D&D 5E Rules Discussion: Somatic Components and Restrained

[MrWildman]

Yeah, I go for the silos: Necromancy is for necromancers, too, not for everybody.[/QUOTE]

"Put. That Skullcase. Down."
"Necromancy for Necromancers only..."

 

[Ruzak]

This is an important question. We have a whole class of spells (restraining) and we don't know how they affect a whole class of actions (spells). I for one would like a official ruling, such as through an FAQ. Of course as others mentioned there will always be corner cases, and that's why we have DMs (& message boards).

 

[Thaumaturge]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. And the affirmation. That always helps.

I understand the "give casters a chance" crowd's reasoning. My main concern with that is I'd want to come up with a standard rule and apply it every time. It would need to be easy to remember, balanced, and simple (both "yes" and "no" best meet these criteria). A Dex check against the spell's DC as part of casting? And if the caster misses? He can't get his hands free enough to even start to cast? Those might be where I'm leaning now.

Silence is a 2nd level spell, like web and it says "Casting a spell that includes a verbal component is impossible [in the area of effect]." So it's not far off base to let web do something similar with somatic. (They both have other uses and drawbacks, of course.) Of course, that makes an even better case for "web doesn't say it has that effect".

Was the party wizard a drow? I always associate both the web spell and the darkness spell with the drow race ("spider, spider, spider!"), to such an extent that I normally expect wizards of other races to learn other spells instead.

The wizard was an elf, but not the spider-loving kind of elf. I'll make sure to mention to his player that he was messing with drow magicks.

Thaumaturge.

 

[tuxgeo]

"Put. That Skullcase. Down."
"Necromancy for Necromancers only..."

So, Glengarry Glen Ross? (The amount of coffee I go through . . . )
(I was originally thinking Ghostbusters, but I couldn't recall such a scene in that movie.)

 

[Particle_Man]

Your ruling is fine.

If I were running an official tournament game I would go the other way, and let the cleric cast freely though.

 

[FadedC]

I would be inclined to rule the other way. A person in a web can still swing a weapon, shoot a bow, take items from their backpack, and do any number of other activities that require their hands. So they clearly still have use of their hands.

Ignoring logic and just thinking about balance, I also think that the effects of web are strong enough on their own without it also being a universal anti-caster spell. You can't really compare it to silence because silence has no other combat utility beyond stopping casters.

Anyway, just my 2 cents.

 

[The Human Target]

I completely disagree.

If a restrained character can make a weapon attack with disadvantage I see no reason to say someone couldn't cast a spell.

Though if it was an attack spell I would give the target advantage on its saving throw.

 

[mach1.9pants]

First off, i think you are completely justified in your call. It is logical, you're the DM and it's a snap judgement decision. Personally, due to the way the restrained condition is worded, attacking and Dexterity checks ARE possible, just hampered. As such, i would have allowed the spellcasting but with a considerable chance of failure, maybe 50%.

It is your right as a DM to make that call, especially if it helps your table's verisimilitude. But really if you can make an attack with a bow or sword, then you can cast spells. Heck you can use a sling!

But rulings not rules is how I like it, I would just rule differently

 

[Blackbrrd]

I would allow the spell, but give ad/dis on save or attack. He can move a little. You could argue that he is more stuck than usual since he fell into it and not allow it this time.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Sorry, Thaum, but I can't affirm you on this one.

If the trapped creature can still make attacks, there's just no way, in my mind, it can't manage somatic components. Those sorts of gestures are certainly less broad than swinging a sword.

I'd give the same disadvantage to spell attacks as any others, and maybe, depending on circumstances, offer targets advantage on saves, but that'd absolutely be the limit of it.