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<blockquote data-quote="toucanbuzz" data-source="post: 7923217" data-attributes="member: 19270"><p>That is what Crawford's rationale leads to - an absurd result - and Mike Mearls' did not. But Crawford's rationale was wrong because <strong>Total Cover</strong> has nothing to do with stopping damage. It only stops targeting of attacks and spells.</p><p></p><p>Total Cover is <strong>only </strong>granted when the target is <strong>"completely concealed"</strong> by an obstacle. Unless the window is dirty, there is no way a pane of glass "completely conceals" anything. Crawford's rationale was silly. </p><p></p><p>If you don't think it's silly, then please, stand behind a 1" pane of glass and see if someone can shoot you with a gun through the glass. If Crawford is right, you're safe from harm because you have total cover.</p><p></p><p>I'll explain more after a quote.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>PHB page 196. <em><strong>"A target has total cover if it is completely concealed by an obstacle."</strong></em></p><p></p><p>So no, total cover has nothing to do with stopping objects. Concealment is the issue. And while the term didn't get defined in 5E, it's a common word that means "hidden from sight."</p><p></p><p>Further, we can't duck behind the "clear path" argument because that's the same thing. P203: "To target something you must have a clear path to it, <u><strong>so it can't be behind total cover."</strong></u></p><p></p><p>The "so" clause explains that "clear path" means your target must be visible to you, not concealed. Nothing in any spell section suggests in any way, shape, or form that spells have a physical form that can be blocked by panes of glass. If a spell manifests a physical effect, like the ball of fire from a <em>fireball</em>, it will say so. If it can be blocked by something, such as a <em>detect</em> spell, it will say so. Otherwise, targeted spells are only limited by what you can see.</p><p></p><p>So a <em>wall of force</em> or a pane of glass, by definition, don't conceal anything. You aren't hidden. You're visible. Ergo, you don't have total cover.</p><p></p><p>Now, that's not to say a barrier won't still stop the effect, but that's not the same as total cover or targeting. An arrow will pass through a window if it does enough damage, same as our bullet. However, by specific design, absolutely no <strong>physical effect</strong> can pass through a <em>wall of force</em>. They removed the old language of all spells and replaced it with physical effects. Some spells say they do, others don't. </p><p></p><p><em>Finally, if you're asking would a window stop a fireball, I'd rule yes. Why? Because the physical effect of the fireball streaking to its target cannot cause damage. What would happen is, as per spell targeting with area effects, that the fireball would go off once blocked. The same would apply if an illusionist made you think goblins were charging across a big room when in reality it was close quarters. Your fireball would explode in your face.</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="toucanbuzz, post: 7923217, member: 19270"] That is what Crawford's rationale leads to - an absurd result - and Mike Mearls' did not. But Crawford's rationale was wrong because [B]Total Cover[/B] has nothing to do with stopping damage. It only stops targeting of attacks and spells. Total Cover is [B]only [/B]granted when the target is [B]"completely concealed"[/B] by an obstacle. Unless the window is dirty, there is no way a pane of glass "completely conceals" anything. Crawford's rationale was silly. If you don't think it's silly, then please, stand behind a 1" pane of glass and see if someone can shoot you with a gun through the glass. If Crawford is right, you're safe from harm because you have total cover. I'll explain more after a quote. PHB page 196. [I][B]"A target has total cover if it is completely concealed by an obstacle."[/B][/I] So no, total cover has nothing to do with stopping objects. Concealment is the issue. And while the term didn't get defined in 5E, it's a common word that means "hidden from sight." Further, we can't duck behind the "clear path" argument because that's the same thing. P203: "To target something you must have a clear path to it, [U][B]so it can't be behind total cover."[/B][/U] The "so" clause explains that "clear path" means your target must be visible to you, not concealed. Nothing in any spell section suggests in any way, shape, or form that spells have a physical form that can be blocked by panes of glass. If a spell manifests a physical effect, like the ball of fire from a [I]fireball[/I], it will say so. If it can be blocked by something, such as a [I]detect[/I] spell, it will say so. Otherwise, targeted spells are only limited by what you can see. So a [I]wall of force[/I] or a pane of glass, by definition, don't conceal anything. You aren't hidden. You're visible. Ergo, you don't have total cover. Now, that's not to say a barrier won't still stop the effect, but that's not the same as total cover or targeting. An arrow will pass through a window if it does enough damage, same as our bullet. However, by specific design, absolutely no [B]physical effect[/B] can pass through a [I]wall of force[/I]. They removed the old language of all spells and replaced it with physical effects. Some spells say they do, others don't. [I]Finally, if you're asking would a window stop a fireball, I'd rule yes. Why? Because the physical effect of the fireball streaking to its target cannot cause damage. What would happen is, as per spell targeting with area effects, that the fireball would go off once blocked. The same would apply if an illusionist made you think goblins were charging across a big room when in reality it was close quarters. Your fireball would explode in your face.[/I] [/QUOTE]
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