D&D 5E "....as if you were concentrating on a spell"

[Arial Black]

There are a handful of effects in 5e that are NOT spells, but last for a certain duration "or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell)".

So how can these effects be combined with concentrating on an ACTUAL spell?

According to the PHB p203, the following factors can break concentration:-

1) casting another spell that requires concentration: you lose concentration on a spell if you cast another spell that requires concentration. You can't concentrate on two spells at once

2) taking damage

3) become incapacitated or killed

4) the DM may decide that certain environmental phenomena require you to succeed on a DC 10 Con save or lose concentration

So 2, 3 and 4 are obvious. The non-spell effects under discussion are definitely lost if you take damage or get shaken up and fail the save, or become incapacitated or die.

But what about casting a concentration spell?

What about losing a spell upon which you are concentrating?

As an example, let's say we want to build a ranger using the new options in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. The Favoured Foe feature allows you to mark any target you hit, and you do extra damage to that target every time you hit it while it has the mark. This mark lasts for 1 minute or until you lose concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell).

Could I mark a creature and then cast Searing Smite-a concentration spell-without losing the mark? Searing Smite IS a spell, but it is NOT another spell, it is the only 'spell' upon which you are concentrating.

Could I cast Searing Smite and then mark it with Favoured Foe, without losing the spell? After all, I have NOT 'cast a spell' that requires concentration.

The rules for concentration say that you can't concentrate on two 'spells' at once, but Favoured Foe is NOT a spell, so that rule doesn't apply here.

Has there been any official guidance on this?

 

[DollarD]

Yes, on Page 5 of Xanathar's guide to Everything. Page 5, if I'm not mistaken:

As soon as you start casting a spell or using a special ability that requires concentration, your concentration on another effect ends instantly.

So yeah, sorry about that.

 

[Arial Black]

Yes, on Page 5 of Xanathar's guide to Everything. Page 5, if I'm not mistaken:

As soon as you start casting a spell or using a special ability that requires concentration, your concentration on another effect ends instantly.

So yeah, sorry about that.

Thanks for your reply.

Is an effect which lasts until you lose concentration by definition an effect that requires concentration?

 

[DollarD]

I'd say that to lose concentration, implies that you were concentrating on said effect. Otherwise how would you 'lose' concentration in the first place?

The wording also notes 'as if you were concentrating on a spell' which implies that you're concentrating on the effect as well.

In the games I'm DM'ing in, I'd argue that you cannot concentrate on two things at once - but there's probably scope for a DM to houserule around that...

 

[Arial Black]

I'd say that to lose concentration, implies that you were concentrating on said effect. Otherwise how would you 'lose' concentration in the first place?

The wording also notes 'as if you were concentrating on a spell' which implies that you're concentrating on the effect as well.

In the games I'm DM'ing in, I'd argue that you cannot concentrate on two things at once - but there's probably scope for a DM to houserule around that...

The crux of my uncertainty is this: a Pact of the Blade warlock's weapon counts as a magic weapon for the purposes of bypassing damage resistance/immunity, but counting as a magic weapon for one purpose does not make it an actual magic weapon! For example, it won't detect as magic to a detect magic spell.

So, does the fact that you lose the effect in the same way you lose concentration on a spell make it an effect that requires your concentration to maintain?

You are not actually concentrating on Favoured Foe, it's just that you lose the mark under some conditions AS IF you were concentrating on a spell

 

[DollarD]

You are not actually concentrating on Favoured Foe, it's just that you lose the mark under some conditions AS IF you were concentrating on a spell

Well, it reads:
When you hit a creature with an attack roll, you can call on your mystical bond with nature to mark the target as your favored enemy for 1 minute or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell).

The way I read it is that it it lasts until you lose your concentration - implying that you were actually concentrating on it - and that the conditions for losing your concentration is that same as the conditions for losing your concentration when concentrating on a spell.

i.e.
(as if you were concentrating on a spell)
applies to:
lose your concentration

You don't lose the mark under some conditions as if you were concentrating on a spell. You lose the mark if you lose concentration - and the same rules for losing concentration when concentrating on a spell applies here.

It's not a spell, but you still concentrate on it.

 

[prabe]

There's been some debate about this in some corners. My take is that if the rules text says "as if concentrating on a spell" you're concentrating on it at least as much as you would be if you have cast a spell, and you can only concentrate that way on one thing (barring houserule-type effects). I'm pretty sure it's both RAW and RAI that your hypothetical ranger/paladin cannot cast a Smite spell while focusing on Favored Foe.

 

[Argyle King]

The crux of my uncertainty is this: a Pact of the Blade warlock's weapon counts as a magic weapon for the purposes of bypassing damage resistance/immunity, but counting as a magic weapon for one purpose does not make it an actual magic weapon! For example, it won't detect as magic to a detect magic spell.

So, does the fact that you lose the effect in the same way you lose concentration on a spell make it an effect that requires your concentration to maintain?

You are not actually concentrating on Favoured Foe, it's just that you lose the mark under some conditions AS IF you were concentrating on a spell

In the warlock example, it counts as a magic weapon for a specific purpose detailed by the rules: bypassing damage resistance/immunity.

As the abilities mentioned say "as if you were concentrating on a spell," I would posit that #1 (from the OP list) still counts as a limitation because it's "as if you were concentrating on a spell."

"1) casting another spell that requires concentration: you lose concentration on a spell if you cast another spell that requires concentration. You can't concentrate on two spells at once." Meaning that concentrating on the ability (which is treated as concentrating on a spell) stops if a concentration-spell is cast.

 

[Flamestrike]

In the warlock example, it counts as a magic weapon for a specific purpose detailed by the rules: bypassing damage resistance/immunity.

And a Bladelock can summon one in an anti-magic field just fine, and its ability to bypass damage reduction also is not suppressed in such a field.

In your face Demi-liches.

It is not a magic weapon (unless it also is one via being transformed by the second part of the feature) and summoning it is not a magical ability.

Supernatural for sure (like a Dragons breath or a Beholders ability to fly). But not 'magical' for rules effects other than 'counting as magical' for two specific purposes (overcoming resistance and immunity).

 

[Umbran]

I think the introduction of these abilities is best seen as saying that Concentration is now a general mechanic, not spell-specific. Just imagine "requires Concentration" is put on such abilities, just as it is put on spells.