D&D 5E Wall of Force and spells

[Maxperson]

Psychic lance requires you to see the target. So, that is stopped.

Not if you use the name of the target.

 

[Maxperson]

Quoting the same rules passage you posted upthread:

===============================

A Clear Path to the Target​

To target something, you must have a clear path to it, so it can’t be behind total cover.
If you place an area of effect at a point that you can’t see and an obstruction, such as a wall, is between you and that point, the point of origin comes into being on the near side of that obstruction.
================================

The bolded clause (emphasis mine) affects the entire rest of the sentence. If you can see the target point, all the rest doesn't apply.

No, that's wrong. There are two qualifiers there. Seeing AND total cover. If you can see it and it's behind total cover, you still require a clear path to the target. It CAN'T be behind total cover as total cover blocks a clear path, sight or no sight.

 

[Maxperson]

Why does this matter though? This would mostly make the say a name portion irrelevant.

It does not make it irrelevant. Picture this. You are in a field with a 4 foot wall running through it. Someone is lying down on the other side and you can't see him. He has total cover. If you know his name, the psychic lance can go over the 4 foot wall and strike behind it. With a wall of force there is generally no such open area for the lance to reach the target. The lance can't get through to strike.

 

[Oofta]

View attachment 286639
Special, not Self.

The latest printing, and DndBeyond say "self". I rarely look at my dead tree version of the spells so I'm looking at the current, revised edition.

But even when it was "special" that just meant that it didn't follow normal rules so it didn't use standard ranged spell restrictions. I still don't see a conflict, even if I think the new wording is more consistent.

 

[SkidAce]

The because is "because the rules say so"

As always the DM is welcome to make any ruling they want. But the RAW is clear on this, if something provides total cover it blocks magic. Its the arrow test, if I can't fire an arrow and hit you, I can't hit you with a targeted spell. Its that simple.

This makes me think, anything once you reach a certain distance away would have total cover, if from nothing else than the curvature of the earth.

So are there any spells that "target" things reasonably far away, that under this reasoning would no longer work?

Another thought, aside from the globe wall of force, couldn't magic that wasn't a "physical" thing just go around the wall?

For example, I can see something standing on the other side of the wall, why cant I charm person it? I mean magic doesn't have to follow straight lines in all examples, or things like sending a message to a person on another continent wouldn't work.

 

[cbwjm]

This makes me think, anything once you reach a certain distance away would have total cover, if from nothing else than the curvature of the earth.

So are there any spells that "target" things reasonably far away, that under this reasoning would no longer work?

Another thought, aside from the globe wall of force, couldn't magic that wasn't a "physical" thing just go around the wall?

For example, I can see something standing on the other side of the wall, why cant I charm person it? I mean magic doesn't have to follow straight lines in all examples, or things like sending a message to a person on another continent wouldn't work.

Charm Person is one of those spells I allow to work through a wall of force.

 

[Lanefan]

Because hypothetically the target would need to be on the same plane of existance and not behind total cover if it were worded this way.

Good point. Adding a single word (bolded) fixes it.

"Choose a single creature that is both known to you and anywhere on the same plane of existence as you".

 

[Lanefan]

No, that's wrong. There are two qualifiers there. Seeing AND total cover. If you can see it and it's behind total cover, you still require a clear path to the target. It CAN'T be behind total cover as total cover blocks a clear path, sight or no sight.

Let's break the sentence down. First, as written:

If you place an area of effect at a point that you can’t see and an obstruction, such as a wall, is between you and that point, the point of origin comes into being on the near side of that obstruction.

Now, clause by clause noting the logic:

If [conditional] you place an area of effect [action] at a point that you can’t see [condition 1] and an obstruction, such as a wall, is between you and that point, [condition 2] [then] the point of origin comes into being on the near side of that obstruction.

Both conditions must be met or else the "then" does not happen. "And" does NOT mean "and/or"; if it meant and/or it would say and/or (at least I bloody well hope it would!).

p.s. I was wondering when you'd chime in here, given how much you love discussions of wording.

 

[Lanefan]

I said upthread I'd leave this as a thought exercise,

Further, there is a viable non-teleport way out of the hemisphere version if you've got the time and-or resources handy. I'll leave this one out there as a thought exercise for a bit...


The answer, of course, is to dig. It's specifically worded as a hemisphere, meaning it does not extend below the ground thus further meaning that if someone caught inside has the means to dig a way out underneath it, the WoF can't stop it.

 

[James Gasik]

I said upthread I'd leave this as a thought exercise,

Further, there is a viable non-teleport way out of the hemisphere version if you've got the time and-or resources handy. I'll leave this one out there as a thought exercise for a bit...


The answer, of course, is to dig. It's specifically worded as a hemisphere, meaning it does not extend below the ground thus further meaning that if someone caught inside has the means to dig a way out underneath it, the WoF can't stop it.

Unless you ask Jeremy Crawford- see his comment on Tiny Hut.

"Leomund's tiny hut does have a floor, Mr. Crawford (read your own book). The spell's range entry says the effect is hemispherical."