D&D 5E Warlock and Repelling Blast

[Zorku]

Ovinomancer: what do you think the relationship is between components and spell effect/duration?

Why do you care? Is this purely a curiosity thing, or is this the first stage of an logical argument?

 

[seebs]

Oh, hey.

Something in another thread relevant to the timing questions:

If someone is readying a spell, and I have counterspell, when do I get to use a reaction to disrupt their spell? On their turn or when they take their readied action?

 

[Zorku]

Oh, hey.

Something in another thread relevant to the timing questions:

If someone is readying a spell, and I have counterspell, when do I get to use a reaction to disrupt their spell? On their turn or when they take their readied action?

That's simple enough-

"You attempt to interrupt a creature in the process of casting a spell" p228
"Casting Time: ... when you see a creature... casting a spell" & "When you cast a spell, you cast it as normal but hold its energy, which you release with your reaction" p193

So you do that right on their turn. It's technically already been cast by the time they're using their reaction.
I wouldn't see any balance issues with letting it happen right when it is about to come into effect, but counterspell isn't just dispel 2.0, so there's a different spell that's supposed to be for that (or no spell at all if it is of instantaneous duration.)

 

[seebs]

This is relevant to the question of what state the magic is in between their turn and their reaction. Because obviously, it's a lower cost if you only counterspell if they actually release the spell.

 

[Ovinomancer]

This is relevant to the question of what state the magic is in between their turn and their reaction. Because obviously, it's a lower cost if you only counterspell if they actually release the spell.

I agree with Zorku -- you would counter during the casting of the spell, not during the holding or release.

However, since you can't, apparently dispel it during that time either, I'd be perfectly happy to allow a counter during release.

 

[Ovinomancer]

Ovinomancer: what do you think the relationship is between components and spell effect/duration?

Mechanically? None. There's some flavor connections, in some cases (bat guano, as a good source of nitrates, resonates flavorfully with fireball, for instance). But, no mechanical interaction at all.

Components are necessary for the casting of the spell. Once cast, they're out of the picture and don't ever interact with effects or duration of the spell.

Why do you care? Is this purely a curiosity thing, or is this the first stage of an logical argument?

That's an odd question. What does it matter what his intended use for the answer to a question is?

 

[Zorku]

It's definitely lower cost if you can cast it when they're using their reaction, but based on the three lines I quoted that's not a legal move.

However, smacking them in the face to break their concentration is even cheaper, so if that's your concern have the guy that took mage slayer get up in their face.

 

[seebs]

I think that's right; the spell is fully cast at the end of their turn. Which implies that between the end of the caster's turn and their reaction, the spell has been cast, but has not been released. And that makes me think that, during that time, the spell still exists. So it's an exception to the "magic exists only for an instant" rule.

 

[Zorku]

Going off of the same three lines I quoted, the energy is there, but the spell has yet to come into effect.
For example with EB, I wouldn't say that the laser exists yet, there's only the Warlock concentrating on a readied spell. They've muttered their special words and knit their little crochet pattern into the weave of magic, but the magic of the spell doesn't yet exist. I don't think that holding back the spell is like spitting out the laser but then holding it still just in front of your hand- it's more like a pistol with a bullet in the chamber, and the hammer cocked. As soon as they pull the trigger then the spell goes off, but if you break their concentration first then the bullet falls out, perhaps into the astral plane where nobody present is likely to ever see that particular bullet again. Luckily you'e got infinite ammo for known cantrips, but fancier bullets aren't limitless.

 

[seebs]

I think the spell has to exist to be in a "concentration" state. You're actually holding the energy. Therefore, the energy is there to hold.