DM: The trapdoor opens under your feet and you fall.
Player: Oh no! I am now a falling creature! What happens to me as a result of this tragic event!?
DM: You instantly smash into the floor far below you. Roll 20d6.
OR:
DM: The trapdoor opens under your feet and you fall.
Player: Oh no! I am now a falling creature! I react to this tragic event instantly by casting Feather Fall. What happens to me as a result of this tragic event and my reaction to it?
DM: You float gently down to the floor far below you and suffer no damage.
(This is rules as written in both core and optional rule books. The critical concept is understanding how Reactions work.)
Falling even 10 feet takes more than a fraction of a second, which is what a reaction spell takes to bring about The XGE optional rule for fall at high altitude take more than a few seconds so even longer...
Reaction: These spells take a fraction of a second to bring about and are cast in response to some event.
Rate of Falling: Realistically, a fall from such a height can take more than a few seconds
We don't agree. Generally "when you fall from a great height, you instantly descend up to 500 feet" unless you specifically descend at a different rate.
DM: The trapdoor opens under your feet and you fall.
Player: Oh no! I am now a falling creature! What happens to me as a result of this tragic event!?
DM: You instantly smash into the floor far below you. Roll 20d6.
OR:
DM: The trapdoor opens under your feet and you fall.
Player: Oh no! I am now a falling creature! I react to this tragic event instantly by casting Feather Fall. What happens to me as a result of this tragic event and my reaction to it?
DM: You float gently down to the floor far below you and suffer no damage.
(This is rules as written in both core and optional rule books. The critical concept is understanding how Reactions work.)
You didn't apply instant falls to either of these scenarios.
Here is instant falls applied:
DM: The trapdoor opens under your feet make a Dex save DC:X.
Player: Only a 2, it fails. :(
DM: You instantly fall, smashing into the floor far below you. You take 20d6 damage and are prone.
Player: Oh no! I am now a falling creature! What happens to me as a result of this tragic event!?
DM: You are not a falling creature, you are a prone... or maybe even dead creature.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Falling even 10 feet takes more than a fraction of a second, which is what a reaction spell takes to bring about The XGE optional rule for fall at high altitude take more than a few seconds so even longer...
Reaction: These spells take a fraction of a second to bring about and are cast in response to some event.
Rate of Falling: Realistically, a fall from such a height can take more than a few seconds
"Realistically, a fall from such a height can take more than a few seconds, extending past the end of the turn when the fall occurred."
Yes, if you fall over 500ft using XGtE optional rule you just sorta hang out mid-air. At which point you're a "falling creature". We covered that earlier but no one is really contesting that's how this works for long falls.
We're talking shorter falls. The ones that would fall under the "instant" phrasing.
But if you're agreeing with me that a fall over 10ft takes fractions of a second I'll take it. We agree that falls aren't instant.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Using XGE they are so "you instantly descend up to 500 feet" unless you specifically descend at a different rate in a fraction of a second in response to falling.
Using XGE they are so "you instantly descend up to 500 feet" unless you specifically descend at a different rate in a fraction of a second in response to falling.
Instantly falling 500ft isn't a rate. Nor can you slow from it. It isn't a velocity at all.
Besides, you again seem to be saying there is some fractions of seconds after the fall starts before it concludes. So you agree it isn't instant.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Using XGE they are so "you instantly descend up to 500 feet" unless you specifically descend at a different rate in a fraction of a second in response to falling.
Instantly falling 500ft isn't a rate. Nor can you slow from it. It isn't a velocity at all.
Besides, you again seem to be saying there is some fractions of seconds after the fall starts before it concludes. So you agree it isn't instant.
Do you have the book or you're arguing without the info? The XGE rule is called Rate of Falling and introduce a rate of descend of 500 feet per round.
Right you won't instantly descend up to 500 feet if your rate of descent slows to 60 feet per round. To descend up to 500 feet will take you 9 rounds.
DM: The trapdoor opens under your feet make a Dex save DC:X.
