D&D 5E Surprise underrated abilities

[Sacrosanct]

When I said "area", I meant area around the caster. Sorry for the confusion.

And there's a reason why it also says "you can only take damage once per turn". But most importantly, don't let any rule, implied or RAW, get in the way of common sense. If someone lights flaming oil where I'm standing and I don't move out of it for several seconds, it's entirely reasonable that I'm going to be at risk for damage or the very least need to make a concentration check for a spell I'm maintaining.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

When I said "area", I meant area around the caster. Sorry for the confusion.

And there's a reason why it also says "you can only take damage once per turn". But most importantly, don't let any rule, implied or RAW, get in the way of common sense. If someone lights flaming oil where I'm standing and I don't move out of it for several seconds, it's entirely reasonable that I'm going to be at risk for damage or the very least need to make a concentration check for a spell I'm maintaining.

Once per turn != once per round. That rule exists to stop you from dragging someone through a flaming area multiple times for more damage than they would have taken by just standing in it. It wouldn't prevent someone from taking damage twice in a round under your interpretation, once on your turn when you throw the oil, and again on their turn when they keep standing in it (as if).

If someone lights a fire under me with an oil flask and I move out of it as soon as I get the chance and therefore take no damage, that fits perfectly with both my real-life experience with campfires and with RAW. Making oil flask fires be an auto-damage effect seems inappropriate to me from a "common sense" angle. It's not a bonfire, it's just a flask of kerosene/similar.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Let someone throw a burning flask of oil in the area you are standing, and stand there for a a few seconds. Then come back and tell me how it didn't affect you.

 

[hawkeyefan]

My group has found the monk discipline way of the open hand (I believe that's the name, don't have my PHB handy) to be surprisingly effective. The ability to impose saves to avoid being knocked prone or pushed 15 feet are solid, and the ability to take away a target's reactions with no chance to save can be huge. Especially since the monk will have several attacks while flurrying.

Our monk flurried to hit a sentry that was watching a door, took away his reactions, and then ran into the room to hit a couple of other targets, knocking the second prone, and pushing the third further into the room. Then the rest of the party followed the monk in, avoiding any opportunity attacks from the sentry.

I understood it all when reading, but watching it in action was impressive.

 

[Sacrosanct]

My group has found the monk discipline way of the open hand (I believe that's the name, don't have my PHB handy) to be surprisingly effective. The ability to impose saves to avoid being knocked prone or pushed 15 feet are solid, and the ability to take away a target's reactions with no chance to save can be huge. Especially since the monk will have several attacks while flurrying.

Our monk flurried to hit a sentry that was watching a door, took away his reactions, and then ran into the room to hit a couple of other targets, knocking the second prone, and pushing the third further into the room. Then the rest of the party followed the monk in, avoiding any opportunity attacks from the sentry.

I understood it all when reading, but watching it in action was impressive.

In my experience, both with my own monk and watching others, is that the monk's abilities are much more impressive in actual play. They are terrors on the battlefield, and stunning is killer. Literally. My 8th level monk with the mobile feat moved over 100ft to the enemy caster, avoiding all opportunity attacks, and proceeded to lock him down by stunning him. That's a combat game changer right there.

As long as they have ki

 

[hawkeyefan]

In my experience, both with my own monk and watching others, is that the monk's abilities are much more impressive in actual play. They are terrors on the battlefield, and stunning is killer. Literally. My 8th level monk with the mobile feat moved over 100ft to the enemy caster, avoiding all opportunity attacks, and proceeded to lock him down by stunning him. That's a combat game changer right there.

As long as they have ki

Absolutely. Someone had mentioned stun earlier in the thread, which is what made me think of the monk. Most versatile combatant in our group.

The major drawback is that he's often overconfident and rushes into things and his speed sometimes means he gets separated from the party as the combat progresses.

But definitely a dynamic characters.

 

[procproc]

Let someone throw a burning flask of oil in the area you are standing, and stand there for a a few seconds. Then come back and tell me how it didn't affect you.

So just to be clear -- your interpretation is that you can throw it at the person (which requires an attack roll) or at the ground under them (which does not require an attack roll) and they'll take immediate damage in both cases? That seems contrary to both the RAW and RAI.

Hemlock's reading seems much more plausible -- if you want the target to take damage when you throw it (at them or their square), you need to succeed at an attack roll. If you don't, the target should get a chance to move on their turn.

 

[Sacrosanct]

So just to be clear -- your interpretation is that you can throw it at the person (which requires an attack roll) or at the ground under them (which does not require an attack roll) and they'll take immediate damage in both cases? That seems contrary to both the RAW and RAI.
.

No it doesn't. That's why the damage for attacking the person is much higher than the damage of just being in the area.

 

[Ahrimon]

Let someone throw a burning flask of oil in the area you are standing, and stand there for a a few seconds. Then come back and tell me how it didn't affect you.

Turns in a combat round are abstract. If someone throws a oil flask at the ground at my feet and on my turn I move away then I didn't just stand around in the fire, I moved away before it could burn me. If I end my turn there then I did stand around. It's not like everyone is standing around picking their nose while each combatant takes their turn.

 

[Hussar]

I'd also point out that with 1 point of damage from splash, you only have to make a DC 10 concentration check. For a cleric of any decent level, that's likely almost a gimme.

Here's a question - do 1's autofail on a save in 5e? I can't remember.