What is an object? (Shatter)

[Prophet2b]

For the shatter spell, when it says it can shatter a single, solid object, what is this referring to?

For example, if you happen upon a brick wall, which would obviously be too big to shatter, could you shatter individual stones in the wall?

Or a door - can you shatter hinges? Locks? The knob?

I'm thinking in the Warlock's case, here, because a player of mine (who is a Warlock) asked me about this...

I'm afraid that allowing some of this could potentially be very broken. On the other hand, he's right - I wouldn't have a problem with him shattering a chain that's holding up a chandeler. So what's the difference between that and a brick, or lock, or hinge?

He pointed out that this is only a concern of mine because a Warlock can do this at will, too. If it was a Wizard with shatter, I wouldn't be so concerned. Which... is true. And I definitely don't want to gimp his character. I see his point, and I agree with it - I just want to make sure it couldn't be broken.

As he pointed out, too, it can't shatter magical objects - so that is a pretty huge balancing factor right there, as well.

But I'm just curious about other people's experiences with shatter, what they have and haven't allowed, and what their reasoning was for it.

Thanks!

 

[Pyrex]

I'd say if he wants to target a Brick* or a Lock or a Hinge, let him. It'll take him a long, *loud* time to punch a useful hole through a wall; after all, it's not like he couldn't just burn a hole with his Eldritch Blast anyway...

*I'd allow fitted bricks to be targeted individually. I'd rule that (metaphysically speaking) the act of mortaring them "welds" the wall into a single object.

 

[werk]

*I'd allow fitted bricks to be targeted individually. I'd rule that (metaphysically speaking) the act of mortaring them "welds" the wall into a single object.

I think I'd go along with this. A hinge is an object but once it is attached to a door, it is part of the door as a larger assembly object.

So he could bust bricks, so long as it was a brick sitting on the group, but once assembled into a wall, the whole wall is the object and targetting just one brick would be, basically, like a called shot. I mean, if he can target a brick in a wall, why can't he target the bad guy's left eye? or head? or sword arm?

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

I mean, if he can target a brick in a wall, why can't he target the bad guy's left eye? or head? or sword arm?

Shatter targets objects. Is a brick an object? If yes, Shatter can target it.

Burning Blood targets creatures. Is an arm a creature? If yes, Burning Blood can target it.

An arm is, plainly, not a creature. It is part of a creature. On its own, it is an object (assuming it is not somehow animated). Therefore Burning Blood cannot target it. Not to mention that there are no rules to explain what the effect of application of damage only to an arm would be.

Is a brick an object, or is it part of a wall? Is an apple an object, or is it part of a bowl of fruit? If it takes a few rounds to pry the brick free, does it make it any less of an object than if it's sitting by itself on a table? The rules are silent on this, so it's totally up to the group (or DM) to decide.