Player: Only a 2, it fails. :(
DM: You instantly fall, smashing into the floor far below you. You take 20d6 damage and are prone.
No, that is incorrect. It happens like this:
Here is instant falls applied:
DM: The trapdoor opens under your feet make a Dex save DC:X.
Player: Only a 2, it fails. :(
DM: You instantly fall, (Player: I react to this!) smashing into the floor far below you. You take 20d6 damage and are prone.
The above reaction creates a branch in the gameflow away from the DM's "turn", interrupting that turn instantly. The Player's Reaction is played out and resolved. Then the gameflow reverts back to the DM and continues from where it left off. In this case the effect as described by the DM has been changed even though no time has passed.
What you are missing in all of this discussion is that it's a question of game mechanics. The mechanics for how the players interact with the game are separate from how the characters in the game world are perceiving the passage of time. The game is set up in a turn-based manner so that it can actually be played. There is a flow for how the game plays out. In combat, players take "turns" being in the spotlight and describing what characters are doing round by round, even though the idea is that everything is sort of happening almost at the same time, within a 6 second period. Out-of-combat the game flow is that players declare what the characters are doing and the DM describes the effects of the characters on the game world and the effects of the game world on the players. It's a back-and-forth flow that tells a story.
Just about everything that happens in the game world is cause and effect. My character uses movement, that has a certain effect. My character casts a spell, that has a certain effect. My character attacks or even hits with an attack, those have certain effects also. Mechanically, Reactions are an instant response to a trigger. This has nothing to do with time in the game world. The trigger is described in our (the player's) world. Before that trigger resolves we might have a reaction. That's how the game is designed.
This is how some of the other examples are also possible. I am hit by an attack. This is a trigger that instantly causes me to take damage. Except that if I cast Shield on myself in response to that trigger (being hit by an attack), I do not actually take any damage, even though I was just hit. There was no passage of time. I was hit, I instantly react by casting Shield, and then the effect of that hit is that I take no damage (or that it was actually a miss).
The other example was that you can Counterspell a Counterspell. So, my ally casts a damage spell on an enemy. The enemy instantly casts Counterspell which occurs instantaneously. I can now react to this by casting my own Counterspell to that Counterspell (because of how triggers and Reactions work mechanically) and the damage goes through even though no time has passed. Again, there are tons of examples like this -- it's how Reactions work. It's a game mechanic -- no time is required.
DM: The trapdoor opens under your feet make a Dex save DC:X.
Player: Only a 2, it fails. :(
DM: You instantly fall, smashing into the floor far below you. You take 20d6 damage and are prone.
No, that is incorrect.
It really isn't.
DM: You instantly fall, smashing into the floor far below you. You take 20d6 damage and are prone. (Player: I react to this!)
The player is free to react, but he reacts to the whole instant fall. (Rearranged above)
The above reaction creates a branch in the gameflow away from the DM's "turn", interrupting that turn instantly.
Yep.
The Player's Reaction is played out and resolved.
Yep.
Then the gameflow reverts back to the DM and continues from where it left off. In this case the effect as described by the DM has been changed even though no time has passed.
Uh, no. See, when he casts feather fall, which he can... he casts it, and there are no valid targets. So, the spell is cast, and fizzles, and the game resumes.
What you are missing in all of this discussion is that it's a question of game mechanics. The mechanics for how the players interact with the game are separate from how the characters in the game world are perceiving the passage of time.
Exactly. Your instantaneous reaction happens in response to the entire fall. Not some initiation of the fall, because there is no such thing if you are trwating the fall as... instant.
The game is set up in a turn-based manner so that it can actually be played. There is a flow for how the game plays out.
Yep.
In combat, players take "turns" being in the spotlight and describing what characters are doing round by round, even though the idea is that everything is sort of happening almost at the same time, within a 6 second period.
Totally.
Out-of-combat the game flow is that players declare what the characters are doing and the DM describes the effects of the characters on the game world and the effects of the game world on the players. It's a back-and-forth flow that tells a story.
100%.
