In spells that say "up to," does it mean you have to roll to determine or is there something else that is a limiting factor?
2 examples:
Goodberry states, "Up to ten goodberries appear in your hand" Do 10 always appear in your hand unless there something that prevents the spell from working fully?
Thorn Whip states, "you pull the creature up to 10' closer to you" Does Thorn Whip always pull the creature 10' closer unless you are only 6 feet away then it's 6'?
If the caster wishes to only create 5 berries, they can. It doesn’t have to make 10 berries.
The caster can choose to only pull the target 5 feet, they don’t have to pull it the full 10. (All distance in D&D 5e is measured in 5-foot increments.)
I'd rule that "Up To" for Goodberry simply implies that the player has the option to produce less than 10, even if there's no mechanical benefit to doing so.
As for something like thornwhip... unquestionably it means that, if the character is less than 10' away from their target, the target only moves the number of available feet. Although I'd also rule that, if a player chooses to, they can move their enemies a shorter distance, just in case they want to pull them, say... into a hole only 5 feet away.
If the caster wishes to only create 5 berries, they can. It doesn’t have to make 10 berries.
The caster can choose to only pull the target 5 feet, they don’t have to pull it the full 10. (All distance in D&D 5e is measured in 5-foot increments.)
Actually, no - D&D distance is not measured in 5' increments. This only matters if you are using the optional playing on a grid rules which are typically 5' squares. If you are playing theatre of the mind, thorn whip could pull a creature anywhere from zero to 10' ... if it made any difference.
As to the OP question, "up to" in this context, in my opinion, means that the caster can decide the effect of the spell in relation to that one parameter.
In spells that say "up to," does it mean you have to roll to determine or is there something else that is a limiting factor?
2 examples:
Goodberry states, "Up to ten goodberries appear in your hand" Do 10 always appear in your hand unless there something that prevents the spell from working fully?
Thorn Whip states, "you pull the creature up to 10' closer to you" Does Thorn Whip always pull the creature 10' closer unless you are only 6 feet away then it's 6'?
I believe it's decided by the caster, but don't quote me on that.
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If the caster wishes to only create 5 berries, they can. It doesn’t have to make 10 berries.
The caster can choose to only pull the target 5 feet, they don’t have to pull it the full 10. (All distance in D&D 5e is measured in 5-foot increments.)
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I'd rule that "Up To" for Goodberry simply implies that the player has the option to produce less than 10, even if there's no mechanical benefit to doing so.
As for something like thornwhip... unquestionably it means that, if the character is less than 10' away from their target, the target only moves the number of available feet. Although I'd also rule that, if a player chooses to, they can move their enemies a shorter distance, just in case they want to pull them, say... into a hole only 5 feet away.
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Actually, no - D&D distance is not measured in 5' increments. This only matters if you are using the optional playing on a grid rules which are typically 5' squares. If you are playing theatre of the mind, thorn whip could pull a creature anywhere from zero to 10' ... if it made any difference.
As to the OP question, "up to" in this context, in my opinion, means that the caster can decide the effect of the spell in relation to that one parameter.