Magic Stone is such a freakin' weird spell, in so many ways. Current question: what is its range from a Sling?

You or someone else can make a ranged spell attack with one of the pebbles by throwing it or hurling it with a sling. If thrown, it has a range of 60 feet.

Throwing it makes sense: ranged spell attack, up to 60 feet ok, past 60 feet is out of range.

But ranged attacks don't work like that: a Sling has a normal range of 30, and then a long range of 120. Cast from a Sling, do you

1. make a regular spell attack within 30, or a spell attack with disadvantage 31-120?
2. Or, has the sling expanded the ranged spell attack range to 120?
3. Or, is casting it from the sling purely cosmetic, and the range remains 60 feet?

Thoughts? I'm inclined to go with Option 1 as the most literal reading, but it seems a little messed up to have such a complicated decision tree form for when to throw/sling (0-30 either is ok, 31-60 better off throwing, 60-120 sling but with disadvantage...)

Option 2, the sling expanded the spell attack range to 120.

One thing to point out, you don’t “cast it from the sling.” You cast it on the stones, and then you throw the stones with the sling.

Whoops, I meant "casting" in the sense of "throwing out," like "casting a line." Unfortunate word choice :p

Yes, but throwing stones with a sling is a ranged weapon attack, and is made at disadvantage 31-120 feet. Magic Stone is a ranged spell attack, even when thrown from a sling, and never invites us to make that attack with disadvantage. Assuming that the cantrip lets you sling a stone 120 feet without disadvantage as a ranged spell attack... it's reasonable, I just don't see that it's supported or required by the spell's (limited) language. 

Ah, that makes sense. “Casting Stones,” I get it.

The range on a weapon has 2 numbers and has disadvantage on attacks between the short and long ranges, as you pointed out. A spell attack has no such disadvantage as you pointed out as well. Therefore, the spell attack can use the max range of the weapon at 120 feet, but as a spell attack, suffers no disadvantage for long range. The exact conundrum you are butting up against is exactly why it works that way.

I agree, it is written poorly, but it is what it is. 

Quote from Chicken_Champ >>

Magic Stone is such a freakin' weird spell, in so many ways. Current question: what is its range from a Sling?

You or someone else can make a ranged spell attack with one of the pebbles by throwing it or hurling it with a sling. If thrown, it has a range of 60 feet.

Throwing it makes sense: ranged spell attack, up to 60 feet ok, past 60 feet is out of range.

But ranged attacks don't work like that:

Ranged spell attack do. Look at eldritch blast, ray of frost, scorching ray, etc. They don't have a short range and a long range; just a range.

When someone with the magic stone throws it, their skill at throwing is irrelevant - it is the spell's magic that propels the stone.

The exception here is that someone use a sling to propel the stone, which means you do get to use the sling's range, which includes a short range and a long range. Note that it is still the spellcaster's ability modifier used for the attack, not the slinger's.

This is another one of those cases where house rules are needed.

If the short/long range ruling is applied, a sensible player *might* keep a sling in hand in case he needs to hit a target beyond 60ft, but would otherwise never use it.
It would also invite questions of how exactly the stone becomes less accurate when used in a sling vs a hand.

A reasonable interpretation is that the origin of the 60ft range is the max range of thrown weapons.
With this interpretation, the sling has a range of 120ft, with no short range. The player will always use a sling, and will distribute slings to the entire party just in case. Crossbows would be functionally obsolete for this character, since the vast majority of D&D encounters start at ranges shorter than 120ft.
The cantrip still doesn't scale as well as Eldritch Blast, since warlocks only ever get one attack per action. However, if combined with henchmen or other party members, it can be quite powerful.

A third, middle-ground solution would be to rule that the short range for the sling is extended from 30 to 60ft.

Quote from Sporadisk >>

This is another one of those cases where house rules are needed.

If the short/long range ruling is applied, a sensible player *might* keep a sling in hand in case he needs to hit a target beyond 60ft, but would otherwise never use it.
It would also invite questions of how exactly the stone becomes less accurate when used in a sling vs a hand.

A reasonable interpretation is that the origin of the 60ft range is the max range of thrown weapons.
With this interpretation, the sling has a range of 120ft, with no short range. The player will always use a sling, and will distribute slings to the entire party just in case. Crossbows would be functionally obsolete for this character, since the vast majority of D&D encounters start at ranges shorter than 120ft.
The cantrip still doesn't scale as well as Eldritch Blast, since warlocks only ever get one attack per action. However, if combined with henchmen or other party members, it can be quite powerful.

A third, middle-ground solution would be to rule that the short range for the sling is extended from 30 to 60ft.

Why is it an issue if a cantrip they have is better than a crossbow? That's how it works with all their other cantrips.