Just about everything that happens in the game world is cause and effect. My character uses movement, that has a certain effect. My character casts a spell, that has a certain effect. My character attacks or even hits with an attack, those have certain effects also.
Yep.
Mechanically, Reactions are an instant response to a trigger.
Exactly!
This has nothing to do with time in the game world.
No. It does. Reactions happen in response to their triggers and their timing is actually important.
The trigger is described in our (the player's) world.
Yep.
Before that trigger resolves we might have a reaction. That's how the game is designed.
Well, yeah RAW thats how this whole thing shakes out too.
The problem is when you decide to deviate from RAW and use the optional rule that changes how falls are resolved. Because they stop being a series of steps and instead are one instant event.
That is important because the trigger is that event. The fall. If a fall is an instant event, then the trigger refers to that whole event.
Now, the OG faling isn't expected to behave that way, so the trigger, the fall, is the intuitive part of the process you'd naturally imagine it to be. Your reaction will trigger mid-fall, after the fall starts but before it concludes, allowing your spell to intervene and affect the fall's resolution.
Unfortunately, if "a fall" is a whole discrete event that happens in an instant, then the trigger is to that whole event. Ie. After the fall.
This is how some of the other examples are also possible. I am hit by an attack. This is a trigger that instantly causes me to take damage. Except that if I cast Shield on myself in response to that trigger (being hit by an attack), I do not actually take any damage, even though I was just hit.
This is actually a special case! I was wondering how long it'd be before someone tried to use a special resolution timing reaction in this conversation. But this is one such reaction.
There was no passage of time. I was hit, I instantly react by casting Shield, and then the effect of that hit is that I take no damage (or that it was actually a miss).
The spell says this, though. That's why it works like that. Reactions happen after their trigger, normally. Only if they specify otherwise can they have a different timing. Shield specifically says that it can apply to the attack that triggered it. Without that wording... it wouldn't.
The other example was that you can Counterspell a Counterspell. So, my ally casts a damage spell on an enemy. The enemy instantly casts Counterspell which occurs instantaneously. I can now react to this by casting my own Counterspell to that Counterspell (because of how triggers and Reactions work mechanically) and the damage goes through even though no time has passed. Again, there are tons of examples like this -- it's how Reactions work. It's a game mechanic -- no time is required.
That's... again, not actually how reactions work. They do need to have special instruction if they will work like that. Shield and counterspell are both examples of non-standard reactions, ones able to influence the event that was their trigger.
feather fall has no such provisions. The effect is applied after the trigger.
And, unfortunately for those of you who resolve their falls instantly, that means that the spell resolves after they hit the ground.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Besides, you again seem to be saying there is some fractions of seconds after the fall starts before it concludes. So you agree it isn't instant.
It is instant as the game uses the term instant. It's not instant as you're using the word instant, but you're using the word in a way that renders much of common spoken English incorrect, and that generally means you're just not using the word correctly.
"Your instantaneous reaction happens in response to the entire fall. Not some initiation of the fall, because there is no such thing if you are treating the fall as... instant."
Ok, I guess this is where we disagree then. You are still hung up on the time that characters experience during the effect instead of seeing the overall cause-and-effect aspect of the situation from the player's perspective and how the mechanics of triggers interacts with that.
I don't have it in front of me right now but the optional rule says something like "when a creature falls, it instantly descends 500 feet."
Suppose we set up a different scenario with this same structure: "Whenever a creature rings this bell, any orb that is on that pedestal instantly breaks."
However, I possess a Reaction spell that says "whenever a creature rings this bell, any orb that is on that pedestal is instantly removed from that pedestal and drops into my pocket."
Ok, there is an orb on the pedestal. A goblin walks over and rings the bell. I use my reaction to cast my spell. What happens? The spell works as intended.
Why? Because the trigger is "whenever a creature rings this bell". The trigger is NOT "whenever a creature rings this bell, any orb that is on that pedestal instantly breaks".
It doesn't matter that no time has passed during the effect that is created by ringing the bell. As soon as the bell is rung the gameflow is instantly interrupted and the reaction is resolved. Then the effect of ringing the bell is resolved afterwards.
