D&D 5E (2014) T h u n d e r w a v e AND opportunity attack !

[keterys]

Does Command stipulate that the creature can't Disengage for Approach or Flee?

 

[Lerysh]

It specifies "takes no actions" under some of the commands. Not sure about Approach/Flee specifically. Grovel, for instance, is "fall prone and take no actions" on your turn.

The general use of Command is give up your turn to make them lose their turn, so I'd imagine Disengage isn't on the table for them when they Approach/Flee.

 

[Paraxis]

Does Command stipulate that the creature can't Disengage for Approach or Flee?

Good catch, with approach it doesn't say anything of the sort so as long as a single move action gets you to the caster then that is prudent and allowed to approach using the disengage action. The flee option of command says "as the fastest available means" to me that means the majority of the time it will use move + dash, not disengage.

There is also the "directly harmful" exemption in the spell, so would using command (flee or approach) that would provoke an attack of opportunity be considered directly harmful?

 

[keterys]

Looked it up:

Approach. The target moves toward you by the shortest and most direct route, ending its turn if it moves within 5 feet of you.

Flee. The target spends its turn moving away from you by the fastest available means.

So, Flee is unclear but presumably "Dash" is the fastest means possible. Provoke away. Approach doesn't specify, so an argument could be made to disengage if they're very close to you.

Mind you, I think Approach for someone who is 60 feet directly above you (on a wall, say) to have them jump down sounds fun too.

Edit: Excellent point by Paraxis about the "directly harmful" clause that negates the spell. So, yeah, I'm not sure you get opportunity attacks out of this spell.

 

[Tormyr]

Looked it up:
So, Flee is unclear but presumably "Dash" is the fastest means possible. Provoke away. Approach doesn't specify, so an argument could be made to disengage if they're very close to you.

Mind you, I think Approach for someone who is 60 feet directly above you (on a wall, say) to have them jump down sounds fun too.

Edit: Excellent point by Paraxis about the "directly harmful" clause that negates the spell. So, yeah, I'm not sure you get opportunity attacks out of this spell.

I think the difference is that opportunity attacks are indirectly harmful, whereas jumping in the lava is directly harmful.

 

[Lerysh]

It's pretty clearly not intended to cause any harm, direct or indirect. It's use, broken down to it's most basic, is trading the caster's turn for the enemy's turn. Weather or not to allow OA's on Approach/Flee I think is a DM decision to make for the feel of his games. It does make the mostly harmless spell more powerful, but not as powerful as say, Burning Hands, as a damage spell.

 

[Psikerlord#]

I would allow OA's on the dash option - you have to be set up for that to provoke an OA, and the damage isnt guaranteed. I would allow a disengage on the "approach" option.

 

[bganon]

Looked it up:
Mind you, I think Approach for someone who is 60 feet directly above you (on a wall, say) to have them jump down sounds fun too.

"That is power: the strength and power of flesh. What is steel compared to the hand that wields it?"

 

[Tormyr]

It's pretty clearly not intended to cause any harm, direct or indirect. It's use, broken down to it's most basic, is trading the caster's turn for the enemy's turn. Weather or not to allow OA's on Approach/Flee I think is a DM decision to make for the feel of his games. It does make the mostly harmless spell more powerful, but not as powerful as say, Burning Hands, as a damage spell.

I disagree. The text specifically says, "directly harmful to it." Indirect harm does not come into play. Commanding an opponent to Grovel makes them go prone. In the middle of a group of your allies that is a Bad Thing (tm), but the harm is potential harm from giving all the adjacent enemies advantage. Grovel, Approach and Flee on their own are not directly harmful, but a target on a single rock in the middle of lava will not approach or flee if all it can do is walk because it would directly hurt itself to do so. Prone would not directly hurt it in that situation, but it could slow it down to the point where it does not escape the advancing lava.

With Approach and Flee, the commands are not directly harmful to it if they do not cause the target to hurt itself. Approach across a bottomless chasm would not work, nor would Flee up against a cliff because of a fall. But Approach and Flee to leave an enemy's reach are not directly harmful. The target still gets to defend itself as evidenced by its AC not being penalized and advantage not being granted. There is a potential of harm, but there was also a potential for harm if the enemy had stayed still.

The target gets three chances to avoid potential damage from an opportunity attack.
1. The target makes the Wisdom saving throw.
2. The adjacent enemy decides to not use its reaction to make an opportunity attack or already used its reaction.
3. The adjacent enemy misses on its melee attack.
There is so much going on here that it can easily be argued that Approach or Flee cannot be ignored if the only danger is an opportunity attack.

 

[aramis erak]

From the PHB under attacks of opportunity, last paragraph in section top of page 195.

You also don't provoke an opportunity attack when you teleport or when someone or something moves you without using your movement, action, or reaction. For example, you don't provoke an opportunity attack if an explosion hurls you out of a foe's reach or if gravity causes you to fall past an enemy.

So some spells and effects like turn undead make a target move on it's turn and that movement can provoke an attack of opportunity, spells like thunder wave that push them do not provoke.

Note that a few spells do force you to use a reaction, and those do provoke OA's, but let you choose (somewhat) how you move.

On a failed save, Dissonant Whispers (Bard, Great Old One Warlock) causes the target to use its reaction (assuming one survives the psychic damage) to move away from the caster as far as movement allows, but not into obviously dangerous spaces. This makes it really ugly. Especially if the target is next to your proficient greatsword specialized half-orc fighter...