are the cantrips). Even if the 1st-level spell you choose for the feat is on both the cleric and wizard spell lists, it still counts as a cleric spell for you.

Unfortunately, as of the 2018 PHB errata, the wizard’s Spellcasting feature says, (emphasis mine):

The Wizard table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your wizard spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher.

A wizard may only cast wizard spells with their wizard spell slots. This is confirmed in the official ruling on Magic Initiative in the Sage Advice Compendium:

If you have spell slots, can you use them to cast the 1st-level spell you learn with the Magic Initiate feat?

Yes, but only if the class you pick for the feat is one of your classes. (…)

If the cleric spell chosen counted as a wizard spell for you, you would be able to cast it using your spell slots, but the SAC confirms that the class you choose for Magic Initiate must be one of your classes for this to be the case.

On the other hand, if the wizard took the Magic Initiate feat and picked the wizard class for the feat, the chosen spell would be a wizard spell for you, and would be eligible for casting with your wizard spell slots. This is confirmed in the Sage Advice Compendium ruling, which continues:

(…) Similarly, if you are a wizard and pick that class for the feat, you learn a 1st-level wizard spell, which you could add to your spellbook and subsequently prepare.

In short, you must follow your character’s normal spellcasting rules, which determine whether you can expend spell slots on the 1st-level spell you learn from Magic Initiate.

Eldritch Knight and Arcane Trickster

In particular, casting a spell with your spell slots as an Eldritch Knight fighter or Arcane Trickster rogue requires two things: that you know the spell, and that it is a wizard spell. The spell gained from Magic Initiate satisfies both of these conditions if you choose the wizard class for the feat.

The Eldritch Knight’s Spellcasting feature says (PHB, p. 75; emphasis mine):

The Eldritch Knight Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your wizard spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

Similarly, the Arcane Trickster’s Spellcasting feature says (PHB, p. 98; emphasis mine):

The Arcane Trickster Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your wizard spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

If you pick the wizard class for the Magic Initiate feat, and therefore the 1st-level spell you learn from the feat is a wizard spell for you, it meets all the conditions for being able to expend spell slots to cast it as an Eldritch Knight or an Arcane Trickster.

This ruling is confirmed by the same Sage Advice Compendium ruling quoted earlier (emphasis mine):

In short, you must follow your character’s normal spellcasting rules, which determine whether you can expend spell slots on the 1st-level spell you learn from Magic Initiate.

Since your Spellcasting feature says you can use your spell slots to cast wizard spells, then if you take Magic Initiate and pick the wizard class, you can cast that 1st-level wizard spell using your spell slots.

dnd 5e – Under what conditions can a ghost attune to a magic item?

A ghost can possess people (‘humanoids’). It can also go onto the Border Etherial, phasing between two planes of existence. This means its interaction with physical objects varies based on where it has gone plane-wise and who it is ‘inside’, person-wise.

Attunement requires a very specific process:

Attuning to an item requires a creature to spend a Short Rest focused on only that item while being in physical contact with it (this can’t be the same short rest used to learn the item’s properties). This focus can take the form of weapon practice (for a weapon), meditation (for a wondrous item), or some other appropriate activity. If the Short Rest is interrupted, the attunement attempt fails. Otherwise, at the end of the Short Rest, the creature gains an intuitive understanding of how to activate any magical properties of the item, including any necessary Command words.

It is not clear who is touching things while one is doing Possession. The ghost is using the person ‘as a puppet’. By holding a magic knife with a puppet one is NOT touching the knife at all. Yet, if arrested, pointing out ‘the magic knife is attuned to the puppet!!’ does not help much. After all possession is 9/10ths of the law.

Question repeat: Can a ghost attune to a magic item? If so, under what conditions?