Using XGE they are so "you instantly descend up to 500 feet" unless you specifically descend at a different rate in a fraction of a second in response to falling.
Instantly falling 500ft isn't a rate. Nor can you slow from it. It isn't a velocity at all.
Besides, you again seem to be saying there is some fractions of seconds after the fall starts before it concludes. So you agree it isn't instant.
Do you have the book or you're arguing without the info? The XGE rule is called Rate of Falling and introduce a rate of descend of 500 feet per round.
Right you won't instantly descend up to 500 feet if your rate of descent slows to 60 feet per round. To descend up to 500 feet will take you 9 rounds.
Falling 500ft per round is a rate.
Instantly falling 500ft is not a rate.
This is straightforward. A rate is "measurement per measurement". In our case, distance per time.
500ft per round is roughly 57 miles per hour. That's a rate.
500ft per [null value] is not a rate. It isn't a speed. It cannot be expressed as one. And you cannot slow from it.
I'm not sure why you're hung up on the 500ft per round stuff. No one here disagrees about how that works. But you keep referring to it. We're really discussing the shorter distance falls. The ones that are "instant."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
"Your instantaneous reaction happens in response to the entire fall. Not some initiation of the fall, because there is no such thing if you are treating the fall as... instant."
Ok, I guess this is where we disagree then. You are still hung up on the time that characters experience during the effect instead of seeing the overall cause-and-effect aspect of the situation from the player's perspective and how the mechanics of triggers interacts with that.
I don't have it in front of me right now but the optional rule says something like "when a creature falls, it instantly descends 500 feet."
Suppose we set up a different scenario with this same structure: "Whenever a creature rings this bell, any orb that is on that pedestal instantly breaks."
However, I possess a Reaction spell that says "whenever a creature rings this bell, any orb that is on that pedestal is instantly removed from that pedestal and drops into my pocket."
Ok, there is an orb on the pedestal. A goblin walks over and rings the bell. I use my reaction to cast my spell. What happens? The spell works as intended.
Why? Because the trigger is "whenever a creature rings this bell". The trigger is NOT "whenever a creature rings this bell, any orb that is on that pedestal instantly breaks".
It doesn't matter that no time has passed during the effect that is created by ringing the bell. As soon as the bell is rung the gameflow is instantly interrupted and the reaction is resolved. Then the effect of ringing the bell is resolved afterwards.
You've outlined yet another special timing/effect reaction here. You'll find that feather fall lacks any such wording. It is a default rules types reaction, and, as such, happens after the trigger.
The only reason it even can work, as written, is because we intuitively understand that falling takes time.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
You've outlined yet another special timing/effect reaction here. You'll find that feather fall lacks any such wording. It is a default rules types reaction, and, as such, happens after the trigger.
There is no default rules type reaction. There is a default for how ready works, but 5e has no default for whether a reaction interrupts its trigger, it's up to the DM to parse the rules text in a sensible manner.
We're really discussing the shorter distance falls. The ones that are "instant."
What shorter distance? In XGE Optional Rate of Falling rules you ''you instantly descend up to 500 feet.''' There is no other reference to distance or the word ''instantly'' in any of the falling rules in XGE or PHB.. Can you quote what rule your basing your argument then?
"* - which you take when you or a creature within 60 feet of you falls"
The fall could be a foot or 500 feet it does not matter to the spell or the caster.
If you add in some arbitrary rate of fall argument your removing the main reason for the spell. To save the fallen. You instead turn it into a simple fly spell for when you want to jump down from heights. how would you handle a fall for over 500 feet? Would the first 500 feet be instantaneous and the rest would be at what rate? Again instantly? Thus no reaction time.
What about a fall over 600 feet? The spell only lasts for 10 rounds, Thus 600 feet. Unless you can jump and cast it 600 feet before you hit the ground. But if you can not cast during the fall then the spell is totally useless. Unless you do rule that you can cast it during the fall. Then the only argument remaining is why not when your surprised and fall against your will, like with the trap door.
