New to game: do area spells hit other pc?

[Kj7331]

Hi, my friends and I are completely new to the game, so this might seem like a stupid question, but we couldn't find a straight answer anywhere.

Do area spells like hit other pc? I'm a wizard, if I tried to cast a damaging spell that affects an area, does it hit my friend who is in that area fighting 2-3 goblins? basically wondering if there's friendly fire

thank you very much!

 

[WhatGravitas]

Yes.

Unless the spell/effect specifies "enemies in the area" or "targets: enemies". If it just says "creatures" - well, then it doesn't distinguish.

Cheers, LT.

 

[ravenight]

Depends on the power. Some say "each enemy in burst" (e.g. Fire Shroud lvl 3 wizard attack), others say "Each creature in burst" (e.g. shock sphere lvl 3 wizard attack).

Creature = you, an ally or an enemy.
Enemy = only an enemy
Ally = only an ally (not you)

Also, there's an epic tier wizard feat that lets you omit squares from your burst spells.

 

[Nail]

basically wondering if there's friendly fire

Yep. Don't catch yer friends in the AoE.....if you can help it.

 

[Kj7331]

well that sucks, thanks for the info

 

[Nail]

well that sucks

Errr.....

Sure.

It does suck that when you make an explosion next to your friend, your friend is caught in the explosion.

Then again: Every edition of this game had such an understanding, and *most* other RPGs have similar rules.

 

[Eldorian]

Errr.....

Sure.

It does suck that when you make an explosion next to your friend, your friend is caught in the explosion.

Then again: Every edition of this game had such an understanding, and *most* other RPGs have similar rules.

OMG DND ISN'T WOW!

 

[Nail]

OMG DND ISN'T WOW!

Uhmmmm......yeah. TG!

 

[SDOgre]

There is a feat called Spell Accuracy for a wizard that allows you to omit a number of squares from your area and close spells up to your wisdom modifier.

But it's epic. I was all excited and started to take it for my wizard when I noticed I was in the wrong section for my 1st level wizard.

 

[Lizard]

well that sucks, thanks for the info

Heh.

Someone, tell him how fireballs worked in 1e...

EDIT: BTW, welcome new player! Always good to see the game bringing in new people!

EDIT 2: And here's the great thing about D&D -- or any tabletop RPG -- you can change the rules at a whim. You can rule "Spells cast by allies only effect enemies", if you want. Personally, I would caution against doing so -- it removes an important tactical element and makes characters with area effect spells a bit more powerful, since they can now nuke with impunity. I am going to guess, and please correct me if I'm wrong, that you are coming from an online background. In online games, you have to worry about jerkwads who join groups and then try to kill their own party for fun, so most games make it impossible to harm other players except in "PVP" zones or servers. In D&D, you're playing with people sitting right next to you -- so if someone is a jerk, you can just punch them. It cuts down on jerkness.