D&D 5E Magic Jar: is it a pc spell?(update 2, the continuing saga - how it's working for my character)

[TaranTheWanderer]

Ok, but I'm a bit confused, when have you cast magic jar?

You cast the spell and go into the "jar" or whatever component - that takes 1 minute. At that point your actual body falls comatose. If you go back into your actual body, the spell ends. I'm not seeing this in your action sequence above?

It doesn’t end when you go back to your body. (AFAIK). But I’ll re-read. The vessel is just ready for a soul.

 

[Steampunkette]

Ok, but I'm a bit confused, when have you cast magic jar?

You cast the spell and go into the "jar" or whatever component - that takes 1 minute. At that point your actual body falls comatose. If you go back into your actual body, the spell ends. I'm not seeing this in your action sequence above?

I think maybe the OP misunderstood how Magic Jar works and thinks their soul remains in their -body- 'til the jar is used.

It doesn’t end when you go back to your body. (AFAIK). But I’ll re-read. The vessel is just ready for a soul.

Ah hah! Yeah. No. It ends when you go back to your body.

 

[Mort]

It doesn’t end when you go back to your body. (AFAIK). But I’ll re-read. The vessel is just ready for a soul.

From DndD beyond:

"..You can't move or use reactions. The only action you can take is to project your soul up to 100 feet out of the container, either returning to your living body (and ending the spell) or attempting to possess a humanoids body..."

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

It doesn’t end when you go back to your body. (AFAIK). But I’ll re-read. The vessel is just ready for a soul.

Returning to your body ends the spell. Dang

 

[Blue Orange]

It's seen as kind of an 'evil' spell, which might matter for roleplaying reasons one way or the other.

But it sounds like you came up with a lot of inventive uses for it!

 

[Steampunkette]

So... different way to do it.

Summon the chest. Hand the tiny chest to a friend. Climb into the Leomund's chest. Cast magic jar on a jar your buddy is holding (You can hold it, too). When your body collapses into the chest, he closes it. Carries the jar into the fight. You jump outta the jar to possess a dude, take the tiny chest, and summon your Leomund's. Bam. There's your body. Right where you left it! Drag your carcass out, climb your opponent's body into the chest. Put the jar on the edge of the chest, then close the lid to break it. Your souls go back to the right places...

But your nemesis is now trapped in a Leomund's Secret Chest!

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Well, now I just find it way less useful. Not sure if I’d take it. It has its uses. But, yeah, combat, not so much.
That said, I could cast it and have a party member bring the gem close to a target. Have my body in the chest and my new body can have the key to the chest. Summon the chest during a combat so my body is within 100 feet of me.

I might try it. Seems dangerous. I don’t want to die while my body is in eatheral plane cause I’ll die for real and I don’t want my body to suffocate in the chest while it’s eatheral.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

So... different way to do it.

Summon the chest. Hand the tiny chest to a friend. Climb into the Leomund's chest. Cast magic jar on a jar your buddy is holding (You can hold it, too). When your body collapses into the chest, he closes it. Carries the jar into the fight. You jump outta the jar to possess a dude, take the tiny chest, and summon your Leomund's. Bam. There's your body. Right where you left it! Drag your carcass out, climb your opponent's body into the chest. Put the jar on the edge of the chest, then close the lid to break it. Your souls go back to the right places...

But your nemesis is now trapped in a Leomund's Secret Chest!

You ninja’d me.

 

[MarkB]

So, one wrinkle with this spell is that it doesn't end if your original body dies. So if you're going for a longer-term possession deal that you know will pay out big, then at the levels you can cast this spell at, you can basically chalk your original body up as the cost of doing business. Once you're in your new proxy body, immediately have your original body killed, and get the cleric to gentle repose it, then stuff it in a bag of holding.

When you're eventually done with your new body, don't even worry about whether you're in a position to get back to your phylacteryjar - just move on out, die, and let the cleric revivify you.

 

[Ixal]

Why return to your old body at all? Just keep the new one.
That way you can gurantee that the DM will never ever let you encounter lycantropes.