D&D 5E Private Sanctum Question

[vulcan_idic]

Hello,

I'm preparing for later levels as an Artificer in an Eberron game thinking about spells I will later have access to. I'm looking at Private Sanctum at the moment. My question is kind of a relativistic one in the classic example of a ball bouncing on a train. There is a line in the spell description that reads, "Casting this spell on the same spot every day for a year makes this effect permanent." What defines same spot? For example, if cast daily on the same spot in a moving airship every day for a year would that make it permanent or not? It is the same spot in the airship frame of reference, but not the same spot in a global frame of reference.

Thanks!

Josh

 

[Benjamin Olson]

It's whatever you clear with your DM. Even the "same location" in a global reference sense is not the same location in the universe unless your campaign follows a geocentric cosmology with an immobile planet. But this is very much a "what does 5e's 'plain language' plainly mean" question, and the answer is whatever your table feels the logical meaning of those words are.

That said if you do want a slightly more "official" answer, teleportation circles have comparable "cast in same location for a year" language, and Jeremy Crawford did tweet (back when his tweets were considered official rules interpretations) to the effect that as long as it is cast on the same surface it does not matter whether that surface moves. A good discussion of his interpretations can be found at: Can a permanent Teleportation Circle be made on a moving vehicle?.

 

[overgeeked]

I’d go with the same spot on the airship as that seems to be the intent.

It's whatever you clear with your DM. Even the "same location" in a global reference sense is not the same location in the universe unless your campaign follows a geocentric cosmology with an immobile planet. But this is very much a "what does 5e's 'plain language' plainly mean" question, and the answer is whatever your table feels the logical meaning of those words are.

That said if you do want a slightly more "official" answer, teleportation circles have comparable "cast in same location for a year" language, and Jeremy Crawford did tweet (back when his tweets were considered official rules interpretations) to the effect that as long as it is cast on the same surface it does not matter whether that surface moves. A good discussion of his interpretations can be found at: Can a permanent Teleportation Circle be made on a moving vehicle?.

Then the question becomes how small of a surface is allowed? At least physically capable of having the circle cast there, sure, but then what...cast it on a rug and take it with you. Leave it in someone’s closet and now you can freely teleport in. Seems a bit much.

 

[Shiroiken]

I’d go with the same spot on the airship as that seems to be the intent.

Then the question becomes how small of a surface is allowed? At least physically capable of having the circle cast there, sure, but then what...cast it on a rug and take it with you. Leave it in someone’s closet and now you can freely teleport in. Seems a bit much.

In the case of a flexible object, like a rug, I'd say it would have to be unrolled and flat for the circle to be complete. Otherwise it'd be off just enough to make it useless (since you don't have the new dimensions).

 

[vulcan_idic]

Thank you all for your help!

 

[Eis]

Sanctum? Damn near killed 'm!