The simplest explanation is the one that checks reach once each time an OA is triggered, not twice, and which lets a player pick any of their wielded weapons. But its all in how you look at it, I suppose, I can see why your way is simple too.
-A goblin starts its turn next to my Artificer with War Caster and a lance.
-If the goblin moves 5 feet from my character, I can use my reaction to either Unarmed Strike or cast a spell (Shocking Grasp) before he leaves melee range. I cannot use the lance because the goblin has not left the lance's range, and I shouldn't use a ranged spell (Firebolt) because the reaction goes off while the goblin is still adjacent.
-If the goblin moves 10 feet from my character, I can either do an opportunity attack at melee range (unarmed strike or Shocking Grasp), or at the 10 foot mark (lance or Firebolt), and I get to choose whether it happens at 5 ft or 10 ft.
-A goblin starts its turn next to my Artificer with War Caster and a lance.
-If the goblin moves 5 feet from my character, I can use my reaction to either Unarmed Strike or cast a spell (Shocking Grasp) before he leaves melee range. I cannot use the lance because the goblin has not left the lance's range, and I shouldn't use a ranged spell (Firebolt) because the reaction goes off while the goblin is still adjacent.
-If the goblin moves 10 feet from my character, I can either do an opportunity attack at melee range (unarmed strike or Shocking Grasp), or at the 10 foot mark (lance or Firebolt), and I get to choose whether it happens at 5 ft or 10 ft.
There is also the other issue I mentioned in post #2 where you described having a lance in one hand and a shield in the other, while fire bolt and shocking grasp require a somatic component for casting and that could complicate things since you need a free hand for somatic spells under most circumstances.
-A goblin starts its turn next to my Artificer with War Caster and a lance.
-If the goblin moves 5 feet from my character, I can use my reaction to either Unarmed Strike or cast a spell (Shocking Grasp) before he leaves melee range. I cannot use the lance because the goblin has not left the lance's range, and I shouldn't use a ranged spell (Firebolt) because the reaction goes off while the goblin is still adjacent.
-If the goblin moves 10 feet from my character, I can either do an opportunity attack at melee range (unarmed strike or Shocking Grasp), or at the 10 foot mark (lance or Firebolt), and I get to choose whether it happens at 5 ft or 10 ft.
Is this correct?
No. Your third bullet point is incorrect. It should read like this:
If the goblin moves 5 feet from my character and I choose not to make an OA, so I still have my reaction available, and then while 5 feet away it moves to 10 feet away, I can make an OA with the lance or with Firebolt.
If you want an example cantrip that will just work at either distance without disadvantage, Thorn Whip and Toll the Dead will both work. War Caster also doesn't require a cantrip, so you can use a leveled spell - Banishment is a heck of a spell to cast with War Caster.
Note that you can make the 10-foot OA with Shocking Grasp, it will simply automatically fail, like any time you try to attack something out of range. If you want an example cantrip that will just work at either distance without disadvantage, Thorn Whip and Toll the Dead will both work. War Caster also doesn't require a cantrip, so you can use a leveled spell - Banishment is a heck of a spell to cast with War Caster.
No, you cannot cast a spell without a valid target, and that requires a target within range. I think you are mixing that up with the total cover/line of effect rules, which hold that if you target something that is within range but which you don't have line of effect to, the point of origin emerges on the near side of the cover.
There is also the other issue I mentioned in post #2 where you described having a lance in one hand and a shield in the other, while fire bolt and shocking grasp require a somatic component for casting and that could complicate things since you need a free hand for somatic spells under most circumstances.
War Caster
Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one spell
You have practiced casting spells in the midst of combat, learning techniques that grant you the following benefits:
You have advantage on Constitution saving throws that you make to maintain your concentration on a spell when you take damage.
You can perform the somatic components of spells even when you have weapons or a shield in one or both hands.
When a hostile creature's movement provokes an opportunity attack from you, you can use your reaction to cast a spell at the creature, rather than making an opportunity attack. The spell must have a casting time of 1 action and must target only that creature.
Whoops. I guess that's the exception to "most circumstances."
I will point out that even though somatic components aren't a problem with this, if you are wielding two weapons (neither of which are a focus), material components may become an issue.