We're really discussing the shorter distance falls. The ones that are "instant."
What shorter distance? In XGE Optional Rate of Falling rules you ''you instantly descend up to 500 feet.''' There is no other reference to distance or the word ''instantly'' in any of the falling rules in XGE or PHB.. Can you quote what rule your basing your argument then?
You keep talking about the over 500ft falls... idk, maybe you've mixed them up.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
You've outlined yet another special timing/effect reaction here. You'll find that feather fall lacks any such wording. It is a default rules types reaction, and, as such, happens after the trigger.
There is no default rules type reaction. There is a default for how ready works, but 5e has no default for whether a reaction interrupts its trigger, it's up to the DM to parse the rules text in a sensible manner.
"Reaction Timing: Certain game features let you take a special action, called a reaction, in response to some event. Making opportunity attacks and casting the shield spell are two typical uses of reactions. If you’re unsure when a reaction occurs in relation to its trigger, here’s the rule: the reaction happens after its trigger completes, unless the description of the reaction explicitly says otherwise."
This was covered earlier in this thread too. The important bit:
the reaction happens after its trigger completes, unless the description of the reaction explicitly says otherwise
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
We're really discussing the shorter distance falls. The ones that are "instant."
What shorter distance? In XGE Optional Rate of Falling rules you ''you instantly descend up to 500 feet.''' There is no other reference to distance or the word ''instantly'' in any of the falling rules in XGE or PHB.. Can you quote what rule your basing your argument then?
You keep talking about the over 500ft falls... idk, maybe you've mixed them up.
Please answer the question
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DM: The trapdoor opens under your feet and you fall.
Player: Oh no! I am now a falling creature! What happens to me as a result of this tragic event!?
DM: You instantly smash into the floor far below you. Roll 20d6.
OR:
DM: The trapdoor opens under your feet and you fall.
Player: Oh no! I am now a falling creature! I react to this tragic event instantly by casting Feather Fall. What happens to me as a result of this tragic event and my reaction to it?
DM: You float gently down to the floor far below you and suffer no damage.
(This is rules as written in both core and optional rule books. The critical concept is understanding how Reactions work.)
Falling even 10 feet takes more than a fraction of a second, which is what a reaction spell takes to bring about The XGE optional rule for fall at high altitude take more than a few seconds so even longer...
We don't agree. Generally "when you fall from a great height, you instantly descend up to 500 feet" unless you specifically descend at a different rate.
You didn't apply instant falls to either of these scenarios.
Here is instant falls applied:
DM: The trapdoor opens under your feet make a Dex save DC:X.
Player: Only a 2, it fails. :(
DM: You instantly fall, smashing into the floor far below you. You take 20d6 damage and are prone.
Player: Oh no! I am now a falling creature! What happens to me as a result of this tragic event!?
DM: You are not a falling creature, you are a prone... or maybe even dead creature.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
"Realistically, a fall from such a height can take more than a few seconds, extending past the end of the turn when the fall occurred."
Yes, if you fall over 500ft using XGtE optional rule you just sorta hang out mid-air. At which point you're a "falling creature". We covered that earlier but no one is really contesting that's how this works for long falls.
We're talking shorter falls. The ones that would fall under the "instant" phrasing.
But if you're agreeing with me that a fall over 10ft takes fractions of a second I'll take it. We agree that falls aren't instant.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Using XGE they are so "you instantly descend up to 500 feet" unless you specifically descend at a different rate in a fraction of a second in response to falling.
Instantly falling 500ft isn't a rate. Nor can you slow from it. It isn't a velocity at all.
Besides, you again seem to be saying there is some fractions of seconds after the fall starts before it concludes. So you agree it isn't instant.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Do you have the book or you're arguing without the info? The XGE rule is called Rate of Falling and introduce a rate of descend of 500 feet per round.
Right you won't instantly descend up to 500 feet if your rate of descent slows to 60 feet per round. To descend up to 500 feet will take you 9 rounds.
