Hello so I have been running a Curse of Strahd with a group of friends. Been going great, but I have one player who usually likes playing rules lawyer alot. In a recent session he used Wall of Fire against a horde of enemies. Which is smart and I was going to have the enemies give the wall a wide berth and go out another cave entrance.
The player however said they take damage from the 10 foot radius which greatly confused me because they aren't entering the literal wall of fire, they are avoiding it. After some time I just gave in because it was a large battle anyway. I looked up the spell later to clarify for future sessions since I remember thinking to myself that sounds broken.
Sure as shit, it specifies in the spell that if a creature ends it's turn in the 10 foot radius, then it takes damage. Yet the player keeps insisting that they have to take damage. Please I need everyone's input, because it is greatly frustrating.
I am unsure what you're asking. They can avoid the damage by not passing through the wall or ending their turn in the 10' area on one side of wall; if they don't do that, they'll take damage.
The interpretation is accurate. If any creature is in that 10-foot radius, it'll take the damage. The response is to move further away and shift tactics while rewarding the player for good play.
...and then have enemies range attack the spellcaster, etc.
If the player is insisting they take the damage when they end their turn more than 10 feet away they are wrong.
I have a question for this spell. We have a caster that is arguing that damage is dealt on the casting and that damage is given again when the opponent moves through the wall while exiting. Any thoughts?
I have a question for this spell. We have a caster that is arguing that damage is dealt on the casting and that damage is given again when the opponent moves through the wall while exiting. Any thoughts?
That is probably correct. Wall of fire consists of a 1' thick wall and a 10' danger zone. If a character is in either the danger zone or the wall, they take damage when the wall is cast. If a character is in the danger zone (but not in the wall) they take damage if they try to pass through the wall. Thus if you, for example, create a ring around the target (close enough to cause damage, but not touching; typically this means 10' radius) the target with the danger zone inwards, and the target cannot avoid the wall (by, say, going over or under it) they will take damage twice.
When the wall appears, each creature in its area makes a Dexterity saving throw, taking 5d8 Fire damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.
One side of the wall, selected by you when you cast this spell, deals 5d8 Fire damage to each creature that ends its turn within 10 feet of that side or inside the wall. A creature takes the same damage when it enters the wall for the first time on a turn or ends its turn there. The other side of the wall deals no damage.
So... creatures in the walls area at casting are damaged. Creatures in the danger zone are not by my interpretation. The text calls out the "hot side" damage as coming to play either when creatures enter the wall for the first time on their turn OR when they end their turn there. One, or the other, but not both.
The timing is what I want to call attention to. The immediate damage happens, based on location, when the caster casts Wall of Fire on their turn. The danger zone (hot side of the wall) happens on other characters turn. Either upon entering the wall, or ending their turn in the danger zone. I'm willing to be wrong (Sage advice, etc. would be nice), but what I read makes that sequencing clear.
Hello so I have been running a Curse of Strahd with a group of friends. Been going great, but I have one player who usually likes playing rules lawyer alot. In a recent session he used Wall of Fire against a horde of enemies. Which is smart and I was going to have the enemies give the wall a wide berth and go out another cave entrance.
The player however said they take damage from the 10 foot radius which greatly confused me because they aren't entering the literal wall of fire, they are avoiding it. After some time I just gave in because it was a large battle anyway. I looked up the spell later to clarify for future sessions since I remember thinking to myself that sounds broken.
Sure as shit, it specifies in the spell that if a creature ends it's turn in the 10 foot radius, then it takes damage. Yet the player keeps insisting that they have to take damage. Please I need everyone's input, because it is greatly frustrating.
I am unsure what you're asking. They can avoid the damage by not passing through the wall or ending their turn in the 10' area on one side of wall; if they don't do that, they'll take damage.
The interpretation is accurate. If any creature is in that 10-foot radius, it'll take the damage. The response is to move further away and shift tactics while rewarding the player for good play.
...and then have enemies range attack the spellcaster, etc.
If the player is insisting they take the damage when they end their turn more than 10 feet away they are wrong.
I have a question for this spell. We have a caster that is arguing that damage is dealt on the casting and that damage is given again when the opponent moves through the wall while exiting. Any thoughts?
That is probably correct. Wall of fire consists of a 1' thick wall and a 10' danger zone. If a character is in either the danger zone or the wall, they take damage when the wall is cast. If a character is in the danger zone (but not in the wall) they take damage if they try to pass through the wall. Thus if you, for example, create a ring around the target (close enough to cause damage, but not touching; typically this means 10' radius) the target with the danger zone inwards, and the target cannot avoid the wall (by, say, going over or under it) they will take damage twice.
Here's the text from the 2024 rules:
So... creatures in the walls area at casting are damaged. Creatures in the danger zone are not by my interpretation. The text calls out the "hot side" damage as coming to play either when creatures enter the wall for the first time on their turn OR when they end their turn there. One, or the other, but not both.
The timing is what I want to call attention to. The immediate damage happens, based on location, when the caster casts Wall of Fire on their turn. The danger zone (hot side of the wall) happens on other characters turn. Either upon entering the wall, or ending their turn in the danger zone. I'm willing to be wrong (Sage advice, etc. would be nice), but what I read makes that sequencing clear.
Hm. On reflection, that may be true.