Note that you can make the 10-foot OA with Shocking Grasp, it will simply automatically fail, like any time you try to attack something out of range. If you want an example cantrip that will just work at either distance without disadvantage, Thorn Whip and Toll the Dead will both work. War Caster also doesn't require a cantrip, so you can use a leveled spell - Banishment is a heck of a spell to cast with War Caster.
No, you cannot cast a spell without a valid target, and that requires a target within range. I think you are mixing that up with the total cover/line of effect rules, which hold that if you target something that is within range but which you don't have line of effect to, the point of origin emerges on the near side of the cover.
Whoops. I guess that's the exception to "most circumstances."
I will point out that even though somatic components aren't a problem with this, if you are wielding two weapons (neither of which are a focus), material components may become an issue.
Oh, that's a really good point actually. Honestly, thank goodness for DnD Beyond. I can filter Artificer spells by 1 action and no material components, and... it's almost entirely cantrips and out-of-combat/utility/buff spells. Oof.
Still a nice bread-and-butter tactic, though. And I do eventually get to cast Elemental Bane or Dispel Magic, both of which are circumstantially great as opportunity attacks... but I get my first 3rd level slot at 9, whereas this tactic comes online with War Caster at 4.
VERY handy for primary casters though, if someone decides to take War Caster on a frontline build. Heck, take a polearm on a Cleric, and you get to whip out stuff like Inflict Wounds, Guiding Bolt, or Bestow Curse as a reaction. That's nuts.
Well if we're talking Artificers, any item that they've infused is a spellcasting focus, which means holding it will satisfy M and S components even without War Caster. So, no need to filter out the M's, you're G2G.
When wielding a shortsword and a whip, I don't "take the Attack action with my Whip." I "take the Attack action," and then, freely choose for any individual attack whether it's made with a shortsword, a whip, or an Unarmed Strike.
When wielding a shortsword and a whip, a creature does not "trigger an Opportunity Attack reaction from your short sword and Unarmed Strike." They trigger an Opportunity Attack when stepping out from your reach (5 feet), and then the player freely chooses whether to take it with their shortsword, a whip, or an Unarmed Strike since all three can legally target that 5-foot-away creature. If you don't take the OA, and the creature then tries to step out from 10 feet reach, they again just "trigger an Opportunity Attack" when stepping out from your reach (10 feet), and then the player freely chooses what weapon to take it with... which only the Whip can reach a 10-foot away creature, so that's what they use.
You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your reach. The Reach property explain that itdetermine your reach for opportunity attacks with it. So if a creature hasn't left a your reach with a glaive, it doesn't meet the trigger for OA.
It's clear that reach is a quality taken at highest value. The Reach property ADDS 5 to it, rather than give you an additional reach of 10 feet. While welding a polearm, moving within one's reach =/= leaving your reach. The farthest you can reach, the more spaces around you doesn't provoke. Hence why you can move within the reach of a polearm without provoking.
Wielding is permissive; wielding a whip does not mean you are NOT wielding your short sword. A short sword does not have Reach. Thus, “your reach” for attacks and OA with the short sword is 5, and for the whip is 10. Moving out of 5 is leaving your reach, the whip doesn’t get to demand that it’s the weapon used to calculate your reach for every OA.
Multiple “your reach” values is a necessary conclusion from what we’re given in the PHB. You’re skipping over the “with it” element of Reach.
When wielding a shortsword and a whip, I don't "take the Attack action with my Whip." I "take the Attack action," and then, freely choose for any individual attack whether it's made with a shortsword, a whip, or an Unarmed Strike.
When wielding a shortsword and a whip, a creature does not "trigger an Opportunity Attack reaction from your short sword and Unarmed Strike." They trigger an Opportunity Attack when stepping out from your reach (5 feet), and then the player freely chooses whether to take it with their shortsword, a whip, or an Unarmed Strike since all three can legally target that 5-foot-away creature. If you don't take the OA, and the creature then tries to step out from 10 feet reach, they again just "trigger an Opportunity Attack" when stepping out from your reach (10 feet), and then the player freely chooses what weapon to take it with... which only the Whip can reach a 10-foot away creature, so that's what they use.
You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your reach. The Reach property explain that itdetermine your reach for opportunity attacks with it. So if a creature hasn't left a your reach with a glaive, it doesn't meet the trigger for OA.
