I think that's thinking too hard about the "source" of the moonbeam. The spell creates a 5-foot radius, 40-foot (max) tall vertical pillar of light. You can move the pillar of light, but it stays a vertical pillar. It doesn't angle to come from a fixed "source" like moving a flashlight around a room. Why does it not behave like it's coming from a fixed-point source? Because magic.
that's the thing, it doesn't specifically say a pillar of light, it specifically says a BEAM. when it is created it makes a Cylinder shape, not a pillar. (wording is being picky but dnd is picky with wording i know)
What mechanical distinction are you drawing between cylinder (which is mechanically defined in the rules) and pillar?
In the same way that a cone is necessarily horizontal and two dimensional? I was persuaded in a thread last year that the limitations of the areas of effect section do not preclude them being reoriented when the situation calls for it, they’re common use examples.
Not at all in the same way. "A cone extends in a direction you choose."
However, "A cylinder's point of origin is the center of a circle of a particular radius, as given in the spell description. The circle must either be on the ground or at the height of the spell effect."
A direction you choose can be parallel or orthogonal to the ground, but the base of the cylinder must be parallel to the ground, or else it wouldn't be either on the ground or at the height of the spell effect.
Also, Moonbeam says that the cylinder is 40' high, not 40' long, so laying it on its side won't actually do anything. However, you can put the origin point in the air and point down, which will allow hitting targets behind a wall as long as you have LoS to the area above the wall (not an issue in this case).
Saga is right, the wordings on both moonbeam and areas of effect result in having a column oriented vertically without simply stating that. Both sources seem to use the term 'height' to mean unequivocally the straight side of the cylinder (as in a cylinder has a height and a radius) as well as the vertical dimension of space in the world.
Trying to apply a non-vertical cylinder to the cylinder rules makes them read incoherently. This is a case where you could probably get into a "um technically" argument, but reading the rules like a regular reader solves most of the issues.
I would rule that moving the beam has the same restrictions on line of effect that placing it originally does. Obstructions cause the point of origin to come into being on the near side of that obstruction and do not allow the effect to pass it.
So we have a monk/wizard who used fly to evade Moonbeam’s height (flew 50ft vertically to go out of the 40ft height). Can the paladin move the moonbeam vertically? Or does it have to remain on the ground
So we have a monk/wizard who used fly to evade Moonbeam’s height (flew 50ft vertically to go out of the 40ft height). Can the paladin move the moonbeam vertically? Or does it have to remain on the ground
Since being on the ground is restriction on the cylinder shape, not the spell, it probably has to stay on the ground, but RAW isn't totally clear.
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What mechanical distinction are you drawing between cylinder (which is mechanically defined in the rules) and pillar?
I’m guessing it’s that you can lay a cylinder on its side to draw it off a wall, while a column implies vertical orientation
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
If so, the supposition is incorrect; cylinders, as defined by the rules, are vertically-oriented.
In the same way that a cone is necessarily horizontal and two dimensional? I was persuaded in a thread last year that the limitations of the areas of effect section do not preclude them being reoriented when the situation calls for it, they’re common use examples.
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
Not at all in the same way. "A cone extends in a direction you choose."
However, "A cylinder's point of origin is the center of a circle of a particular radius, as given in the spell description. The circle must either be on the ground or at the height of the spell effect."
A direction you choose can be parallel or orthogonal to the ground, but the base of the cylinder must be parallel to the ground, or else it wouldn't be either on the ground or at the height of the spell effect.
Also, Moonbeam says that the cylinder is 40' high, not 40' long, so laying it on its side won't actually do anything. However, you can put the origin point in the air and point down, which will allow hitting targets behind a wall as long as you have LoS to the area above the wall (not an issue in this case).
Saga is right, the wordings on both moonbeam and areas of effect result in having a column oriented vertically without simply stating that. Both sources seem to use the term 'height' to mean unequivocally the straight side of the cylinder (as in a cylinder has a height and a radius) as well as the vertical dimension of space in the world.
Trying to apply a non-vertical cylinder to the cylinder rules makes them read incoherently. This is a case where you could probably get into a "um technically" argument, but reading the rules like a regular reader solves most of the issues.
I would rule that moving the beam has the same restrictions on line of effect that placing it originally does. Obstructions cause the point of origin to come into being on the near side of that obstruction and do not allow the effect to pass it.
So we have a monk/wizard who used fly to evade Moonbeam’s height (flew 50ft vertically to go out of the 40ft height). Can the paladin move the moonbeam vertically? Or does it have to remain on the ground
Since being on the ground is restriction on the cylinder shape, not the spell, it probably has to stay on the ground, but RAW isn't totally clear.