Fireball targeting

[RobertHead]

There was some discussion at our gaming group last night about targeting fireball spells. Essentially, the question is whether the caster needs to be able to see the point of detonation. The spell states that the caster must "determine" the distance and height at which the burst originates. The disagreement is over whether you have to be able to see that point in space. If you believe they do need to see the point in space, what would your ruling be if the caster could see it the previous round, but no longer can at the time of casting?

 

[kreynolds]

There was some discussion at our gaming group last night about targeting fireball spells. Essentially, the question is whether the caster needs to be able to see the point of detonation.

No. From the FAQ...

Do you need to see the target of spells such as chain
lightning, fireball, and blade barrier? Could you target
people inside a fog cloud, obscuring mist, or deeper darkness
area without being able to see them?
&nbsp&nbsp&nbspIf the spell has a Target entry, you must be able to see or
touch the subject to use the spell. The chain lighting spell has a
Target entry, so you must be able to see or touch your target to
use the spell. If a spell has an Area or Effect entry (fireball has
an Area entry; blade barrier has an Effect entry) instead of a
Target, you don’t actually have to see your subjects. You can
simply state where the effect or area will originate and any
subject you happen to catch within the effect or area will be
affected by the spell. If you can’t see the point where the area
or effect will originate, you must specify exactly where that
point lies. For example, you can say your fireball spell will
detonate exactly 30 feet away from you at the height of your
shoulder. You need an unobstructed line of effect between you
and the point of origin you specify (see page 150 in the
Player’s Handbook).
&nbsp&nbsp&nbspIf the spell has an Effect entry and normally requires an
attack roll against a specific target, you still can hit an unseen
target, provided you have an unobstructed line of effect. To
strike the unseen target, use the rules for attacking an invisible
target. That is, to have any chance of success, you must select a
particular 5-foot-square area to attack. If the area you select
does not contain a subject, you miss with the spell. If the area
you’ve selected does contain a subject, you still have a 50%
chance to miss the subject. If you beat the miss chance, you can
roll a normal attack against the subject and the subject is
affected by the spell if you hit. See page 78 in the DUNGEON
MASTER’s Guide for more details on the procedures for
attacking invisible foes.

 

[mikebr99]

One of the things you do during the casting of a fireball is determine the direction and distance of the path that the little red dot of energy will travel. If there is an obstruction that cuts that distance short, then the fireball detonates early... right at the obstruction. You can't shoot the thing around corners.

Mike

 

[AuraSeer]

One of the things you do during the casting of a fireball is determine the direction and distance of the path that the little red dot of energy will travel. If there is an obstruction that cuts that distance short, then the fireball detonates early... right at the obstruction. You can't shoot the thing around corners.

Right, that's what the bit about "unobstructed line of effect" means. You still don't necessarily need to see the spot.

If there's an area of magical darkness between you and the desired point, you have line of effect, but not line of sight. If there's a wall of force in the way, you have line of sight but not line of effect.

 

[RobertHead]

Thanks

Thanks kreynolds for the official ruling.
Thanks all for chiming in.

I think that settles it.

- rob