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<blockquote data-quote="Hawk Diesel" data-source="post: 7595932" data-attributes="member: 59848">I typically don't worry that much about the distinction between creature or object with regard to spells. How would a spell be able to determine that any better than the caster? It would be like saying a gun or a bullet knows whether it's being fired at a person or a wall. Or, for the sake of a D&amp;D discussion, a bow or a sword knowing this.Now, I can see a case being made for a gun/sword/bow having less effect. There might be only a scratch, for instance, if such weapons were used on a stone wall. But it doesn't stop them from being used.I feel the same way about spells. It doesn't stop them from being used. A magic missile used on a section of stone wall may just mark the surface. But that alone doesn't tell you if the target was a creature. But then, for example, if you cast charm person on someone, how do you know if it works? Do you get a mental ping that it was successful? I would posit that instead, you know it works when the person starts listening to you and treating you friendly. If you cast it on a statue, you would likewise know the spell didn't work not because of some intuition of success or failure, but rather because the statue doesn't change how it reacts to you. Then it's up to the player to decide if this is because it's a creature that saved, or is just not a creature.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Hawk Diesel, post: 7595932, member: 59848"] I typically don't worry that much about the distinction between creature or object with regard to spells. How would a spell be able to determine that any better than the caster? It would be like saying a gun or a bullet knows whether it's being fired at a person or a wall. Or, for the sake of a D&D discussion, a bow or a sword knowing this. Now, I can see a case being made for a gun/sword/bow having [I]less[/I] effect. There might be only a scratch, for instance, if such weapons were used on a stone wall. But it doesn't stop them from being used. I feel the same way about spells. It doesn't stop them from being used. A magic missile used on a section of stone wall may just mark the surface. But that alone doesn't tell you if the target was a creature. But then, for example, if you cast charm person on someone, how do you know if it works? Do you get a mental ping that it was successful? I would posit that instead, you know it works when the person starts listening to you and treating you friendly. If you cast it on a statue, you would likewise know the spell didn't work not because of some intuition of success or failure, but rather because the statue doesn't change how it reacts to you. Then it's up to the player to decide if this is because it's a creature that saved, or is just not a creature. [/QUOTE]

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