It's clear that reach is a quality taken at highest value. The Reach property ADDS 5 to it, rather than give you an additional reach of 10 feet. While welding a polearm, moving within one's reach =/= leaving your reach. The farthest you can reach, the more spaces around you doesn't provoke. Hence why you can move within the reach of a polearm without provoking.
It makes absolutely no sense, RAW or RAI, that holding a whip magically stops you from kicking people you could kick if you dropped the whip. By definition, reach only modifies your reach for OAs with the reach weapon - that's in the rules text, which I provided earlier. You still use your own native reach for all OAs with any other weapon.
By definition, a hostile creature triggers an OA when it leaves your reach. Barring a rule to the contrary, which reach weapons lack, if your reach is 5 feet, any hostile creature going from 5 feet from you to 10 triggers an OA. There's a rule saying they do, and no rule saying they don't. The only possible area of ambiguity is what happens when they go from 10 to 15 while you are wielding a whip- indeed, pre-errata, the PHB answer for this was unequivocally "nothing", because OAs were only ever triggered by leaving your reach. Likewise, pre-errata, you could make 5-foot OAs with these weapons.
There's no rules basis for arguing that whips and glaives shut down 5-foot OAs entirely. The only rules ambiguity I can see is arguing a) when you make a 5-foot OA, can you use a reach weapon, and b) do reach weapons enable 10-foot OAs to be triggered - I don't think either is ambiguous, but I can see how someone might argue there's a grey area, or get confused.
Posting the rules text again:
You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your reach. To make the opportunity attack, you use your reaction to make one melee attack against the provoking creature. The attack occurs right before the creature leaves your reach.
Reach. This weapon adds 5 feet to your reach when you attack with it, as well as when determining your reach for opportunity attacks with it.
There is no rules explicitly backing up what you claim. In absence of that and with Sage Advice also going againt your claim, its pretty clear that claim is wrong.
It doesn't say you can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of one of your reaches. Just your reach. Taken that most creatures have a 5-foot reach and having a Reach weapon desn't give you an additional reach, but add 5 feet to your reach, it mean you now have a reach of 10 feet with a glaive. When welding it, anyone not moving past 10 feet doesn't trigger OA as they don't leave your reach. That is why SAC explicitly says if you’re wielding a halberd, a creature that is right next to you could move 5 feet away without triggering an opportunity attack.
The simplest explanation is the one that checks reach once each time an OA is triggered, not twice, and which lets a player pick any of their wielded weapons. But its all in how you look at it, I suppose, I can see why your way is simple too.
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So what I'm getting from the discussion is this:
-A goblin starts its turn next to my Artificer with War Caster and a lance.
-If the goblin moves 5 feet from my character, I can use my reaction to either Unarmed Strike or cast a spell (Shocking Grasp) before he leaves melee range. I cannot use the lance because the goblin has not left the lance's range, and I shouldn't use a ranged spell (Firebolt) because the reaction goes off while the goblin is still adjacent.
-If the goblin moves 10 feet from my character, I can either do an opportunity attack at melee range (unarmed strike or Shocking Grasp), or at the 10 foot mark (lance or Firebolt), and I get to choose whether it happens at 5 ft or 10 ft.
Is this correct?
I feel this is the best way to do this yes.
There is also the other issue I mentioned in post #2 where you described having a lance in one hand and a shield in the other, while fire bolt and shocking grasp require a somatic component for casting and that could complicate things since you need a free hand for somatic spells under most circumstances.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
No. Your third bullet point is incorrect. It should read like this:
If you want an example cantrip that will just work at either distance without disadvantage, Thorn Whip and Toll the Dead will both work. War Caster also doesn't require a cantrip, so you can use a leveled spell - Banishment is a heck of a spell to cast with War Caster.
No, you cannot cast a spell without a valid target, and that requires a target within range. I think you are mixing that up with the total cover/line of effect rules, which hold that if you target something that is within range but which you don't have line of effect to, the point of origin emerges on the near side of the cover.
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War Caster
You have practiced casting spells in the midst of combat, learning techniques that grant you the following benefits:
Whoops. I guess that's the exception to "most circumstances."
"Not all those who wander are lost"
I will point out that even though somatic components aren't a problem with this, if you are wielding two weapons (neither of which are a focus), material components may become an issue.
