D&D General What is player agency to you?

[Micah Sweet]

That is well argued.
I suppose personally I view too many mechanics within D&D being metagame-y (including hp) that I do not classify inspiration differently in the way that you do, although now I can understand why you do.

Fair enough. We all have our lines.

 

[Oofta]

It doesn't say that, though. By RAW it can only be cast AFTER you are hit. For it to be an "about to get hit" moment, it has to be before you learn the result of the attack. Perhaps you can be told the number and can guestimate whether you might be hit or not. But it has to be before you learn that you are hit or it's too late and you are rewinding time.

I never said the wording isn't the best. I guess I just view it like the Robert Downey Jr Sherlock Holmes movies where it's a flash of insight into what's about to happen. On the other hand, rewinding time by a tiny amount isn't unheard of in fantasy or sci-fi.

 

[Maxperson]

I never said the wording isn't the best. I guess I just view it like the Robert Downey Jr Sherlock Holmes movies where it's a flash of insight into what's about to happen. On the other hand, rewinding time by a tiny amount isn't unheard of in fantasy or sci-fi.

That's true, but not for a 1st level spell

 

[EzekielRaiden]

It doesn't say that, though. By RAW it can only be cast AFTER you are hit. For it to be an "about to get hit" moment, it has to be before you learn the result of the attack. Perhaps you can be told the number and can guestimate whether you might be hit or not. But it has to be before you learn that you are hit or it's too late and you are rewinding time.

So, the exact phrasing is as follows.
"Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you are hit by an attack or targeted by the magic missile spell"

Question: Would this still, to borrow the above phrase, "snap your reality suspenders" if instead it had been phrased like the following, underlined text new?
"Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you would be hit by an attack or have just been targeted by the magic missile spell"

Because if it's literally just an issue with the tense of the verb, I think you may be over-thinking things.

 

[Oofta]

That's true, but not for a 1st level spell

Well, in all fairness you're only rolling it back a second or so.

 

[AnotherGuy]

So, the exact phrasing is as follows.
"Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you are hit by an attack or targeted by the magic missile spell"

Question: Would this still, to borrow the above phrase, "snap your reality suspenders" if instead it had been phrased like the following, underlined text new?
"Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you would be hit by an attack or have just been targeted by the magic missile spell"

Because if it's literally just an issue with the tense of the verb, I think you may be over-thinking things.

I think many of us (on Enworld at least) prefer to understand the spell that way rather than per RAW. Be interesting to see what they did in Level Up.

 

[Maxperson]

So, the exact phrasing is as follows.
"Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you are hit by an attack or targeted by the magic missile spell"

Question: Would this still, to borrow the above phrase, "snap your reality suspenders" if instead it had been phrased like the following, underlined text new?
"Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you would be hit by an attack or have just been targeted by the magic missile spell"

Because if it's literally just an issue with the tense of the verb, I think you may be over-thinking things.

Sure, but you would then need to cast the spell before knowing if you are going to be hit for sure or not. In D&D hits don't always "hit." They very often miss entirely and just do damage or impact armor or something.

So the wording of the spell should be something like. "After hearing the result of the die roll(not with modifiers), but before finding out if you are hit or not, you may cast..."

So something like the following...

DM: The goblin rushes up to you and swings its flail at your legs. :::clack clack clack::: It rolled a 14 on the die.
Player: Hmm. My AC is 18, I'll risk it. I'm not casting shield.

Or...

Player: Hmm. My AC is 16 and that will probably hit. I'll cast shield.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Sure, but you would then need to cast the spell before knowing if you are going to be hit for sure or not. In D&D hits don't always "hit." They very often miss entirely and just do damage or impact armor or something.

So the wording of the spell should be something like. "After hearing the result of the die roll(not with modifiers), but before finding out if you are hit or not, you may cast..."

So something like the following...

DM: The goblin rushes up to you and swings its flail at your legs. :::clack clack clack::: It rolled a 14 on the die.
Player: Hmm. My AC is 18, I'll risk it. I'm not casting shield.

Or...

Player: Hmm. My AC is 16 and that will probably hit. I'll cast shield.

When do hits not "hit"? If it's a hit it's a hit. If it's an attack, it may not be a hit. But if it's a hit, it's a hit. I thought that was the whole point of the word "hit."

Or is this another place where natural language has made everything as clear as mud?

 

[Maxperson]

Well, in all fairness you're only rolling it back a second or so.

Heh. We have a spell which puts things in perspective, though.

Foresight. It takes a 9th level spell to even SEE into the immediate future for an advantage. It doesn't even rewind!

 

[Micah Sweet]

So, the exact phrasing is as follows.
"Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you are hit by an attack or targeted by the magic missile spell"

Question: Would this still, to borrow the above phrase, "snap your reality suspenders" if instead it had been phrased like the following, underlined text new?
"Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you would be hit by an attack or have just been targeted by the magic missile spell"

Because if it's literally just an issue with the tense of the verb, I think you may be over-thinking things.

That would make  me feel better, although for the record I can accept the way it's worded now.