The two things I'm racking my brain about are spells that don't require a target per say.
If a spell states "hits all enemies in a line" or in toll the dead's case it says "one creature you can see in range"
Would these spells still have disadvantage to someone close to you. Since there isn't an attack roll made just damage? or since it's a spell would it still have disadvantage
No, the spells you refer to don't make an attack roll, so there is no disadvantage for the caster. Instead, the targets roll a saving throw against the caster's spellcasting DC, which determines how the spell affects them.
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Helpful rewriter of Japanese->English translation and delver into software codebases (she/e/they)
Beardsinger, naruhoodie, and IamSposta are correct. Spells that require their targets to make a save cannot get advantage or disadvantage in the same way as attack rolls.
Instead the target determines if they have advantage or disadvantage on the saving throw. For example some features like the Barbarian's Danger Sense gives them advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects they can see. Conversely something like the Restrained condition gives disadvantage on Dexterity saves.
The two things I'm racking my brain about are spells that don't require a target per say.
If a spell states "hits all enemies in a line" or in toll the dead's case it says "one creature you can see in range"
Would these spells still have disadvantage to someone close to you. Since there isn't an attack roll made just damage? or since it's a spell would it still have disadvantage
That's one of the benefits to taking spells that force saving throws instead of spells that make attack rolls, they can be used up close or at a distance without penalty as long as you obey the rules for the spell's range and area of effect. As a spellcaster, it's often considered a good strategy to have a mix of spells, some that "attack", and some that force a variety of different saving throws. It's the same with the damage types your spells inflict. Having a theme to your spell selection is certainly fun and can be great for storytelling, but being a one-trick pony can be trouble when you come up against monsters your one trick doesn't work on. Just ask any Warlock who's had to fight a Helmed Horror :)
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The two things I'm racking my brain about are spells that don't require a target per say.
If a spell states "hits all enemies in a line" or in toll the dead's case it says "one creature you can see in range"
Would these spells still have disadvantage to someone close to you. Since there isn't an attack roll made just damage? or since it's a spell would it still have disadvantage
A spell that doesn’t need an attack roll cannot have advantage or disadvantage. You can’t roll 2 dice if you weren’t rolling 1 dice to begin with.
No, the spells you refer to don't make an attack roll, so there is no disadvantage for the caster. Instead, the targets roll a saving throw against the caster's spellcasting DC, which determines how the spell affects them.
Helpful rewriter of Japanese->English translation and delver into software codebases (she/e/they)
Those spells aren’t “attacks” in the D&D sense of the word since they don’t require attack rolls. No attack means no disadvantage.
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Beardsinger, naruhoodie, and IamSposta are correct. Spells that require their targets to make a save cannot get advantage or disadvantage in the same way as attack rolls.
Instead the target determines if they have advantage or disadvantage on the saving throw. For example some features like the Barbarian's Danger Sense gives them advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects they can see. Conversely something like the Restrained condition gives disadvantage on Dexterity saves.
That's one of the benefits to taking spells that force saving throws instead of spells that make attack rolls, they can be used up close or at a distance without penalty as long as you obey the rules for the spell's range and area of effect. As a spellcaster, it's often considered a good strategy to have a mix of spells, some that "attack", and some that force a variety of different saving throws. It's the same with the damage types your spells inflict. Having a theme to your spell selection is certainly fun and can be great for storytelling, but being a one-trick pony can be trouble when you come up against monsters your one trick doesn't work on. Just ask any Warlock who's had to fight a Helmed Horror :)