D&D 5E Skywrite: a weapon of mass communication/coordination

[Milieu]

As far as I know, Skywrite is effectively the most far-reaching of AoE spells.

The spell simply says that "You cause up to ten words to form in a part of the sky you can see", and that, "The words appear to be made of cloud".
No direct reference is made to height but, with reference to sky and a resemblance to cloud, we might apply potential heights of several thousand feet and up to well over 40,000 feet (as related to Earth-based atmospheric physics)."

For what it's worth, in the real world, skywriting is usually done at around 10,000 feet and is visible in an up-to-15-mile radius. The spell could potentially be at a higher altitude, but then you have to use a larger font size to keep it readable from the ground, so I'm not sure how much you gain from it.

The spell's description states: Duration: Concentration, up to 1 day, ...

D&D Beyond says only 1 hour (which is still better than real-world skywriting that lasts maybe 20 minutes).

 

[greg kaye]

D&D Beyond says only 1 hour ...

Thank you, and this is also the duration present in the physical books.

It seems that Wikidot did not accurately present its source.

I'll edit that prior claim.
I also think I was wrong about being able to keep a previous skywritten message active while ritually casting a subsequent message. RAW, ritual casting requires concentration which would mean that the concentration required to sustain a previous spell would be broken when beginning to cast a ritual.

All the same, for instance, you could have a message up for about the time that would be required for someone to write it down, have a donut, and then begin casting the next ritual.

 

[aco175]

The spell was used a few times in my Elemental Evil campaign. The sky cultists used it in code to try and coordinate some things. The PCs needed to cast comprehend languages to read it and find out they were heading to an ambush. Another time, the PCs cast it to notify the ferryman/ally to come pick them up across the large river. Of course, river pirates saw it as well and came as well.

I guess the best use would be on the battlefield and have simple letters or numbers posted if all the troops know what 1A means. This could also be thwarted by enemy casters posting something as well.

Would one be able to cast the letters backwards so it can be read from the other side, like reading in a mirror? Now we get into the lawering part of the spell. What is a word? If I write it backwards, is it still a word? What about numbers, do I need to spell them out so they are words? Can I write symbols or arrows. If I can write 10 words, can I just writethemallasonesuperlongwordtocountasonlyoneword? (This was harder than I thought not hitting the space bar). Can I make the words in color, or just 'cloud' color, but at least choose the shade of cloud?

I tend to let players stretch things some at first, until I feel they are going beyond the feel of the spell. I would tend to allow symbols and arrows and even writing backwards. I would not allow not using spaces to make 'words' or 50 letters or such.

 

[greg kaye]

The spell was used a few times in my Elemental Evil campaign. The sky cultists used it in code to try and coordinate some things. The PCs needed to cast comprehend languages to read it and find out they were heading to an ambush. Another time, the PCs cast it to notify the ferryman/ally to come pick them up across the large river. Of course, river pirates saw it as well and came as well.

You're the first GM I can remember who has used the spell, , but I think it could be used often by both the bad and the ~good guys.
For instance, if a party got out of line, there might be fear of a message being puffed such as: ~"Killers loose: halfling bard, human fighter, half-elf, oppose or avoid!"

I guess the best use would be on the battlefield and have simple letters or numbers posted if all the troops know what 1A means. This could also be thwarted by enemy casters posting something as well.

Would one be able to cast the letters backwards so it can be read from the other side, like reading in a mirror? Now we get into the lawering part of the spell. ...

and what better place to be.

... What is a word? If I write it backwards, is it still a word? What about numbers, do I need to spell them out so they are words? Can I write symbols or arrows. ...

I like the idea of emojis, but even just with words, there's a lot to work with.
Depending on the language, there could be a potential for a lot of words (though, in various cases, spellings might be repeated.

If any number of these words were given a coded meaning then 10 messages might be conveyed with one casting. This could then be subdivided into anything between ten messages being conveyed to one set of recipients of one message being conveyed to each of ten sets of recipients. The potential for strategic coordination could be immense.

The only sure defense I can think of is the 8th-level spell control weather which might be used to generate something like an extent of fog. That would be quite a cost.

 

[Horwath]

That, in itself, could be quite disheartening - especially for the army marching east with the messages appearing on the eastern skyline. Army commands can routinely lie to troops and the ability to present other messages would be powerful.

Still, you "can't escape by turning your device off" only by not looking at the very visible display. And this would still leave you in a situation of not knowing of things that everyone else might be reading, and potentially talking about.

Potential uses of skywrite further expand with the potential writing and use of spell scrolls. Your bard, druid, wizard, or artificer spends 3 days and 250gp of materials (according to zanathar's) and gets a fellow bard, druid, wizard, or artificer to read it (during the kind of out of combat context when skywrite might be used) for the writing of a headline message. Then the caster with skywrite known/prepared could then keep filling in the scrolling text underneath.

Then, I guess armies will have to learn to discern information and false information, get training in counter intelligence, etc...

also, there is not a lot of 3rd level casters in general population, and it's a concentration spell. For 10 words at a time.
hiring bunch of spellcasters could ramp up the cost of (false)advertising to commercials of half-time superbowl.

 

[Krachek]

”Drink Coca Cola” like messages will certainly be the more common usage!

 

[greg kaye]

...
also, there is not a lot of 3rd level casters in general population, and it's a concentration spell. For 10 words at a time. ...

I think that this is really key and, depending on the avenues of world-building taken, a potential shortage in spell casters could fall drastically short of a potential desire for messaging.
Especially in worlds where there may be a shortage of spell casters, I think that there'd be an increased demand for written copies of Skywrite to be scribed on scrolls or in hire-for-reference spellbooks.
Wizards might take their 6 starter spells and 2 additional spells on each level up in practical, let's get the party through encounters type options but, when faced with political etc. aspects of a campaign, a need for multiple actor coordination, or just a base desire for publicity, Skywrite could be a commonly sought spell.

 

[aco175]

You're the first GM I can remember who has used the spell, , but I think it could be used often by both the bad and the ~good guys.
For instance, if a party got out of line, there might be fear of a message being puffed such as: ~"Killers loose: halfling bard, human fighter, half-elf, oppose or avoid!"

The only reason the PCs had the spell was that it was on a scroll. The player said he would never take it since other spells seemed more useful.

 

[greg kaye]

The only reason the PCs had the spell was that it was on a scroll. The player said he would never take it since other spells seemed more useful.

In many situations, Skywrite may be the spell that might best help characters get certain things done.
In most situations, other spells would be better options to stop adventuresome characters from getting done.
Skywrite, if it exists in a world, would certainly have an effect on how that world was built but, for a regular adventurer, other spells could frequently have priority.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Skywrite would probably be more illegal thant Power Word: Kill in any jurisdiction that regulates magic. It basically turns the sky into a completely unmoderated twitter feed, one that you can't escape by turning your device off.

If real life has taught us anything, it's that powerful unaccountable people always use their power responsibly. I'm sure this wouldn't be a problem at all.