No, that is incorrect. It happens like this:
Here is instant falls applied:
DM: The trapdoor opens under your feet make a Dex save DC:X.
Player: Only a 2, it fails. :(
DM: You instantly fall, (Player: I react to this!) smashing into the floor far below you. You take 20d6 damage and are prone.
The above reaction creates a branch in the gameflow away from the DM's "turn", interrupting that turn instantly. The Player's Reaction is played out and resolved. Then the gameflow reverts back to the DM and continues from where it left off. In this case the effect as described by the DM has been changed even though no time has passed.
What you are missing in all of this discussion is that it's a question of game mechanics. The mechanics for how the players interact with the game are separate from how the characters in the game world are perceiving the passage of time. The game is set up in a turn-based manner so that it can actually be played. There is a flow for how the game plays out. In combat, players take "turns" being in the spotlight and describing what characters are doing round by round, even though the idea is that everything is sort of happening almost at the same time, within a 6 second period. Out-of-combat the game flow is that players declare what the characters are doing and the DM describes the effects of the characters on the game world and the effects of the game world on the players. It's a back-and-forth flow that tells a story.
Just about everything that happens in the game world is cause and effect. My character uses movement, that has a certain effect. My character casts a spell, that has a certain effect. My character attacks or even hits with an attack, those have certain effects also. Mechanically, Reactions are an instant response to a trigger. This has nothing to do with time in the game world. The trigger is described in our (the player's) world. Before that trigger resolves we might have a reaction. That's how the game is designed.
This is how some of the other examples are also possible. I am hit by an attack. This is a trigger that instantly causes me to take damage. Except that if I cast Shield on myself in response to that trigger (being hit by an attack), I do not actually take any damage, even though I was just hit. There was no passage of time. I was hit, I instantly react by casting Shield, and then the effect of that hit is that I take no damage (or that it was actually a miss).
The other example was that you can Counterspell a Counterspell. So, my ally casts a damage spell on an enemy. The enemy instantly casts Counterspell which occurs instantaneously. I can now react to this by casting my own Counterspell to that Counterspell (because of how triggers and Reactions work mechanically) and the damage goes through even though no time has passed. Again, there are tons of examples like this -- it's how Reactions work. It's a game mechanic -- no time is required.
It really isn't.
The player is free to react, but he reacts to the whole instant fall. (Rearranged above)
Yep.
Yep.
Uh, no. See, when he casts feather fall, which he can... he casts it, and there are no valid targets. So, the spell is cast, and fizzles, and the game resumes.
Exactly. Your instantaneous reaction happens in response to the entire fall. Not some initiation of the fall, because there is no such thing if you are trwating the fall as... instant.
Yep.
Totally.
100%.
Yep.
Exactly!
No. It does. Reactions happen in response to their triggers and their timing is actually important.
Yep.
Well, yeah RAW thats how this whole thing shakes out too.
The problem is when you decide to deviate from RAW and use the optional rule that changes how falls are resolved. Because they stop being a series of steps and instead are one instant event.
That is important because the trigger is that event. The fall. If a fall is an instant event, then the trigger refers to that whole event.
Now, the OG faling isn't expected to behave that way, so the trigger, the fall, is the intuitive part of the process you'd naturally imagine it to be. Your reaction will trigger mid-fall, after the fall starts but before it concludes, allowing your spell to intervene and affect the fall's resolution.
Unfortunately, if "a fall" is a whole discrete event that happens in an instant, then the trigger is to that whole event. Ie. After the fall.
This is actually a special case! I was wondering how long it'd be before someone tried to use a special resolution timing reaction in this conversation. But this is one such reaction.
The spell says this, though. That's why it works like that. Reactions happen after their trigger, normally. Only if they specify otherwise can they have a different timing. Shield specifically says that it can apply to the attack that triggered it. Without that wording... it wouldn't.
That's... again, not actually how reactions work. They do need to have special instruction if they will work like that. Shield and counterspell are both examples of non-standard reactions, ones able to influence the event that was their trigger.
feather fall has no such provisions. The effect is applied after the trigger.
