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

[Oofta]

I'm with the crowd that the 5e version of this spell forces the target to perform an action it can actually follow (so sleep wouldn't cause it to sleep but would cause it to fall prone and try to sleep).

Further - the target interprets the command - so (even though it's on the list of examples) something like "DROP" is problematic. The word drop can easily mean "fall down" not "drop what you are holding." So, for example, commanding someone with a crossbow to "drop" could very well cause them to drop prone and then shoot.

As for causing to drop concentration - what one word would even do that? Can't think of one off hand (if I heard "deconcentrate" I'd also likely grab my canteen and drink!) But if I could, it would likely just cause a DC 10 concentration check.

Command has, in my experience, been abused by DMs a lot over the years. Like an NPC telling my PC to "jump" when we were on ship. So I jumped in place and the DM just said "you know what I mean" and then made my PC jump off the side of the ship. Because apparently jumping in place or to the middle of the ship wasn't jumping. Since I was in armor, he said I sank straight to the bottom like a rock. Fortunately we were in harbor.

This was a public game and for whatever reason this particular DM was a dick to me from the very first game we played before I even had a single turn. But the moral of the story is there's a reason I limit the commands to things similar to those in the list because things can be broadly interpreted by the target to mean many different things.

If command can be anything just command the target to die.

 

[el-remmen]

If command can be anything just command the target to die.

If I am not mistaken, the 1E version had "Die" as an example and the target just dropped to the ground and "died" for a round. . . i.e. acted and believed they were dead for that round.

As for the jump example, yeah that is weak. I mean, if your character was right on the edge of a narrow ledge and you were commanded to jump and you jumped in place I might call for an easy-ish Dex check (acrobatic or athletics applying probz) to keep from falling over the side but would not make the assumption that "jump" automatically means "jump off."

 

[Mort]

If command can be anything just command the target to die.

IIRC this WAS an option in prior editions - it caused the target to go catatonic for 1 round.

That's why you can't really go by prior editions here. 5e has made the spell fairly specific: the target attempts to do what the word says, and if it can't - it doesn't.

 

[Helldritch]

Command has, in my experience, been abused by DMs a lot over the years. Like an NPC telling my PC to "jump" when we were on ship. So I jumped in place and the DM just said "you know what I mean" and then made my PC jump off the side of the ship. Because apparently jumping in place or to the middle of the ship wasn't jumping. Since I was in armor, he said I sank straight to the bottom like a rock. Fortunately we were in harbor.

This was a public game and for whatever reason this particular DM was a dick to me from the very first game we played before I even had a single turn. But the moral of the story is there's a reason I limit the commands to things similar to those in the list because things can be broadly interpreted by the target to mean many different things.

If command can be anything just command the target to die.

He was very unimaginative. I would have said swim.

But again, is I that hard to imagine that casters in a fantasy world with magic would have developped a word for losing concentration?
Innu have what? 12 words for different kinds of snow? I can easily imagine that casters would have developed a specific word/verb for that.

 

[el-remmen]

I want to add that my general feeling is rather than try to find hard and fast rules that apply across all scenarios, the use of the command should take the context/setting/position in mind when determining the ultimate consequences. "Jump" while in the middle of a ship deck (even in place) has a different possible result than "jump" when you are balanced on a tightrope.

 

[Mort]

He was very unimaginative. I would have said swim.

But again, is I that hard to imagine that casters in a fantasy world with magic would have developped a word for losing concentration?
Innu have what? 12 words for different kinds of snow? I can easily imagine that they would have developed a specific word/verb for that.

The converse, of course, is - knowing words have power, spellcasters specifically avoid developing a one word summation (of just about anything) for that very reason.

 

[el-remmen]

Thinking about another thread currently on this forum, language can be sticky and idiosyncratic.
If someone said to me, for example "Use a BladeTrip!" I would assume they meant make some kind of trip attack with my swords, not whatever jargon is used for the "build-out" style of D&D.

 

[Helldritch]

The converse, of course, is - knowing words have power, spellcasters specifically avoid developing a one word summation (of just about anything) for that very reason.

And at the same, for that very reason, I believe that they would have. The lack of words to describe concepts trigger the need to create the words. They isn't have words for losing concentration to physical famage, spell damage or even mind control and other conditions.

Email, lol, rocket, and many others would not be understood by people a century ago, he'll, 7 decades ago would make you talking an alien language to them were you tu use some of our modern words. How many say just a cell and not a cell phone? The need/concept will trigger the invention of a word.

 

[Mort]

And at the same, for that very reason, I believe that they would have. The lack of words to describe concepts trigger the need to create the words. They isn't have words for losing concentration to physical famage, spell damage or even mind control and other conditions.

Email, lol, rocket, and many others would not be understood by people a century ago, he'll, 7 decades ago would make you talking an alien language to them were you tu use some of our modern words. How many say just a cell and not a cell phone? The need/concept will trigger the invention of a word.

While I don't disagree with your general point (language invention), I think it's overthinking the spell.

Language has limits and I'm not going to explore those limits during a session. otherwise, you get all sorts of "well, of course, there's a word for that..."

If there is a word (whether a real word or one established in the setting/campaign) then go ahead and give it a shot, heck something like this could merit special mention in a session 0 or setting bible etc. But nothing speculative need apply for something like this.

 

[CleverNickName]

In my session yesterday, the party bard/wizard went to his go-to spell against armored foes, Heat Metal, which can be a devastating spell, esp. at lower levels. The target was a cleric and in one of the few rounds left to her before the heat damage killed her (her minions were firing multiple arrows at the PC, but he was passing concentration checks like nothing!) I had her cast command at the PC in an attempt to break his concentration on the spell.

He made his save, so didn't have to "grovel" as commanded, but I was wondering if causing someone to "grovel" or "surrender" would break their concentration on the spell (I assume the second definitely would because surrendering assumes not continuing to attempt harm on opponents) but was wondering what others thought and if there is an even more direct and clear one-word command that could disrupt the spell in that way? I think commands like "dismiss!" or "dispel!" would be too ambiguous and it has to be one word, so "Distracted!" doesn't make sense.

As a DM, I'd allow it. (shrug) I think it's pretty creative thinking on the part of the player. If the caster has the War Caster feat, I'd give him Advantage on the save, but otherwise? I think it's clever.