This came up in my session last night. A player with the sentinel feat was by a wizard who was going to cast fireball. He stated that it would activate his sentinel skill. I stated that he is casting a spell not taking the attack action. The argument was that it is still an attack against a target other than him (the fireball was not going to hit him). I ruled that because it's not a spell attack roll that it would not trigger the sentinel feat. This did get me thinking though; The third benefit of the Sentinel feat states:
When a creature within 5 feet of you makes an attack against a target other than you (and that target doesn’t have this feat), you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against the attacking creature.
Does this work for creatures making a spell attack, or just a melee/ranged weapon attacks? I always saw it as a creature taking an attack action only, and therefore would not work against someone taking the cast a spell action (in the PHB 192 Actions in combat section attack and casting a spell are two separate actions). I have read and heard people making the argument that if it involves a spell attack roll that it would trigger sentinel, but not if it's a spell save, area of affect or auto hit like magic missile.
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‘A’OHE PU’U KI’EKI’E KE HO’A’O ‘IA E PI’I – (No cliff is so tall it cannot be climbed.)
It would work on spells that make spell attacks. Fireball doesn't. Fireball triggers a saving throw and don't require an attack.
From the PHB:
Making an Attack
Whether you're striking with a melee weapon, firing a weapon at range, or making an attack roll as part of a spell, an attack has a simple structure.
1. Choose a target. Pick a target within your attack's range: a creature, an object, or a location.
2. Determine modifiers. The DM determines whether the target has cover and whether you have advantage or disadvantage against the target. In addition, spells, special abilities, and other effects can apply penalties or bonuses to your attack roll.
3. Resolve the attack. You make the attack roll. On a hit, you roll damage, unless the particular attack has rules that specify otherwise. Some attacks cause special effects in addition to or instead of damage.
If there's ever any question whether something you're doing counts as an attack, the rule is simple: if you're making an attack roll, you're making an attack.
Fireball doesn't make an attack roll, thus, it's not an attack.
You made the right ruling. It's one of the strange quirks of this edition that forcing someone to make a save is not actually considered an attack, for game rule purposes. If there's no attack roll, it's not an attack. It's simple and unambiguous, even if it doesn't always make sense.
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This came up in my session last night. A player with the sentinel feat was by a wizard who was going to cast fireball. He stated that it would activate his sentinel skill. I stated that he is casting a spell not taking the attack action. The argument was that it is still an attack against a target other than him (the fireball was not going to hit him). I ruled that because it's not a spell attack roll that it would not trigger the sentinel feat. This did get me thinking though; The third benefit of the Sentinel feat states:
Does this work for creatures making a spell attack, or just a melee/ranged weapon attacks? I always saw it as a creature taking an attack action only, and therefore would not work against someone taking the cast a spell action (in the PHB 192 Actions in combat section attack and casting a spell are two separate actions). I have read and heard people making the argument that if it involves a spell attack roll that it would trigger sentinel, but not if it's a spell save, area of affect or auto hit like magic missile.
‘A’OHE PU’U KI’EKI’E KE HO’A’O ‘IA E PI’I – (No cliff is so tall it cannot be climbed.)
It would work on spells that make spell attacks. Fireball doesn't. Fireball triggers a saving throw and don't require an attack.
From the PHB:
Making an Attack
Whether you're striking with a melee weapon, firing a weapon at range, or making an attack roll as part of a spell, an attack has a simple structure.
1. Choose a target. Pick a target within your attack's range: a creature, an object, or a location.
2. Determine modifiers. The DM determines whether the target has cover and whether you have advantage or disadvantage against the target. In addition, spells, special abilities, and other effects can apply penalties or bonuses to your attack roll.
3. Resolve the attack. You make the attack roll. On a hit, you roll damage, unless the particular attack has rules that specify otherwise. Some attacks cause special effects in addition to or instead of damage.
If there's ever any question whether something you're doing counts as an attack, the rule is simple: if you're making an attack roll, you're making an attack.
Fireball doesn't make an attack roll, thus, it's not an attack.
Forcing a save is not an attack (it would have been in 4th edition, but not in 5th edition).
I would allow it. Although not technically correct (see above) it fits the spirit of the rules.
You made the right ruling. It's one of the strange quirks of this edition that forcing someone to make a save is not actually considered an attack, for game rule purposes. If there's no attack roll, it's not an attack. It's simple and unambiguous, even if it doesn't always make sense.