Ah, you're right. I'll edit my post.
Oh, that's a really good point actually. Honestly, thank goodness for DnD Beyond. I can filter Artificer spells by 1 action and no material components, and... it's almost entirely cantrips and out-of-combat/utility/buff spells. Oof.
Still a nice bread-and-butter tactic, though. And I do eventually get to cast Elemental Bane or Dispel Magic, both of which are circumstantially great as opportunity attacks... but I get my first 3rd level slot at 9, whereas this tactic comes online with War Caster at 4.
VERY handy for primary casters though, if someone decides to take War Caster on a frontline build. Heck, take a polearm on a Cleric, and you get to whip out stuff like Inflict Wounds, Guiding Bolt, or Bestow Curse as a reaction. That's nuts.
Well if we're talking Artificers, any item that they've infused is a spellcasting focus, which means holding it will satisfy M and S components even without War Caster. So, no need to filter out the M's, you're G2G.
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
And on top of that, It seems that all artificer spells require a focus.
You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your reach. The Reach property explain that it determine your reach for opportunity attacks with it. So if a creature hasn't left a your reach with a glaive, it doesn't meet the trigger for OA.
It's clear that reach is a quality taken at highest value. The Reach property ADDS 5 to it, rather than give you an additional reach of 10 feet. While welding a polearm, moving within one's reach =/= leaving your reach. The farthest you can reach, the more spaces around you doesn't provoke. Hence why you can move within the reach of a polearm without provoking.
Wielding is permissive; wielding a whip does not mean you are NOT wielding your short sword. A short sword does not have Reach. Thus, “your reach” for attacks and OA with the short sword is 5, and for the whip is 10. Moving out of 5 is leaving your reach, the whip doesn’t get to demand that it’s the weapon used to calculate your reach for every OA.
Multiple “your reach” values is a necessary conclusion from what we’re given in the PHB. You’re skipping over the “with it” element of Reach.
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
It makes absolutely no sense, RAW or RAI, that holding a whip magically stops you from kicking people you could kick if you dropped the whip. By definition, reach only modifies your reach for OAs with the reach weapon - that's in the rules text, which I provided earlier. You still use your own native reach for all OAs with any other weapon.
By definition, a hostile creature triggers an OA when it leaves your reach. Barring a rule to the contrary, which reach weapons lack, if your reach is 5 feet, any hostile creature going from 5 feet from you to 10 triggers an OA. There's a rule saying they do, and no rule saying they don't. The only possible area of ambiguity is what happens when they go from 10 to 15 while you are wielding a whip- indeed, pre-errata, the PHB answer for this was unequivocally "nothing", because OAs were only ever triggered by leaving your reach. Likewise, pre-errata, you could make 5-foot OAs with these weapons.
There's no rules basis for arguing that whips and glaives shut down 5-foot OAs entirely. The only rules ambiguity I can see is arguing a) when you make a 5-foot OA, can you use a reach weapon, and b) do reach weapons enable 10-foot OAs to be triggered - I don't think either is ambiguous, but I can see how someone might argue there's a grey area, or get confused.
Posting the rules text again:
You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your reach. To make the opportunity attack, you use your reaction to make one melee attack against the provoking creature. The attack occurs right before the creature leaves your reach.
Reach. This weapon adds 5 feet to your reach when you attack with it, as well as when determining your reach for opportunity attacks with it.
There is no rules explicitly backing up what you claim. In absence of that and with Sage Advice also going againt your claim, its pretty clear that claim is wrong.
It doesn't say you can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of one of your reaches. Just your reach. Taken that most creatures have a 5-foot reach and having a Reach weapon desn't give you an additional reach, but add 5 feet to your reach, it mean you now have a reach of 10 feet with a glaive. When welding it, anyone not moving past 10 feet doesn't trigger OA as they don't leave your reach. That is why SAC explicitly says if you’re wielding a halberd, a creature that is right next to you could move 5 feet away without triggering an opportunity attack.
Hang on. Either I am misreading your latest post or you are arguing against the point that you yourself made in post #16.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
You're clearly misreading something if you think that ☺
He’s not the only one thinking it. Chant “with it” a few times to remind yourself what you’re overlooking in your last several posts.
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.