You cast a fireball with the intent that it's area of effect is 60ft west of you. There is a wall 40ft west of you. To get around the wall, the fireball would have to go down a 200ft hall to the south, make a number of turns down a number of hallways, then come back north 100ft on the other side of the wall. Would the fireball do that?
It is magic. If you don't have to see the target, I'd say that the path is straight -- so not very convoluted at all -- and that the flash of light that streaks from your hand to the target doesn't interact with matter. Just like when you teleport to a place you can't see.
Edit: See below. Others remind me that you do indeed need to see the target unless the spell says you don't. I thought it was the reverse. If your target is behind total cover, then you can't cast fireball there, but you could dimension door to that place.
A Clear Path to the Target: To target something, you must have a clear path to it, so it can't be behind total cover.
If you place an area of effect at a point that you can't see and an obstruction, such as a wall, is between you and that point, the point of origin comes into being on the near side of that obstruction.
So, in other words, you're going to roast that wall 40ft west of you, but not on the side you want.
A Clear Path to the Target: To target something, you must have a clear path to it, so it can't be behind total cover.
If you place an area of effect at a point that you can't see and an obstruction, such as a wall, is between you and that point, the point of origin comes into being on the near side of that obstruction.
So, in other words, you're going to roast that wall 40ft west of you, but not on the side you want.
Yeah, I was going to say this too. Here is a link:
Yep, basically a straight line to a visible target for most things (not behind total cover). Your Fireball would go 40ft west and explode right as it reaches the wall.
There are some ways to indirectly target things with an AoE, but nothing as convoluted as your hypothetical. The best that can be done with a standard Fireball is to target a point in space above & beyond the wall that would catch your real target in the blast. This is completely dependent on the dimensions of the specific scenario as you still need clear line of sight to the origin point, and the indirect target needs to be in range of the AoE from that origin point.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
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You cast a fireball with the intent that it's area of effect is 60ft west of you. There is a wall 40ft west of you. To get around the wall, the fireball would have to go down a 200ft hall to the south, make a number of turns down a number of hallways, then come back north 100ft on the other side of the wall. Would the fireball do that?
I mean, the fireball doesn't walk to its destination. You choose a point, and fire erupts there.
Edit: if you have a clear path to the target.
the fireball DOES move from the finger of the caster to the point of "explosion". So, how convoluted can that path be?
It is magic. If you don't have to see the target, I'd say that the path is straight -- so not very convoluted at all -- and that the flash of light that streaks from your hand to the target doesn't interact with matter. Just like when you teleport to a place you can't see.
Edit: See below. Others remind me that you do indeed need to see the target unless the spell says you don't. I thought it was the reverse. If your target is behind total cover, then you can't cast fireball there, but you could dimension door to that place.
From PHB's Spellcasting rules:
A Clear Path to the Target:
To target something, you must have a clear path to it, so it can't be behind total cover.
If you place an area of effect at a point that you can't see and an obstruction, such as a wall, is between you and that point, the point of origin comes into being on the near side of that obstruction.
So, in other words, you're going to roast that wall 40ft west of you, but not on the side you want.
Partway through the quest for absolute truth.
Yeah, I was going to say this too. Here is a link:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/spellcasting#Targets
Yeah. I guess I forgot about this general rule. Spells that don't require sight of the target say that specifically.
Yep, basically a straight line to a visible target for most things (not behind total cover). Your Fireball would go 40ft west and explode right as it reaches the wall.
There are some ways to indirectly target things with an AoE, but nothing as convoluted as your hypothetical. The best that can be done with a standard Fireball is to target a point in space above & beyond the wall that would catch your real target in the blast. This is completely dependent on the dimensions of the specific scenario as you still need clear line of sight to the origin point, and the indirect target needs to be in range of the AoE from that origin point.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.