D&D (2024) Should poison spray be a cone?

[mellored]

In the Players Handbook (here from DnDBeyond Area of Effect): "The cube's size is expressed as the length of each side."

Thus, a 5-foot cube is 5 feet high, 5 feet long, and 5 feet wide. In other words, 1 square.

If it was a "cube", yes. That's 1 squares.

But "radius" you pick a corner.

 

[Charlaquin]

In the Players Handbook (here from DnDBeyond Area of Effect): "The cube's size is expressed as the length of each side."

Thus, a 5-foot cube is 5 feet high, 5 feet long, and 5 feet wide. In other words, 1 square.

And if that cube is centered on a corner, it’s going to cover half of each of the four squares connected to that corner, and a creature is considered to be affected by an AoE if at least half of its square is included in the area.

 

[Kinematics]

And if that cube is centered on a corner, it’s going to cover half of each of the four squares connected to that corner, and a creature is considered to be affected by an AoE if at least half of its square is included in the area.

Er, no. If a 5' cube is centered on a corner, it will cover 1/4 of each of the connected squares, so won't affect any of the adjacent creatures.

 

[James Gasik]

Don't you just love 5e areas of effect? Can we go back to 4e firecubes now?

 

[Charlaquin]

Er, no. If a 5' cube is centered on a corner, it will cover 1/4 of each of the connected squares, so won't affect any of the adjacent creatures.

Well, then a 5 foot cube is a useless AoE in 5e, because by the areas of effect on a grid rules, it can’t affect any creatures.

 

[Yaarel]

And if that cube is centered on a corner, it’s going to cover half of each of the four squares connected to that corner, and a creature is considered to be affected by an AoE if at least half of its square is included in the area.

Here is the entire text from DnDBeyond, Spellcasting, Areas Of Effect:

"

Areas of Effect​

Spells such as Burning Hands and Cone of Cold cover an area, allowing them to affect multiple creatures at once.

A spell's description specifies its area of effect, typically one of five shapes: cone, cube, cylinder, line, or sphere.
Every area of effect has a point of origin, a location from which the spell's energy erupts.
The rules for each shape specify how you position its point of origin.
Typically, a point of origin is a point in space, but some spells have an area whose origin is a creature or an object.

A spell's effect expands in straight lines from the point of origin.
If no unblocked straight line extends from the point of origin to a location within the area of effect,
that location isn't included in the spell's area.
To block one of these imaginary lines, an obstruction must provide total cover.

. . .

Cube​

You select a cube's point of origin,
which lies anywhere on a face of the cubic effect.
The cube's size is expressed as the length of each side.

A cube's point of origin is not included in the cube's area of effect, unless you decide otherwise.

"


Notice, the point of origin of a cube isnt necessarily on a corner of a square.

It seems, the point of origin of a 5-foot cube can be any corner or side of the "face" of the cube. But the point of origin of a 10-foot cube can be the center of the "face" of the cube or a corner or side.


The last sentence is odd, but I assume it means something like, if the cube is emanating from your finger tip, your own finger tip isnt necessarily included in the effect.

 

[Charlaquin]

Here is the entire text from DnDBeyond, Spellcasting, Areas Of Effect:

"

Areas of Effect​

Spells such as Burning Hands and Cone of Cold cover an area, allowing them to affect multiple creatures at once.

A spell's description specifies its area of effect, typically one of five shapes: cone, cube, cylinder, line, or sphere.
Every area of effect has a point of origin, a location from which the spell's energy erupts.
The rules for each shape specify how you position its point of origin.
Typically, a point of origin is a point in space, but some spells have an area whose origin is a creature or an object.

A spell's effect expands in straight lines from the point of origin.
If no unblocked straight line extends from the point of origin to a location within the area of effect,
that location isn't included in the spell's area.
To block one of these imaginary lines, an obstruction must provide total cover.

. . .

Cube​

You select a cube's point of origin,
which lies anywhere on a face of the cubic effect.
The cube's size is expressed as the length of each side.

A cube's point of origin is not included in the cube's area of effect, unless you decide otherwise.

"


Notice, the point of origin of a cube isnt necessarily on a corner of a square.

It seems, the point of origin of a 5-foot cube can be any corner, the corner of the "face" of the cube. But the point of origin of a 10-foot cube can be the center of the "face" of the cube or a corner.


The last sentence is odd, but I assume it means something like, if the cube is emanating from your finger tip, your own finger tip isnt necessarily included in the effect.

The point of origin isn’t necessarily on the corner of the cube, but it is necessarily on a corner of the grid if you’re using one. That’s from the DMG if I recall correctly, but I don’t have mine on me at the moment to confirm. Might have been in Xanathar’s guide. Anyway, I had forgotten that cubes’ point of origin is on a face of the cube, not the center like with spheres. So, a 5’ cube could affect up to 2 squares, if you put the point of origin in the center of the cube’s face, thereby allowing it to cover half of each of the squares to the left and right of the intersection.

 

[Yaarel]

The point of origin isn’t necessarily on the corner of the cube, but it is necessarily on a corner of the grid if you’re using one. That’s from the DMG if I recall correctly, but I don’t have mine on me at the moment to confirm. Might have been in Xanathar’s guide. Anyway, I had forgotten that cubes’ point of origin is on a face of the cube, not the center like with spheres. So, a 5’ cube could affect up to 2 squares, if you put the point of origin in the center of the cube’s face, thereby allowing it to cover half of each of the squares to the left and right of the intersection.

Heh, that seems ok.

I do Mind Theater (or 4e-ish Grid for complex scenes). So I dont really come across "partial squares".

Do you consider a partial square to be equivalent to a full effect?

I guess, officially, covering half a square counts as full effect.

 

[niklinna]

Poison Puff?

Fear my puff!

 

[Yaarel]

Fear my puff!

Maybe Poison Stream sounds more dignified?