D&D 5E Speed of Magical Attack Spells Emanating from a Caster

[jgsugden]

As far as I know, there is no correct RAW answer here, but I'm curious how fast people think that offensive spells should travel when they leave a caster and travel to a target. I'm not talking about spells like Meteor Swarm that spawn above their targets - I'm talking above the spells that launch from a caster by their description. I mainly ask out of curiosity about how people imagine these spells, but there are a few in game consequences I would consider implementing for very long distance spells.

Does a fireball cross the 150 maximum range in a second? A few seconds? Does it travel at the speed that a typical human could throw a ball, or does it travel faster?

Is a lightning bolt there and gone in a flash, covering the entire distance all at once, like we perceive lightning from the sky does? Or does it billow out from the caster quickly like a flood, taking a second to get to the maximum range?

How about an Eldritch blast from a Warlock that travels 120 feet? Do you picture it flying as fast as a pitch from a professional MLB pitcher? Or as fast as an arrow (which is about twice that speed)? Does that change when we add in Spell Sniper and Eldritch Spear casting it at maximum range of 600 feet? An MLB fastball pitch would take about 4 seconds to cross 600 feet. A 70 MPH pitch would take 6 seconds to get there - a full round.... An arrow would take between 1.5 and 3 seconds to travel that distance....

Are there any spells that originate from the caster and travel to a target that ou think of as moving particularly fast or slow?

 

[Tony Vargas]

As far as I know, there is no correct RAW answer here, but I'm curious how fast people think that offensive spells should travel when they leave a caster and travel to a target. I'm not talking about spells like Meteor Swarm that spawn above their targets - I'm talking above the spells that launch from a caster by their description. I mainly ask out of curiosity about how people imagine these spells

I'd imagine most spells speeding along like an arrow - about as fast a fast as a person of the imagined era might be able to conceive of as fast.

but there are a few in game consequences I would consider implementing for very long distance spells.

There should be no game consequences in combat: effects all resolve on the caster's turn. So there's nothing to be done about it, apart from reactions & making that save (if any) - even if you visualize a spell like lightning bolt going 'speed of light' or 'instantaneously' covering the distance, one could react to the casting (you could add a visual que like lightning charging up around the caster or in his hand or something, if you want a reason non-arcanists can tell what's in store for them).

 

[Salthorae]

They travel as fast as they need to do so in order to reach their target and/or target point and/or max range within the round, whatever that distance. For ease, I'd just assume 1 second of travel time because the caster might have moved, taken a bonus action, THEN cast their spell that still has to reach the target. So whatever that speed is.

We know that lightning bolt doesn't actually travel anywhere near the speed of light because you can dodge it partially or fully as a Rogue/Ranger/Monk.

But... does it matter?

 

[LordEntrails]

Faster than a creature can dodge. Like a real lightning strike. It covers the distance so fast their ain't nothing you can do about it. Unless of course it allows a dex saving throw, then it's just a tad slower.

EDIT: Oh, and they all travel that fast. And I can't imagine trying to put in game consequences (other than dex saves or mechanics already in place) in place. Are you going to now wonder how fast a sword swings? Or how much time a grapple takes? And then try to change game mechanics to reflect what you feel is realistic?

 

[jgsugden]

..But... does it matter?

I did address that question.

 

[jgsugden]

..Are you going to now wonder how fast a sword swings? ... And then try to change game mechanics to reflect what you feel is realistic?

If a 600 foot tall Godlike entity was swinging a weapon, I would not use the same mechanics as a 6 foot tall creature.

Again, I am primarily asking for purposes of seeing what people are imagining when they picture these combats. While there are a few mechanical concerns I might consider (mostly, for me, in terms of long range ship to ship combats where the maximum range of spells is a huge deal and distances may remain great for prolonged periods), that is not the primary goal.

 

[LordEntrails]

I did address that question.

You asked it, but you didn't answer it.

IMO, it does not matter.

 

[Salthorae]

I did address that question.

You did, but I guess my question should have been, "should it matter?"

Adding ramifications based on distance is added needless complications to your combat round IMO.

It's magic, it propagates as fast as it needs to to reach its target or area target or max range in however long is left in the caster's round after they cast it.

 

[Oofta]

At the speed of plot?

I always viewed them streaking out similar to blaster bolts in Star Wars which is why people get dex saves. So about as fast as a baseball pitch.

 

[jgsugden]

You asked it, but you didn't answer it.

IMO, it does not matter.

Congrats. Why did I ask this question again? Go back and look and see what it tells you.

If you ask someone if they think a rainbow is pretty and they respond, "Does it matter?"... Well, that is not very constructive.