D&D 5E If you use thunderstep but teleport less than 10 feet do you take damage?

[Lyxen]

I'm not, though. I can perceive the beginning of a spell being cast, just like you claim the disappearance is the beginning it teleporting.

And if you cast dispel magic when a spell starts to be cast, you will have nothing to dispel either, since the spell is not yet present, so it's not a problem.

That means that my trigger for the dispel magic happens before the spell us cast.

And therefore there's nothing to dispel.

Counterspell isn't any faster than a readied dispel magic. Both are reactions.

Haven't you caught up on yet on the fact that some specific reactions interrupt their triggers while some (those of readied action) occur after the trigger has completed... sigh

With a description that starts with "You attempt to interrupt a creature in the process of casting a spell." Guess which one counterspell is ?

 

[James Gasik]

Say, tangentially related to this topic, did they ever fix the rules for identifying a spell as it is being cast?

 

[Lyxen]

I'm not, though. I can perceive the beginning of a spell being cast, just like you claim the disappearance is the beginning it teleporting.

First, no, the disappearance is not the beginning of a spell being cast. Do we agree on this ?

That means that my trigger for the dispel magic happens before the spell us cast.

Yes, and since the spell has not been cast yet, there is nothing to dispel... sigh...

Counterspell isn't any faster than a readied dispel magic. Both are reactions.

Please read once more the section on reactions in the DMG, this is beginning to be tiring: "Typical combatants rely on the opportunity attack and the Ready action for most of their reactions in a fight. Various spells and features give a creature more reaction options, and sometimes the timing of a reaction can be difficult to adjudicate. Use this rule of thumb: follow whatever timing is specified in the reaction’s description. For example, the opportunity attack and the shield spell are clear about the fact that they can interrupt their triggers. If a reaction has no timing specified, or the timing is unclear, the reaction occurs after its trigger finishes, as in the Ready action."

Ready Action is explicit in the rule above, whereas counterspell starts with: "You attempt to interrupt a creature in the process of casting a spell" sigh

 

[Swarmkeeper]

Yes, and I would add to this that, for example based on insight rolls or even passive insight, we sometimes describe the preparedness of someone: "you notice that the bodyguard of the diplomat is watching your wizard very carefully, as if he was preparing for some treachery", etc.

sure

Indeed, as I've said, this is our solution, it works well for us, but it's not in the rules, I just offer it as a potential solution for others who might have the same problem.

If the trigger does not occur, it's like any readied action, when his turn comes, the readied action goes away, and he can do whatever he wants with his turn.

That’s… not how the Ready action works.

 

[Lyxen]

Say, tangentially related to this topic, did they ever fix the rules for identifying a spell as it is being cast?

I don't think they have, and I agree that it's something that we wing a bit in our games too... As with many things, we have local rulings depending on circumstances.

 

[Lyxen]

That’s… not how the Ready action works.

Why do you say this ? "To do so, you can take the Ready action on your turn, which lets you act using your reaction before the start of your next turn."

So if the readied action has not come by the start of the first/next turn of the character, he cannot use his reaction anymore. But it's the start of his turn, he can do whatever he wants in his turn.

 

[Lyxen]

Let's not get hung up on the RAW amounts of time here. It depends on the action being taken. A quick leap to sidestep a boulder is not 6 seconds. An epic boast to taunt one's opponents might be more than 6 seconds. Rounds and turns are narrative concepts.

We know that all of these things are happening simultaneously, as they would in real life.

Or in genre fiction for example. But yes, it's all about not having things fixed when they do not need to be, being creative with the declarations and the results, and weaving the fiction around all that. It has never ever been a problem to me.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

Why do you say this ? "To do so, you can take the Ready action on your turn, which lets you act using your reaction before the start of your next turn."

So if the readied action has not come by the start of the first/next turn of the character, he cannot use his reaction anymore. But it's the start of his turn, he can do whatever he wants in his turn.

Oh, right. You essentially give the player two first round turns using the conceit of a “pre-combat” turn Ready Action. So that does make sense in your game.

 

[Lyxen]

Oh, right. You essentially give the player two first round turns using the conceit of a “pre-combat” turn Ready Action. So that does make sense in your game.

Not completely. First, the trigger has to occur, which is not guaranteed. Second, a readied action is not really a "turn", it has heavy limitations, only one attack if it's an attack, no spell casting unless it's already been pre-cast, etc.

And the heaviest limitation of all, you don't get to do what you want as if in your normal turn, it's what you had decided to do before. The only real choice that you have, is deciding to act on the trigger or not. And at our tables, it's as often as not deciding not to act on the trigger, since the situation might have evolved quite a bit, especially if the trigger occurs late in the first round.

It might also be that the trigger that you are watching for occurs later than your own initiative, in which case the readied action is also lost. All in all, it's fairly circumstantial.

 

[Maxperson]

He might, or he might not. Contrary to attacks which are only actions that you can (by RAW), take in combat, there are no rules forcing spell casting to be in combat.

By RAW when you attack a creature, you roll initiative and enter combat. However, objects have AC and hit points, so you roll an attack roll if you are trying to break down a door with an axe. That's not combat, yet you are still rolling an attack.

With the wizard example, he has fully cast a hostile sleep spell and has presented himself as a danger to the diplomat and his guards. The instant he "readies" his spell, combat has begun and initiative is rolled.

I'm not saying that you are wrong here, it might just be the case, but it does not have to be, he could be using subtle spell, or might be sufficiently far away so that the casting is not noticed.

Sure. The diplomat might not attack and might try to talk the situation down. Combat might not happen, but it's highly probable in my opinion. The wizard wouldn't be trying to ready a sleep spell if things weren't already heading south. Throwing a match into the oil by readying sleep is just asking for fire.

Moreover, the fact that he cast a spell and holds it ready does not mean that everyone knows what the spell is, it has not had any effect yet, and it has not been cast agressively against anyone, and in particular not the diplomat.

Correct. All the more reason for an already suspicious and potentially hostile group to attack. Since they don't know what the spell is, they are likely to assume that it's hostile. You don't ready and hold a benign spell while staring at the diplomat, watching for the trigger.