D&D 5E Line of Sight for Shatter

[WarpedAcorn]

This came up in last night's game. The spell Shatter does not specify that you need Line of Sight, only that the target has to be within range. Does this mean Shatter can be cast around corners and through walls?

I tried doing a Google search and a search for Sage Advice, but I only seem to be getting questions about damaging objects with this spell and not whether you need to see the focal point of the spell in order to cast it.

 

[Oofta]

For spells that target something you need clear path to the target. If casting a spell like shatter, the target is a point in space.

Page 80 basic rules

A Clear Path to the Target
To target something, you must have a clear path to it,
so it can’t be behind total cover.
If you place an area of effect at a point that you can’t
see and an obstruction, such as a wall, is between you
and that point, the point of origin comes into being on the
near side of that obstruction.​

and on the next page

Sphere
You select a sphere’s point of origin, and the sphere
extends outward from that point. The sphere’s size is
expressed as a radius in feet that extends from the point.
A sphere’s point of origin is included in the sphere’s
area of effect.​

 

[WarpedAcorn]

Thanks Oofta. It didn't make much sense that Shatter could go through walls, but I needed an actual rule to cite. =)

 

[cooperjer]

I would like to clarify the term "clear." A clear path could be understood as looking through a clear object, i.e. a window or a wall of force. I like to clarify to my players that the path needs to be unobstructed.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using EN World mobile app

 

[Oofta]

I would like to clarify the term "clear." A clear path could be understood as looking through a clear object, i.e. a window or a wall of force. I like to clarify to my players that the path needs to be unobstructed.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using EN World mobile app

About the closest you're going to get is the Sage Advice tweets. If anything is in the way of, is in between the caster and their target, it cannot be targeted.

In other words if you can target something with a physical attack (like an arrow) you can target it with a spell. A window obstructs line of effect just as much as a wall of force.

Note that the target of teleport (and similar spells) is the creature being teleported, not the destination.