D&D 5E Keep Calm and Calm Emotions

[beaumontsebos]

Let's suppose you cast Calm Emotions to suppress fear. Duration is one minute. No problem. Fear gone.

Then another enemy arrives a couple rounds later and imposes a different fear effect.

Does the previously cast Calm Emotions spell automatically suppress the fear from this new source since it's still within the one minute duration?

My reading is that Calm Emotions only suppresses the effects that were occurring when the spell was cast. I see nothing in the spell to indicate that it would continue to work on new sources of fear after it was cast.

What do you think?

 

[Phion]

Yeah I would say say a new fear effect overtakes calm emotion spell. Kind of like being the cleric healing away your parties pain only for them to get shanked by a goblin around the corner. Goblins man.

 

[BlivetWidget]

Such is the weakness of natural language applied to a technical subject. I read it as, "For the duration, you can suppress any effect causing a target to be charmed or frightened" - you read it as, "You can suppress any effect causing a target to be charmed or frightened at the time of casting, for the duration." I would rule that emotions remained calm throughout the duration. Concentration is a heavy cost to pay and spells generally do not require it lightly. It also tells us that the caster is still connected to the spell effect.

Kind of like being the cleric healing away your parties pain only for them to get shanked by a goblin around the corner.

I don't consider this a good analogy because that healing was instantaneous. Calm Emotions calms emotions for a duration (and requires active concentration from the caster on top of that).

 

[NotAYakk]

Let's suppose you cast Calm Emotions to suppress fear. Duration is one minute. No problem. Fear gone.

No the fear isn't gone.

The effect causing fear is suppressed. The moment the spell ends or concentration is broken, the fear comes back.

Then another enemy arrives a couple rounds later and imposes a different fear effect.

Also suppressed. While under the effect of Calm Emotions, you do not suffer the effects of charm or fear. In fact, you don't suffer any effect that includes charm or fear!

You can pre-cast Calm Emotions as a "fear/charm shield", you can cast it in response, etc.

 

[Phion]

Such is the weakness of natural language applied to a technical subject. I read it as, "For the duration, you can suppress any effect causing a target to be charmed or frightened" - you read it as, "You can suppress any effect causing a target to be charmed or frightened at the time of casting, for the duration." I would rule that emotions remained calm throughout the duration. Concentration is a heavy cost to pay and spells generally do not require it lightly. It also tells us that the caster is still connected to the spell effect.



I don't consider this a good analogy because that healing was instantaneous. Calm Emotions calms emotions for a duration (and requires active concentration from the caster on top of that).

Looking over the spell again (its been almost a year due to not playing thanks to covid) I think your interpretation is correct, however I think the spell is poorly worded in general. Looking at it now, does the spell prevent fear while in the sphere so when the spell ends I come out normal? I mean it seems like during the whole thing you are cool as a cucumber so no roll needs to be made to avoid fear, but then it does not say this either so it could be argued that you have to make a save to even if you are in the sphere and when the spell ends you have the fear condition and you act accordingly. But that makes little sense to me, how can I be calm entering the sphere, have my emotions dulled but then also completely freak out internally; I suppose it could be argued you gain the fear on a subconscious level but the wording makes it neither here or there.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

I agree with the majority here. Calm Emotions suppresses anything that causes the charmed or frightened condition. If a creature is in the area of Calm Emotions and a spell like Fear is cast, those within the area of effect still make their saving throws as normal. They even repeat their saves as normal if they fail (assuming the spell causing frightened or charmed allows for it). But as long as Calm Emotions is in effect, the wouldn't be affected because the effect is suppressed. If they failed their saves are would be effected once Calm Emotions ends, then they would take on the charmed or frightened condition per whatever spell-effect was used.

 

[BlivetWidget]

I think your interpretation is correct, however I think the spell is poorly worded in general

And still not the worst offender, by far! Incendiary Cloud tells you, "The cloud moves 10 feet directly away from you in a direction that you choose." My emphasis to show the two aspects that cannot both be true. Directly away from you is a very specific direction that involves no choice.

Then there's Tiny Hut, which in the spell properties (the most technical language we get for DnD) tells us is a hemisphere, then in the description tells us is a dome, which can mean the same thing but many people don't consider a dome to have a floor while a hemisphere does... Even Crawford got tripped up over his own words before finally deciding that the technical language of the range property overshadowed the fluff of the description, deciding it does indeed have a floor.

Etc. etc. etc... the list goes on. As someone who deals professionally with a lot of technical language, the poor wording of many spells and features rankles me to no end. Even more so when Crawford acts like everyone else is being obtuse for not reading it exactly the way he intended, despite himself sometimes changing his mind on such matters.

 

[jgsugden]

You suppress the effect(s) at the time of casting. It/They stay(s) suppressed through the duration. A new effect is not impacted.