Ok so I know when you declare a spell at the beginning of a round you must declare both spell and target. How does that work with AOE spells? Do you pick where in space the spell will explode and if the targets happen to move beyond that area does the spell miss? Or can you pick a target and ‘track’ them so long as they stay in sight and range?
In the recent session the party was fighting flyers and I ruled they had to pick the area when they started casting meaning the flyers probably wouldn’t be there if they beat the initiative roll. Reading the casting rules I’m not so sure I was right.
As far as I can tell, you only have to pick the spell, not the target.
"In order to cast a spell, a spellcaster must inform the Judge
that a spell is being cast, and which spell will be cast, before
the initiative dice are rolled. If the caster takes damage or fails
a saving throw before he acts, the spell is interrupted and lost.
(The spell still counts against the character’s spells per day as if
it had been cast.) A caster may not move or perform any other
action on the round he attempts to cast a spell. "
I could have sworn declaring targets is mentioned somewhere. Maybe it was on the forum?
From THIS post.
Also, from p. 66 of the core rules:
...a PC must announce the intention to cast a spell prior to initiative being determined at the beginning of a round...a spellcaster must have the intended target of a spell within visual range (unless otherwise noted), whether the target is a specific monster, character, or area of effect
Interestingly, it says that PCs must declare, not just any character.
Also, as far as I can tell, this mostly only matters to Fireball, which targets a point in space. Other spells, like Flame Strike, just say “target”. Lightning Bolt doesn’t even say what it targets, just that it affects all creatures in its area.
(Another interesting fact, despite being 30’ high and 10’ wide, Flame Strike reads as only affecting one target.)
I wonder, can I choose? If I don’t want to target an area to Lightning Bolt (or Fireball) a guy, can I target him directly, ensuring he’s hit if he’s there, while risking collateral damage?
Thanks! That’s where I’d read it. And your question was exactly what my players were asking.
Thanks for finding it.
However, Fireball doesn’t target a fixed point in space. It targets a distance and height, determined when the spell is cast. Couldn’t possibly result in the situation described, as I read it.
The only thing that description of “a spellcaster must have the intended target of a spell within visual range (unless otherwise noted), whether the target is a specific monster, character, or area of effect” prevents is you from saying “I cast Flesh to Stone on the next guy to walk around that corner.”
I don’t think it’s reasonable to read that as “if the intended target leaves, you can’t pick a new target.” That seems like a very different rule.
Hello guys -
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NPCs are also declaring, but they’re declaring to the Judge.
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“target” is not synonymous with “target creature”. I was not entirely consistent in this usage, which I regret. In general, unless the spells says (or context clearly suggests) otherwise, a “target” can be a creature, an object, or a point in space.
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The rule in question you are referencing to states “Finally, in most instances a spellcaster must have the intended target of a spell within visual range (unless otherwise noted), whether the target is a specific monster, character, or area of effect.” This is part of a larger paragraph, which lists the requirements for successfully casting a spell.
“All spellcasters need to be able to move their hands and speak in order to make the gestures and say the magical phrases that bring magic effects into being. As a result, a spellcaster cannot cast spells if he is gagged, his hands are tied, or he is in an area under the effects of a silence spell. Spellcasters may take no other actions during the same round they intend to cast a spell. As described in the Initiative section of Chapter 6, a PC must announce the intention to cast a spell prior to initiative being determined at the beginning of a round. Should an opponent successfully deal damage to the character or if the character is required to roll a saving throw and fails prior to casting a spell, the spell is disrupted and fails. The spell still counts against the character’s spells per day as if it had been cast. Finally, in most instances a spellcaster must have the intended target of a spell within visual range (unless otherwise noted), whether the target is a specific monster, character, or area of effect.”
The sentence above is not meant to be controlling on the requirement of pre-declaration, it’s meant to be controlling on the requirement to cast a spell.
To put it another way, the paragraph should be read as follows:
"In order to cast a spell, the spellcaster must:
- Have announced the attention to cast that spell prior to initiative being determined.
- Be able to move his hands and speak magical phrases.
- Take no other action during that round.
- Not take damage or fail a saving throw during that round.
- Have the intended target of the spell within visual range.
It is NOT intended to be read as follows:
- Have announced the attention to cast that spell prior to initiative being determined.
1a. And have the intended target of the spell within visual range prior to initiative being determined.
- Be able to move his hands and speak magical phrases.
- Take no other action during that round.
- Not take damage or fail a saving throw during that round.
Maticore is correct. See my response above.
Ah, ok. I thought it was stated previously that if, for example, you were casting Charm Person or Magic Missile at Orc A, and he dies/flees around a corner before your action, the spell is lost. Or if you were going to throw a fireball into a room and then suddenly you could no longer see into the room (darkness, obscuring cloud, whatever) the spell fizzles.
So that isn’t the case then? You can pick a new target instead?