D&D 5E Using COMMAND to break a caster's concentration?

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Would a Command to "meditate" cause the target to drop concentration? Meditation requires you to clear your mind of distractions, such as any ongoing spells.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Would a Command to "meditate" cause the target to drop concentration? Meditation requires you to clear your mind of distractions, such as any ongoing spells.

That's a good one. I had in mind: choke or panic.

I would not break automatically concentration, but I'd probably ask for a Concentration check equal to the spell DC.

 

[Oofta]

RAW this to me is way more ridiculous then command breaking concentration. I never agreed with this rule and really dont use it. I mean casting a second spell imo should cancel the first.

I play pretty close to RAW (with the exception of some improvised actions and house rules). While I don't necessarily like how concentration works, I don't see a reason to change it. It significantly nerfs some concentrations spells/builds if you can't cast other non-concentration spells. Bless as one quick example off the top of my head would be borderline pointless. I don't see casting another spell as being less distracting than avoiding getting killed on the battlefield or trying to bash someone else's head in.

 

[Oofta]

That's a good one. I had in mind: choke or panic.

I would not break automatically concentration, but I'd probably ask for a Concentration check equal to the spell DC.

But again, I don't think they are literally choking or panicking. They may pretend to choke or panic, but those are not things people have conscious control over.

 

[R_J_K75]

I play pretty close to RAW (with the exception of some improvised actions and house rules). While I don't necessarily like how concentration works, I don't see a reason to change it. It significantly nerfs some concentrations spells/builds if you can't cast other non-concentration spells. Bless as one quick example off the top of my head would be borderline pointless. I don't see casting another spell as being less distracting than avoiding getting killed on the battlefield or trying to bash someone else's head in.

Id have to take a closer look at the concentration rule and spells RAW to see casting times and durations, etc. I could see an instantaneous magic missile but not a spell that requires concentration. I wouldnt allow a caster to have 2 spells that require concentration in effect at the same time, though ICR what the rules are specifically regarding such.

 

[R_J_K75]

But again, I don't think they are literally choking or panicking.

Id think you are correct on choking, the target will think/believe they are choking, Panic otoh, I cant think of better command to completely momentarily debilitate someone. Anyone who has suffered from anxiety and panic attacks knows they can come out of nowhere in a matter of seconds. That one seems pretty realistic to me, and would totally break concentration.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I agree. If you can compel the target to do something for the spells duration that breaks their concentration that should be enough. For example if you were to command the caster to COUNT, I believe that mental shift from concentrating on a spell to counting numbers would break the spell.

I’d allow a concentration check against the enemy casters DC, but otherwise yeah I agree with this.

 

[Laurefindel]

I think part of the issue is caused by the fact that "spell concentration" as a D&D construct doesn't necessarily require concentration the way we see it and use it on a daily basis. What would break or disrupt my concentration in my real life wouldn't necessarily break D&D's spell concentration.

It's more like holding something in your hands. You can do all sort of things while holding something in your hands (including dedicate your attention to other things), but you can't hold something else. There's also the possibility of dropping it if you get hurt or need your hands to hold or steady yourself, or else need to manipulate something. Spell concentration is more like figurative mental hands that can hold a spell active (usually those that require some form of manipulation) but that have little to do with concentration as your ability to dedicate your attention to a single activity, despite being also a conscious action. Some spells require you to actively "hold" them, others are simply "worn" and don't require much attention. When a spell requires you to hold it, you can drop it if shaken hard enough, or if you need to hold another spell.

Perhaps "holding" could have been used instead of concentration?

In that light, a command spell could compel you to do drop a held spell (specifically), but not necessarily cause you to drop it if your concentration is taken elsewhere by that command.

 

[Blue]

I would argue that since both sleep and command are magic, and since both are the same school of magic, then both should be capable of causing the sleep state, even if it just for 1 turn in the case of command.

Sleeping puts a number of conditions on the target, worse than the Prone condition that is mentioned. I don't think it's a reasonable assumption that a multi-purpose spell can do everything a single-purpose spell of the same level can do, especially when the results are greater than any other result listed for the multi-purpose spell.

 

[jasper]

I think it's preposterous to say that someone can sleep on command.

I had GI buddies who could do it.