D&D 5E Dissonant Whispers + Warcaster + Booming Blade AOO mechanics

[ECMO3]

So situation is Dissonant Whispers is cast on an enemy in melee. Enemy fails his save and uses his reaction and movement to move away, triggering an AOO from someone who has Warcaster and Booming Blade. Said Warcaster character hits with booming blade

The creature takes damage from the attack, including any initial thunder damage if the caster is over level 5. It then "unwillingly" moves away but does not take the secondary thunder damage at this time. I think this much is pretty clear RAW.

My question is does the creature remain "sheathed in booming energy" causing damage on subsequent movement on his turn if he moves again or does that part of the spell just dissipate if he moves unwillingly?

 

[billd91]

I'd say that he does take the damage if he moves more than 5 feet willingly on his turn if that move occurs before the spell's duration ends (start of caster's next turn). And the reason I say this is because of how range is described in the PH (p 203).

Once a spell is cast, its effects aren't limited by its range, unless the spell's description says otherwise.

And I don't believe booming blade is a spell that specifies otherwise. So the booming energy that sheathes the target would affect them even if he had involuntarily moved from the dissonant whispers, was carried away by raptors, or fell off a 1000 foot cliff before triggering that boom.

 

[Ancalagon]

So this is how I rule it:

The spell is not "intelligent". The spell cares if the target moves on their own. The spell doesn't know if the target moving is enthusiastic about the move, reluctant... if the target runs away because there is an angry giant and the target is afraid of the giant, vs the target runs away because a fear effect made the target think there was an angry giant, how could the spell know.

So because there are so many logical inconsistencies, I've taken the rule to mean that the spell goes off and blasts the target if the target moves on their own power. So being shoved, pushed away by a gust of wind etc, doesn't trigger the spell. But if the target moves on their own - even though because it's due to mind control, a fear effect, or just sheer intimidation (leave now or I'll fireball you)... the spell goes off.

 

[Umbran]

So this is how I rule it:

The spell is not "intelligent".

Booming blade specifies "if the target willingly moves". Movement over which the target doesn't have a choice does not trigger the effect. Running from a failed Dissonant Whispers save is no more willing than movement by being shoved.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

The phrase "willingly moves" in Booming Blade is obviously there so that the spell can't be powered up by forcing the target to move and taking the extra damage. It's hard to explain in the fiction how this actually works, so if the potential for exploits doesn't bother you, ruling that all movement triggers it is a fine house rule.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The phrase "willingly moves" in Booming Blade is obviously there so that the spell can't be powered up by forcing the target to move and taking the extra damage. It's hard to explain in the fiction how this actually works, so if the potential for exploits doesn't bother you, ruling that all movement triggers it is a fine house rule.

The booming energy is around the neurons in the brain that activate the muscles, nit in the muscles themselves.

So if you try to activate the muscles willingly you get some synaptic shock.

That said: I just use the same rules for opportunity attacks. If it could potentially trigger an opportunity attack it also triggers booming blade.

 

[Ancalagon]

Booming blade specifies "if the target willingly moves". Movement over which the target doesn't have a choice does not trigger the effect. Running from a failed Dissonant Whispers save is no more willing than movement by being shoved.

But what does willing mean? What if you are coerced to move? If you are mugged, did you "willingly" hand over your wallet?

Another example: If you run from a terrible monster, how does the spell know if
A: There was a terrible monster
B: There was an illusion of a terrible monster
C: There was an illusion of a terrible monster in your mind only (fear effect)

Being overwhelmed with fear and running isn't just a fantasy thing. It happens in real life too (thankfully, most of us experience that rarely if at all). If your rational will is overwhelmed by circumstances and your fight or flight kicks in, is it "willing"?

Again, this is a mess. This is why I rule it the way I do.

 

[billd91]

The spell is not "intelligent". The spell cares if the target moves on their own. The spell doesn't know if the target moving is enthusiastic about the move, reluctant... if the target runs away because there is an angry giant and the target is afraid of the giant, vs the target runs away because a fear effect made the target think there was an angry giant, how could the spell know.

Or whether or not the subject of the booming blade is being actively dominated or possessed.
I might not rule the same way, but I can see where you're coming from. Being moved by something is different and easier to see the spell distinguishing than whether or not the target is truly willing when it moves itself.

 

[Umbran]

Another example: If you run from a terrible monster, how does the spell know if

I have no idea. I should not need to. I'm interpreting game rules, which stipulate game effects, not their detailed in-fiction causes.

I also don't know how dragons manage to fly - if they were real-world biological beings, they couldn't get off the ground. We have to start invoking exceptions to the laws of aerodynamics or biology to get them to fly.

Exceptions to physical laws... sounds like magic to me. When we are literally discussing magic spells, invoking, "It is magic," ought to be valid.

Being overwhelmed with fear and running isn't just a fantasy thing. It happens in real life too (thankfully, most of us experience that rarely if at all). If your rational will is overwhelmed by circumstances and your fight or flight kicks in, is it "willing"?

Again, since no real-world human has ever experienced Booming Blade, I don't need to answer that question - I am interpreting game rules, not a detailed model of a physical reality that coincidentally happens to match my own... until it doesn't.

Cherry-picking which times to apply a real-world explanation, and which times not, is a good road to inconsistent GM rulings, which frustrate players.

Again, this is a mess. This is why I rule it the way I do.

What mess? My ruling is simple - if the player gets to choose whether or not the character does a thing, it is generally willing. If the player does not get to choose, then it is generally not willing. No knowledge of the source of the movement, or of real world neurobiology is required. It is based on gameplay - whether the player gets to choose this result, or not.

I say this is generally- There may be an edge case, in which gameplay does not match the fiction, and the character movement in-fiction is somehow not willing, but the player is choosing to move anyway. I have to wait for that rare edge case to come up in game in coincidence with the pretty rare moment someone casting Booming Blade targeting the character in that exceptional state before I have to worry about it.

 

[billd91]

And as he has explained, Umbran, it doesn't work for him. You don't need to lecture him on how he should be playing.