Nickolaidas
Explorer
Okay, so I've been DMing 5E with my brother, my sister-in-law and my kid nephew.
I ambushed their group with some Dragonborn cultists of Blue Dragon heritage. At some point, my brother's paladin was surrounded by a Maw Demon on his back, one Dragonborn cultist to his front, and one Dragonborn cultist to his left.
Important note: we play with minis (the entire map and the miniatures are on my photoshop shown in the TV and I move the miniatures with my Bluetooth mouse as they wish - kinda like a video game, actually). The three enemies are literally next to the paladin from three sides (melee distance).
In the map grid, it was like this:
. M
CPE
. C
P=Paladin
M=Maw Demon
C= Cultist
E=Empty Block
When the cultists' turn came, I announced that they both fired their lightning breath weapon (which is a 5x40 ft line, if I recall), aiming diagonally at my big bro's paladin (basically, they aimed at his legs, so that the lightning bolts would hit only the 5ft square where the paladin stood - so that the cultist in the front wouldn't hit the Maw demon with his breath - since the Maw Demon was positioned behind the paladin).
My brother got annoyed and told me that the lightning bolt of the front cultist couldn't hit him and NOT hit the Maw Demon as well because the bolt is a straight line. I told him that they aimed their lightning breath line diagonally to the floor where his paladin stood (I guess at a 45' degree angle). He said that the lightning bolt should still 'bounce' when it hit the floor and hit the Maw Demon anyway (by rising at a 45' degree like the ball in Pong does when it hits a wall). He claimed that my logic makes the lightning bolt a cheap spell where it can be used in close quarters (literally next to an opponent) to hit a single foe without endangering any ally even though they're standing next to the assailant and / or the victim.
I did some searching on the net and I couldn't find anyone conveniently explaining what happens to a lightning bolt (either breath or spell) when it hits a wall, a ceiling or the floor. Does it disperse harmlessly? Does it bounce? If it bounces, does the caster control where the line goes next? And if hit someone next to a wall, and then the lightning bolt bounces off the wall and hits the same victim again, does the caster roll again for damage even though the target got hit 2 seconds ago?
Please share your thoughts on this, and tell me if my 'aim at his legs' logic was wrong.
I ambushed their group with some Dragonborn cultists of Blue Dragon heritage. At some point, my brother's paladin was surrounded by a Maw Demon on his back, one Dragonborn cultist to his front, and one Dragonborn cultist to his left.
Important note: we play with minis (the entire map and the miniatures are on my photoshop shown in the TV and I move the miniatures with my Bluetooth mouse as they wish - kinda like a video game, actually). The three enemies are literally next to the paladin from three sides (melee distance).
In the map grid, it was like this:
. M
CPE
. C
P=Paladin
M=Maw Demon
C= Cultist
E=Empty Block
When the cultists' turn came, I announced that they both fired their lightning breath weapon (which is a 5x40 ft line, if I recall), aiming diagonally at my big bro's paladin (basically, they aimed at his legs, so that the lightning bolts would hit only the 5ft square where the paladin stood - so that the cultist in the front wouldn't hit the Maw demon with his breath - since the Maw Demon was positioned behind the paladin).
My brother got annoyed and told me that the lightning bolt of the front cultist couldn't hit him and NOT hit the Maw Demon as well because the bolt is a straight line. I told him that they aimed their lightning breath line diagonally to the floor where his paladin stood (I guess at a 45' degree angle). He said that the lightning bolt should still 'bounce' when it hit the floor and hit the Maw Demon anyway (by rising at a 45' degree like the ball in Pong does when it hits a wall). He claimed that my logic makes the lightning bolt a cheap spell where it can be used in close quarters (literally next to an opponent) to hit a single foe without endangering any ally even though they're standing next to the assailant and / or the victim.
I did some searching on the net and I couldn't find anyone conveniently explaining what happens to a lightning bolt (either breath or spell) when it hits a wall, a ceiling or the floor. Does it disperse harmlessly? Does it bounce? If it bounces, does the caster control where the line goes next? And if hit someone next to a wall, and then the lightning bolt bounces off the wall and hits the same victim again, does the caster roll again for damage even though the target got hit 2 seconds ago?
Please share your thoughts on this, and tell me if my 'aim at his legs' logic was wrong.