And, unfortunately for those of you who resolve their falls instantly, that means that the spell resolves after they hit the ground.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
It is instant as the game uses the term instant. It's not instant as you're using the word instant, but you're using the word in a way that renders much of common spoken English incorrect, and that generally means you're just not using the word correctly.
"Your instantaneous reaction happens in response to the entire fall. Not some initiation of the fall, because there is no such thing if you are treating the fall as... instant."
Ok, I guess this is where we disagree then. You are still hung up on the time that characters experience during the effect instead of seeing the overall cause-and-effect aspect of the situation from the player's perspective and how the mechanics of triggers interacts with that.
I don't have it in front of me right now but the optional rule says something like "when a creature falls, it instantly descends 500 feet."
Suppose we set up a different scenario with this same structure: "Whenever a creature rings this bell, any orb that is on that pedestal instantly breaks."
However, I possess a Reaction spell that says "whenever a creature rings this bell, any orb that is on that pedestal is instantly removed from that pedestal and drops into my pocket."
Ok, there is an orb on the pedestal. A goblin walks over and rings the bell. I use my reaction to cast my spell. What happens? The spell works as intended.
Why? Because the trigger is "whenever a creature rings this bell". The trigger is NOT "whenever a creature rings this bell, any orb that is on that pedestal instantly breaks".
It doesn't matter that no time has passed during the effect that is created by ringing the bell. As soon as the bell is rung the gameflow is instantly interrupted and the reaction is resolved. Then the effect of ringing the bell is resolved afterwards.
Falling 500ft per round is a rate.
Instantly falling 500ft is not a rate.
This is straightforward. A rate is "measurement per measurement". In our case, distance per time.
500ft per round is roughly 57 miles per hour. That's a rate.
500ft per [null value] is not a rate. It isn't a speed. It cannot be expressed as one. And you cannot slow from it.
I'm not sure why you're hung up on the 500ft per round stuff. No one here disagrees about how that works. But you keep referring to it. We're really discussing the shorter distance falls. The ones that are "instant."
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
You've outlined yet another special timing/effect reaction here. You'll find that feather fall lacks any such wording. It is a default rules types reaction, and, as such, happens after the trigger.
The only reason it even can work, as written, is because we intuitively understand that falling takes time.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
There is no default rules type reaction. There is a default for how ready works, but 5e has no default for whether a reaction interrupts its trigger, it's up to the DM to parse the rules text in a sensible manner.
What shorter distance? In XGE Optional Rate of Falling rules you ''you instantly descend up to 500 feet.''' There is no other reference to distance or the word ''instantly'' in any of the falling rules in XGE or PHB.. Can you quote what rule your basing your argument then?
I like the quote from the spell
"* - which you take when you or a creature within 60 feet of you falls"
The fall could be a foot or 500 feet it does not matter to the spell or the caster.
If you add in some arbitrary rate of fall argument your removing the main reason for the spell. To save the fallen. You instead turn it into a simple fly spell for when you want to jump down from heights.
how would you handle a fall for over 500 feet? Would the first 500 feet be instantaneous and the rest would be at what rate? Again instantly? Thus no reaction time.
What about a fall over 600 feet? The spell only lasts for 10 rounds, Thus 600 feet. Unless you can jump and cast it 600 feet before you hit the ground. But if you can not cast during the fall then the spell is totally useless.
Unless you do rule that you can cast it during the fall. Then the only argument remaining is why not when your surprised and fall against your will, like with the trap door.
You keep talking about the over 500ft falls... idk, maybe you've mixed them up.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
"Reaction Timing: Certain game features let you take a special action, called a reaction, in response to some event. Making opportunity attacks and casting the shield spell are two typical uses of reactions. If you’re unsure when a reaction occurs in relation to its trigger, here’s the rule: the reaction happens after its trigger completes, unless the description of the reaction explicitly says otherwise."
This was covered earlier in this thread too. The important bit:
the reaction happens after its trigger completes, unless the description of the reaction explicitly says otherwise
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Please answer the question