Hunger of Hadar

[burntgerbil]

Hi there - I was talking with my DM about Zones, and after reading the text about sustaining powers, zones etc, we still could not determine exactly what happened when you sustain the warlock daily (5), Hunger of Hadar.

It creates a zone that damages any enemies that begin their turn there or pass through it.

When you sustain it, you make secondary attacks versus enemies in the area of the zone.

My question is, although the power does not say it, does the zone's initial effects persist ?

If you are sustaining the power and a creature passes through the sustained zone, will the creature take the initial 2d10 damage ?

Or will you really only be able to make a secondary attack vs creatures in the zone during your turn when you sustain the power ?

It looks like I am having trouble trying to explain my question, so let me try another way -

2d10 necrotic damage - does that only apply the first time the zone affects targets within it, before you sustain it ? Or if you sustain it, a creature within automatically takes the 2d10 on its turn and is subject to the secondary attack also when you sustain the power.

Either way, it seemed confusing and worded differently than most other zones we found.

Thanks for your help

 

[Danceofmasks]

PHB p278, under duration, should explain things.

1) You create the effect. It has a duration.
2) You sustain the effect. That extends the duration.
3) The act of sustaining also causes secondary attacks.

 

[burntgerbil]

So is "Sustain (action) : The zone persists" a default wording for zones that do not have any "new" functionality once sustained ? It seems like this one threw me because that was not in there.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Pretty much ... they sorta can't leave it blank, but the result would be the same if they did.