D&D 5E (2024) Changes to the Command spell and its use at the table.

[Lanefan]

This...

This yes mostly. Not several hundred feet unless the target has a several Hundred foot move, but other than that yes. If it is a plant with a 10 foot move then perfect information in a 10 foot radius around it. If it is a Dragon with an 80 foot move than an 80 foot radius. If the target is restrained or grappled or otherwise has a 0 move then no information.

...says the spell "knows" everything about the area within the target's move radius; because, I suppose, of this...

Like I said magic is all powerful and inassailable.

...which means that...

This works only if you know a secret door is there and if you know the direction and if it is within the target's movement and if it does not require an action to open it, and if you have Command prepared and choose to spend a spell slot, and if the target fails the save ...... well then yes in theory. I don't think this has ever come up in play though, for anyone, and it is hardly very powerful even if it did come up.

...I don't need to know a secret door is there. I'm looking at a big blank wall, in which there might be a secret door. I cast Command: Flee on someone (could even be another party member, voluntarily failing to save) between me and said wall. Because the spell "knows" everything within the move radius of the target it knows there's a secret door the target could potentially flee through; and even if the target can't open said door their scrabbling at that bit of wall will tell me exactly where it is.

Command, last I knew of it, is Clerical; meaning it doesn't need preparation like a Wizard spell does.

 

[DrJawaPhD]

Ok, I guess I misunderstood. I'll say I think it is extremely rare an enemy would have an equivalent back up weapon, especially if it is a high level boss. If I make the bad guy drop his Greatsword and then pick it up and the DM says he pulls out a dagger, sure. If he pulls out another Greatsword I would say that is pretty adversarial.

Why would that be rare though? Literally every martial PC has more than one weapon in their inventory, why wouldn't NPCs be similar?

 

[Lanefan]

Why would that be rare though? Literally every martial PC has more than one weapon in their inventory, why wouldn't NPCs be similar?

In fairness, the backup weapons (which I agree would usually be present) aren't likely to be as good as the one being dropped. We can assume, I think, that any martial is going to have their best weapon in hand when wading into a fight.

 

[ECMO3]

...I don't need to know a secret door is there. I'm looking at a big blank wall, in which there might be a secret door. I cast Command: Flee on someone (could even be another party member, voluntarily failing to save) between me and said wall.

If you don't know there is a secret door there then it only works if there is one, otherwise you waste the spell slot ... and guess what if there is secret door is behind you then you still wasted the spell slot. The Geometry of this is such that you are going to have to be pretty confident of the direction of a secret door to not just be wasting the slot.

And it still only works if you don't need to use a Utilize action to open the secret door.

This is MUCH MUCH less powerful than casting Guidance, a free cantrip, on each party member in succession and having them look for a secret door and more costly to boot.

So it is something you could do yes (or I suppose try if you don't know there is a door), but it is not very useful, not strong and certainly not an exploit.

Command, last I knew of it, is Clerical; meaning it doesn't need preparation like a Wizard spell does.

You are mistaken. If it is not prepared you can not cast it in the 2024 rules. Every class must now prepare their spells. Even a Bard has to prepare it now. The only thing that is changed is how often you can do this.

Here is the text from the Cleric class:

Prepared Spells of Level 1+. You prepare the list of level 1+ spells that are available for you to cast with this feature. To start, choose four level 1 spells from the Cleric spell list.

 

[ECMO3]

Why would that be rare though? Literally every martial PC has more than one weapon in their inventory, why wouldn't NPCs be similar?

Almost no martial PC has a second weapon that is equivalent of their main weapon unless they use something like spears or daggers as their primary weapon.

 

[MarkB]

As I interpret the spell, fleeing targets would not only fail to avoid cliffs, they would actively seek them out if available. The spell specifies moving away using the fastest means possible, and there are few if any faster means of movement in the D&D ruleset than falling.

 

[Lidgar]

This spell just saved our bacon today in a fight versus a mind flayer. We needed to buy an extra round to save the barbarian from getting his brains eaten. Command: Grovel saved the day!

 

[Distracted DM]

This spell just saved our bacon today in a fight versus a mind flayer. We needed to buy an extra round to save the barbarian from getting his brains eaten. Command: Grovel saved the day!

Between magic resistance and a +6 to wisdom saves it's tough, but not impossible, for a Flayer to fail vs Command. thankfully command isn't specific to humanoids!

 

[UngeheuerLich]

This yes mostly. Not several hundred feet unless the target has a several Hundred foot move, but other than that yes. If it is a plant with a 10 foot move then perfect information in a 10 foot radius around it. If it is a Dragon with an 80 foot move than an 80 foot radius. If the target is restrained or grappled or otherwise has a 0 move then no information.



Not this. The target of the spell does not have to be aware at all nor have any mental agency, nor does it generally have to make any determinations, the magic does all that. In fact my reading of the spell would be that the target can't even make such determinations or decisions about where it going unless more the one route that is exactly equal and choosable exists.



Like I said magic is all powerful and inassailable.

Which is quite nonsense if you compare this level 1 spell to spells which are way higher in level.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

This spell just saved our bacon today in a fight versus a mind flayer. We needed to buy an extra round to save the barbarian from getting his brains eaten. Command: Grovel saved the day!

Why not drop?